This letter was written by a person incarcerated at Ironwood.
Staff misconduct related to non-compliance of social distancing and donning a mask is a matter that has existed and been addressed from the onset of this pandemic. Until about a week ago, Ironwood was still using meals in the dining hall and every day we were being exposed to the staff congregating around or sitting on the dining tables, wearing no mask or gloves while conversing over the table, and then instructed to sit and eat at those same tables. When respectfully asked to not sit on the table tops or put their feet on the seats and to have put on their masks and or gloves, we have been disregarded and/or sneered at like we don’t matter. Many staff conveniently have something covering their names so we can’t issue a complaint. Those we have issued complaints on, from what is recognized, are not being reprimanded in a way to establish intolerance.
Subsequently staff are still disregarding policy, often clustered in groups and talking with their mask on their chin, even in the buildings during mealtimes where exposure is more significant. The severity of the affront is in the fact that sergeants and lieutenants are often present when this is occurring. Even with meals being issued in same buildings now staff are still behaving the same and what makes this more troubling is that tables, benches, and other high touch surfaces are not being disinfected afterwards or prior to evening program release. There really is so much, but I want to get this out. I will eventually call the hotline, and I will also write more in hope that together we will prevail in the advocacy of unified compliance and preventing the spread of this deadly virus.
I cannot claim that my efforts have been effective, but I am at least attempting to lift my voice in this cause and the demand that CDCR staff be held accountable for their indifference and or blatant respect for human life, our life. My next step is to bring accountability to CDCR, Ironwood management supervisors.
All the best.
