04.19.2021
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Orange County
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Full Story
This letter was written by a person incarcerated at Orange County Theo Lacy Jail.
Hello there PrisonPandemic,
As you already know, I'm an inmate at the Theo Lacy Jail in Orange County. I'm corresponding to your letter which was a pleasant surprise. Thank you for your well wishes.
As you can imagine, it's never easy being behind these walls. You'd think it couldn't get any worse until this pandemic hit.
I came in, in July. By that time, I believe they (OCSD) already had certain protocols in place because my first two weeks (17 days to be exact), I spent them in quarantine in a cell by myself to where I got cleared and got sent to my barracks which houses around 200 inmates.
I'm not sure how or if they were keeping track of who was infected, because several months after, inmates started feeling sick again to where they started COVID testing again, and a numerous amount of inmates were infected.
But a vaccine wasn't available yet, at the moment. So they just placed all the infected people together in a dorm and the people that were clear in another. I'm surprised, but more thankful, that it didn't get to the point where inmates started dying (with all due respect to the lives that have been lost out there).
But you can never be too sure, they just offered me the vaccination last week and I took it. Just trying to be safe as possible. People come and go every day in here.
The pandemic has made it more difficult for the simple fact that they shut down visitations. It's the one thing that you look forward to and brings a little sunshine into your life, and they won't allow it despite the fact that you're already behind a barricade.
It makes it difficult and puts a bit more stress on the situation not being to physically see your loved ones. I try and keep in touch with them through the phone every so often but the two-to-five-minute phone calls they give to compensate for the visitations is just not enough. It's rough, I miss seeing them.
For some reason they won't allow things to go back to the "norm" here in the institution. Specifically, the kitchen, we're already living amongst each other, I don't see why they can't open the kitchen back up and allow the inmates to cook and receive hot meals.
We don't get steak or anything like that, but you can only eat so much bologna. So that's the situation at the moment and it doesn't look like it's going to get better anytime soon. Hopefully, I won't be here to much longer.
I hope it gave you a little insight on how things are running in here. Feel free to write anytime. I hope and hear from you. I wish you all the best and stay safe during this pandemic. Thank you again.
Sincerely.
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