This letter was written by a person incarcerated at Calipatria.
The society that prisoners created for themselves is a world of its own and over the years you get numb to the violence and cruelty that is so much a part of the prison culture. But the COVID-19 pandemic appears to be a different beast altogether. An unseen enemy that you do not know how to avoid or fight.
Even the most callous of us cannot help but to feel concerned about what is to come. As the battle against the coronavirus rages on around the country, we at Calipatria State Prison has so far been fortunate to avoid the virus.
Nevertheless, everyone here knows that it is a coming and what that when it does arrive it will be like a massive train wreck and a lot of death is sure to follow. Just the nature of the way this virus spreads makes it especially conducive to environments found in nursing homes, close quarters, and most often double celled into small closet sized room. And share the same showers, phones, tables, and other common areas with the rest of the prison community.
Strict social distancing simply is not possible in a prison setting. For instance, every year when the flu season rolls around nearly every prisoner will eventually come down with the flu. It is just impossible to avoid. Thus, when the virus does hit this prison it will spread throughout the population like a wildfire.
Currently the administration has us on a modified program. A kind of loose quarantine where social distancing is encouraged but in practice is unworkable because we all share common areas. Visits, school, and religious services have all suspended. Right now, it’s just a waiting game for us.
Everyone knows that it is coming we just don’t know when. We have been told that once the virus arrives, we will be completely locked down under quarantine. But prisoners and prison officials alike know that that will not stop the virus, at best it will slow it down.
Quarantines in a prison setting are simply unworkable, especially with a virus so aggressive and so deadly. It was only four or five months ago when this prison was placed on quarantine. Everyone was getting sick, and they did not know why.
Until the cause of the outbreak was identified we were placed on quarantine. And then with everyone quarantined there was no one to clean the units regularly.
We were only given showers every three days or so. But those who had cellies were forced to shower together in the confines of a shower built for one, and the showers went weeks without being cleaned. And, of course, hand sanitizer and disinfectant were unheard of.
As the problems continued to build eventually it was discovered to be salmonella poisoning and the quarantine was lifted. But just based on this last experience if we are to going to be quarantined for several weeks or months, things are going to get real ugly here real fast.
The prison system is not designed to handle a pandemic like this. For example, when we get sick here or need to be seen by medical staff for whatever reason we must submit a request in writing describing our problem. It is then 24 to 48 hours before we are seen by a health care provider.
However, emergency rooms across the country report having patients walk in the front door talking to them and then within hours their symptoms are so severe that they are having to be placed on a ventilator.