This story was told by a person incarcerated at Fresno County Jail.
Caller: Okay, sorry, what was the question that you gave me?
UCI: Yeah, you haven’t received medical isolation? And what kind of medicine or anything have they gave you?
Caller: No, they just put us on quarantine and wait it out. They come every other day to check our vitals or temperature checks.
UCI: So, you were saying you had three times COVID?
Caller: I had it. Yes, I had it three times.
UCI: You were tested positive? So you’re sure it was COVID instead of just influenza?
Caller: Okay, so this is what they’re doing in the beginning of the pandemic. People who are negative they were switched to different facilities; people who were positive, they were switched to different facilities.
During my time of being sick, they took my test, and I came out negative even though I had the symptoms three times. They there were switching me around different facilities inside the correction place and I don’t know what that was about.
I would go to one facility, and then people were being sick in that facility, so they would switch me to a different facility on a different floor. And people were sick in there, and I got switched again. I didn’t understand what they were doing there. People were getting sick while switching to different facilities.
UCI: Since you said you were testing negative, they would want you to be away from the ones that who were testing positive.
Caller: The ones that were testing positive were getting moved either to a different facility or heading to the infirmary. At this moment, they’re isolating the ones that are positive.
UCI: Okay. I see. So, what else do you want people to know about your experience?
Caller: It was a really bad experience. It’s hard on our families because of the financial state that we’re going through. I have received one stimulus check while I was incarcerated. That helped out, thanks for the government, but like I said, our families are going through a lot. You know, they’re cautious about coming to visit.
We can’t see all our loved ones. They’re only letting us have two visits but the one visit, only two visits per one day a week. It’s hard on the rest of our family because we only get two people.
The first person that comes up, they get a 30-minute visit, and then they have to leave the whole facility. They can’t even be inside the, I forget what it’s called, the lobby. Okay, they have to leave the whole lobby and the whole facility. Then the next person comes up.
Okay, while those people are waiting out there, you know, all in the heat, people walking around, what are they doing to keep the people from getting sick on the way home? You know. Unsecured.
If they could let us have back our phone calls, it would be a lot easier. I know people want to see their loved ones, but sometimes it’s not easy. They’re making us only get our visits on a working day, which is from 8:00 in the morning till 5:00 pm. Some of our family members aren’t able to get out of work after 5:00, you know and I don’t think that’s right.
You know, I would like to see my family after work time. Why are they only giving us one visit, well two visits on a weekday once a week? You know, I don’t understand that it’s not right.
UCI: Is there a way for you to communicate with the staff about your problems?
Caller: In the facility? To a higher up?
UCI: Yeah.
Caller: There is no way. They would not take our information, our insight of what’s going on. They don’t care. That’s how I just feel.
UCI: Have you tried to make communication?
Caller: Okay, I have a friend who’s an inside lawyer, what we call an inside lawyer; he’s a jail lawyer. He’s put in complaints, and they’ve been denied.
UCI: Okay. I’m sorry about that.
Caller: It’s hard, you know? I would love to see my kids, you know? No kids can come at all. You know, people like to see their children, and they can’t come in.
UCI: Mh-hmm.
My mother takes care of a grandkid of hers, my nephew, who is four, and she can’t come because she can’t trust nobody of not getting him sick. Services where they can hold on to children? She does not trust it.
My mother is skeptical about the vaccination. I’m hoping she does. She’s a full-blown Christian, and I’m figuring maybe if I take the vaccination, I could talk her into it, but it’s not happening. You know?
UCI: And with the shortened phone call time, it’s even harder.
Caller: Yes. Like I said, we were getting six free calls a week. They turned that down, and now we’re only getting five minutes every Monday. Do you have any other questions?
UCI: So – I’m good. I really appreciate your time.
Caller: I mean.
UCI: Go ahead.
Caller: I’m hoping maybe these facilities if we can get to the government, or to our mayor, because they don’t know what’s going on. We can get more attention.
UCI: Yeah, that’s the purpose of our project. We want people to know what’s really going on inside.
Caller: They’re hurting – I’ve sent a letter to my mother about the things like canteen, the money, the high money that we’re spending in order to keep ourselves from getting sick or from going hungry, or whatever the case was on, you know, the canteen to help us out. They literally skyrocketed everything. Our soups are $1.15 to $1.26. That’s high.
UCI: Has the price changed since the pandemic?
Caller: The priced changed. Yes, the price went up.
UCI: What was it before?
Caller: It was between a mid-dollar to a dollar.
UCI: Okay. That sucks.
Caller: Now everything’s over a dollar, like everything to a dollar and a half.
UCI: Yeah, everything doubled.
Caller: Yes. But see, in other facilities like state corrections, the soups are still $0.25 cents. The soaps are a dollar. No higher.
UCI: By you sharing your story and the situations at your facility.
Caller: Yes.
UCI: We’ll be able to post it and allow more people to know about it. Maybe from this way–
Caller: I would appreciate it.
UCI: Yeah. You’re helping you and other people around you who’s incarcerated.
Caller: Yes.
UCI: Yes, So thank you very much for participating in PrisonPandemic. Please consider telling your friends about us and see if they would like to call in, okay?
Caller: I think a friend will be calling in later today or tomorrow. Same facility.
UCI: Yeah, between 5:00 to 9:00.
Caller: 5:00 to 9:00, yes, ma’am.
UCI: Thank you so much.
Caller: No, thank you. I hope everybody can hear for what’s happening.
UCI: Keep it up. Stay strong.
Caller: I will. You stay strong. And bye.
UCI: Okay, bye.
Caller: Bye-bye.
