This story was told by a person incarcerated at Larry D. Smith Correctional.
UCI: Yeah, and how has the COVID, how has that been like for you to have, like, reduced visitations and programming?
Caller: Excuse me?
UCI: How has it been like for you to have, like, reduced visitations and programming?
Caller: Oh, we didn’t have no – they don’t have any programming here for us. They only give us rec at, like, 6:00 in the morning or 5:00 in the morning. They don’t let us have rec in the afternoons when they should. You know, because it’s COVID, should wait until it’s warmer, but they don’t do that.
Any time I write a kite I write grievances to the sergeants, they never give or they don’t reply. I’ve been [crosstalk] here for about –
UCI: I’m sorry, what is a kite? What’s a kite?
Caller: That’s a piece of paper that they give. It’s an inmate request form. It’s a kite, you write what you need on there, like I need to see you, and they haven’t given me no news. I asked for new socks, they haven’t given me any new socks.
I asked for new sheets, they don’t give us new sheets. Give us dirty sheets. The shirt I’m wearing is stained up right now. There, like, excuse my French, but there’s cum stains on all of the sheets that they give you. You know, they put everything in a big washing machine and they wash it all with not good detergent, so you get recycled clothes that don’t match up.
They make you get naked and come out of the cell to change your clothes.
And they don’t let you keep anything. They pretty much [unintelligible] over four times since I’ve been here.
UCI: Oh wow.
Caller: I have to go to court in the morning and I got to go to court in shackles and be shackled from my waist all the way down to my feet and back up to my waist. And they’re tight so I can’t breathe. I’m a hundred and [unintelligible] pounds, 6’2″, so it’s very difficult to, you know, walk in that type of situation.
UCI: Mh-hmm. Oh, wow, yeah. How have you been coping with, like, the crisis regarding COVID-19?
Caller: They have people come around to your [unintelligible] COVID-19 asking want to get a swab. There’s one who’s died from taking the Johnson vaccine here. They give you – what else do they give you? They give you some medicine that’s been killing people.
Four deaths since I’ve been here. Forget what it’s called. But, figure it out I’ll call you guys back and I’ll let you know.
