This letter was written by a person incarcerated at Centinela.
I say this, cause once the prison went on lockdown and voluntary COVID tests became mandatory and quarantine was being prolonged approximately 40 days. I knew in my spirit that the powers that be were now taking all advantages during this pandemic as an opportunity.
I’ve filed multiple grievances stating their preventive measures aren’t adequate to stop the spread. Even medical personnel agreed yet nobody wanted to bring their concerns to the right authorities. I became a target to silence and witnessed systematic manipulation rehearsed and transpire before me by attacking my rehabilitation with rule violation reports to deem me a program failure.
I witnessed the guards influence medical personnel to implement absurd orders to justify their cause using medical as a crutch. I’ve been moved around several times and even put in medical isolation without any medical diagnosis, exposure, or positive COVID test results. I thank God, I haven’t tested positive due to speaking up.
I take my life serious and health to me is very important. Positive inmates are being housed with negative inmates. I’ve been put in cells that wasn’t thoroughly cleansed prior to me moving in.
We wore P.I.A.-made cloth mask for approximately nine months. Guards and free staff wasn’t required to wear mask until eight months of being in the pandemic. We are currently under mandatory issue of N-95 mask, while some of the guard in our housing units constantly aren’t wearing mask and wearing surgical mask.
It’s traumatic to hear a guard say, “Everybody will eventually have it in jail.” I’m paranoid to a degree daily, not knowing if the person I live with antibodies have worn off and if he can possibly pass it on to others and even me. Out of 173 inmates in my unit, only 20 inmates was negative including me.
I don’t like that certain staff act like the inmates are a threat to their health and safety when they are the ones constantly in contact with the outside public, giving access to come and go within the facility.
