This letter was written by a person incarcerated at Lancaster.
To whom it may concern,
I am writing regarding my experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic. At this time, I feel somewhat safe as long as I can remain in the cell by myself. Having a cellmate puts more strain and stress on the situation because we can never tell if our cellmates are taking preventive measures to protect themselves and their cellmates, for example, proper social distancing, disinfecting the phone properly before usage, and hand washing period.
As an African American with underlying conditions, I’m more cautious for my own safety. At this prison we do have a mandatory mask policy unless you are isolated. They do provide double cloth masks as needed. There is hand sanitizers in the day room area, but it’s still not enough to make a person feel safe. The only comfort I feel is being isolated outside and being in the cell alone. Unfortunately, the problem with us being infected stems from the staff, which is unavoidable.
