by Timothy Young
Since March 27th, 2020, the people at San Quentin State Prison’s West Block Housing Unit were notified by Memorandums generated from the Warden’s Office, the Medical Department and by Institutional Television channel, that a staff member here tested positive for a contagious and deadly disease known as the Coronavirus or COVID-19 and this disease has broken out into a global pandemic. Considering how I arrived at San Quentin, some history, the quarantines that I have experienced and what I see every six-feet.
In late November 2011, I was transferred to San Quentin’s North Block Housing Unit from Soledad Central through the Prison Re-Alignment Program. After a little over one year, I was transferred to San Quentin’s West Block Housing Unit. This is how I arrived at San Quentin. While here I realized that San Quentin has a wealth of history.
Well, San Quentin is the first California prison built on dry land in the mid 1800’s. It has the history of housing the most remembered prisoners even decades later. It is the home of California’s Death-Row, but now San Quentin also houses level one, Level two and Fire Camp people, sponsoring the most and some of the best self-help classes of any other California prison like one program called “The Beat Within.”
This prison bears the face of its first hospital depicting the chiseled date of 1852 and known for its dungeon that is still intact. Yes, I wondered about how is this possible with all the ongoing renovating over multiple decades with the building of additional housing units, office buildings and the new hospital which seems to be stacked right on top of the dungeon and all the other buildings seem to be built all around it. How many other secrets does San Quentin have camouflaged in this maze? The amazing thing to me is that San Quentin State Prison is “California’s First Love,” for incarcerating people. A prison landmark, still active. A reservoir of blood running over the sides with the life and pain of many. All I can say at this point is that I am thankful that people still think of those who walk these dimly lit housing units each day working to change their lives for the better. While here at San Quentin, I have experienced many quarantines.
Almost nine years later quarantines continue whether in our communities or within the incarcerated populations. Things like Influenza, Chicken Pox, Shingles, Norovirus, Legionnaires and yes, Coronavirus. Incarceration also forces you to think about other pre-existing illnesses like Cancers, Diabetes, Hepatitis, Kidney, Heart and Lung disease, HIV, Mental Health conditions, Age, day-to-day living, etc., just to name a few. Stack these things on top of prison overcrowding creates a hodgepodge of people and uncontrolled problems. But, somehow California’s Prison System continues to grow fatter on the flesh of our loved ones inside and outside these institutions. As an incarcerated man this is what I see.
Well, what do I see in West Block Housing Unit during this global quarantine. First, I will describe the unit briefly. West Block has two sides known as the Yard-Side and The Bay-Side. Both sides are five stories high built inside of the same Housing Unit. There are two people placed in each cell, presently housing over 800 plus people. Beginning with one of the orders issues by the Warden’s office to those placed and work at San Quentin is “KEEP SIX-FEET AWAY from others while in waiting areas, showers, medical appointments, yard, etc. and wash your hands with soap and water for twenty-seconds, cough or sneeze into your elbow.” Keeping these orders in mind with the buildings structure. There are twenty-four shower heads placed about three-feet apart, showering every other day. Twelve telephones placed about three-feet apart until the recent change moving the telephones six-feet apart, but not adding more. This is the structure. What about the supplies?
West Block’s Housing Unit issues out one bar of soap and one roll of toilet paper per person each week. Other prisons issue out double. Just recently two-cloth face masks were issued to each person. One twelve ounce bottle of hand sanitizer was issued per person. One may ask, how are the people here fed?
West Block’s meal release is done by releasing entire tiers of people at the same time to retrieve a meal from the first tier from Housing Unit Porters. West Block is dimly lit and the roof is exposing insulation. These are some of the things that I see during this quarantine. You tell me if staff and the people living here can adhere to these orders given. The way that I arrived at San Quentin, some history, the prison’s quarantines and what I see every six-feet.