This story was told by a person incarcerated at Fresno County Jail.
UCI: What else do you want people to know about your experience?
Caller: It was a really bad experience. It’s hard on our families because of the financial state that we’re going through. I have received one stimulus check while I was incarcerated. That helped out, thanks for the government, but like I said, our families are going through a lot. You know, they’re cautious about coming to visit.
We can’t see all our loved ones. They’re only letting us have two visits but the one visit, only two visits per one day a week. It’s hard on the rest of our family because we only get two people.
The first person that comes up, they get a 30-minute visit, and then they have to leave the whole facility. They can’t even be inside the, I forget what it’s called, the lobby. Okay, they have to leave the whole lobby and the whole facility. Then the next person comes up.
Okay, while those people are waiting out there, you know, all in the heat, people walking around, what are they doing to keep the people from getting sick on the way home? You know. Unsecured.
If they could let us have back our phone calls, it would be a lot easier. I know people want to see their loved ones, but sometimes it’s not easy. They’re making us only get our visits on a working day, which is from 8:00 in the morning till 5:00 pm. Some of our family members aren’t able to get out of work after 5:00, you know and I don’t think that’s right.
You know, I would like to see my family after work time. Why are they only giving us one visit, well two visits on a weekday once a week? You know, I don’t understand that it’s not right.
UCI: Is there a way for you to communicate with the staff about your problems?
Caller: In the facility? To a higher up?
UCI: Yeah.
Caller: There is no way. They would not take our information, our insight of what’s going on. They don’t care. That’s how I just feel.
UCI: Have you tried to make communication?
Caller: Okay, I have a friend who’s an inside lawyer, what we call an inside lawyer; he’s a jail lawyer. He’s put in complaints, and they’ve been denied.
UCI: Okay. I’m sorry about that.
Caller: It’s hard, you know? I would love to see my kids, you know? No kids can come at all. You know, people like to see their children, and they can’t come in.
UCI: Mh-hmm.
My mother takes care of a grandkid of hers, my nephew, who is four, and she can’t come because she can’t trust nobody of not getting him sick. Services where they can hold on to children? She does not trust it.
My mother is skeptical about the vaccination. I’m hoping she does. She’s a full-blown Christian, and I’m figuring maybe if I take the vaccination, I could talk her into it, but it’s not happening. You know?
UCI: And with the shortened phone call time, it’s even harder.
Caller: Yes. Like I said, we were getting six free calls a week. They turned that down, and now we’re only getting five minutes every Monday.