Do you know what the biggest danger to the CDCR is? It's not people smuggling drugs into the prison, nor is it guys stabbing each other on the yard, it's guys like me, guys who are willing to risk it all for what they believe in, and who suddenly find the platform to be heard. So let me start off today's rant by calling out CDCR Secretary Ralph Diaz (@CACorrections) on a particularly egregious lie he recently told.
On Wednesday, July 1, Secretary Ralph Diaz informed Senator Nancy Skinner (D-Berkely), from the California Senate Committe on Public Safety, that inmates in CDCR were receiving free phone calls, as if this somehow made being exposed, infected and killed by COVID 19 acceptable, it doesn't, and just as importantly, he lied. When we first went on lockdown, we received 3 days of calls per week. The next month, it dropped to 2 days per month, and then of course only 1 day the following until finally, in July, during the highest increase in positive COVID 19 cases in and outside of the CDCR, there were no free calls for anyone, and on top of already having lost their right to visit.
Besides the fact that he lied, it's incredibly cruel to have lost our free calls right now. Our entire world is in upheaval, resulting in many of our loved ones being out of work, which in turn means they don't have the money to prepay for expensive collect calls. All of this means that we're unable to find out whether or not our friends and family members are themselves infected with COVID 19, or letting them know that we're okay. Personally, I suspect the real reason we lost our free phone calls is because we were using them to contact the media in an attempt to expose their corruption.
Besides the fact that he lied, it's incredibly cruel to have lost our free calls right now. Our entire world is in upheaval, resulting in many of our loved ones being out of work, which in turn means they don't have the money to prepay for expensive collect calls. All of this means that we're unable to find out whether or not our friends and family members are themselves infected with COVID 19, or letting them know that we're okay. Personally, I suspect the real reason we lost our free phone calls is because we were using them to contact the media in an attempt to expose their corruption.
RALPH DIAZ TO NANCY SKINNER:
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RIGHT OF THE NEED TO THE
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INCARCERATED PEOPLE CONTACT
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WITH THEIR LOVED ONES. WE ALSO
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PARTNERED WITH OUR PHONE
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CONTRACTORS TO PROVIDE FREE
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PHONE CALLS EACH MONTH AND
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EXPANDED PHONE ACCESS TO
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CERTAIN PRIVILEGED GROUPS
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OTHERWISE WOULD NOT HAVE THAT.
7/8/2020: CDCR partners with GTL to provide two free calling days for the incarcerated population on July 9 and July 23. CDCR’s electronic messaging provider JPay extended inbound email print services to all institutions at a reduced rate through August 12. Big woop.
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