This story was told by a family member of someone incarcerated at John J. Benoit Detention Center.
UCI: So, how are you today?
Caller: I’m doing well, thank you. How are you?
UCI: I’m good. That’s good to hear. So, what facility is your loved one currently housed at?
Caller: He’s currently at the new Indio facility in Riverside County.
UCI: Okay, and what has the COVID situation been like for them at that facility?
Caller: Well, I don’t know honestly because he just got transferred there probably about three weeks ago.
UCI: Oh, okay. Do you know about where he was before?
Caller: It was rather loose. There were just masks, hand sanitizer. But, at the time that I visited prior to getting banned, from what I saw the staff did not follow the COVID-19 guidelines as far as, like, when they were in close proximity to each other they were not wearing masks.
They had issues in regards to certain number of people piling up in visitations, but yet in the small room in the beginning of visitation prior to entering the visitation center they would pile up the visitors like sardines in the room. And when I say sardines, the last time I went to go see him there were about a total of three of us went through the metal detector.
So, I was in the metal detector, somebody else’s backside was in the metal detector being pretty much pushed against me, and then there was a person behind me that was nearly being pushed against me. So, the sensor was picking up three people.
When he got transferred there he said that there were a total of 12 inmates within a holding cell. I called, I said that this is an issue, this isn’t complying with, you know, the Governor’s guidelines. They said, ma’am, it’s just like being on the street. And I told the woman, I said, I don’t remember the last time I ever had 12 people in my bedroom.
UCI: Right.
Caller: I’ve never had 12 people in my bedroom. So, it’s just everybody was very close. It was shoved in like sardines. At one time there was about 18 people within the same holding cell. So, the COVID-19 guidelines for our safety and social distancing, they are nonexistent within the facilities.
UCI: Mm-hmm, okay. Thank you for that. So, my next question is how has their situation affected you and your family?
Caller: Well, my husband and I, we’re pretty much a love story. We lived together – I mean, I’m sorry to sound cheesy, but we lived together 13 years ago. Regrettably, a situation happened to where he was taken away. He came back into my life and I personally could not wait anymore to not be this man’s wife.
COVID-19 shut down the marriage, they shut down everything within the facilities, so throughout our research, me calling around, I was actually able to find an officiant who was willing to work with us as far as our ideas. And when I say our ideas, she made an appointment with my husband and then I made an appointment with somebody that was in the same unit, and throughout visitation we ended up getting married.
It’s like, we just – I could not – I mean, I’d been in love with this man for 13 years, and I know if anybody in the Riverside County is listening to this, they know exactly who I am and they know exactly who he is because I’ve had the sergeants telling me that I’m like a legend, that it’s kind of shocker that not every single person there has spoken to me.
Because I’ve taken the situation up to the County Council and up to Chad Bianco. Even up to the Board of Corrections in Sacramento.
UCI: Well, that’s good.
Caller: Because of this they actually decided to ban the marriage document from getting into the facility. And I cannot tell you the stress that we went through to try to get that thing in. It was – I was up until 2:00 in the morning, I was about to hire an attorney to go and get the document just for him to sign it. We were talking to the public health department, we were talking to the Board of Supervisors of Riverside County.
We were talking to everybody. So, based on this action the jail actually decided to ban me from seeing my husband. They said I guess they more – pardon my language, but they were more butt hurt than anything because we found a way to go around marriages being banned. But yet, we were still practicing the COVID-19 guidelines as far as safety.
So, yeah, how it has affected us? The District Attorney of Riverside County has actually now decided to alter the state record based on their own discretion and add into a minute order that I am now permanently banned from seeing my husband until he gets released.
UCI: Wow.
Caller: And that was through bleaching, sanitation, and alteration of a state document, which is in line with RICO action. And this is the District Attorney’s office of Riverside County. So, how this is happening, it’s now we’re trying to fight and we actually found mistakes within the records, we found mistakes within the documents, and we are taking it up to the Court of Appeals so that way I can finally see him.
Because Captain Read lifted the ban on April 1st and the judge and the District Attorney, what is alleged, it appears that they’ve had an ex parte communication and got the minute order altered based on their own discretion to where I am now banned.
How this has affected us? It’s – I am his only support system. He is an ADA inmate. They are now holding discrimination based on the American Disability Act. He now does not have access to his mental support.
So, that’s how COVID-19 has affected us. But, I got so sick and tired of everybody telling me no I went up to the Board of Corrections in Sacramento, spoke with a field representative of Riverside County, and was able to activate a meeting in which opened up marriages for the entire county.
UCI: That’s good. That is definitely good. I’m so glad that you took the initiative to do that.
Caller: Yeah, not really somebody who agrees with people telling them to shut up. I don’t roll over and say, okay.
UCI: And so, since you’ve been banned, like, how have you been coping with it, like, the reduced visitation and everything?
Caller: Well, they said, according to the judge, he said that it’s for our own protection and it’s for our own good, but yet I would like to ban him from his girlfriend and say, it’s for your own good. My anxiety has been skyrocketing since this. I have been more on the go, like, now what can we do to really have this crap stop.
It’s been affecting my schoolwork, it’s been affecting my work. It’s affecting my ability to sleep. You know, I can’t see him. I mean, talking to him is great but there’s just something about seeing the person that you care about the most that really – you know what I mean? Am I making sense to you?
UCI: Yeah, you are. I couldn’t imagine.
Caller: It’s been really hard, really hard not seeing him. Because the county, Riverside County is promoting divorce. So, I’m not sure if you’re aware, but based on your due process right, and I believe it’s the 14th Amendments, you actually have the right to happiness. It is one of your Amendments, it’s one of your rights.
Riverside County has decided to strip us of our 14th Amendment rights, they’ve decided to strip us of our due process right and to the right of happiness, which is obstruction. So, it’s been hard. It’s been really hard. I saw this man – in 13 years I’ve seen him for less than three hours, and he and I knew that the District Attorney’s Office was going to try to block us.
Because he recently just released the private investigator that was implanted, he was a mole implanted by the District Attorney’s office on his case. And the stories that she would come up with we’re just like, oh, my goodness, did you think about that, did you really, really write that, is that what he was saying? And he knew that this was going to happen.
And I knew something was going to happen. And finally when visitation came up we were like, let’s get married. Because I personally could not wait anymore. I asked this man to marry me back in November of 2008.
UCI: Yeah, that was years ago.
Caller: It’s been a long time coming.
UCI: Definitely. So, my next question was, like, what could have made the situation better for you and your loved one, but you kind of already told me that. So, I want to know, like, what else would you like the people to know about your experience with this whole situation, COVID-19? Like, anything else you would like the people to know?
Caller: So, a girlfriend of mine has a son. Well, she has a stepson, and she told me that, you know, I got the kid’s dad and a new wife or whoever the chick is, they’re either breaking up or getting a divorce. And the dad has taught the kid, you need to marry somebody because they have a house. So, she called me and she said, “hey, you know, I need your brain.”
I’m like, oh, god with all that’s going on right now, I just can’t. She said, I need you to tell my stepson that marriage is not the reason – or, a house is not a reason to get married. So, I told my girlfriend this story of what I just told you and she said, you’re crazy.
I said, listen though, yes, yes, for the 16 years that you’ve known me that’s never been a question of doubt, but the thing here is, and what I’m trying to say is that if you really, really love somebody and if you know that they’re innocent, and if you know that they are being held a lot like it’s an unlawful detainer and they’re being held against their rights.
And, you know, you know that records have been sanitized, you know the records have been altered, you know they’ve been bleached, you know that your private investigator is a mole, you know that this is all happening, keep fighting. Fight for the person you love. Because I did it, and because he and I both did it we opened up marriages for the entire county. Because he and I did it we’re now known.
UCI: Right.
Caller: That staff knows that we’re serious. They don’t think, oh, well, you know, they’re not doing anything. Like, personally, myself, [unintelligible] I will say something if I’m thinking it and I will fight for what’s right.
[Unintelligible] has definitely put a damper on us, but personally I don’t think everything should have been shut down because we’ve gotten through SARS, we’ve gotten through the Swine Flu, we’ve gotten through, you know, everything else. But, personal opinions are personal opinions.
UCI: Right.
Caller: The medical care, also, is completely nonexistent in that place. Completely nonexistent. The new Indio jail facility did cost $376 million to build and I found out today that it was a big waste of money. Just keep fighting. Just keep fighting.
Keep fighting for what’s right because it will happen. Things will happen. Complaints from the outside speak words. If your loved one keeps on having to file grievances and they aren’t getting heard, file the grievance for yourself.
I do it almost on a daily basis and now things are being complied to. Now as an ADA inmate his rights are being exercised. Now the kosher diet is finally being, you know, given to him on an appropriate time. The appropriate diet plan.
Now, hopefully this next grievance, you know, they actually understand that medical care is needed.
UCI: Well, yeah. Thank you so much for that. I’m so glad that you called in today to tell us your story. That’s awesome.
Yeah, I don’t have any more questions. I thank you very much for participating in the PrisonPandemic. Please tell your friends about us and see if they’d like to call in also.
Caller: I will. Thank you.
UCI: Thank you, you have a great night.
Caller: You as well. Bye.
UCI: Bye.
