This letter was written by a person incarcerated at Tehachapi.
Dear UCI student,
I hope this letter finds you in good hands and good health. And I would like to thank you for the uplifting and positive words you shared with me. I hope you and your loved ones are getting through this challenge as well.
I would be happy to share with you about my experiences during “these times” in prison. Well I’m currently serving a life sentence in CCI (California Correctional Institution) in Tehachapi. I’ve been here for about nine months. And I’ve been incarcerated for about seven years now.
I worry about my safety and others as well because we’re in close quarters. So it’s pretty scary. I constantly worry for my family’s safety as well. I’m used to seeing them every weekend for six years. Now with this virus going around, they shut down everything. And it’s been hard for me to deal with not seeing them. That’s probably the hardest thing to deal with, doing time during this pandemic. The constant worry and “not knowing.” It does take a toll on you.
But we all have to stay strong regardless of where we’re at. That’s what I do. Besides stay in my cell and work out. They shut down a lot of the program. No groups, no church, and no jobs. So there’s not really much to do. I do mail-in Bible studies. And tried to sign-up for college, but been waiting for a response for about six months. So, yeah, all I can do is stay strong and stay positive. And hope and pray this pandemic blows over soon.
That’s pretty much it. Thank you for your time. I hope this helps with the positive reforms. You take care and stay safe. God bless.