This story was told by a person incarcerated at Vacaville.
UCI: How has the COVID situation at your facility affected your loved ones?
Caller: Terribly. They’re afraid – afraid, they’re always worried. I’m afraid, I’m always worried.
But the good thing is that we’re allowed to call. We’re allowed to call, even you know, even our calls have been cut down, they’ve been cut back. And even that – even that, you know, it may seem punitive but it’s all about protection.
And – and I see it – you know, it seems to be, it may seem punitive but it’s the main thing is that they’re doing what they can. It seems that things are being done to protect us and that being the most important, that being our primary goal, I mean, hell. What can – you know, that just seems to be the main thing, that the steps that are being taken are taken to protect us.
UCI: How have you been coping with this crisis?
Caller: Well, my anxiety is through the roof. I just go through it. I go through it terribly. I go through it terribly.
I was seeking to discharge my – my – this level of care, this month. And with this second wave being as it is, I can’t. I’m just – I’m scared to death. I’m scared to death.
UCI: What would have made the situation at your facility better?
Caller: Better healthcare, less greed, let the ones go who need to be let go. And not let certain reason for discrimination come into play. And not let, you know, it’s not about the money all the time, it’s about the person, it’s about the care.
It’s about what can be done. You know, some things may seem proactive that are not proactive.
You know, when you can – when you can see when one is suffering terribly and needs decisions to be made and those decisions are just being dragged out for whatever reason. And that you can see that there’s discrimination coming into play, that you can see they’re picking and choosing. That – that’s enough to, you know, if one’s not of strong – one’s not of, you know, strong – if one doesn’t have any courage or, y’know, any fortitude, he may do something drastic.
