This letter was written by a person incarcerated at Calipatria.
Ma’am, CDCR and their medical staff view us as test dummies. They do not respect the health and safety of the individuals incarcerated here. Yes, we have been sentenced to repays debt due to society. But does losing one life to this carefree COVID-19 pandemic settle any scores? Absolutely not, the inmate population here is the centerpiece of a game of grab ass.
Where the end goal is to keep us pacified with lies and misguided truths. Individuals from CDCR rank will blame issues on medical personnel. Then medical will deny the so-called quoted medical procedure coming from CDCR. This has been the rules of engagement over the year.
I feel that over the past five or six months my life has been in peril by CDCR and its medical staff. I have been trapped in a housing unit where positive tests have been ran rapid. At no time has anyone attempted to remove me or other negative testing inmates from the housing units or get us to sign paperwork to say we’re refusing to leave the unit.
Do they have suitable housing to place negative testing inmates, you ask? Yes, there’s a complete housing unit, 200 beds, empty on the yard, not in use.
I must tell you I have tested negative over eight times. However I am the one being punished for following CDC guidelines and not becoming infected. We are constantly told we are not allowed to return to work (which gives us opportunities to earn work time credits for release), visiting, etc., until we are a “resolved case.”
What does that mean? It means that I must somehow contract COVID-19 and place in the hands of CDC medical to save me. This game here is called “burning out the fire with fire” according to CDCR. This is a stupid way to play games with people’s lives. I have paid close attention to the advice CDC has given to the general public and at no time is there desire for one to become infected.
The reprisal tactics are alive and well here too. We haven’t been allowed to have visits in over 11 months. That alone is very hard on the emotional and mental health of us inmates. Now CDCR has come has come up with video visitation to relieve some stress on inmates and their families.
However there’s a Catch-22 in all of this. According to CDCR and CDCR medical staff, the only inmates allowed access to the program are COVID-19 positive testing individuals. That view of rationale to explain the course of action makes no sense at all.
In closing I’ll say this we are being punished enough by being incarcerated. What does it gain to have the one’s in charge of our health and safety attempt to punish us when the worst game plan can easily result in death!
