This letter was written by a person incarcerated at Calipatria.
Dear UCI student and to whom else this may concern,
Thank you for taking the time to reach out during this crisis. I am a 26-year-old first-time offender who accepts full responsibility for the crime I committed, to start things off. These last few months have been rough for me. About a month ago I tested positive for COVID-19 and honestly, didn’t have to.
My housing concerns were neglected and I was left confined in a building which had a COVID outbreak. I am a level one inmate endorsed to the minimum security facility on the outskirts of Calipatria State Prison.
Instead of being removed from Calipatria’s level 4-D yard and placed in minimum security where I could properly social distance, I remained on Calipatria’s level 4-D yard until I tested positive for COVID-19! My symptoms became severe! I had a loss of smell and taste, shortness of breath, heart complications, etc.
There was no vaccine to take at that time and really nothing that medical staff could do had something have happened! I am under a year from my release and I mean literally months away. And seeing that this all could have been prevented, I don’t feel confident about my safety inside!
I understand that my poor decision-making put me here but that shouldn’t cost me my life! There are thousands of people dying a day from this deadly virus, yet the necessary safety precautions were neglected in my situation.
What if something tragic would have happened? What if I weren’t able to tell this story? Would anything be done? Will anything be done? I am a single father and a gifted songwriter and musician who looks forward to a successful career and the opportunity to be a provider.
My life is more than just a number in a system! I have already written to the Governor of California and other legal entities inquiring about my circumstances and how detrimental they were! Feel free to post my story whenever you’d like, and thank you for reaching out during these challenging times!
