This story was told by a person incarcerated at Los Angeles County Men’s Central Jail.
UCI: And how has the COVID situation been like there?
Caller: LA county. It has been – I want to say it has been good to an extent, but it has been managed poorly to another extent. So kind of, like, it is good because you do have the testing in place and they are taking the precautionary steps of quarantining a tier or a whole module if need be, so they do kind of, like, try to isolate it. And if a person is feeling sick, they are taking the necessary steps to put them in isolation. But you know, the backend of that-
UCI: And how does –
Caller: What you was going to say?
UCI: Oh, I was just going to ask you how has the vaccination been like there?
Caller: Oh, so you take what they give you. That goes for the county jail and prison, like, the – they – you’re going to take what they give you. You have no right to pick and choose which one of the vaccines you want, and I feel that that’s something that I feel that as wrong because if you – if I’m willing to take something and it’s saying to protect myself and protect the public, then why can’t I be treated with the common decency to at least have the opportunity to take the shot that I feel comfortable with?
Because if something happened to me for taking a – a shot, adverse effect, I can’t sue anybody, my family can’t do anything because I wanted to take this vaccine. So it’s, like, can I get the one where I’m comfortable with? So if something does happen to me, I can say, well, at least, okay, I wanted that vaccine, and I took it, so I can live with whatever happen after that. But just telling me I’m – you’re going to take this on that, we got to offer it. If you don’t want this, then you don’t get no shot.
I feel that’s wrong. By me being incarcerated, we don’t have no rights like that, and as far as the prison and in this county jail you don’t have those rights.
UCI: Yeah, I see. I wanted to just ask you about if the facility had mentioned to you about the new vaccine mandate for staff at all California facilities? Have you heard about that?
Caller: Yes, I have. And that’s one thing that, um, that kind of bothers me with the prison because, like I say, I been incarcerated for the past 21 years, and to see something, a virus, a COVID virus, this started in society, and for them to treat us in prison like we are the ones that that has started it, it’s kind of wrong.
You have officers that leave this facility every day. You have staff members, you have nurses, officers, everything, a lot of people leave this prison facility, and they go home, do whatever they do, and then they come back. That’s the only reason why it’s in jails and prison is because of the staff and the officers is bringing it in. And then they look at us like we’re the ones that’s infecting them.
And you tell me where it’s – you forcing me to have to take the vaccine in order to return back to prison, but you’re not even forcing all your own officers, enforcing the same rules for your own officers to be vaccinated before they come onto the facility.
So it’s kind of, like, it’s hard for me to understand that. I understand that I’m incarcerated, you know, I have no rights, I’m the lowest of the low. Okay. I get that. But at the same time, it’s like, why your officers ain’t being judged in the same way if they got to do something with public safety?
And this is something that – and your officers are the ones that go home every day. We don’t know what they do when they’re off shift. We don’t know where they go, we don’t know what protocols they following, but then they get to come back the next day and they’re not being forced to be vaccinated, so I feel like that’s kind of wrong.
UCI: Yeah, and has your facility-
Caller: And this county jail is the same. Go ahead.
UCI: Oh, no, you go ahead. You go ahead.
Caller: Yes, and I feel like this county jail does the same thing. Like, how is it people that’s been incarcerated for, say, three or four years, how are we getting it? I understand it’s county jail has constant movement and people coming and going every – all day, so it’s inmates coming in, people coming to jail and bringing it, and then you have staff members bringing it or – and, so, it just a constant – no, but like I say, now when you do come in here through the process and they do have a testing.
They testing you and they making sure your results come back negative before they put you on the main – general population because if it come back positive, they going to isolate you in quarantine, which I respect that I, you know, because I see y’all are at least trying to protect us. But the prison system is kind of, like, worser than that. It’s, like, y’all supposed to be protecting us, but then it’s, like, you guys say y’all have quarantine, like, a building to quarantine us, and we have testing and we have the vaccines available.
So it’s, like, why are y’all not, like, speeding to get people back to prison? Like, we just stuck here in this county jail, and that’s how I end up catching COVID or came in contact with someone because I was supposed to have been back in prison in March, but here it is November and I’m not going no where, no court date, no nothing. I’m just here. And even the testing, that’s what I told the lady, like, positive, but out of 80 people who you tested in one day, 55 of us came back positive asymptomatic?
I’m, like, that just doesn’t register well with me. That just doesn’t sit right. I’m figuring, hey, you sure this is not a false positive? Why is all these people testing positive and technically we’re all asymptomatic? I’m, like, I’m not buying that. And I’m saying, well, if it’s 55 people that’s tested positive and they are all asymptomatic, where’s the outbreak?
Like, out of all 55 of us, a lot of us were not together. We were in different places in this county jail, and there was no outbreaks, there was no people being sick while we were there, there was no people that was sick be – when we left, so it’s, like, how are we all asymptomatic and how are we all testing positive asymptomatic?
Sometime I think it’s your test that you’re doing and you’re making contamination somewhere, and it has that. So that’s something I’m trying to get my medical records right now about that, and I’m having problem with that. They don’t even want to send my medical records home.
They don’t want to let me see my medical records. And I’m just telling him, like, “Hey, I have the right.” Don’t I have the right to see my medical report? If you’re telling me that I’m positive asymptomatic, then why can’t I see the results myself?
But, okay, I have to send them home, okay, well, give me a records authorization so I can send it home, my medical records authorization, so I can send it home to my family and then I can look at it. You don’t even want to give me that. You’re a procrastinating and acting like you didn’t get the right paperwork, and it just a – got me chasing a – a chicken with its head cut off trying to get the results mailed home. And it’s kind of, like, it makes you wonder, like, did I really test positive, am I really asymptomatic?
But let me get the vaccine because you are saying that I’m a carrier, and that scares me more than anything knowing that I could have something and it doesn’t affect me, but I can affect someone else. That right there is kind of, like, what touched me or made me feel that – that – to need to get the vaccine because I wasn’t going to get it. I wanted to wait until more tests and more – to find out the long-term effects because I do have a lot of things that I question about this vaccine, but then once you tell me that and then in order for me to go back to prison, they forcing me to be vaccinated.
They say that I can’t go back to prison unless I’m vaccinated. So it’s kind of, like, okay, we’re – I wanted the Moderna or the Pfizer vaccination. Okay well, they only offered me the Johnson & Johnson. Three times, they like, “Oh, we give you the Johnson & Johnson. You’re either going to take the Johnson & Johnson or you don’t get which one.” I’m, like, “Well, can I pick?” “No, you know, this is all we offer.” So it’s, “All right.”
So I end up having to take the Johnson & Johnson just so I can try to leave this county jail and go back to prison. Hello?
UCI: Yeah, I’m here. Have you received a booster shot? Hello? Oh, okay.
Caller: No, no, I haven’t – no, I haven’t received the booster shot. I just taken the vaccine on October the [redacted]. So it’s been, like, a few weeks for me.
UCI: What else do you want people to know about your experience?
Caller: It’s, like, a messed up experience because, like, you telling me that I have something and you’re not following the proper protocols, like, you’re not doing anything, and I feel like that’s wrong. The way they – the way these facilities from prison to county jail, the way they treat us and the way they do us – handle us in regard to this is kind of wrong. It’s disrespectful.
It’s, like, I know that, okay, yes, I’m wrong, I broke the law, I’m incarcerated, I get that. I’m, okay, I’m wrong. I can accept responsibility for my actions for committing a crime, but this is a health issue. This is a health-related issue, so why are we still being judged like we’re criminals?
Like, people would advocate for animals rights more than they advocate for us, and we – we’re still human. And that’s where we see, like, if this is your animal doing this, like I told the nurse, if this is your animal, you would make sure you go to the veterinarian, all kind of doctors, medicine, you would be on it, right? See, well, that’s my animal, this, that, I can’t do you like that, you’re not going to do case by case, see, so you put a more effort into an animal than you do humans because we’re incarcerated.
And that’s what I want the people to understand is, like, that’s how we are viewed. Like, just because you commit a crime, it’s, like, you’re still human. And doing the medical issues, we – we’re not – we don’t get that same benefit as everyone else. We don’t get to pick and choose what we do.
We have to give what’s there, take what they have that’s there for us. They don’t – and there’s no negotiation in between. They’ll tell you, “Oh, you get the Johnson & Johnson.”
Then two or three days later they’ll get someone else, “Oh, you only can get this shot, the Pfizer.” Well, hey, I wanted that Pfizer. Why you tell me no but you telling him yeah? Then when he asks for the Moderna, you tell him no, but then later on you’ll tell someone else, “Oh, we got the Moderna.”
I tell you, why y’all playing games? Why just we can’t – if we are trying to do something that’s right and help protect ourselves as well as everyone else, then why can’t we be judged accordingly? It’s not something that y’all [unintelligible] serious that we shouldn’t take [unintelligible], but when we try to be serious about it, the way y’all are acting towards us and all the – the problems and the complication we have, the attitude we have to get it, that’s what’s making people kind of, like, look at it the wrong way.
And that’s why I’m – I’m kind of, like, regretting that I should do it because it’s, like, y’all forcing me to take the vaccine shot, but on the same token, you’re not even forcing these same issues on your officers. So it’s, like, how can he – if you’re telling me I can’t come back to the prison because I’m not vaccinated, but how can this officer come to the prison to work and he ain’t even vaccinated? So it’s, like, you’re not treating us the same if this is for public safety.
It’s, like, how are we not treated the same. And this is someone who goes into society every day. We don’t know what they do when they go home. Me, I’m here. I haven’t went nowhere. And that’s why I don’t understand, like, been in this – I went – came into county jail for a whole year and here it is at the last couple of months, oh, you’re – you came in contact with somebody.
I haven’t even been around nobody new. I haven’t even been nowhere. I’ve been locked in my cell 24 hours a day. I come out to go shower for 30 minutes every three days – every other day. So where am I come in contact with somebody at?
Like, I don’t – but, okay, I quarantine. “Can I have another test while I’m in quarantine to make sure that it’s not a false positive? Because the tests are sometimes false positive.” “Oh, no, no, we’re – it doesn’t matter about that. You’re in quarantine, so having another test doesn’t matter.”
“Well, can I just get it for my personal self? And if it is positive, I stay back here the – the 14 days instead of 10 days?” “No, no, we’re not going to give it to you.” Then it’s, like, huh? Like, why are you all acting like it’s always a problem?
It’s a combative – it’s a combativeness with them, and it – it shouldn’t be that way when it comes to health. Look how many people it’s infected. I just hear on the news they just said 47 million people has – they got 47 million cases in the United States. Out of 47 million cases, why y’all not being more open and transparent communication and open dialogue and being able to answer the questions. If we have questions, why not take time and just answer the little questions we have?
Because it’s not nothing like I’m asking you something personal. It’s just I want to know about this vaccine, and I want to know if it has any long-term effects. I want to know will I still be able to reproduce. I got all kind of questions to ask.
But talking to them, it’s, like, you can’t do that, and it – it’s kind of – I feel like that’s – that’s the part, the biggest thing that I would like people to know that – that part is wrong. That needs to be addressed. And because we’re inmates, we don’t have no voice, and we don’t have nobody to speak for us. The public don’t know what these people do when it – when these doors are – behind these walls.
They don’t know. And then when they do talk to the – the news media and different places, organizations, they, you know, they sugarcoat it and act like they just doing everything the correct way. But it doesn’t work like that.
In all actuality, they’re not doing it. Like, the nurse is at the door right now, and I could ask them, “Did I fill this form out right?” And they’ll just say, okay. They’ll just say, “Oh, no, we’re – I don’t know, I don’t know. You got to give it to the morning person.” And they switch it off to the next shift.
And it’s, like, hold on. Aren’t you an LVN, aren’t you a RN? Patient care, right? That’s what you’re supposed to have a job for, so if we have a question, a medical question no matter how – what you consider dumb it – it shouldn’t be dumb. No medical question should be a dumb question.
You in a facility where people have – stuff happens, and [unintelligible], but – but it just be a whole lot, then that’s where that’s kind of – I be thinking, like, you know, and it’s wrong. Like, the nurses right now, I didn’t even bother them two because I already talked to them two, and I know what they’re going to say. “Hey, well, talk to the people in the morning because we – we can’t handle it tonight because the people – our supervisor is not there.”
But the people in the morning time, “Oh, I forgot to turn it in. I’ll make sure I put a note in there for my supervisor when I go downstairs.” Like, huh? It’s just – now that part, it – it’s kind of, like, haywire. You don’t get no – no – no satisfaction.
UCI: Yeah, thank you for sharing.
Caller: Hello?
UCI: Yeah, hi, I’m here.
Caller: All right. Yeah, I hope I was of some help and can shed some light on anything.
UCI: Yeah, of course. You said a lot and I really appreciate what you shared. If you have any more stories that you would like to share, please consider calling in again.
Caller: Okay. Okay. And what is the – I can just call this number or if I – when I do leave to go back to prison and I have to call from the prison phone, I can write – write this address and they’ll send me a letter and agree to whatever – whatever waivers that I need to sign, you can send- my name being published or anything where I can shed a light onto something that we’re doing that is wrong what they’re doing on a lot of levels on – with the health wise and they treating us, it’s unfair.
UCI: Yeah, you could call in or you could also write, but this project is completely anonymous, so you do not have to release your name or anything. Yeah. There aren’t waivers that you have to sign. We just – we’re completely anon – we keep anonymity for this project, so.
Caller: Uh-huh. Okay.
UCI: Yeah.
Caller: Okay. Thank you.
UCI: Yeah, of course. I’m just letting you know, but, huh?
Caller: No, no, go ahead. I’m listening to you.
UCI: I was just going to say that the – this hotline runs from 5:00 to 9:00 p.m. from Monday through Friday. So any time that you want to call in, call in during those times.
Caller: Okay. Okay. Do you have any other projects you guys be working on that – for other issues or anything or just right now it’s just the pandemic?
UCI: Yeah, right now it’s just the pandemic.
Caller: Okay. Okay. Okay. Because, all right. So I’ll let people know and if anyone else I know that has a problem or want to, you know, talk about it, I’ll tell them to give your number and everything, you know, and I’ll be in touch. I’ll write a letter to you as well when I do get to prison, and we’ll go from there.
UCI: Yeah. Thank you. Have a great night.
Caller: Okay. Thank you. And you as well.
