This letter was written by a person incarcerated at Valley State.
PrisonPandemic project
March 19, 2021
Hello. I am 43 years old, and I have been incarcerated since I was 19 years old. I am writing this story to share my experience of testing positive for COVID-19 in prison. In this story, I will share how CDCR mishandled the whole COVID-19, and how they infected the whole prison population by their negligence.
March 2020, they locked down all prisons in the state of California. I was at Valley State Prison in Chowchilla, California. It’s a level two prison and we live in eight-man dorms. The prison went on modified program.
No self help groups, no visits, no education, no college, and no vacation. Two hours of dayroom and two hours of yard. One building goes to the yard, only, for two hours, then the next building. Only one hallway at a time for dayroom.
The officers and free-staff are coming to work everyday, and going home.
I’m working in the kitchen so I was considered a critical worker, essential worker. They had me working seven days a week. I felt like a slave.
The prison handled out no extra cleaning supplies, no bleach, and had no compassion for us as human beings. In a way, they started forcing us to test for COVID-19. At first it was optional, then it went to “If you don’t test, then you will be moved to quarantine.”
I did what I was required to do, to prevent contracting COVID-19. CDCR did not do what they were required to do. They stacked each pod with eight people. Not only did they do that, but they mixed inmates that had tested positive with inmates that were negative. They housed those inmates together in the same room.
The room I was in, they placed three inmates that had tested positive. These inmates were coughing and sneezing in the room. Before these inmates had showed up, I had tested about six times. Each time I tested negative.
December 2020, I tested positive for COVID-19. I had all the symptoms and to this day, I still can’t smell 100 percent. December 11, 2020, they moved me from the room I was in, to a quarantine building. In the quarantine building, I couldn’t call my family or friends.
I could not even tell them I caught COVID-19 and that I was okay. I couldn’t go to the canteen and I was cell-fed. It was a depressing time for me and it was Christmas time.
I strongly believe that because CDCR housed those three inmates in my pod, CDCR was the main reason I caught COVID-19. CDCR knew those men had tested positive for COVID-19. Why did they move those inmates with others that were negative?
Did CDCR deliberately put those inmates in my pod so that I would contract the virus? I believe CDCR gambled with my life. They had no idea how my body would react to the virus. I washed my hands, I wore a mask, I practiced social distancing.
The one thing I had absolutely no control over was those three inmates that were put in my room.
Another thing I want to share about this pandemic is the inmate telephone system. There are eight telephones in the dayroom. Out of nowhere, CDCR decides to limit the phone usage. Allowing us to use only four phones during our two hours of dayroom.
Each hallway has a total of 64 inmates. By only allowing us to use the four telephones, in that two hour time frame, it only allows 32 of the 64 inmates to call home. Adding stress to the already existing stress from the pandemic. Now we can’t stay in touch with our loved ones, our friends, and our support network.
CDCR pushed us further from our family and friends. Their reason was so they can spray the phones down with Cellblock 64 and let the chemicals sit for 15 minutes. Why, of all places, did they choose to implement this procedure on the telephones? Our only source and connection with home.
It made no sense, and showed a lack of empathy and compassion on CDCR’s behalf. No other place at the prison did they practice this procedure. The only place was our telephones.
Today is April 2021 and I still get tested every week. I got my first vaccination shot last month. I’m still waiting on my second shot. I owe all my health and positive mind-frame to my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. I am still alive and standing because of him.
College was another way I coped with this pandemic. Also the book club I’m in helped me. Thank you for allowing me to share my experience and my opinions.
Sincerely.
