This story was told by a person incarcerated at Elmwood Correctional Facility.
UCI: Awesome. Okay so go ahead and tell me about your experience.
Caller: Well the experience is kind of, you know, I never experienced anything like this. ‘Cause, you know, they have everybody in certain and then – what you call it, they go into some quarantine and they quarantine for like two to three weeks, and then they move you from one facility to another. They keep on, you know, checking up on you and running tests to see if you got COVID.
If not then they move you on up to different facilities within the place here. And you know, they just do random checks on you to see if, you know, you are not contagious with the – with the COVID you know, and then they give your shots.
Yeah, it’s just an experience that I never had here. I’ve been here before, it’s just – it’s kind of a hard time to go through in here.
UCI: And what happens to someone if they test positive?
Caller: They move them all to a lockdown facility where they’re quarantined again until they are not positive again, and then they close the whole facility where that person went positive on avenue. They close down the whole facility, and take everybody up and send them all down to lockdown.
UCI: And what’s the lockdown facility like?
Caller: Well, it’s just – it’s just like a two-man cell you know, and basically you don’t come out. You don’t come out, you come out only when like 20 to 30 minutes and that’s it. You take a shower and after you pass all [unintelligible] that, I guess you pass the quarantine and then you come out back to – to the other facility, and they constantly just call you up just to give you a following up to see if you are feeling good, you know?
But I recently received two shots already which was the – I don’t know what they are called but they gave me two shots and I been doing all right. I never got the COVID or anything like that.
UCI: And what has the vaccine process been like at your facility?
Caller: It’s been alright a little painful, but nothing too shabby about it.
UCI: Have you seen a lot of people getting vaccinated?
Caller: Not that I have seen, but yeah they send you like a paper if you want to take the shot. And if not then you don’t have to, it’s not mandatory but they recommended it. So it’s like – it’s just if you want to take, if not well then it’s up to you.
UCI: Have you seen any staff members get vaccinated?
Caller: No I don’t think – I don’t think they’ll show you that. There’s this one lady that gave me the shot said she had the shot before, so don’t be scared to take it. So, you know, it made me feel good, so I took the other shot.
UCI: Do you you all have access to information about the shots if you wanted to know more about it?
Caller: Yeah we do, they give you a pamphlet that tells you what the shot is and what the, you know, symptoms of it, reactions to it, and you read it, and basically, it’s just whatever they give people out there too in the clinic. But they offer it free here too as well as outside. So I don’t think it should be harmful.
UCI: Are they offering the booster?
Caller: Yeah that’s the one I just – I barely took that one, like a week ago, and that one was a pretty tough one ‘cause I got a fever and all that. But it already went away, so if that was a side effect of it that’s the only thing I got out of that.
UCI: And have they resume normal programming or anything?
Caller: What’s that?
UCI: Have they resumed normal programming or anything?
Caller: Oh yeah, as long as you are not infected you’re gonna do the program like normal, but if you are infected with it, you’re gonna not program at all, you’re gonna go to a lockdown facility. Until you are clear, and you are not positive or anything.
UCI: And how long would somebody be in a lockdown facility for give or take?
Caller: For roughly a good month, if not a little bit less, but I mean, it’s not like a convenient place to be, but if that’s what it is, I mean that’s what it is.
UCI: And so have you all resumed visitation then?
Caller: Yeah there’s visitation, but there’s no like contact, there’s just like a table away that’s if it’s in person. If not there’s a glass that stays there. I mean as long as you get to see your loved one, it should be a plus.
UCI: Yeah. Are they – how have you been coping with it?
Caller: Well, me I barely been here for like a month and a half, I mean, I got to do a certain time, but to cope with it it’s gonna be kind of – gonna be kind of difficult on the difficult side coping with all the new changes. I have done time before. I mean it is what it is time is time, but there’s the time flips, headaches and all that ‘cause over that COVID you don’t want to be around people, you got to stay six feet away, and so that – that makes it more tough.
But I got a little bit of extra time to do here, I still got to do like another 16 months, and I barely have one month in here. And it’s pretty tough with all that stuff going around.
UCI: And what has the changes been like since you were last there that they’re doing cause of the pandemic?
Caller: Oh well a lot of changes like you can’t – you can’t go out into the yard with everyone mixed up, you’re only in one facility. You only program with the people that are in the facility with you, go out with those people, and that’s it – then they lock them down, then the other facility comes out they program and that’s it. Everybody stays in their own little segregated areas, but everybody here still wears masks and all that, so that’s –
UCI: Are you all still cleaning as well, you’re given cleaning supplies or no?
Caller: Oh yeah that’s – that’s everywhere, sanitizers and all that.
UCI: And so what would you, is there anything you’d like the public to know about what it’s like to be incarcerated during the pandemic?
Caller: Well, I don’t know I just – I was just calling ‘cause I got a letter from here, from this and you know I was just like, “Oh I guess this person is interested in knowing what’s going in here,” and you know that’s why I was calling.
UCI: Yeah, well we really appreciate your testimony and we really, you know, if there’s anyone else that will like to share theirs we encourage them to call or to write, whatever their most comfortable with. But I do appreciate you calling tonight and sharing your story with me.
Caller: Okay, well it’s nice speaking with you too.
UCI: Alright, you have a good night.
Caller: Yeah you too.
UCI: Good-bye.
Caller: Bye.