This story was told by a person incarcerated at CMC (California Men’s Colony).
UCI: I understand. And do you have any ideas about what could potentially make the situation better at your facility?
Caller: Situation better at my facility as far as COVID or as far as visits?
UCI: Well, I guess COVID and how it’s affected your, you can talk about how it has affected your visits. Whatever you think that would better, their handling of COVID, I guess.
Caller: I mean, I think they staff needs to be directed to obey these rules. Maybe some type of quick tests. I know the test is really expensive. It’s like $150 for the quick test. But, we shouldn’t be exposed to staff that is potentially sick inside the facility, if they are supposed to be in charge of protecting us. Then they shouldn’t be allowed in until they know for sure that they are negative.
I hear that staff out there is not really following the regulations of social gathering. So that should be somewhat enforced and maybe looked into in some type of way, to say that if you are a public servant and you come into a facility, that you need to follow these guidelines so that no other person dies. Because life is precious.
But it also costs the department a lot every time that an incarcerated person dies. In the facility, there have been COVID-related deaths, even if it isn’t like, based on like I checked out with COVID but because of the other symptoms COVID brings. It adds issues to whatever other health issues that person has, they died, because they contracted COVID and made their condition worse.
So, I think that they should enforce a little bit more the security, and the way that people, they work in the prison system, is doing their sanitary and other safety concerns and procedures.
UCI: Thank you. And is there anything else that you want to share with anyone about your experience?
Caller: I think that when I went to CMC East, which is the wing for the isolation, C yard. They need to do a better job at maintaining the rest of the routine while you’re on isolation, like when we were down there, we never had clothing and some change.
The first wave was never allowed to keep their property. There was an unsanitary issue where they got all the trash with the PPE COVID and they destroy it together with the regular trash, and I guess the seagulls got in the trash. There was PPE garments all over the yard which they had to train.
There’s a lot of things that they could solve, they’re not doing right now. Maybe call you later, tell you more about it.
