From the November-December 2022 issue of News & Letters
Chowchilla, Calif.—There’s some dirty business going on at Central California Women’s Facility (CCWF). Women at CCWF paid for Jpay and U-Tab tablets, with a contract between the state of California and Jpay. All other prisoners in the state were given Jpay tablets to “borrow.”
We were never told Jpay was a “pilot program.” So we purchased accessories, music, games, emails, and e-stamps. We have numerous videos, photos and emails from loved ones saved on the tablets. We had a lot of money invested and some things you can’t put a dollar amount on, due to their sentimental value.
As of July 1, the state entered a contract with a different tech company “GTL/ViaPath.” Now we have to move everything to “borrowed” GTL tablets.
RULES KEEP CHANGING, WOMEN KEEP PAYING
Then in September we were told we must destroy, erase, or send out our paid-for, allowable property and all content without compensation! This is theft and fraud, to “dupe” prisoners by advertising to purchase more music, games, stamps, and books.
Advertisements in January 2022 included enticement to buy a new model “Jpay-6 tablet,” only to have it taken away without compensation. Some women have spent $10,000 on devices and content, all the while believing we purchased them, to keep forever. The state is stealing from us after advertising to us daily to “buy more!”
The warden here tried to request that we keep our property, but California’s secretary of the California Department of Corrections and rehabilitation (CDCr) denied that request.
PRISONCRATS TAKE ADVANTAGE
It is so wrong to take advantage of us. We’re women inmates, and they feel like they can do whatever they want to do to us.
CCWF is the largest women’s prison in the world. This is the example CDCr is setting for other prisons to do to women inmates as well. A similar scam by the state of Florida was stopped in court, so we have hope! We just need to get the word out there, for society to see what is happening to their moms, sisters, daughters, aunts, grandmoms, etc.
Knowledge is power!
—S.N.