This letter was written by a person incarcerated at Fire Camps.
CDCR has basically used COVID as a warrant to do what they want. Administration pushing it off as medical and medical back onto administration. I have been stationed at a fire camp since 2019 and, at the beginning of the year 2020, I went out for court to see if I qualified for an early release.
I did a layover at a prison reception awaiting next-day transfer and got quarantined due to a mumps outbreak there. That led directly into a COVID quarantine. What was to take a day turned into months in which I was returned to my camp and not only did I not get an early release, was also given additional time for going out when summoned.
I’ve been quarantined three times until I finally got back to my camp. From there, I went about my duties as the pandemic continue dto take a toll on our state. Bringing about new structures to adhere to.
Months later I suffered a facial injury and had to be hospitalized. The camps have no medical staff and if an inmate is in need of medical attention, which is often, they must leave. Our [Unintelligible] of Jamestown was dealing with a COVID outbreak and wasn’t allowing anyone in so those in need had to be housed in prisons, placed in cells with nothing awaiting treatment and clearance for transfer.
I underwent such a time. For four months I was in Soledad prison, that had its own outbreak that had occurred prior to me arriving. Due to this, in overcrowding of inmates and understaffing the attention to individual cases was poor.
I was housed in central Y-wing with inmates who are not supposed to be housed in the same building, such as GPs & SNYs, level one, two, and three. Yet it still happened. I was to be taken to a hospital for surgery by no later than a week from the initial injury and to receive treatment within two weeks of it happening. Instead I was neglected and my bones set out of place.
The medical at Soledad thought that I went out and even reset my quarantine time due to this belief. Anyone who left the facility was to be quarantined for two weeks. Once verified by transportation that I had not left and was in a cell for 17 days, then I was placed in a dorm on South yard and was quarantined again due to an outbreak in that dorm.
Throughout my time in so many quarantines in Soledad, I saw and was constantly neglected. Placed in dangerous situations that was clear health risks, such as the upkeep of cleanliness and handling of food. Stress of being denied phone calls and visits. I have been constantly overlooked for early release even though I suffered a major injury! All over technicalities.
