This story was told by a person incarcerated at Larry D. Smith Correctional Facility.
UCI: Mm. And, how do you think your coping has changed since they’ve kind of lifted restrictions with visitations?
Caller: It’s better now. I’m coping better, but, the thing is now, I got diabetes. So, now, I gotta deal with medical issues that I never had before, don’t understand it. I got to get stuck with a needle now.
My mental health issues, I’m still depressed because I’m trying to get into a program as opposed, it’s called alternate sentencing, as opposed to doing prison time. But, due to COVID, you know, I got to wait for room to open up and that’s why it’s good to take the medication in here, because you have more options to go to places that are opening up to people right now ‘cause of COVID, you know. So, I’m hoping that, isn’t it June, it’s supposed to be lifted or something?
UCI: Yeah, the capacity restrictions will be lifted. So it’s a big change. Have you been able to do programming besides the one that you’re trying to get into?
Caller: Well, yeah. I got two. I got a program in LA and I’m hoping to get a program from here, but they run it in what’s called concurrency. It has to run current in order for you to get out and do it, but there’s strict guidelines to the COVID-19 pandemic. Everything has to go.
It won’t be before the- my next court date. My lawyer said she has to be in contact with the lawyer from mental health, so, yeah.