The Forgotten

The Forgotten Men of San Quentin

     We've spoken at great length of the difficulties facing our incarcerated loved ones. We've spoken of everything from their conditions of confinement to the COVID 19 pandemic raging through our prisons, but if our rush to help our loved ones, we've neglected a critical group. That would be those in reception, people who are in conditions worse than the SHU. (Security Housing Unit.) I'd like to take this opportunity to address this ovesight, to let you know just how bad things really are.

     When you're processed into San Quentin, it's with nothing. You have no books, no TV, no radio, nothing. Just a bunkmate in a cell so tiny you can barely turn around. Not only are the cells tiny, they're beyond filthy, with a small of urine in the concrete that will never go away, no matter hard you scrub. And the noise of men shouting from the first tier to the 5th, it's overpowering. In fact, it's so loud that the courts declared it cruel and unusual punishment, and ordered prison officials to pass out earplugs.

     If you thought it couldn't possibly get any worse, then you're in for a surprise. The guards working in reception are a special kind of sadistic, and why not? Most of the men there aren't aware of their rights, and those who are have no way to exercise them. The men are kept locked in literal cages 23 hours a day, and that was before the pandemic. No phone calls, no visits, just an occasional letter, if they're lucky. With the pandemic, they've probably lost hot meals, one of the only times they were allowed out. And don't get me started on the lack of ventilation. At least here, I can order must a personal fan, but if you're in reception, there are no such provisions. Your only option is to pour some water onto the filthy floor and lay there in your boxers, allowing the concrete to absorb some of your excess heat. With each tier you climb, the temperature noticeably climbs, with many cells exceeding 90° in the summer.

     In reception, all you can do is suffer and pray for a transfer. Of course, right now, transfers are supposed to be on hold, even though some prisons continue to report new arrivals from somewhere. So when you discuss the issues we face in prison, don't forget about the men who quite literally can't speak out for themselves because of their isolation.