This story was told by a person incarcerated at Fresno County Jail.
Caller: But it’s a hardship for all of us. It’s a challenge. And we’re working through it. The guards are more loving, more kind here. It seems like Biden has said, because this is a new world, and I agree with this.
Because from my own experience, there’s no more brutality in prisons like it used to be. There’s no more anger or the status quo of the evil criminal. Everybody seems to be coming together and uniting in love, kindness, and peace. You know, empathy is our guide now. Love is our guide, it seems, to me.
I mean, we still have our moments of, you know, bedlam, if you will. It occurs every once in a while; however, it’s not as frequent as it used to be. People are turning to God for their support. Right now, we have a shortage of bibles. It’s very hard to get a bible right now as a result of volunteers that come into the facility and preach and give sermons and seminars.
That’s what we lack the most is the volunteers. Apparently, they’re afraid to spread the pandemic. I think that’s what it mostly is, their concern for spreading anything. Because, it stands to reason that people in jails or prisons aren’t the ones really spreading or getting the flu, you know. So, but as we speak, it seems like, as humans, I’d like to say that we’re humans first and were inmates second.
UCI: Of course.
Caller: That’s something that’s very important for people to know. As humans, first, we’re thinking about our community and our families more often now. We don’t get to see them because of the quarantine right now. And it’s a hardship.
People are very anxious and concerned because, you know, if somebody does get the flu and it does spread, most likely, someone’s going to die. We want to see our families before that happens. That’s our main concern.