This story was told by a person incarcerated at Larry D. Smith Correctional Facility.
UCI: And then so tell me about your experience with COVID-19.
Caller: So, I started out in Los Angeles County last year when the pandemic hit. I actually went to a neurosis, my neuropsychosis got out of sync. I couldn’t find a place to live, I lost my place during COVID and I was staying at, like, these hotels waiting on a voucher. I couldn’t get a voucher, so one thing led to another.
I got locked up, I got locked up in Los Angeles. There was no visitation. It was difficult.
They quarantined half of LA, and I got transferred out here because I had a case pending out here as well so, there was, they were doing no transfers. They were doing no courts, we were just going to court. It was like one person at a time, you know. Inside the courtroom, you had to wear masks.
They gave us these COVID tests where they swab, they swab your nose and try to put it in and up. There was no visitation.
Caller: Yeah, so, stress of, so when the, I was in LA from July last year all the way to January of this year.
UCI: Oh, okay.
Caller: So, it was difficult because commissary, you couldn’t order nothing on the commissary, which is really important ‘cause the food was really cold. They was having nobody come in. There was no, like I said, there was no visitation from outside people, so the food was just terrible. We had to stay in cells, we were locked in cells 24/7. There was no rec, no recreation, no nothing.
I actually had a transfer pending to here but they couldn’t transfer me because other counties were not accepting bodies at the time, during COVID. So, we did get free phone calls in Los Angeles. They were doing 15-minute phone calls once a week, I think it was Wednesday. And now, here, they’re doing five-minute phone calls.
When I finally got transferred to Banning, then to California from Los Angeles County to Riverside County, Banning is in Riverside County. So, when I got out here, the same thing, they swabbed me and everything.
Things were lightening up a little bit better. They were giving rec, like, once a week. We were still locked down, they were only letting one cell out at a time for 30 minutes a day. It was very difficult. I couldn’t generate no money so, financially, I was in a broke house.
My wife, she got an income tax check with both our names on it and they couldn’t send, what do you call it, a notary up here because of the pandemic, so she couldn’t cash that. She couldn’t cash her income tax check because it had, it said her name and my name. It didn’t say “or” my name. It said her name which is a stickler about that.
They started opening visits up, there’s video visits, so it’s kind of difficult to still get visits. Right now, it’s better, like, they opened up the dayrooms. I took my Pfizer shot here. I got both of them, one and two, so I’m COVID-free.
If I get it, they said I’ll be fine. We’re still wearing masks, I guess, ‘til June.
I wrote a letter in response to the PrisonPandemic. My safety, I’m a mental health patient dealing with my neurosis, psychosis, so it was kind of difficult trusting authority or trusting the vaccine, but I wanted to at least be sure, you know, healthy. My wife still has trust issues with it, so. When I got it, my arm was sore.
The reduced visitation was the worst. I’ve been down since last year, June, it’s just sad, and I’m close to home, ’cause I’m from, but still a little difficult due to the times.
I’m trying to get money, she didn’t get EDD. She actually had a job that continued with work, so there was no. And the income, the stimulus checks, she got the stimulus for me and her so that, that was about it. Anything else?
UCI: No, you covered it. So, you said that you got Pfizer as your vaccine.
Caller: Yes, ma’am.
UCI: And I know there’s a lot of hesitancy as your wife’s going through. Do you see other individuals who are in your facility also have that hesitancy?
Caller: The police. The police are not taking the vaccine for some reason. I just know that you get a rapport with the people that you’re around daily, so I asked a couple of the officers, like, “Hey, you guys take the COVID-19?” And they were like, they were like, “No, we haven’t taken it. We’re not going to take it.”
I’m like, I don’t understand why not. You know what I mean, they’re officers, they would take it, but no.
There’s a lot of fear in it. Half the population of inmates, I’ll say, 60 percent took the, the COVID, the other 40 percent denied it. They came with- well they came with the Pfizer, Moderna, and the Johnson and Johnson. Even though they pulled the Johnson and Johnson, they still gave inmates Johnson and Johnson here. And, some inmates got sick off of it, off the Johnson and Johnson, real bad too. It messed them up.
UCI: Mm. So, do you think that made it worse, obviously, for other people to take it in the future?
Caller: Well people just literally I would say, I would say there’s a future shock to it. I mean, I feel fine, I feel good, you know. The medication I’m taking, you know, I got depressed. There was a lot of depression behind that because my wife was going through a lot and, in here, it was hard.
At first, you had to pay for, like, phone calls and store and stuff and she couldn’t support all that. Plus, trying to pay a lawyer off and everything.
You know, she worked and her job wasn’t sure if she was gonna, for like a month and a half, she had to get unemployment for like a month and a half at the beginning. That was like February, March or April of last year when it first started. After that, she had work, but to pay the bills, you know, house, no. Car, no. Oh, my God.
So, it’s a little bit better, but I was stressed out to the point that I got diabetes now. I stress-ate, and I got overweight in here, and psych medication mixed with my stress and mixed with the COVID pandemic.
I’m in here, actually, for the COVID ‘cause I couldn’t find work. I couldn’t help out and, like I said, I came June last year, going into COVID. It was, like, one thing after another. It was bad.
UCI: Mm. And, how do you think your coping has changed since they’ve kind of lifted restrictions with visitations?
Caller: It’s better now. I’m coping better, but, the thing is now, I got diabetes. So, now, I gotta deal with medical issues that I never had before, don’t understand it. I got to get stuck with a needle now.
My mental health issues, I’m still depressed because I’m trying to get into a program as opposed, it’s called alternate sentencing, as opposed to doing prison time. But, due to COVID, you know, I got to wait for room to open up and that’s why it’s good to take the medication in here, because you have more options to go to places that are opening up to people right now ‘cause of COVID, you know. So, I’m hoping that, isn’t it June, it’s supposed to be lifted or something?
UCI: Yeah, the capacity restrictions will be lifted. So it’s a big change. Have you been able to do programming besides the one that you’re trying to get into?
Caller: Well, yeah. I got two. I got a program in LA and I’m hoping to get a program from here, but they run it in what’s called concurrency. It has to run current in order for you to get out and do it, but there’s strict guidelines to the COVID-19 pandemic. Everything has to go.
It won’t be before the- my next court date. My lawyer said she has to be in contact with the lawyer from mental health, so, yeah.
UCI: Well, I mean, I hope that goes well, you know. I hope you get into the program because I feel like that would be a really great alternative for you. Are they bringing back programming and visitations on June 15th?
Caller: Hopefully. Visitation’s open here ‘cause it’s video visits in Banning, Riverside County. They opened up visiting in, what’s it called, Murrieta, California. Riverside, California, opened up visits. We actually get contact visit, but here it’s video visits.
So, they had opened up the pastors, like, the county people who come and give you religious perks. They have started coming, what are they called, like, pastors? Pastors, ministers, have started again, programs for GED opened up or diploma. They started back up when they had college, no college. Help has started coming through, gifts, packets.
Oh. Give me a minute. Hello?
UCI: Thank you so much for telling your story. That was wonderful, and we really appreciate it. And, if anything changes, or your wife would like to call in, too, feel free to pass on our information to anyone. Thank you so much.
