This story was told by a person incarcerated at California City.
UCI: So, basically, so to answer your question about what we do, we are creating a digital archive to capture and preserve the stories of people who are incarcerated in California, their family members and loved ones, and the employees who work in these facilities.
The living archive will track people’s stories across time with retrospective accounts from the start of the pandemic and moving forward, and plays across all 35 California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation facilities. We are also collecting stories in two ways. First, you can call us on our hotline, just like you did, and we’re also collecting stories.
Caller: Oh.
UCI: Uh-huh.
Caller: So, you said I could write, you say?
UCI: Yeah.
Caller: All right, all right.
UCI: How did you get – how did get the hotline number?
Caller: Because I got – I got a letter in the mail. And it said that this was number was a hotline, but I didn’t know exactly what this was about, you know?
UCI: Yeah.
Caller: When I read the thing, it – I just didn’t know if it was like something true or like some random thing. You know what I’m saying? You know what I’m saying?
UCI: I hear you.
Caller: Yeah, yeah.
UCI: Yeah. So, basically, what we – we’re, just like the letter says, we’re basically a, we’re a group of students from UCI. And what we’re doing is that we’re collecting, we’re creating a project where we’re collect – creating a digital archive to preserve like your stories regarding your experience with COVID-19, the experiences your family members have had regarding COVID-19, and just kind of keeping a – kind of like a file of everybody’s stories so that we can upload it online and people can, you know, listen to the real stories that are happening, you know, in facilities.
And it’s a way for you to tell your stories, and we’re able to provide that to the public. So, then they have like a firsthand experience of what’s really going on regarding your situation and COVID-19.
Caller: Oh. All right. All right.
UCI: Yeah.
Caller: Yeah. So, what do I do? I just tell you what goes on right here or what?
UCI: Yeah. So, now that you’ve consented to the consent process, I just have like a few questions. We can talk, or you can tell me anything about, you know, like your situation with COVID-19. For example, let’s see, what facility are you currently housed at?
Caller: California City.
UCI: California City. All right. And how has the COVID-19 situation been like at your facility?
Caller: Well, like what do you mean? Like, how have people been sick, or like how has it affected our daily program or?
UCI: Yeah, everything. Anything that you think would be good information to tell the public, you know? Like your programmings have been cut. How is your reduced visitation?
Caller: Yeah, they cut all types of programs. We only – for a while, we were only coming out like, what, 15 minutes, if that, you know. Like, sometimes you wouldn’t even come out for showers.
I don’t know how that’s legal, but whatever, you know? And then, yeah, they would pretty much just do us dirty sometimes, like saying that it’s ’cause of COVID, you know? So, that would be an excuse not to let us out for stuff.
UCI: Yeah. So, and so, how has the COVID-19 situation at your facility affected your loved ones?
Caller: My loved ones? Well, they – well, my son, he didn’t get to see me for, what, like over a year, you know? And we don’t even get a phone call, we don’t even, you know, like, no picture programs. So, I can’t even send a picture to my son, you know?
Like you can’t send pictures. They cut the picture program, so you can’t sent pictures to your kids or your family. They can’t visit you.
They weren’t even letting us out for phone calls or for showers. You know what I mean? Like so, we couldn’t even talk to our family sometimes at points.
UCI: Oh, wow. Yeah.
Caller: Yeah.
UCI: And how has that been? Like, how are you coping with the crisis?
Caller: Me? I’m just doing, I’m fine. A lot of people in here, they can adapt to shit. But out there, it’s harder on your family than anything.
UCI: Yeah. I mean, I do – I do believe it’s hard out here, but I also believe it’s harder in there because you guys are just like, you know, all together and, like you said, no showers and stuff. Like, one of the ways you have to, you know, get clean is by showering. And so, that’s information that the public needs to know, yeah. And so-
Caller: Yeah. They think it’s – they think it’s okay that we don’t get showers because we birdbath, you know, where you fill up your sink and you get all wet, clean up all the water, put soap, get – wash the water off, wash the soap off. So, they think you don’t need to take a shower, you can just birdbath. But it’s not cool, you know?
UCI: No, yeah, I hear you. I’m sorry. What’s a birdbath? Is it like a sponge bath?
Caller: Yeah, like pretty much a sponge bath but like an extreme sponge bath, you know?
It’s not just like – you have to clean it and everything, you know, because you also live in the cell with somebody, you know? So, you can’t just – how do you say, like, be smelly, you know?
UCI: No yeah, totally understanding. Yeah. How interesting. And what do you think would make the facility – what would you think would make the situation better at your facility?
Caller: Just like a consistent program, you know? Like, I understand that there’s protocols or whatever. Well, everything I guess is starting to open back up, but like at least, like the program – everyone should be able to take a shower a day, make a phone call.
You know what I mean? And like be able to socialize with – you can’t be, you know like – being in a cell, 20, what 23 hours and 45 minutes a day, that’s a lot, you know?
UCI: Mm-hmm.
Caller: So, if we could just get more programs. But who knows? You know? Everything’s opening up. So, I don’t know. I don’t know what’s going on right now.
UCI: So, with better programming, how do you think – well okay, cancel that. Let me first ask you, how has the vaccination situation been like at your facility?
Caller: Oh, they actually came by pretty quickly. They actually – they gave out a lot of vaccinations. But that’s another thing. A lot of the population is vaccinated, right?
They say 70 percent of the population in the world, right, or whatever? So, that’s called herd community, herd immunity.
UCI: Mm-hmm.
Caller: So, if this is a prison population, right? And 70 percent is vaccinated of the prison population, wouldn’t that cause herd immunity within the prison?
UCI: That does sound pretty plausible. I – I’m not too sure how these statistics work.
Caller: Yeah. No, I’m just wondering cause like, they act like-
UCI: I think that is a good idea though.
Caller: Nobody’s been vaccinated. Yeah, they’ve been acting. They act like nobody’s been vaccinated, nobody’s like – you know what I mean? Like, they act like, at any moment, we can get sick, when in reality we don’t bring the virus in here. You know?
Somebody has to bring the virus in here, and it’s them. It’s them going inside our cells, searching. They’re searching our cells during a COVID pandemic.
They pulled us all out onto the yard and put us in a group of, what, like 100 and something people on the yard. And went in our cells and searched. And that’s following COVID protocol. That was last year during when it was hitting hard.
UCI: Mm-hmm.
Caller: Yeah. So, I don’t know, you know? What other questions do you have?
UCI: Do you think – now that, everybody that, like you said, most of the population is vaccinated, do you think that they’ll revamp your guys’ programming anytime soon?
Caller: Well, they should. They – don’t get me wrong. We’re getting somewhat program right now, but that’s the thing, it’s like they know that we’re supposed to be getting programs very soon. So, what they do is they like – they they like find little reasons not to run the program, you know? It’s ’cause they got too used to not doing nothing, the cops.
UCI: I see.
Caller: Yeah. Now that they have to do stuff, they’re like – they’re like finding little reasons not to run it.
UCI: And so, do you think like – and how does that make you feel, like that they’re not wanting to give you guys your programming?
Caller: That’s what gets everybody mad.
UCI: Right? Makes me mad too.
Caller: Heck, yeah. I get – yeah I get mad. Like, okay, you come to work to work, right? If you go to work, you come to work. Why are you not working?
Why aren’t you doing your job, you know? All they do is come here and babysit. That’s all they’ve got to do, is watch us. They get paid a bunch of money just to come and babysit a bunch of – a bunch of guys.
UCI: Wow. And how’s the reduced visitations like? Are you guys have no visitations at all, not even like-
Caller: For, like what? Like the first – I think it was like the first year after, from February – yeah, from February to like March – February or what when it hit, 2020?
UCI: Mm-hmm.
Caller: To March – to March 2021, there was no visits.
UCI: Oh.
Caller: No contact, no virtual. They barely started doing virtual visits and then the contacts this – in March of this year.
UCI: Oh, wow. So, it’s been a whole year, more than a year.
Caller: Yeah, it’s been a whole year. That’s what I’m saying. I went a whole year without seeing them, you know?
UCI: Yeah. That’s got to be pretty stressful on your part.
Caller: Yeah, it’s stressful. Well, you know that, yeah, everybody copes with it their own way in here, you know?
UCI: Yeah. Are you guys allowed to like do exercise in like outside or something or?
Caller: Yeah. They would let us go to the yard, right? But that’s the thing. Is that they had the exercise equipment closed until, like, I want to say, like a month ago.
They barely opened it up. When all the gyms were in like – gyms in the streets were opened at – like Orange County, LA – there were gyms that opened at, I think, 50 capacity, half capacity or something like that. They didn’t even have no equipment open up over here.
UCI: Wow.
Caller: Yeah. So, you know?
UCI: That’s got to suck, yeah. Man.
Caller: Yeah.
UCI: Well, I’m really glad that you called our hotline so you can let us know about your situation with PrisonPandemic. You were probably like, “Who’s this? What are they doing?”
And so, it’s – I’m glad you were able to talk and tell us your story.
And you can always write to us. If you draw, you can send us your drawings. You know, anything that you think would be effective for the pandemic project would be awesome. Is there anything that you would like to let us-
Caller: All right, cool. Well, I’ll write or something, yup.
UCI: All right. Well-
Caller: Thank you, you guys have a nice day.
UCI: Well, thank you very much for participating in PrisonPandemic. Please, consider telling your friends about us and seeing if they would like to call in.
Caller: All right, cool. Thank you.
UCI: Hey, you stay safe, all right? You stay safe, goodnight.
