Photo by Michael Jasmund on Unsplash

I am tired of COVID-19 as I am forced to six-feet distance in solitary confinement at California Men’s Colony. I watch and hear other prisoners are hallucinate and end up on suicide watch. I’m tired of asking the guards to help these guys as COVID-19 tears apart their physical and mental health. They are hallucinating and banging on the door because they assume they saw something in their cell. It’s hard to sleep at night. 

Twenty-three hours on lockdown and for some of us a five-minute shower and 24 hours in a cell. The tier stinks. There is no ventilation, and the floor only gets swept and mopped once a week. It’s filthy. 

The canteen has run out of multiple food items, so we all have to choose from a random selection. “The warehouse has not gotten refilled,” the canteen manager told me. 

I wish COVID-19 never hit the prison. The guards continue to test positive for COVID-19 and we are the only ones being punished. How many times do I need to tell the guards to put on their masks? 

How do we prisoners keep in touch with our families when COVID-19 has affected mail, phone calls and visits. As I listen to prisoners yell to the guards, I wonder if all the prisoners here in solitary will have eventually lost their minds due to this isolation and stress by the time COVID-19 is finally under control.

Disclaimer: The views in this article are those of the author. Prison Journalism Project has verified the writer’s identity and basic facts such as the names of institutions mentioned.

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Cedrick "CJ" Johnson

Cedrick “CJ” Johnson is a writer incarcerated at California State Prison Folsom. He writes to remind people that even though he is incarcerated, his voice matters and he has a story to tell.