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VSPW Receiving - Life on A Yard
When you arrive at R&R you are stuffed into a holding cell. It’s stinky and horrible. They might give you a box lunch. While you’re there, they will strip search you -- the whole cell at once -- give you state issue orange A-yard clothes (or a moo-moo), fingerprint you, photograph you, ask you where you want your body sent to, and who to contact in the event of your death. It will freak you out.
They have you box up what you wore there to send home. You are not allowed to bring in anything from county jail, except for legal papers. NO medications, or anything else. Hopefully the bra and underwear fit -- but don’t count on it being new. Then they take you to A-yard.
They yell at you a lot -- to get in line, etc. Most women go to A-3 (two man cells) to start with, although some go directly to A-1 or A-2 (eight man cells). You have NO choice where they put you. They issue you a bag of hygienes -- a four inch toothbrush, a 5 inch comb, toothpaste, shampoo, one soap, a three inch pencil, five pieces of paper and five indigent envelopes. Oh, and a jar of Vaseline. That’s it.
In one or two days you will be issued more clothes, a towel, washcloth, and bed linen. And a Moo-Moo. Actually, you usually have to wear your Moo-Moo from R&R for two or three days.
You are not allowed out of your room except once a day for 2½ hours, and that’s only if they feel like it. In A-3 you don’t have a shower in the room, so you have to get in the shower line during that 2½ hours. If you’re in A-3, you will be moved to an eight man cell in about a week.
The money you brought from county will post in a week or two (sometimes longer). You can write immediately, but NO phone calls on A-yard at all. You can volunteer to work for a phone call, but it’s not easy. You are allowed to shop the first shop when your money actually posts. They call it initial draw. It usually takes four to six weeks before you can shop. You may shop $90 on A-yard. You can only buy hygienes and junk food. No razors, no stingers. No tobacco, no batteries. No noodles. They only sell junk.
The only way a family can send money or letters is with the person’s W# -- so if the person is a parolee, that person already has a #. If the person is new in the system, she will have to wait until she gets the W#. Even if a family member has the wrong housing address, the inmate will get the letter -- but not if you don’t have the W#.
Most women stay at A-yard for 30 to 90 days; it just depends. Some returnees (parolees) go quick. Some stay their whole violation. Most women from Southern California are sent to Chowchilla, but not all. Most women sent to VSPW stay here for the duration of their sentence. But nothing is set in stone.
Every cell has eight women now, especially A-yard. On A-yard the cells are dirty, and it’s hard to get cleaning supplies. They don’t have brooms or regular supplies like they do on the other yards. Maybe once a week they give you a mop and bucket.
Since no one can have a radio or a TV, it isn’t as noisy that way on A-yard -- but because you’re locked down so much, it does get loud. Since there is no smoking, there are a lot of room searches and lock-downs, all over confiscating tobacco.
You are not allowed packages, special purchases, or books until you are classified. Mail is regular….but slow. I don’t know about magazines, etc., but I think I got the paper while I was there. You can go to the library on A-yard, at least once a week, if you stand in a long line. And it’s very, very small and limited. That’s if you managed to bring your glasses!
I believe family members can call a number called “Inmate Locators” if they have the persons’ full name and birthdate to get a W#. Otherwise, they just have to wait for the person to write. [editor’s note: this is correct. The number is 916-445-6713.]
You can send out Visitor Approval forms as soon as you get here, if you can find one. When I was on A-yard, they were all in Spanish. You have to ask an inmate clerk for a form, and it is a clique system, so you may have trouble getting anyone to help you, especially if they don’t like you for some reason. That can be really intimidating for new people.
It usually takes two months to get an approval for visiting. On A-yard, you visit through glass on the telephones. Less hours are allowed for A-yard visits than for general population visiting. They are very picky about A-yard visits. And, of course, during lockdowns, visits are cancelled.
The Correction Officers on A-yard are very, very strict. They yell all the time. They are not friendly, on the whole. They will write you up for any infraction. Usually you don’t know what you did wrong at first. They expect you to find out what to do from other inmates. They have an orientation to tell you how to put in a Co-Pay [required before inmates can ask for medical assistance], or how to write a 602 [written notice that something has gone wrong] -- but it’s short and lousy, and I didn’t understand any of it. You just have to be here long enough to know the rules.
And they do group punishment a lot. The whole unit will get locked down if one person is out of line. Medical will shut down because one inmate got out of hand. If the CO’s would either print up a list of rules, expectations, and punishments, it would be easier. Or if they would sit you down when you get here and explain how things work, it would help. Or a video.
It’s hard when someone tells you to “put your hair up”, and you don’t have a rubber band or hair clip, you don’t know anyone, and you ask the CO what to do, and he says, “Find one now!” If you’re lucky, you find one somewhere. If you’re not, you can’t leave your room, even to go to the chow hall, because your hair must be up.
They do try to scare you on A-yard, and show you that you must comply. But if you don’t understand, it’s very hard. I read the orientation book from front to back and still didn’t know or understand anything.
Returnees do the best on A-yard. Kiss-asses do okay on A-yard. If you’re young and pretty you’ll probably do okay too.
Please tell new people to try to follow the parolees’ lead. Don’t break rules, never talk back to a CO -- no matter how right you are -- stay in line, and LISTEN -- don’t talk.
The hardest part is just believing you are here at VSPW. It takes forever to hear from your family -- because the system makes it that way, and the CO’s seem to take pleasure in that fact.
You have very few right or options on A-yard. There is nothing good about A-yard. Now they have a ‘bridging’ program, meaning you can start your ½ time on A-yard, which is good. You can do the ‘life skills’ in your room. Otherwise, you don’t work on A-yard, unless you become a porter or clerk in your unit -- and the CO’s pick these -- usually women who “appeal” to him or her. You don’t get paid or ½ time; just a phone call here or there. I never got to work on A-yard, and never got to call.
A-yard is your worst nightmare. You don’t know anyone, and you have to sleep, eat, go to the bathroom and wash with them. Some have lice or are kicking drugs. Some are crazy. The CO’s don’t give a damn, and seem to hate you no matter what. You have no control over any situation, and no contact with the outside world, with your family, or with anything familiar. There are lots of fights, and try not to be near one. I never want to go back there -- ever!
They have you box up what you wore there to send home. You are not allowed to bring in anything from county jail, except for legal papers. NO medications, or anything else. Hopefully the bra and underwear fit -- but don’t count on it being new. Then they take you to A-yard.
They yell at you a lot -- to get in line, etc. Most women go to A-3 (two man cells) to start with, although some go directly to A-1 or A-2 (eight man cells). You have NO choice where they put you. They issue you a bag of hygienes -- a four inch toothbrush, a 5 inch comb, toothpaste, shampoo, one soap, a three inch pencil, five pieces of paper and five indigent envelopes. Oh, and a jar of Vaseline. That’s it.
In one or two days you will be issued more clothes, a towel, washcloth, and bed linen. And a Moo-Moo. Actually, you usually have to wear your Moo-Moo from R&R for two or three days.
You are not allowed out of your room except once a day for 2½ hours, and that’s only if they feel like it. In A-3 you don’t have a shower in the room, so you have to get in the shower line during that 2½ hours. If you’re in A-3, you will be moved to an eight man cell in about a week.
The money you brought from county will post in a week or two (sometimes longer). You can write immediately, but NO phone calls on A-yard at all. You can volunteer to work for a phone call, but it’s not easy. You are allowed to shop the first shop when your money actually posts. They call it initial draw. It usually takes four to six weeks before you can shop. You may shop $90 on A-yard. You can only buy hygienes and junk food. No razors, no stingers. No tobacco, no batteries. No noodles. They only sell junk.
The only way a family can send money or letters is with the person’s W# -- so if the person is a parolee, that person already has a #. If the person is new in the system, she will have to wait until she gets the W#. Even if a family member has the wrong housing address, the inmate will get the letter -- but not if you don’t have the W#.
Most women stay at A-yard for 30 to 90 days; it just depends. Some returnees (parolees) go quick. Some stay their whole violation. Most women from Southern California are sent to Chowchilla, but not all. Most women sent to VSPW stay here for the duration of their sentence. But nothing is set in stone.
Every cell has eight women now, especially A-yard. On A-yard the cells are dirty, and it’s hard to get cleaning supplies. They don’t have brooms or regular supplies like they do on the other yards. Maybe once a week they give you a mop and bucket.
Since no one can have a radio or a TV, it isn’t as noisy that way on A-yard -- but because you’re locked down so much, it does get loud. Since there is no smoking, there are a lot of room searches and lock-downs, all over confiscating tobacco.
You are not allowed packages, special purchases, or books until you are classified. Mail is regular….but slow. I don’t know about magazines, etc., but I think I got the paper while I was there. You can go to the library on A-yard, at least once a week, if you stand in a long line. And it’s very, very small and limited. That’s if you managed to bring your glasses!
I believe family members can call a number called “Inmate Locators” if they have the persons’ full name and birthdate to get a W#. Otherwise, they just have to wait for the person to write. [editor’s note: this is correct. The number is 916-445-6713.]
You can send out Visitor Approval forms as soon as you get here, if you can find one. When I was on A-yard, they were all in Spanish. You have to ask an inmate clerk for a form, and it is a clique system, so you may have trouble getting anyone to help you, especially if they don’t like you for some reason. That can be really intimidating for new people.
It usually takes two months to get an approval for visiting. On A-yard, you visit through glass on the telephones. Less hours are allowed for A-yard visits than for general population visiting. They are very picky about A-yard visits. And, of course, during lockdowns, visits are cancelled.
The Correction Officers on A-yard are very, very strict. They yell all the time. They are not friendly, on the whole. They will write you up for any infraction. Usually you don’t know what you did wrong at first. They expect you to find out what to do from other inmates. They have an orientation to tell you how to put in a Co-Pay [required before inmates can ask for medical assistance], or how to write a 602 [written notice that something has gone wrong] -- but it’s short and lousy, and I didn’t understand any of it. You just have to be here long enough to know the rules.
And they do group punishment a lot. The whole unit will get locked down if one person is out of line. Medical will shut down because one inmate got out of hand. If the CO’s would either print up a list of rules, expectations, and punishments, it would be easier. Or if they would sit you down when you get here and explain how things work, it would help. Or a video.
It’s hard when someone tells you to “put your hair up”, and you don’t have a rubber band or hair clip, you don’t know anyone, and you ask the CO what to do, and he says, “Find one now!” If you’re lucky, you find one somewhere. If you’re not, you can’t leave your room, even to go to the chow hall, because your hair must be up.
They do try to scare you on A-yard, and show you that you must comply. But if you don’t understand, it’s very hard. I read the orientation book from front to back and still didn’t know or understand anything.
Returnees do the best on A-yard. Kiss-asses do okay on A-yard. If you’re young and pretty you’ll probably do okay too.
Please tell new people to try to follow the parolees’ lead. Don’t break rules, never talk back to a CO -- no matter how right you are -- stay in line, and LISTEN -- don’t talk.
The hardest part is just believing you are here at VSPW. It takes forever to hear from your family -- because the system makes it that way, and the CO’s seem to take pleasure in that fact.
You have very few right or options on A-yard. There is nothing good about A-yard. Now they have a ‘bridging’ program, meaning you can start your ½ time on A-yard, which is good. You can do the ‘life skills’ in your room. Otherwise, you don’t work on A-yard, unless you become a porter or clerk in your unit -- and the CO’s pick these -- usually women who “appeal” to him or her. You don’t get paid or ½ time; just a phone call here or there. I never got to work on A-yard, and never got to call.
A-yard is your worst nightmare. You don’t know anyone, and you have to sleep, eat, go to the bathroom and wash with them. Some have lice or are kicking drugs. Some are crazy. The CO’s don’t give a damn, and seem to hate you no matter what. You have no control over any situation, and no contact with the outside world, with your family, or with anything familiar. There are lots of fights, and try not to be near one. I never want to go back there -- ever!
