This story was told by a person incarcerated at Chuckawalla.
Caller: But administration, they don’t take it serious. They don’t wear their mask. Inmates don’t wear their mask. You have officers letting inmates go out to yard to play sports and mixing up with the other yards. And they’re cross-contaminating still. The PSR says we’re not supposed to mix. We’re not supposed to be with any building. We’re supposed to be kept away under escort if another building’s out. They have no regard. We have inmates coming in our building from other buildings, and we don’t know if they’re carrying anything or they got sick or whatever. One of them was the program office clerk and his cube got quarantined. One of them tested inconclusive and he’s coming in all the buildings. So they’re not taking anything serious here. They want to come to work. It’s…yeah, they’re trying to open us more program and they can’t contain the situation right now, so I – I actually stopped playing sports just so I don’t hang around with too many people now.
UCI: Do you find that a majority of your peers are also concerned or do you find that more of your peers are kind of leaning towards the side of not taking it seriously? I mean, how are your feelings with the facility and the overall general vibe of the facility?
Caller: I basically feel that it’s every person’s responsibility to take it serious. Like I haven’t seen my wife and kids since March. And I’m a lifer that’s been incarcerated for 30 years and I’m trying to get a parole date, but I don’t want to get sick again. So it’s kind of a betting that no one’s taking it serious because they’re, like, well, you’re not sick. Nobody’s sick. I go, it doesn’t matter. You’re still accountable. You’re – you’re making a choice to constantly not walk around with your mask on. And they blame the officer for bringing it to us, yet you’re at the podium or you’re hanging out with them without your mask. So you’re to blame.
UCI: Yeah. So you said that everyone no matter what position you hold, has to wear a mask; is that correct?
Caller: They tell us to wear the mask, but at the end of the day, to be brutally honest, like, everybody has the mask around their neck. And when they talk to an officer they’ll pull it above their face or administration’s walking they pull it on their face and wear it accordingly. But nobody is wearing their masks the way they’re supposed to. The officers have it around their neck. They – it – it’s just – we’re not going to get better if they don’t take it serious.
