This letter was written by a person incarcerated at Valley State.
I am writing about my PrisonPandemic experience. So right now I have been in jail since November 2019. I started out at Orange County jail.
I remember watching on the news about COVID-19 and when it hit America. We had a big breakout in the county around March of 2020. That’s also when I caught COVID.
The guards came in my cell around that time to do a cell search and tore our cell up. Now, around this time no one was wearing masks and gloves.
So two days later I got symptoms and went to the nurse to report my symptoms and they said I was fine and gave me some cough medicine. My symptoms at the time, I guess, weren’t known symptoms of COVID.
I had a bad cough, a headache, muscle soreness, and was very fatigued. This lasted about a week. Then my celly came up with a fever and was moved out.
Then days later I was also moved out also to quarantine where I tested positive. March was also the last time I’d seen my mom and son who was four at the time. It is going on a year since I’ve seen them at a visit.
They came to every visit until it was shut down. I then started to stress and my anxiety levels raised up so high. I also couldn’t go to court for another four months, so I just sat there.
I was then sentenced to five years with half time off. I came to prison reception. When I got there, I did two weeks of quarantine to be cleared to do to a regular dorm.
I then transferred to main line prison. This is when it got more stressful.
I did my first two week quarantine, then was released to the yard where I was off for literally one day then went right back on. Then I was on that quarantine for one month.
During that time, a celly of mines tested positive and I was moved and started quarantine all over again for another month. Since November, I have been moved around six times. This experience is very stressful.
I want to be home with my son and my family rather being here. I’ve coped with this time with watching TV, working out, reading books, and listening to music. I go home in May of 2022, so I’m just trying to get through this storm and wait until the sunshine again.
Thank you for reaching out and wanting to hear my story. I hope this is what people want to hear.
Much love.