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Speaker 1: Oh Lato is I'm Gini Montaro. I'm senior producer for

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Speaker 1: Futuro Studios and also moonlight occasionally for a Latino USA.

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Speaker 1: I've been with the company since twenty sixteen, and I

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Speaker 1: actually started as our company's engineer. I love all things

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Speaker 1: audio and sound design, which means when I go to

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Speaker 1: write stories, I'm always thinking about fun ways to play

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Speaker 1: with effects and music, because how you hear a story

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Speaker 1: makes a difference. The newsroom at Futuru was a breath

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Speaker 1: of fresh air from the news spaces that I was

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Speaker 1: used to working in. People like me with beaten two

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Speaker 1: worlds and two languages. It felt like home. Happy anniversary

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Speaker 1: Latino USA, Gerrace Porto, and thank you listener for celebrating

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Speaker 1: with us.

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Speaker 2: This is Latino USA, the radio journal of News and

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Speaker 2: Kurturre Latino USA.

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Speaker 3: Latin Latino USA. I'm Mariainojosa.

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Speaker 2: We bring you stories that are underreported but that mattered to.

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Speaker 4: You, overlooked by the rest of the media.

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Speaker 3: And while the country is struggling.

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Speaker 2: To deal with these week listen to the stories of

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Speaker 2: Black and Latino.

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Speaker 3: A United Latino.

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Speaker 2: Front, a cultural renaissance organizing at the forefront of the movement.

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Speaker 2: I'm Maria ino Josa nose Bayan Gerido Igerida Radio Escucca.

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Speaker 2: Before we start, a quick warning there's explicit language in

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Speaker 2: this episode. Okay, here we go.

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Speaker 5: The calls can come at any time of the day,

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Speaker 5: multiple times a day. Sometimes it's early in the morning

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Speaker 5: when Mary Strata is getting ready for her administrative job

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Speaker 5: with the County of Los Angeles. Oftentimes it's during her

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Speaker 5: lunch break, when she's eating alone in the car looking

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Speaker 5: for some privacy. And usually it's in the evenings as well,

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Speaker 5: while she's at home in Pomona, a suburb east of

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Speaker 5: Los Angeles, where she lives with her sister and her dog, Coco,

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Speaker 5: a nervous wife poodle.

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Speaker 3: When the phone rings, everything stops for Mary.

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Speaker 4: You have a prepaid call from an inmate at the

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Speaker 4: Honatory Town of and Correctional Facility, San Diego, California.

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Speaker 3: It's her husband, Robert, calling from prison.

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Speaker 5: Mary has been picking up his phone calls and paying

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Speaker 5: for them for forty years.

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Speaker 4: And recorded hello, Hello, Hi baby good.

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Speaker 5: Even though she's not the one who's incarcerated, prison rules

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Speaker 5: Mary's life too. She lives on her husband's schedule, and

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Speaker 5: so do thousands of other women in the United States

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Speaker 5: whose partners are in prison.

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Speaker 2: From vudrou Media and pr X It's Latino USA. I'm

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Speaker 2: Maria Nohosa Today. Mary's Journey an intimate look at the

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Speaker 2: financial and emotional burden that women carry when they have

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Speaker 2: a loved one in prison. One in four women one

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Speaker 2: in four in the United States have a family member

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Speaker 2: in prison, and those carrying this financial and emotional weight

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Speaker 2: are disproportionately women who are not white. While over ninety

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Speaker 2: percent of the prison population are men. It's women who

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Speaker 2: end up spending billions of dollars every year on phone calls,

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Speaker 2: prison store accounts, and in person visits. Mary Estrada is

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Speaker 2: one of these women. She's been taking care of her husband,

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Speaker 2: Robert for forty years, as he's been in and out

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Speaker 2: of prison throughout his adult life. Latino USA Senior producer

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Speaker 2: Marta Martinez, who you heard at the top of our show,

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Speaker 2: spent a Sunday with Mary in February as Mary drove

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Speaker 2: from Pomona, a suburb of Los Angeles, all the way

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Speaker 2: to San Diego in order to visit her husban been

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Speaker 2: in prison. This is what a regular Sunday looks like

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Speaker 2: for Mary and for so many other women whose partners

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Speaker 2: are incarcerated.

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Speaker 3: Here's Martha with our story.

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Speaker 4: Oh, good morning, how are you Macarty? That's fine.

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Speaker 3: You wouldn't tell how early in the morning it is.

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Speaker 5: By the way Mary Estrada looks, she has a perfect

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Speaker 5: blowout with some waves framing her round, delicately made up face.

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Speaker 4: It is cold, yeah, very cold.

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Speaker 5: I can hardly see her dark eyes under the extra

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Speaker 5: large eyelash extensions.

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Speaker 4: So today is Sunday. It is six forty one in

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Speaker 4: the morning. We're in Pomona, California, leaving my house to

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Speaker 4: go visit my husband in San Diego and R. J.

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Speaker 4: Donovan prison.

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Speaker 5: Mary is fifty seven years old and she's been with

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Speaker 5: Robert Estrada since they were teenagers. She started visiting her

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Speaker 5: husband in prison some forty years ago. Robert has been

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Speaker 5: in and out of prison all of his adult life.

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Speaker 5: This is what most weekends look like for Mary. On Saturdays,

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Speaker 5: she gets on a video call with Robert. On Sundays,

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Speaker 5: she drives one hundred and thirty five miles each way

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Speaker 5: to see him in prison.

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Speaker 4: So this is my ritual when I go see my husband.

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Speaker 4: Sack out to get about three o'clock in the morning,

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Speaker 4: just to make sure I get there on time. If

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Speaker 4: there's no traffic. Because I'm drive fast, I get there

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Speaker 4: about I would say an hour and twenty minutes. But

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Speaker 4: if I go with the speed limit, I'll get there

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Speaker 4: in two hours. So today I'll go with the speed limit.

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Speaker 5: Robert is currently being held at Richard J. Donovan Correctional

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Speaker 5: Facility in San Diego, where he's serving a forty two

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Speaker 5: year sentence involving the use of a gun during a

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Speaker 5: robbery and voluntary manslaughter. We won't get into details about

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Speaker 5: his case because that's not what this story is about.

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Speaker 5: It isn't about the harsh experience of being incarcerated either,

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Speaker 5: and we're not trying to undermine their reality or.

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Speaker 3: Compare with that of their partners outside.

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Speaker 5: Robert has served eleven years so far, and he's expected

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Speaker 5: to stay in prison until at least twenty thirty seven.

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Speaker 5: Mary is wearing what she calls her prison clothes. Dress

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Speaker 5: code is very strict for prison visitors. The California Department

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Speaker 5: of Corrections and Rehabilitation, or CDCR, advises to dress conservatively

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Speaker 5: and modestly, which means no short skirts, no tight pants,

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Speaker 5: no blue jeans or hair extensions. Mary wears an airy

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Speaker 5: white dress with some embroidered flowers below the knee and

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Speaker 5: a black V shaped sweater.

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Speaker 3: On her chest hangs a silver crucifix.

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Speaker 5: Her nails are extra long and Barbie pink with glitter

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Speaker 5: butterflies on her ring fingers.

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Speaker 6: Nails look great.

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Speaker 4: Oh thank you. I took them off for like about

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Speaker 4: two weeks and in type and I told my husband.

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Speaker 4: She said, oh, you're working on a car again. He

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Speaker 4: caused my hands. My candleccounts when I don't have nails on.

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Speaker 4: But yeah, I have to have my nails on. I

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Speaker 4: think I'm a diva. I mean, you can't lose yourself

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Speaker 4: to this life. It's like you still have to get

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Speaker 4: up and get ready. I mean, I was brought up

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Speaker 4: that way. You'll never catch me walking out of my

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Speaker 4: house not made up. It's like I have to have

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Speaker 4: my hair done, my makeup. You never know if you

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Speaker 4: get into a car accident. You don't want to look ugly.

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Speaker 6: Tell me about your tachoo.

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Speaker 4: So I have a tattoo on my chest with his name.

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Speaker 5: It's a better Hawaiian flowers on the left side of

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Speaker 5: her chest with Robert's name on top.

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Speaker 3: All in black.

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Speaker 4: Ink, and there's a story behind that. I had covered

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Speaker 4: his name because we had broken up for a little bit,

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Speaker 4: and then we had gotten back together and he said,

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Speaker 4: why did you cover my name? Put it back on,

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Speaker 4: and I said, no, I'm not a cow. I don't

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Speaker 4: need to be branded. And then he said, no, to

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Speaker 4: have my name by your heart means a lot. So

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Speaker 4: I put his name back by my heart. Yeah. My

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Speaker 4: husband too. He has my name all over his body

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Speaker 4: and he has a couple of portraits of me.

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Speaker 5: Mary says she wants to cover the tattoo on her

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Speaker 5: chest again and have Robert's name next to her color

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Speaker 5: bone on the right side.

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Speaker 4: But I'm not going to get it big because because

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Speaker 4: of work, I work with the public.

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Speaker 5: After many years working as an accountant for private companies,

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Speaker 5: Mary recently started working for the County of Los Angeles.

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Speaker 3: She hasn't told her colleagues that Robert is in prison yet.

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Speaker 5: For Mary, being able to take care of Robert was

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Speaker 5: always above any job requirement.

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Speaker 4: I've always told them during my interviews, I need to

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Speaker 4: take phone calls when it comes in. There's no way

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Speaker 4: can I miss those phone calls. And I have to

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Speaker 4: take certain days off and if you guys can't meet that,

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Speaker 4: please let me know now, and I won't take the job.

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Speaker 5: Mary says she turned down at least two jobs for

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Speaker 5: that reason already. From the se Justice Group, a nonprofit

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Speaker 5: supporting women with incarcerated loved ones, found that nearly half

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Speaker 5: of the women who are taking care of someone in

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Speaker 5: prison changed their personal plans and careers to support their

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Speaker 5: loved ones needs. Many of them end up working more

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Speaker 5: hours or switching jobs so that they can pick up

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Speaker 5: their calls or visit them often.

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Speaker 4: I remember the first time that I went to go

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Speaker 4: visit them because I've never been with anybody in prison,

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Speaker 4: and I was nervous because I didn't know what to

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Speaker 4: expect of it. But once I got through the process

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Speaker 4: and I was in there with him, it was just

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Speaker 4: like him and I. I was so happy to see him.

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Speaker 4: I got to hold his hands, we got to hug,

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Speaker 4: and we ate together there. The leaving part was hard

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Speaker 4: for me for a long while because I would leave

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Speaker 4: there crying. But now it's better, I think, because I've

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Speaker 4: been doing it for so long, you know, it becomes

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Speaker 4: like a routine to you. But there's still times we're

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Speaker 4: all crying because I don't want to leave them behind.

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Speaker 4: That feeling. I don't think it'll ever go away because

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Speaker 4: you want to bring them home and you can't.

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Speaker 6: So tell me what are we looking at?

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Speaker 5: So we're looking at my photo album on the glass

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Speaker 5: table in Pomona where Mary lives with her sister and

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Speaker 5: her dog.

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Speaker 3: There are three fat photo albums.

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Speaker 4: This was like one of his first terms, so this

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Speaker 4: was I want to say, this was falsome. This picture.

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Speaker 5: Falsom is a prison in northern California, the first one

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Speaker 5: Robert was incarcerated in as an adult. In the photo,

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Speaker 5: both Robert and Mary are in their early twenties posing

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Speaker 5: in front of a metal fence. Mary says. Robert has

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Speaker 5: been held in all of California's state prisons except for

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Speaker 5: Valley State Prison in Chowchilla. Falsam is the most beautiful one,

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Speaker 5: Mary says, because it looks like a castle.

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Speaker 4: This is their first visit in a long time, so

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Speaker 4: I was kind of nervous, but then I was in.

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Speaker 4: I was just happy to see him. Your curly hair,

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Speaker 4: my curly hair that's in the eighties, my big hair.

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Speaker 6: And these are pictures YouTube.

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Speaker 4: In the prison. Yes, and the visits, Oh my god,

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Speaker 4: much so many.

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Speaker 5: There are hundreds of photos in them and they all

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Speaker 5: look similar. Mary and Robert in a half hag looking

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Speaker 5: at the camera and smiling, all with a prison in

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Speaker 5: the background.

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Speaker 4: He's been in and out of prison all his life.

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Speaker 4: I don't even recall him being home for two months.

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Speaker 5: Mary was born in the Philippines, but she grew up

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Speaker 5: in Los Angeles. She went to high school with Robert's sister.

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Speaker 5: Robert is two years younger than Mary. They were both

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Speaker 5: teenagers when they started dating, but they would break up

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Speaker 5: and get back together often.

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Speaker 4: I was a troubled child, rebellious. I didn't complete high school.

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Speaker 4: I was molested, and it just took a lot out

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Speaker 4: of me.

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Speaker 5: Mary started drinking when she was twelve years old. At

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Speaker 5: the same age, a family member introduced her to drugs.

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Speaker 5: She smoked PCP or angel dust. She also did cocaine,

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Speaker 5: acid snorted heroin. She spent two nights in jail for

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Speaker 5: the first time at the age of eighteen for stealing

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Speaker 5: clothes at them all, I think.

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Speaker 4: With the drugs, I just buried my pain in there,

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Speaker 4: and every time I thought of my childhood, it just,

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Speaker 4: you know, it ripped me apart. And it still does.

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Speaker 3: Robert's childhood wasn't easy either.

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Speaker 5: He grew up in the San Fernando Valley, a majority

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Speaker 5: Latino area. His mother is Mexican, his father is Italian Mexican.

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Speaker 4: His mother, she had custody of him, but she wasn't nurturing.

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Speaker 4: His father introduced him to drugs at the age of ten.

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Speaker 4: So my husband was like a throwaway kid, and he

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Speaker 4: just he grew up in the streets just doing drugs.

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Speaker 4: Everybody could tell me, why aren't you with him, He's

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Speaker 4: bad news. Leave him. I didn't see that in him.

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Speaker 4: I saw a kind gentleman.

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Speaker 5: Robert joined a gang, he started selling drugs, doing carjackings, robberies.

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Speaker 5: When he was eighteen, he went to prison for the

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Speaker 5: first time as an adult. He ended up in solitary

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Speaker 5: confinement for about a week, so they couldn't talk, and

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Speaker 5: Mary missed him. She says that's the moment she realized

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Speaker 5: she was in love with him.

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Speaker 4: I never not had a boyfriend, and with him, it

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Speaker 4: was just so different. There was a connection that I

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Speaker 4: can't even explain. It's like this guy took my heart.

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Speaker 4: I knew that I was going to be with him

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Speaker 4: for the rest of my life. Whether he was out

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Speaker 4: here or in there.

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Speaker 5: Mary started spending most of her weekends as an adult

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Speaker 5: visiting Robert in prison. She would go wherever he was

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Speaker 5: being held, like Sacramento, which was a nine hour drive

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Speaker 5: for Mary.

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Speaker 6: What would your family or your friend's say.

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Speaker 4: That I was stupid for doing this journey for visiting him.

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Speaker 4: They said that I could do better. But he can't

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Speaker 4: control what your heart feilds, and this is who my

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Speaker 4: heart wanted.

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Speaker 5: Mary's family would organize trips every once in a while

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Speaker 5: to Hawaii to Memphis to visit Graceland Elvis's house, but

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Speaker 5: Mary refused to join them.

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Speaker 4: Because I didn't want to leave my husband behind. He

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Speaker 4: can't go, So if he can't go, then why am

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Speaker 4: I going to go. I'm not gonna have fun. I'm

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Speaker 4: just gonna think about him. So I'd rather be here

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Speaker 4: with him where I could visit him. Thursday, Friday, Saturday,

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Speaker 4: and Sunday.

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Speaker 5: Mary was working three jobs at the time, and she

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Speaker 5: would juggle her schedules around so that she could leave early.

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Speaker 4: It was always on his schedule. It was about him.

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Speaker 4: And you know what, ninety nine percent of the prison

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Speaker 4: community with the wives and the girlfriends are the same way.

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Speaker 4: We have to get those phone calls, we have to

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Speaker 4: get those appointments, we have to see them.

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Speaker 5: Flipping through the albums, I see a photo where Mary

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Speaker 5: and Robert are kissing.

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Speaker 4: Oh that one. Yeah, that's when kissing was allowed and

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Speaker 4: now they don't allow it. It's not here's one of us.

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Speaker 4: Here's one of us making out. Oh who uses that word? God?

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Speaker 4: It was so long. This isn't in nineteen ninety two,

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Speaker 4: November ninety two. That's his writing, his nice penmanship. This one.

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Speaker 4: I was pregnant.

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Speaker 5: Mary had her daughter, Samantha, at twenty five years old,

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Speaker 5: and she gave birth on her own. California is one

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Speaker 5: of only four states that still allow conjugal visits. For Samantha,

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Speaker 5: growing up while her dad was in prison was tough.

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Speaker 5: All she remembers is going to visit him.

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Speaker 4: There, she because you stole my childhood away from me,

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Speaker 4: and I felt bad. I felt bad. She didn't have

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Speaker 4: a relationship with her dad for a long time. She

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Speaker 4: hated him. She wouldn't speak to him because of what

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Speaker 4: he's put me through.

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Speaker 5: The year nineteen ninety six was a turning point for Mary.

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Speaker 5: She spent four months in jail on drug charges, Mary

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Speaker 5: felt the only way she could work on herself and

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Speaker 5: get sober was to leave Robert, who was still using drugs.

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Speaker 3: They were apart for.

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Speaker 5: Ten years, then in two thousand and six, she visited

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Speaker 5: him in prison and decided to get back together. Things

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Speaker 5: got better over time with Samantha as well. She has

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Speaker 5: three children, and Mary says they visit Robert in prison

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Speaker 5: when they're in California.

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Speaker 4: Everybody tells me, it's like you put your life on

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Speaker 4: hold and it's still on hold. When are you gonna live?

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Speaker 4: But this is living for me. I can't see my

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Speaker 4: life without him. Speak of the devil.

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Speaker 5: While I'm talking to Mary in her home, she gets

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Speaker 5: one of those phone calls that puts everything on hold.

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Speaker 4: Hello, you have a prepaid call from Robert.

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Speaker 5: Robert and Mary chat about the problems with the food

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Speaker 5: sold by the prison cafe. Families could only buy their

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Speaker 5: fresh foods for their overnight visits also known as family

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Speaker 5: visits from one bender.

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Speaker 6: I'm taking great.

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Speaker 5: He married team tap with several other women to complain

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Speaker 5: about the food vender. They say he was selling them

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Speaker 5: rotten and expired food. They also point out that his

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Speaker 5: prices are higher than at regular source. Yeah, Robert tells

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Speaker 5: Mary that the news about the food complaints have spread

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Speaker 5: inside Donovan as well.

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Speaker 4: Okay good.

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Speaker 5: Mary is the one leading this movement, as she calls it.

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Speaker 5: Advocacy is a big part of Mary's life. She manages

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Speaker 5: several Facebook groups for families of the incarcerated in California,

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Speaker 5: and two of them are dedicated to R. J. Donovan,

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Speaker 5: the San Diego prison. Mary says there are more than

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Speaker 5: three hundred and thirty people in the Donovan group and

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Speaker 5: they're allway.

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Speaker 4: That has to change as well, because the food is

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Speaker 4: rotten in there, and then like when you guys have

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Speaker 4: power outages, those machines go down, so all that melted

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Speaker 4: ice cream is still sitting there, and then we're purchasing it.

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Speaker 4: Why do you think I never eat the ice cream?

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Speaker 4: I tell you stop eating it.

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Speaker 5: Mary created a food committee with six other women from

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Speaker 5: her Facebook group. They reached out to the Department of

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Speaker 5: Corrections and other agencies to complain about the vendor and

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Speaker 5: ask if he was authorized to sell fresh food to families,

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Speaker 5: among other issues. Mary wants the men inside Donovan to

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Speaker 5: file a complaint on their end as.

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Speaker 1: Well, but I don't think well.

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Speaker 4: I need that started Babe.

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Speaker 7: I know.

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Speaker 3: It's harder for the men to complain. They're afraid of retiliation.

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Speaker 4: I can call it the health department and have them

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Speaker 4: look at all that unit and does shut it down.

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Speaker 4: And the only reason why I don't it's because we

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Speaker 4: want our family visits.

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Speaker 5: It's not the first time Mary's being vocal about the

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Speaker 5: problems at Donovan. She's organized protests in front of the

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Speaker 5: prison and talked to the media about Donovan's mismanagement during

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Speaker 5: the pandemic. She has served as a family representative at

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Speaker 5: the prison, and she speaks regularly. We see the headquarters

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Speaker 5: and all of that affects Robert too, But Robert is

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Speaker 5: very proud of Mary and her advocacy for the families.

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Speaker 5: He says Mary is the only good thing that's ever

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Speaker 5: happened to him, and that men at Donovan want their

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Speaker 5: wives to be more like Mary, the way she's always

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Speaker 5: there for him and fighting to make things better. Last Christmas,

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Speaker 5: Robert painted a portrait of Mary as a gift for her.

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Speaker 5: In the painting, Mary wears a white hat with a

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Speaker 5: blue ribbon that reads masterpiece.

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Speaker 4: And I'm sorry because I know that this also puts

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Speaker 4: you in a position. I'm not trying to get anybody

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Speaker 4: in trouble. I just want what's right.

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Speaker 8: I had six.

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Speaker 4: I love you all right, Yeah, I'm fine.

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Speaker 7: Things. It's so dark at the picture.

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Speaker 4: Shut up with you in your stupid picture.

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Speaker 6: I know, I think.

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Speaker 4: I love you.

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Speaker 6: I love you.

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Speaker 4: God, bless you. Okay, bye, honey, God. I hate that

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Speaker 4: prison always something. I'm sorry. I just get so passionate

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Speaker 4: about it. You can call it puppy love. But he's

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Speaker 4: my true love. He's my best friend. Even though he's

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Speaker 4: in there, I can depend on him for anything. He's

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Speaker 4: my backbone, he really is. I'm gonna get teary eyed.

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Speaker 2: Coming up on Latin the USA, we continue our journey

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Speaker 2: with Mary to RJ. Donovan Correctional Facility, and along the

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Speaker 2: way we meet another woman who's learning the ropes of

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Speaker 2: being married to someone in prison.

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Speaker 3: Stay with us, mayes.

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Speaker 4: Hi.

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Speaker 8: I'm Nando Villa, host of Shoot the Messenger. I want

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Speaker 8: to congratulate Latino USA on thirty years of great journalism.

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Speaker 8: Over the past three decades, Latino USA has done an

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Speaker 8: amazing job highlighting voices and stories that go unseen. The heart,

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Speaker 8: creativity and empathy that the Latino USA team brings to

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Speaker 8: their journalism is inspiring. On top of that, Mariaokosa's presence

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Speaker 8: has been so important for journalists of color everywhere, finding

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Speaker 8: their voice and place in audio from Shoot the Messenger

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Speaker 8: and exile content. Thank you for this legacy, and please

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Speaker 8: keep up the good work.

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Speaker 2: Hey, we're back before the break. We began our journey

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Speaker 2: to accompany Mary Estrada in one of her visits to R.

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Speaker 2: Jay Donovan. That's the prison in San Diego where her

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Speaker 2: husband Robert is being held. Mary's been visiting and taking

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Speaker 2: care of Robert in prison for forty years. Latino USA

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Speaker 2: Senior producer Marta Martinez is back in the car with Mary,

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Speaker 2: and we're going to join them.

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Speaker 4: Now, I hate driving. It takes a toll, but'd say

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Speaker 4: we're not even halfways there. We're not even a quarter's

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Speaker 4: ways there.

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Speaker 5: The sun is getting higher in the sky and Mary

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Speaker 5: protects her eyes with the car's sunbiser. She doesn't wear sunglasses.

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Speaker 5: The freeway is not busy, and we speed along the

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Speaker 5: yellow hills, the suburban where houses and empty parking lots

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Speaker 5: of southern California.

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Speaker 6: What do you do usually when because you do this

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Speaker 6: most of the time, you do it alone.

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Speaker 4: Yeah, right, now I would have my music. I'm just singing,

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Speaker 4: and then there's I go through like different spurts of music.

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Speaker 4: It's weird because I'll start off with mellow music, and

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Speaker 4: then I'll go into like dancing music, and then I'll

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Speaker 4: go back to love songs, and then I start crying.

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Speaker 4: And by the time I get to my Visitseck, my

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Speaker 4: eyes are puffy from crying. But the drive, to me,

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Speaker 4: it's not that long anymore because I'm so used to it.

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Speaker 4: But there's other people that drive far, like Pelican Bay.

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Speaker 4: For me, that would be sixteen hours, and he was

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Speaker 4: there before, and even when he was in Sacramento. I

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Speaker 4: would go every weekend. I would leave at ten pm

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Speaker 4: Friday nights, and that was like a nine hour drive,

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Speaker 4: so you would drive over night. Yeap. I didn't sleep,

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Speaker 4: but I was younger back then. Now it's just like

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Speaker 4: I need to sleep.

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Speaker 3: Next to her car seat.

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Speaker 5: Mary has a tiny plastic purse full of meds and

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Speaker 5: doctor's notes. One of those notes, for example, states that

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Speaker 5: she needs a special diet which allows her to bring

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Speaker 5: her own food for family visits. Several women from Mary's

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Speaker 5: Facebook group have doctor's notes too.

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Speaker 4: How cones of heart failure. Six seven months ago, I

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Speaker 4: went to go visit him and I felt really off.

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Speaker 4: So when I got to my visit, my husband was

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Speaker 4: worried because I kept dozing off. Then I ended up

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Speaker 4: my visit earlier, but I couldn't even drive out, so

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Speaker 4: when I went to the doctor, it showed that I

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Speaker 4: had a mild heart attack.

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Speaker 5: Whow Having a loved one in prison damages women's emotional

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Speaker 5: and physical health. According to a study by the sy

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Speaker 5: Justice Group, more than ninety percent of the women whose

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Speaker 5: partners are incarcerated reported feeling anxiety, depression, migraines, insomnia, fatigue,

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Speaker 5: and all of that can lead to more serious conditions

442
00:24:59,400 --> 00:25:00,320
Speaker 5: in the long term too.

443
00:25:00,960 --> 00:25:04,280
Speaker 4: And there's been times where I was hospitalized and because

444
00:25:04,320 --> 00:25:06,880
Speaker 4: I didn't want to miss my visit, I would check

445
00:25:06,960 --> 00:25:09,560
Speaker 4: myself out of the hospital just to make my visit.

446
00:25:11,680 --> 00:25:14,479
Speaker 4: But I actually ended up screwing myself because don't ever

447
00:25:14,560 --> 00:25:17,000
Speaker 4: mess with your health. You can't.

448
00:25:18,320 --> 00:25:21,879
Speaker 5: Between the pandemic and Mary's health issues, she started cutting

449
00:25:21,960 --> 00:25:24,680
Speaker 5: down on her weekend visits to San Diego for a while.

450
00:25:25,080 --> 00:25:27,400
Speaker 4: And my husband he had to sit down and really

451
00:25:27,440 --> 00:25:29,040
Speaker 4: talk to me because he thought I had a boyfriend.

452
00:25:29,119 --> 00:25:31,960
Speaker 4: It's like oh no, and he was just like, you

453
00:25:32,040 --> 00:25:34,000
Speaker 4: need to come and see me, because when I don't

454
00:25:34,040 --> 00:25:37,520
Speaker 4: see you, I feel empty and I don't feel whole.

455
00:25:38,200 --> 00:25:41,520
Speaker 5: Mary says, Robert gets depressed and he won't leave his cell.

456
00:25:42,440 --> 00:25:44,920
Speaker 5: Dealing with the realities of prison takes a toll on

457
00:25:45,080 --> 00:25:49,560
Speaker 5: him too. He says he often witnesses abuse fights even that,

458
00:25:50,119 --> 00:25:54,240
Speaker 5: especially during COVID and without visits or phone calls.

459
00:25:54,280 --> 00:25:55,119
Speaker 3: It's even harder.

460
00:25:55,640 --> 00:25:56,399
Speaker 4: We're all that they have.

461
00:26:05,480 --> 00:26:09,080
Speaker 5: And if Robert is Mary's backbone, Mary is even more

462
00:26:09,160 --> 00:26:14,399
Speaker 5: so for Robert. She's his biggest support, both emotionally and financially.

463
00:26:14,720 --> 00:26:18,760
Speaker 4: And I tell everybody, this journey is not easy. Evaluate

464
00:26:19,119 --> 00:26:22,919
Speaker 4: or reevaluate your lives before you do this journey, because

465
00:26:22,960 --> 00:26:27,200
Speaker 4: there is no going back. It's time consuming, it's expensive.

466
00:26:29,560 --> 00:26:33,119
Speaker 5: Mary says she makes seventy thousand dollars a year. It

467
00:26:33,240 --> 00:26:35,760
Speaker 5: took her years to get out of debt keeping up

468
00:26:35,800 --> 00:26:39,200
Speaker 5: with the costs of supporting Robert. A third of families

469
00:26:39,240 --> 00:26:41,720
Speaker 5: who have a loved one in prison go into debt

470
00:26:41,920 --> 00:26:44,879
Speaker 5: when they support them financially. According to our report of

471
00:26:44,960 --> 00:26:48,040
Speaker 5: the Ella Baker Center for Human Rights, a nonprofit group

472
00:26:48,119 --> 00:26:51,520
Speaker 5: that focuses on organizing black brown and low income people.

473
00:26:52,119 --> 00:26:54,880
Speaker 4: He goes full store. It's two forty a month.

474
00:26:55,400 --> 00:26:58,000
Speaker 5: Every month, Mary puts two hundred and forty dollars in

475
00:26:58,119 --> 00:27:03,119
Speaker 5: Robert's commissary account. He can buy additional food like soups, tortillas,

476
00:27:03,240 --> 00:27:07,880
Speaker 5: packaged meat, twinkies, and hygiene products. Mary says food serve

477
00:27:07,960 --> 00:27:11,359
Speaker 5: that the prison is not enough and it's often unhealthy.

478
00:27:11,760 --> 00:27:15,679
Speaker 5: No fresh fruits or vegetables, sometimes even expired or rotten,

479
00:27:16,320 --> 00:27:20,320
Speaker 5: so many incarcerated people rely on commissary food for their diets.

480
00:27:20,920 --> 00:27:23,840
Speaker 5: Mary worries about Robert's diet a lot, because she says

481
00:27:23,960 --> 00:27:27,520
Speaker 5: he has stage four cirrhosis and stage three kidney failure.

482
00:27:29,600 --> 00:27:31,440
Speaker 4: I buy his quarterly packages.

483
00:27:32,320 --> 00:27:36,080
Speaker 5: Families can send care packages whenever they want. They can

484
00:27:36,200 --> 00:27:39,520
Speaker 5: only do that every three months, but there's a catch.

485
00:27:40,200 --> 00:27:43,560
Speaker 5: These packages can only be bought through third party vendors

486
00:27:43,680 --> 00:27:47,960
Speaker 5: authorized by the prison. Through them, families are allowed to

487
00:27:48,040 --> 00:27:51,600
Speaker 5: buy essentials like pre good foods and hygien products, but

488
00:27:51,720 --> 00:27:57,520
Speaker 5: also clothes, electronics, and even wedding rings. But the items

489
00:27:57,640 --> 00:28:00,760
Speaker 5: in these catalogs are often more expensive than they would

490
00:28:00,800 --> 00:28:04,879
Speaker 5: be at a regular supermarket, sometimes even double, like the

491
00:28:04,960 --> 00:28:09,200
Speaker 5: pre cooked Spanish rice Robert Blake sweet Mary and other

492
00:28:09,280 --> 00:28:11,720
Speaker 5: women told me they spend between two hundred.

493
00:28:11,480 --> 00:28:14,000
Speaker 3: And four hundred dollars on each quarterly package.

494
00:28:15,680 --> 00:28:17,480
Speaker 4: And then you have to pay for the phone calls.

495
00:28:17,880 --> 00:28:21,040
Speaker 4: Before it was just straight collect calls, so when he

496
00:28:21,160 --> 00:28:24,200
Speaker 4: was in County jail, a fifteen minute phone call would

497
00:28:24,240 --> 00:28:26,359
Speaker 4: be like almost twenty five dollars for me.

498
00:28:29,400 --> 00:28:31,800
Speaker 5: Phone calls are one of the biggest money drains for

499
00:28:31,920 --> 00:28:35,680
Speaker 5: families in California. At the start of twenty twenty three,

500
00:28:36,160 --> 00:28:39,400
Speaker 5: phone calls became free of charge for people incarcerated in

501
00:28:39,520 --> 00:28:44,680
Speaker 5: state prisons. Before then, families were paying an estimated sixty

502
00:28:44,720 --> 00:28:45,760
Speaker 5: eight million.

503
00:28:45,480 --> 00:28:47,160
Speaker 3: A year in prison phone calls.

504
00:28:48,200 --> 00:28:51,360
Speaker 5: California is only one of four states in the country

505
00:28:51,440 --> 00:28:55,520
Speaker 5: which have made state prison calls free. The Prison Policy Initiative,

506
00:28:55,680 --> 00:28:59,360
Speaker 5: a nonprofit research group, estimated that families across the US

507
00:28:59,680 --> 00:29:03,640
Speaker 5: spent and nearly three billion dollars yes with a Bee

508
00:29:04,320 --> 00:29:06,479
Speaker 5: every year in commissary.

509
00:29:06,000 --> 00:29:07,240
Speaker 3: Fees and phone calls.

510
00:29:09,120 --> 00:29:11,200
Speaker 5: And then, of course Mary has to pay for the

511
00:29:11,320 --> 00:29:14,080
Speaker 5: gas to go visit Robert every weekend, and the food

512
00:29:14,160 --> 00:29:16,840
Speaker 5: she'll get from the vending machine there because they aren't

513
00:29:16,840 --> 00:29:17,960
Speaker 5: allowed to bring their own food.

514
00:29:18,560 --> 00:29:21,880
Speaker 3: A Hamburger, for example, is eight dollars, So.

515
00:29:22,200 --> 00:29:25,640
Speaker 4: On an average a month, I would spend maybe like

516
00:29:25,720 --> 00:29:28,800
Speaker 4: a little over fifteen hundred plus I have to see

517
00:29:28,840 --> 00:29:30,440
Speaker 4: what I have here, so it's been hard.

518
00:29:30,840 --> 00:29:32,040
Speaker 3: Mary lives with her sister.

519
00:29:32,400 --> 00:29:34,640
Speaker 5: They own the house in Pomona, so she doesn't have

520
00:29:34,760 --> 00:29:36,920
Speaker 5: to pay rent, but she still has to pay for

521
00:29:37,000 --> 00:29:40,560
Speaker 5: her own expenses, her car, her dog, all of that,

522
00:29:40,840 --> 00:29:44,240
Speaker 5: making seventy thousand dollars a year. For a long time,

523
00:29:44,560 --> 00:29:48,200
Speaker 5: Mary also took care of their daughter, Samantha. Seventy percent

524
00:29:48,320 --> 00:29:51,160
Speaker 5: of women who have incarcerated loved ones are the only

525
00:29:51,280 --> 00:29:52,680
Speaker 5: breadwinners in their families.

526
00:29:53,280 --> 00:29:56,680
Speaker 4: And there were times where I couldn't go because I

527
00:29:56,720 --> 00:29:58,440
Speaker 4: didn't have any money, and he would just tell me,

528
00:29:58,640 --> 00:30:00,400
Speaker 4: I don't have to eat, just come and see me

529
00:30:00,440 --> 00:30:01,360
Speaker 4: because I want to see you.

530
00:30:01,960 --> 00:30:04,800
Speaker 3: So we would do that if that wasn't enough.

531
00:30:05,160 --> 00:30:07,840
Speaker 5: In the majority of cases, it's women who end up

532
00:30:07,880 --> 00:30:09,880
Speaker 5: paying for their loved ones restitution.

533
00:30:10,520 --> 00:30:11,800
Speaker 4: Restitution is no joke.

534
00:30:13,720 --> 00:30:16,880
Speaker 5: Restitution is the money convicted people have to pay back

535
00:30:17,160 --> 00:30:20,200
Speaker 5: for the damage they caused, both to the victims and

536
00:30:20,320 --> 00:30:23,880
Speaker 5: to the state. The way Callifornia collects that money is

537
00:30:23,960 --> 00:30:27,040
Speaker 5: that they take fifty percent of the money family's food

538
00:30:27,160 --> 00:30:30,360
Speaker 5: in the incarcerated person's account like the money they use

539
00:30:30,480 --> 00:30:32,360
Speaker 5: for the prison store or commissary.

540
00:30:33,600 --> 00:30:36,280
Speaker 4: So I would have to put five hundred dollars every

541
00:30:36,360 --> 00:30:39,480
Speaker 4: three weeks for him to get full store. So a

542
00:30:39,520 --> 00:30:42,600
Speaker 4: lot of the families couldn't afford that. That's highway robbery.

543
00:30:43,320 --> 00:30:46,200
Speaker 4: It took me, I want to say, six years to

544
00:30:46,200 --> 00:30:47,240
Speaker 4: pay off his restitution.

545
00:30:50,320 --> 00:30:54,960
Speaker 5: Robert's restitution was ten thousand dollars. The average dead families

546
00:30:55,080 --> 00:30:58,040
Speaker 5: end up with for court related fines and fees is

547
00:30:58,080 --> 00:31:02,080
Speaker 5: close to fourteen thousand dollars. Mary would often max out

548
00:31:02,160 --> 00:31:04,320
Speaker 5: her credit cards without telling Robert.

549
00:31:04,840 --> 00:31:06,880
Speaker 4: But all the money that I put into my husband

550
00:31:07,600 --> 00:31:10,000
Speaker 4: from the age of eighteen till now, I'd be a

551
00:31:10,120 --> 00:31:13,920
Speaker 4: multi millionaire. I mean that's like hundreds and thousands of

552
00:31:14,000 --> 00:31:17,960
Speaker 4: dollars that I've spent. I could be driving a freaking

553
00:31:18,000 --> 00:31:22,040
Speaker 4: Mercedes and I'm driving a hund Die. They're a liability

554
00:31:22,200 --> 00:31:25,120
Speaker 4: because they're money. We have to pay for them. We

555
00:31:25,240 --> 00:31:27,080
Speaker 4: had to pay to talk to them, we had to

556
00:31:27,200 --> 00:31:29,960
Speaker 4: pay to see them, we had to pay to feed them,

557
00:31:30,280 --> 00:31:32,240
Speaker 4: We have to pay to have these family visits.

558
00:31:32,640 --> 00:31:36,840
Speaker 5: Family visits are another expensive piece of the relationship puzzle,

559
00:31:37,280 --> 00:31:39,960
Speaker 5: but also one of the most coveted because it's the

560
00:31:40,040 --> 00:31:43,240
Speaker 5: only time spouses can be together with their family members

561
00:31:43,680 --> 00:31:47,880
Speaker 5: for two days and nights without supervision. Mary says she

562
00:31:48,040 --> 00:31:51,160
Speaker 5: usually spends more than five hundred dollars on a family visit,

563
00:31:51,600 --> 00:31:54,800
Speaker 5: the food, the gas, and she has them every three

564
00:31:54,880 --> 00:31:58,080
Speaker 5: months or so. But for some women in her Facebook group,

565
00:31:58,200 --> 00:32:02,080
Speaker 5: a family visit costs a lot more. For example, Virginia

566
00:32:02,120 --> 00:32:04,840
Speaker 5: lives in Presno, so she either has to drive for

567
00:32:04,960 --> 00:32:07,920
Speaker 5: more than six hours and pay for the gas or

568
00:32:08,040 --> 00:32:10,440
Speaker 5: pay for a plane ticket, which is often between two

569
00:32:10,560 --> 00:32:13,760
Speaker 5: hundred and three hundred dollars. She also needs to pay

570
00:32:13,840 --> 00:32:16,680
Speaker 5: for at least one hotel night, so she ends up

571
00:32:16,720 --> 00:32:19,680
Speaker 5: spending more than one thousand dollars on each family visit.

572
00:32:20,320 --> 00:32:22,760
Speaker 4: I told my husband and excuse my friend, I said, babe,

573
00:32:23,240 --> 00:32:26,120
Speaker 4: you're a freaking porn star. And he's all, why I

574
00:32:26,240 --> 00:32:29,000
Speaker 4: have to pay you to screw you? I said, that's

575
00:32:29,040 --> 00:32:35,680
Speaker 4: one expensive ass, but it's the truth. I said, I've

576
00:32:35,760 --> 00:32:40,560
Speaker 4: never had to pay for sex, and that's what we're doing.

577
00:32:41,080 --> 00:32:46,200
Speaker 4: Us families are paying for sex. But what are we

578
00:32:46,280 --> 00:32:48,320
Speaker 4: going to do? Because we want to be there and

579
00:32:48,440 --> 00:32:50,040
Speaker 4: the families will pay that price.

580
00:32:54,240 --> 00:32:57,040
Speaker 5: Less than an hour after starting our drive south, we

581
00:32:57,200 --> 00:32:59,520
Speaker 5: take an exit into another suburban area.

582
00:33:00,080 --> 00:33:02,280
Speaker 4: We're also on the way to pick up my carpooler

583
00:33:02,320 --> 00:33:05,640
Speaker 4: who is also going to RG Donovan. Her name is Yvette.

584
00:33:06,600 --> 00:33:10,160
Speaker 5: Yvette Carrion is also a member of Mary's Facebook group

585
00:33:10,360 --> 00:33:11,840
Speaker 5: and one of the youngest wives in it.

586
00:33:12,320 --> 00:33:13,560
Speaker 3: She's thirty five years old.

587
00:33:14,080 --> 00:33:15,800
Speaker 4: So I'm getting off the acted to pick up my

588
00:33:15,960 --> 00:33:17,640
Speaker 4: friend because I'm going to meet her at the walmart

589
00:33:20,000 --> 00:33:21,520
Speaker 4: A life of a prison wife.

590
00:33:23,920 --> 00:33:27,560
Speaker 3: It's not even seven thirty am. The parking lot feels lonely.

591
00:33:28,560 --> 00:33:30,120
Speaker 4: We actually got her in good timing.

592
00:33:31,640 --> 00:33:32,520
Speaker 6: Yeah, that was fast.

593
00:33:32,920 --> 00:33:36,280
Speaker 5: A few minutes later, Yvette shows up by the passenger window.

594
00:33:36,880 --> 00:33:41,240
Speaker 4: Here she is, hi, Vett, Sorry, did I get her faster? No,

595
00:33:41,360 --> 00:33:44,160
Speaker 4: you've got her. I'm okay, sitting like ninety. Don't we

596
00:33:44,240 --> 00:33:45,880
Speaker 4: do a ninety You might get into an accident.

597
00:33:46,880 --> 00:33:50,360
Speaker 5: Yvette is petite with a square face and light brown,

598
00:33:50,640 --> 00:33:53,600
Speaker 5: very straight hair. Her nails are long and made up

599
00:33:53,640 --> 00:33:56,800
Speaker 5: as well, white triangles framing a summit on top of

600
00:33:56,880 --> 00:34:00,880
Speaker 5: each finger. She's a second generation Latina. Her family is

601
00:34:00,920 --> 00:34:02,560
Speaker 5: from the Mexican state of Sinaloa.

602
00:34:02,960 --> 00:34:05,480
Speaker 6: Okay, so I'm trying this new grown day Mary, So

603
00:34:05,680 --> 00:34:06,600
Speaker 6: you know just in case.

604
00:34:07,000 --> 00:34:10,400
Speaker 7: Okay, well it's wireless, but it has the plastic clips

605
00:34:10,520 --> 00:34:11,120
Speaker 7: on the straps.

606
00:34:11,239 --> 00:34:12,640
Speaker 6: Yes, will you set off teller?

607
00:34:13,960 --> 00:34:15,319
Speaker 7: No, A lot of girls wear them home.

608
00:34:15,480 --> 00:34:17,719
Speaker 5: Yeah, as soon as she gets in the car. This

609
00:34:17,920 --> 00:34:21,800
Speaker 5: is the first thing Yvette asks Mary about her Brakay.

610
00:34:21,520 --> 00:34:25,160
Speaker 4: That dress code at the prison is it's crazy. You

611
00:34:25,280 --> 00:34:28,480
Speaker 4: have to be with their guidelines, like you can't wear

612
00:34:28,600 --> 00:34:33,080
Speaker 4: regular bra no, because of the wires, yep, and the buckles.

613
00:34:34,480 --> 00:34:35,120
Speaker 6: I didn't know that.

614
00:34:35,600 --> 00:34:39,600
Speaker 5: I hadn't realized how intimately prison rules these women's lives

615
00:34:40,239 --> 00:34:41,280
Speaker 5: down to their underwear.

616
00:34:41,680 --> 00:34:45,480
Speaker 4: They just try their hardest to deter you from coming

617
00:34:45,560 --> 00:34:49,319
Speaker 4: to visit, and they never make it easy. Never.

618
00:34:50,160 --> 00:34:53,360
Speaker 7: I used to come all the visiting days every weekend,

619
00:34:53,480 --> 00:34:57,160
Speaker 7: but I stop doing that just because, like Mary says,

620
00:34:57,200 --> 00:35:00,040
Speaker 7: they make it to where you don't want to come anymore. So,

621
00:35:00,120 --> 00:35:02,160
Speaker 7: like we can't stand to walk on eggshells about everything

622
00:35:02,200 --> 00:35:02,840
Speaker 7: when we come.

623
00:35:02,719 --> 00:35:04,279
Speaker 3: In here, Yvette says.

624
00:35:04,400 --> 00:35:07,400
Speaker 5: The weekend before, she waited almost two hours for her

625
00:35:07,480 --> 00:35:10,720
Speaker 5: husband to get into the visiting room. She says guards

626
00:35:10,840 --> 00:35:14,000
Speaker 5: made him change his clothes three times, and they wouldn't

627
00:35:14,000 --> 00:35:17,120
Speaker 5: explain why. That's one of the things that makes Yvette

628
00:35:17,160 --> 00:35:20,640
Speaker 5: mad that everything feels arbitrary. They're at the mercy of

629
00:35:20,680 --> 00:35:22,719
Speaker 5: the correction officer who's in charge that day.

630
00:35:23,080 --> 00:35:25,440
Speaker 7: It's still grading you to say, I feel like they

631
00:35:25,560 --> 00:35:27,960
Speaker 7: treat us the way like they treat them. They don't

632
00:35:28,080 --> 00:35:31,640
Speaker 7: view us any differently. We're like inmates on time out.

633
00:35:31,840 --> 00:35:34,799
Speaker 5: We reached out to the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation

634
00:35:34,920 --> 00:35:38,000
Speaker 5: about this. In a statement, they said that they recommend

635
00:35:38,080 --> 00:35:41,800
Speaker 5: visitors to arrive at least one hour early for processing.

636
00:35:42,400 --> 00:35:45,279
Speaker 5: That's when anyone who enters the facility is searched for

637
00:35:45,440 --> 00:35:49,840
Speaker 5: potential contraband. Prison officials say it is a necessary step

638
00:35:50,080 --> 00:35:53,480
Speaker 5: to ensure the safety of incarcerated individuals and that they

639
00:35:53,600 --> 00:35:55,600
Speaker 5: follow the same rules at each prison.

640
00:35:56,080 --> 00:35:57,080
Speaker 6: How did you beat Mary?

641
00:35:57,480 --> 00:36:00,920
Speaker 7: Do you remember the first I see Mary? She was

642
00:36:01,040 --> 00:36:05,560
Speaker 7: pissed off sitting in that lobby, and I was just

643
00:36:05,760 --> 00:36:06,920
Speaker 7: like what I was looking at her?

644
00:36:06,920 --> 00:36:09,360
Speaker 4: I was like, oh, dang, she really is me. And

645
00:36:09,440 --> 00:36:11,280
Speaker 4: then I finally introduced.

646
00:36:10,880 --> 00:36:13,040
Speaker 7: Myself to her, and then we just started talking more

647
00:36:13,080 --> 00:36:18,000
Speaker 7: and then carpulling together. I appreciate Mary because I would

648
00:36:18,040 --> 00:36:20,719
Speaker 7: be so lost with this whole journey, because there's a

649
00:36:20,800 --> 00:36:22,680
Speaker 7: lot of things we don't know, not even tell my

650
00:36:22,800 --> 00:36:24,880
Speaker 7: husband sometimes like like, I'm gonna ask Mary, and he's like,

651
00:36:24,920 --> 00:36:25,640
Speaker 7: you always ask Mary.

652
00:36:25,680 --> 00:36:27,560
Speaker 4: I'm like, well, yeah, she knows a lot. I'm like

653
00:36:27,680 --> 00:36:28,200
Speaker 4: new to all this.

654
00:36:29,440 --> 00:36:32,399
Speaker 5: Yvette and Jonathan went to high school together, but back

655
00:36:32,440 --> 00:36:35,600
Speaker 5: then they were just friends. Jonathan went to prison when

656
00:36:35,680 --> 00:36:38,320
Speaker 5: he was eighteen. He's been in there for twenty years.

657
00:36:38,920 --> 00:36:43,400
Speaker 5: Yvette had four children with another partner, then separated. She

658
00:36:43,520 --> 00:36:46,480
Speaker 5: reconnected with Jonathan and they started talking on the phone

659
00:36:46,560 --> 00:36:49,920
Speaker 5: more and more often. Four years ago, she started visiting

660
00:36:50,000 --> 00:36:50,600
Speaker 5: him in prison.

661
00:36:51,000 --> 00:36:54,120
Speaker 7: I never came to visit anyone in prison. I ended

662
00:36:54,200 --> 00:36:56,520
Speaker 7: up coming with him, and then I saw one of

663
00:36:56,719 --> 00:36:57,840
Speaker 7: my husband and we got married.

664
00:37:00,120 --> 00:37:03,520
Speaker 5: Jonathan got married in March twenty twenty, right before COVID

665
00:37:03,600 --> 00:37:06,560
Speaker 5: lockdowns were put in place. They weren't allowed to take

666
00:37:06,600 --> 00:37:10,120
Speaker 5: any photos of their wedding ceremony because of COVID restrictions,

667
00:37:11,120 --> 00:37:12,320
Speaker 5: and because of the pandemic.

668
00:37:12,560 --> 00:37:15,319
Speaker 3: They didn't have a conjugal visit until a year later.

669
00:37:16,320 --> 00:37:18,719
Speaker 5: By the time we met, ived says, they had had

670
00:37:18,800 --> 00:37:21,360
Speaker 5: about three family visits since they got married.

671
00:37:21,800 --> 00:37:23,920
Speaker 7: Every few months we get to spend a few nights together.

672
00:37:25,680 --> 00:37:27,480
Speaker 7: So it's not too bad because right now I'm still

673
00:37:27,520 --> 00:37:31,080
Speaker 7: working on myself. So it works for me because Monday

674
00:37:31,120 --> 00:37:33,680
Speaker 7: through Friday, I'm doing what I need to do at home,

675
00:37:34,040 --> 00:37:36,239
Speaker 7: at work with my kids, and the weekends I see

676
00:37:36,280 --> 00:37:39,080
Speaker 7: him and then it's back to my reality. So it's

677
00:37:39,160 --> 00:37:41,440
Speaker 7: easier because, let's be honest, like having a husband or

678
00:37:41,480 --> 00:37:43,719
Speaker 7: a boyfriend in general is like having another kid to

679
00:37:43,760 --> 00:37:44,800
Speaker 7: take care of sometimes.

680
00:37:45,560 --> 00:37:48,279
Speaker 5: Yvet says she spends close to one thousand dollars a

681
00:37:48,400 --> 00:37:51,680
Speaker 5: month to support Jonathan. She's also a full time mom

682
00:37:52,160 --> 00:37:55,200
Speaker 5: four children under the age of nineteen, and she's finishing

683
00:37:55,280 --> 00:37:58,800
Speaker 5: her bachelor's degree in social work. She recently started a

684
00:37:58,840 --> 00:38:01,560
Speaker 5: new job as a social worker working with children.

685
00:38:01,960 --> 00:38:02,719
Speaker 6: That's one thing, he said.

686
00:38:02,840 --> 00:38:04,560
Speaker 7: He never wants to get in the way of my career,

687
00:38:06,640 --> 00:38:09,960
Speaker 7: and he loves that I care about kids the way

688
00:38:10,000 --> 00:38:12,560
Speaker 7: I do, he says, that's one thing he admires about me.

689
00:38:13,080 --> 00:38:15,400
Speaker 5: If it hasn't told many of her colleagues that her

690
00:38:15,480 --> 00:38:17,600
Speaker 5: husband is in prison, not everyone.

691
00:38:17,360 --> 00:38:19,719
Speaker 7: Knows, because right when I started, I felt like I

692
00:38:19,880 --> 00:38:22,120
Speaker 7: was judged right away just by the way I look

693
00:38:22,480 --> 00:38:23,040
Speaker 7: my makeup.

694
00:38:23,960 --> 00:38:26,919
Speaker 5: Ivette has several tattoos on her arms and her chest.

695
00:38:27,680 --> 00:38:29,960
Speaker 5: On the base of her right thumb, there's a rose

696
00:38:30,480 --> 00:38:33,000
Speaker 5: and growing from its petals up to her knuckles.

697
00:38:33,440 --> 00:38:35,520
Speaker 3: It says Jonathan, I.

698
00:38:35,520 --> 00:38:37,360
Speaker 7: Don't want them to feel like me be married to

699
00:38:37,520 --> 00:38:39,040
Speaker 7: him is going to get in the way of my

700
00:38:39,320 --> 00:38:43,080
Speaker 7: job because I see how they talk about parents that

701
00:38:43,160 --> 00:38:46,200
Speaker 7: are incarcerated. It's like they just look down on them.

702
00:38:46,480 --> 00:38:49,480
Speaker 5: If it actually sees her experience as something that makes

703
00:38:49,520 --> 00:38:52,399
Speaker 5: her better at her job because she can see both

704
00:38:52,440 --> 00:38:53,600
Speaker 5: sides in a situation.

705
00:38:54,680 --> 00:38:56,399
Speaker 6: Do you feel like you have a double life.

706
00:38:57,239 --> 00:38:59,080
Speaker 4: It is a double life. We have this life and

707
00:38:59,120 --> 00:39:01,560
Speaker 4: then we have our outside life, and especially with work.

708
00:39:01,680 --> 00:39:03,600
Speaker 4: You don't want to bring that out because you don't

709
00:39:03,640 --> 00:39:05,600
Speaker 4: know what they're gonna say or think. It's like a

710
00:39:05,680 --> 00:39:09,400
Speaker 4: big secret. Like my neighbors. She didn't even know my

711
00:39:09,480 --> 00:39:12,439
Speaker 4: husband was incarcerated. So I told her like last month.

712
00:39:13,239 --> 00:39:15,040
Speaker 4: She goes, how can I never take your husband? And said,

713
00:39:15,080 --> 00:39:18,480
Speaker 4: because he's in jail. She said what I said, Oh, yeah,

714
00:39:18,520 --> 00:39:22,520
Speaker 4: he's incarcerated. She goes, oh, I said, why is there

715
00:39:22,520 --> 00:39:27,160
Speaker 4: a problem? Mage right away, Like.

716
00:39:28,920 --> 00:39:30,520
Speaker 6: She has a very strong personality.

717
00:39:31,960 --> 00:39:33,960
Speaker 7: I could be very strong minded too, So I think

718
00:39:34,000 --> 00:39:36,879
Speaker 7: that's why we get along as well, because other people

719
00:39:36,920 --> 00:39:38,279
Speaker 7: are like very passive.

720
00:39:38,000 --> 00:39:39,720
Speaker 4: Like, oh my god, just leave it alone.

721
00:39:39,840 --> 00:39:42,920
Speaker 7: And no, you can't always leave things alone because then

722
00:39:43,000 --> 00:39:45,120
Speaker 7: the thing's gonna change and people are gonna continue to

723
00:39:45,160 --> 00:39:46,799
Speaker 7: get away with walking.

724
00:39:46,520 --> 00:39:50,439
Speaker 4: All over people. Yeah, people shouldn't be so cruel and people.

725
00:39:51,280 --> 00:39:54,480
Speaker 4: They need to stop labeling others, just like with us,

726
00:39:55,360 --> 00:39:59,000
Speaker 4: because we're with men incarcerated. That doesn't make us a loser.

727
00:39:59,239 --> 00:40:01,840
Speaker 4: We have careers, We have a life out here. And

728
00:40:02,000 --> 00:40:03,880
Speaker 4: if the correctional officers they look at us like you

729
00:40:04,000 --> 00:40:07,520
Speaker 4: first come, like you don't know any better. We're not

730
00:40:07,880 --> 00:40:11,400
Speaker 4: educated and just know you guys are wrong. We are

731
00:40:11,640 --> 00:40:13,680
Speaker 4: educated and I'm happy with what I have. I may

732
00:40:13,719 --> 00:40:17,040
Speaker 4: not make a lot of money, but I've accomplished a lot.

733
00:40:18,760 --> 00:40:21,640
Speaker 5: Mary isn't afraid to face a giant institution like the

734
00:40:21,719 --> 00:40:26,640
Speaker 5: California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation or CDCR. There are

735
00:40:26,680 --> 00:40:30,440
Speaker 5: more than one hundred thousand people incarcerated in California, the

736
00:40:30,560 --> 00:40:32,840
Speaker 5: highest number in the country after Texas.

737
00:40:33,760 --> 00:40:36,919
Speaker 7: She will tell them how it is, and they don't

738
00:40:36,920 --> 00:40:38,960
Speaker 7: even know what to say because they know she's right,

739
00:40:39,040 --> 00:40:39,400
Speaker 7: and they know.

740
00:40:39,520 --> 00:40:42,480
Speaker 4: She knows her rights there more than anyone, and she

741
00:40:42,719 --> 00:40:43,480
Speaker 4: just won't allow it.

742
00:40:43,960 --> 00:40:44,920
Speaker 6: So you're a badass.

743
00:40:46,080 --> 00:40:49,880
Speaker 4: No, I'm a softie. I just I believe in what's

744
00:40:50,040 --> 00:40:52,680
Speaker 4: fair is fair, and you're not gonna mistreat me. And

745
00:40:53,520 --> 00:40:55,200
Speaker 4: I know the law too because my dad was a

746
00:40:55,239 --> 00:40:58,239
Speaker 4: police officer, and plus because I went to jail, I

747
00:40:58,280 --> 00:41:01,040
Speaker 4: went to juvenile so I know all that. You can't

748
00:41:01,160 --> 00:41:05,359
Speaker 4: tell me I'm wrong when I'm actually right.

749
00:41:06,000 --> 00:41:09,680
Speaker 5: CDCR has a budget of more than fourteen billion dollars

750
00:41:10,040 --> 00:41:13,800
Speaker 5: taxpayer dollars, and it employs more than sixty thousand people.

751
00:41:14,239 --> 00:41:18,680
Speaker 4: They have so many restrictions for the families, and they're

752
00:41:19,239 --> 00:41:22,600
Speaker 4: made up restrictions and they think that they can get

753
00:41:22,600 --> 00:41:25,040
Speaker 4: away with it. Like with these women, I push them.

754
00:41:25,400 --> 00:41:28,279
Speaker 4: I always though I'm exercise or amendment rights. If you're

755
00:41:28,320 --> 00:41:30,920
Speaker 4: not sure of it, look it up. Don't let them

756
00:41:31,080 --> 00:41:34,239
Speaker 4: deter you from doing what you think is right. That's

757
00:41:34,280 --> 00:41:37,640
Speaker 4: what advocacy is. If you feel that they're in the wrong,

758
00:41:37,800 --> 00:41:39,680
Speaker 4: call them out on it. But before you call them

759
00:41:39,719 --> 00:41:42,200
Speaker 4: out on it, make sure you have proof, you have facts.

760
00:41:43,040 --> 00:41:45,680
Speaker 4: This journey's not easy, and especially when you're new to it,

761
00:41:45,719 --> 00:41:48,480
Speaker 4: because you're blindsided by a lot of stuff and you

762
00:41:48,640 --> 00:41:52,279
Speaker 4: want that one person that does know it to help you.

763
00:41:53,239 --> 00:41:55,800
Speaker 6: And that's Mary for a lot of us, Thank you.

764
00:41:57,600 --> 00:41:59,920
Speaker 7: It is everyone knows right if we really can't find

765
00:42:00,080 --> 00:42:02,399
Speaker 7: the answer even if we research were Black asks Mary

766
00:42:02,840 --> 00:42:05,960
Speaker 7: ask Mary, And I know sometimes she pig gets.

767
00:42:05,760 --> 00:42:07,680
Speaker 4: Overwhelmed with everyone bugging her, but.

768
00:42:08,600 --> 00:42:09,360
Speaker 6: We appreciate her.

769
00:42:11,200 --> 00:42:13,360
Speaker 3: Mary isn't only on call for Robert.

770
00:42:13,880 --> 00:42:16,960
Speaker 5: She spends more than three hours a day managing Facebook

771
00:42:16,960 --> 00:42:21,400
Speaker 5: groups for families of the incarcerated, answering the questions, text messages,

772
00:42:21,600 --> 00:42:25,000
Speaker 5: impromptu calls day and night. She sits in the car

773
00:42:25,200 --> 00:42:29,360
Speaker 5: for hours during committee meetings while driving or just parked

774
00:42:29,400 --> 00:42:32,600
Speaker 5: in her driveway when the meetings extend way beyond their

775
00:42:32,640 --> 00:42:33,359
Speaker 5: scheduled end.

776
00:42:33,840 --> 00:42:35,880
Speaker 4: I just want to help people that need the help

777
00:42:36,080 --> 00:42:39,040
Speaker 4: because I was in their shoes before and I didn't

778
00:42:39,080 --> 00:42:40,719
Speaker 4: know what to do. And if it wasn't for the

779
00:42:40,880 --> 00:42:43,919
Speaker 4: women that I hung out with, and they were lifer women,

780
00:42:44,600 --> 00:42:48,280
Speaker 4: they taught me everything. And they've always told me, regardless

781
00:42:48,320 --> 00:42:51,080
Speaker 4: of who you are, you stay tued to yourself, don't

782
00:42:51,120 --> 00:42:53,839
Speaker 4: ever buckle down. If you believe it's right, then use

783
00:42:53,920 --> 00:42:56,040
Speaker 4: down for it. And that's what I've done.

784
00:42:57,239 --> 00:42:59,640
Speaker 7: Because sometimes your regular friends or family, they don't really

785
00:42:59,719 --> 00:43:02,440
Speaker 7: underst so it's hard to talk to them when you're

786
00:43:02,480 --> 00:43:04,279
Speaker 7: going through something and you need to because a lot

787
00:43:04,320 --> 00:43:06,359
Speaker 7: of times, you're just going to be judgmental and say

788
00:43:06,440 --> 00:43:08,400
Speaker 7: negative things that you don't really want to hear. So

789
00:43:08,440 --> 00:43:11,719
Speaker 7: it's helpful to have a friend that's another prison wife

790
00:43:11,719 --> 00:43:13,399
Speaker 7: because they understand what you're going through.

791
00:43:14,960 --> 00:43:17,640
Speaker 5: Yvette is also part of the food committee that Mary

792
00:43:17,800 --> 00:43:21,520
Speaker 5: created from her Facebook group. Remember the complaints the women

793
00:43:21,640 --> 00:43:24,080
Speaker 5: had about the vendor who they say was selling them

794
00:43:24,200 --> 00:43:27,399
Speaker 5: rotten food for their family visits and had no option

795
00:43:27,760 --> 00:43:30,439
Speaker 5: but to buy from him. It's been over a month

796
00:43:30,520 --> 00:43:33,239
Speaker 5: at this point since they started mobilizing around it.

797
00:43:33,840 --> 00:43:38,239
Speaker 4: We got the FDA and the Health Department and other

798
00:43:38,360 --> 00:43:42,479
Speaker 4: agencies involved to get his business license and to find

799
00:43:42,480 --> 00:43:45,120
Speaker 4: out that he's not even the owner. That another gentleman

800
00:43:45,320 --> 00:43:49,319
Speaker 4: is an owner of Donovan Cafe. But they were under

801
00:43:49,400 --> 00:43:53,680
Speaker 4: investigation because of all the allegations that the families made.

802
00:43:54,600 --> 00:43:57,960
Speaker 5: The women flagged over thirty complaints that families had been

803
00:43:58,040 --> 00:44:00,600
Speaker 5: posting in the Facebook group over the last year and

804
00:44:00,640 --> 00:44:04,080
Speaker 5: a half and sent them to CDCR. The women also

805
00:44:04,120 --> 00:44:07,440
Speaker 5: called the California Department of Tax and Fee Administration and

806
00:44:07,560 --> 00:44:10,520
Speaker 5: found out that the vendor didn't have a seller's permit.

807
00:44:11,040 --> 00:44:14,360
Speaker 4: Now he can't sell to the families anymore because he

808
00:44:14,400 --> 00:44:17,600
Speaker 4: doesn't have a seller's permit and he's only contracted to

809
00:44:17,719 --> 00:44:19,680
Speaker 4: sell to the staff.

810
00:44:20,320 --> 00:44:23,520
Speaker 5: We've tried to figure out who's responsible for vetting and

811
00:44:23,600 --> 00:44:31,200
Speaker 5: approving the food vendor, but it's complicated. There are several

812
00:44:31,239 --> 00:44:35,880
Speaker 5: state agencies and intermediaries involved. In this case, it was

813
00:44:35,960 --> 00:44:39,640
Speaker 5: the Department of Rehabilitation, which is different from the Department

814
00:44:39,680 --> 00:44:43,520
Speaker 5: of Corrections, who hired the food vendor to run Donovan's cafe.

815
00:44:44,560 --> 00:44:46,440
Speaker 5: We were able to look at an agreement with the

816
00:44:46,480 --> 00:44:49,319
Speaker 5: food vendor signed in two thousand and seven, where there

817
00:44:49,440 --> 00:44:53,640
Speaker 5: signatures from both the Department of Rehabilitation and the Department

818
00:44:53,680 --> 00:44:57,520
Speaker 5: of Corrections. We reached out to the food vendor for comment,

819
00:44:58,040 --> 00:45:00,520
Speaker 5: but he referred us to the Department of correct or

820
00:45:00,600 --> 00:45:05,440
Speaker 5: CDCR for any questions. We reached out to CDCR to

821
00:45:05,560 --> 00:45:08,600
Speaker 5: ask who authorized the food vendor to sell fresh food

822
00:45:08,640 --> 00:45:12,040
Speaker 5: to the families for their overnight visits, but they didn't

823
00:45:12,080 --> 00:45:16,200
Speaker 5: provide any specific answers. They did confirm that the vendor

824
00:45:16,320 --> 00:45:20,239
Speaker 5: has not provided any services to the incarcerated population or

825
00:45:20,400 --> 00:45:24,440
Speaker 5: visitors since February twenty twenty three, that's the month when

826
00:45:24,440 --> 00:45:28,120
Speaker 5: I accompanied Mary to the prison. In any case, it

827
00:45:28,320 --> 00:45:32,000
Speaker 5: wasn't until the women investigated on their own and found

828
00:45:32,040 --> 00:45:35,359
Speaker 5: out that the vendor wasn't allowed to sell fresh food

829
00:45:35,600 --> 00:45:37,440
Speaker 5: to families for their overnight visits.

830
00:45:37,920 --> 00:45:40,640
Speaker 3: That state agencies finally took action.

831
00:45:45,719 --> 00:45:47,520
Speaker 4: So this is the exit to get off to go

832
00:45:47,600 --> 00:45:48,160
Speaker 4: to the prison.

833
00:45:50,040 --> 00:45:52,120
Speaker 5: On the left side of the freeway. There are two

834
00:45:52,200 --> 00:45:56,719
Speaker 5: big Amazon warehouses behind them. Some impressive dark green mountains

835
00:45:56,920 --> 00:45:59,000
Speaker 5: contrasts with the dry plains were driving on.

836
00:46:00,080 --> 00:46:01,600
Speaker 6: Also, it's super close to the border.

837
00:46:01,880 --> 00:46:06,320
Speaker 4: Oh yeah, Donovan is literally an exit away from the border.

838
00:46:07,760 --> 00:46:10,560
Speaker 5: A group of concrete cubes emerges on the yellow plane,

839
00:46:10,960 --> 00:46:14,640
Speaker 5: all circled with bart wire. They're all two stories high,

840
00:46:14,880 --> 00:46:18,800
Speaker 5: their windows long and unnecessarily narrow, like slacks on a

841
00:46:18,880 --> 00:46:19,440
Speaker 5: wood floor.

842
00:46:20,440 --> 00:46:22,640
Speaker 4: It just seems like I've been driving all day.

843
00:46:24,120 --> 00:46:27,640
Speaker 5: Two hours after leaving Pomona, we have arrived at RJ.

844
00:46:27,800 --> 00:46:31,839
Speaker 5: Donovan Correctional Facility in San Diego. We're inside the car

845
00:46:32,160 --> 00:46:37,200
Speaker 5: approaching the entrance cabin where a guard is standing. Recording

846
00:46:37,560 --> 00:46:39,040
Speaker 5: isn't allowed on the premises.

847
00:46:40,160 --> 00:46:43,960
Speaker 6: You had to put your microphone only. Yeah, this is yard.

848
00:46:50,520 --> 00:46:53,680
Speaker 2: Coming up on Latino USA. We find out how Merry

849
00:46:54,080 --> 00:46:58,759
Speaker 2: and Yvette's visits with their husbands went, and during that visit,

850
00:46:59,080 --> 00:47:03,480
Speaker 2: women get some unexpected news from the prison. Stay with us,

851
00:47:03,760 --> 00:47:59,320
Speaker 2: not say bye, yes, hey, we're back. Before the break,

852
00:47:59,520 --> 00:48:02,920
Speaker 2: we were in the car driving with Mary Estrada and

853
00:48:03,120 --> 00:48:07,000
Speaker 2: Yvette Carrion on their way to RJ. Donovan. That's the

854
00:48:07,080 --> 00:48:10,920
Speaker 2: prison in San Diego where their husbands are incarcerated. We

855
00:48:11,080 --> 00:48:15,080
Speaker 2: also learned about how Mary, Yvette and other women mobilized

856
00:48:15,080 --> 00:48:18,239
Speaker 2: to complain about the food vendor who was serving for

857
00:48:18,360 --> 00:48:21,680
Speaker 2: the family visits. They say this person was selling them

858
00:48:21,760 --> 00:48:26,640
Speaker 2: rotten food. But will California's Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation

859
00:48:27,239 --> 00:48:32,359
Speaker 2: take any action in response? Latino Usay Senior producer Marta

860
00:48:32,400 --> 00:48:34,920
Speaker 2: Martinez is going to pick up the story from here.

861
00:48:39,440 --> 00:48:42,920
Speaker 5: The castle of old feeling concrete cubes is not a

862
00:48:43,000 --> 00:48:43,800
Speaker 5: welcoming place.

863
00:48:45,000 --> 00:48:47,400
Speaker 3: Everything is gray and covered in barbed wire.

864
00:48:48,760 --> 00:48:51,720
Speaker 5: In front of the big concrete cubes, in the middle

865
00:48:51,760 --> 00:48:55,680
Speaker 5: of the bear and sand, there's another rectangular structure. This

866
00:48:55,840 --> 00:48:59,399
Speaker 5: one has only one floor and its gable roof makes

867
00:48:59,440 --> 00:49:02,400
Speaker 5: it feel a little bit more like a home, if.

868
00:49:02,440 --> 00:49:04,960
Speaker 3: That's possible in the middle of so much barbed wire.

869
00:49:07,080 --> 00:49:10,760
Speaker 5: These smaller houses have two regular windows and two doors.

870
00:49:11,560 --> 00:49:14,719
Speaker 5: That's where the family visits take place. Both Mary and

871
00:49:15,040 --> 00:49:18,080
Speaker 5: Vette will be spending two days each inside one of

872
00:49:18,160 --> 00:49:23,279
Speaker 5: these concrete rectangles next month. It's almost nine am when

873
00:49:23,320 --> 00:49:26,560
Speaker 5: we pass by the entrance. Five women and one child

874
00:49:26,719 --> 00:49:29,440
Speaker 5: are lined up waiting to get in for their visits.

875
00:49:30,440 --> 00:49:33,760
Speaker 5: Donovan didn't allow me to go inside the prison because

876
00:49:33,960 --> 00:49:37,720
Speaker 5: I wasn't an approved visitor and recording audio isn't allowed

877
00:49:37,800 --> 00:49:41,480
Speaker 5: inside the prison anyway, So I waited for Mary and

878
00:49:41,600 --> 00:49:47,600
Speaker 5: divette at a nearby cafe. Okay, more than four hours later,

879
00:49:47,840 --> 00:49:50,759
Speaker 5: past one thirty pm, I jump back into Mary's car

880
00:49:51,120 --> 00:49:54,920
Speaker 5: and just to hear about how their visits went. Don't

881
00:49:54,960 --> 00:49:58,320
Speaker 5: definitely know, but Mary is already on a call with

882
00:49:58,400 --> 00:50:01,240
Speaker 5: the women from the Food Committee. While Mary and Dyvett

883
00:50:01,320 --> 00:50:05,120
Speaker 5: were inside visiting their husbands, Archie Donovan issued a new

884
00:50:05,200 --> 00:50:07,000
Speaker 5: food menu for family visits.

885
00:50:07,680 --> 00:50:08,719
Speaker 2: Yeah, like I got it.

886
00:50:09,040 --> 00:50:09,560
Speaker 4: That'll stop.

887
00:50:10,120 --> 00:50:12,960
Speaker 2: Yeah, well, orange juice, I've filled one of.

888
00:50:13,000 --> 00:50:16,720
Speaker 5: Beverages since the previous vendor can't sell food to families

889
00:50:16,760 --> 00:50:20,400
Speaker 5: anymore because the women's complaints revealed that he didn't have

890
00:50:20,560 --> 00:50:24,040
Speaker 5: a permit. Now Donovan has come up with a new menu,

891
00:50:24,480 --> 00:50:25,680
Speaker 5: a very limited one.

892
00:50:26,400 --> 00:50:29,680
Speaker 6: Or they had like frozen baged chicken tenders and stuff

893
00:50:29,719 --> 00:50:29,920
Speaker 6: like that.

894
00:50:30,480 --> 00:50:34,720
Speaker 5: The new menu only has five items families can purchase

895
00:50:34,840 --> 00:50:38,880
Speaker 5: for their two days days. Bananas a twenty five cents apiece,

896
00:50:39,600 --> 00:50:44,480
Speaker 5: apples at fifty cents each, greenmel peppers at fifty cents apiece,

897
00:50:45,040 --> 00:50:49,320
Speaker 5: bag salad for five dollars, and eggs six dollars for

898
00:50:49,440 --> 00:50:53,040
Speaker 5: a dozen. That's all the fresh food families can eat

899
00:50:53,320 --> 00:50:58,520
Speaker 5: for two days. According to cdcr's Operations Manual, each facility

900
00:50:58,680 --> 00:51:02,919
Speaker 5: must provide at least five breakfast, five lunch, and five

901
00:51:03,000 --> 00:51:07,080
Speaker 5: dinner and trees, as well as bottled water, milk, and soda.

902
00:51:07,239 --> 00:51:10,160
Speaker 4: But we need to sit down with Donovan to discuss

903
00:51:10,200 --> 00:51:14,640
Speaker 4: the prices and also the selections. And we can't throw

904
00:51:14,719 --> 00:51:16,680
Speaker 4: out a lot of stuff out there because they're going

905
00:51:16,760 --> 00:51:17,279
Speaker 4: to reject it.

906
00:51:18,120 --> 00:51:19,360
Speaker 3: It's clear who the leader is.

907
00:51:20,160 --> 00:51:23,040
Speaker 5: Mary jokes about how much officers that Donovan love her.

908
00:51:23,440 --> 00:51:24,560
Speaker 6: I love you because you're.

909
00:51:27,400 --> 00:51:37,920
Speaker 4: Like, oh cut it out. Stop. Well, I'm glad that

910
00:51:38,000 --> 00:51:40,240
Speaker 4: you guys were working while we weren't visiting.

911
00:51:41,080 --> 00:51:42,399
Speaker 6: You guys are busy all the time.

912
00:51:44,320 --> 00:51:46,600
Speaker 4: It never ends.

913
00:51:47,000 --> 00:51:49,640
Speaker 5: We park out a Mexican restaurant and the women discuss

914
00:51:49,680 --> 00:51:51,160
Speaker 5: their plan for a few more minutes.

915
00:51:51,680 --> 00:51:54,400
Speaker 3: But it's past two pm and we're all hungry.

916
00:51:54,600 --> 00:51:56,239
Speaker 4: Can we call you guys back in about an hour

917
00:51:56,239 --> 00:52:00,439
Speaker 4: and a half because we're going to eat. I guess

918
00:52:00,440 --> 00:52:03,000
Speaker 4: you're trying to get ready enjoying AH.

919
00:52:09,840 --> 00:52:12,560
Speaker 5: The women are very upset about the new food menu

920
00:52:12,760 --> 00:52:16,320
Speaker 5: and how limited it is. Mary worries about the families

921
00:52:16,360 --> 00:52:19,640
Speaker 5: who don't have doctor's notes like she does, and who

922
00:52:19,800 --> 00:52:23,120
Speaker 5: now might have fewer fresh food options than they did before.

923
00:52:24,760 --> 00:52:29,000
Speaker 5: This is an unexpected consequence of their advocacy, but Mary

924
00:52:29,120 --> 00:52:32,320
Speaker 5: still thinks they did the right thing by exposing the vendor.

925
00:52:33,120 --> 00:52:35,680
Speaker 5: They've been fighting for what they think is right to

926
00:52:35,800 --> 00:52:39,879
Speaker 5: be treated with dignity, and now maybe some families will

927
00:52:39,960 --> 00:52:44,000
Speaker 5: have it worse or will get more doctor's notes. It

928
00:52:44,080 --> 00:52:47,360
Speaker 5: seems that whatever the women are fighting to improve at Donovan,

929
00:52:47,920 --> 00:52:51,560
Speaker 5: the outcome is never what they envisioned. So they pick

930
00:52:51,680 --> 00:52:54,920
Speaker 5: up the next fight with a prison system that punishes

931
00:52:55,000 --> 00:53:04,160
Speaker 5: them too, and it's exhausting. A couple hours later, around

932
00:53:04,239 --> 00:53:07,440
Speaker 5: five pm, Mary, Yvette and I head back to the car.

933
00:53:08,000 --> 00:53:10,600
Speaker 5: We still have a nearly two hour drive ahead of us.

934
00:53:11,320 --> 00:53:14,279
Speaker 5: I can tell Mary and Tifet are tired, so am I.

935
00:53:14,880 --> 00:53:18,000
Speaker 4: So tell me Mary how Little Visico this morning was

936
00:53:18,120 --> 00:53:23,440
Speaker 4: hard and processing because they delayed me forty minutes. But

937
00:53:23,600 --> 00:53:25,920
Speaker 4: other than that, after I got to the visiting yard,

938
00:53:26,040 --> 00:53:28,600
Speaker 4: it was good. After seeing my husband, I always enjoyed

939
00:53:28,640 --> 00:53:32,040
Speaker 4: my visits with him when he's behaving, and I got

940
00:53:32,200 --> 00:53:34,239
Speaker 4: sick because I really don't like the food there, so

941
00:53:34,360 --> 00:53:37,400
Speaker 4: my sugar was dropping, so I had to eat chocolate

942
00:53:37,880 --> 00:53:40,480
Speaker 4: to bring it back up. But other than that, it

943
00:53:40,600 --> 00:53:44,840
Speaker 4: was really great. We talked about our family visit, what

944
00:53:45,160 --> 00:53:49,120
Speaker 4: I was going to order for our food, and we

945
00:53:49,239 --> 00:53:51,960
Speaker 4: talked about the job that he was working so hard

946
00:53:52,000 --> 00:53:53,000
Speaker 4: to get and didn't get.

947
00:53:53,520 --> 00:53:57,200
Speaker 5: Robert had applied for a janitorial job at the prison hospital.

948
00:53:57,080 --> 00:53:59,600
Speaker 4: So he was disappointed and kind of hurt with that,

949
00:54:00,480 --> 00:54:01,880
Speaker 4: but I told him that I was still proud of

950
00:54:01,960 --> 00:54:06,560
Speaker 4: him for trying. And then we talked about our grandkids

951
00:54:07,239 --> 00:54:09,000
Speaker 4: and how he wants to see them, so I said

952
00:54:09,239 --> 00:54:11,600
Speaker 4: in the summer and they'll come, And then we talked

953
00:54:11,640 --> 00:54:15,440
Speaker 4: about Yvette and her husband and that was about it.

954
00:54:16,880 --> 00:54:18,799
Speaker 6: So you bet, can you tell me about how you're

955
00:54:19,040 --> 00:54:20,879
Speaker 6: visit From.

956
00:54:20,760 --> 00:54:24,680
Speaker 7: In the beginning, it was bad because I waited for

957
00:54:24,719 --> 00:54:27,160
Speaker 7: an hour for him to come out, and then when

958
00:54:27,200 --> 00:54:29,240
Speaker 7: he did, I was just so upset, so I wasted

959
00:54:29,280 --> 00:54:31,600
Speaker 7: another like twenty thirty minutes just be mad at him

960
00:54:31,640 --> 00:54:35,279
Speaker 7: and arguing with him instead of enjoying my visit. So

961
00:54:36,520 --> 00:54:38,920
Speaker 7: he decided to wait last minute to take a shower,

962
00:54:39,680 --> 00:54:42,120
Speaker 7: And I think I need to be more understanding because

963
00:54:42,120 --> 00:54:44,560
Speaker 7: he does really have ocdu when it comes to his hygiene.

964
00:54:45,160 --> 00:54:46,840
Speaker 6: Well, not to make foot him, but always tell me he's.

965
00:54:46,680 --> 00:54:50,080
Speaker 7: Conceited because he will not come out un ass his

966
00:54:50,200 --> 00:54:52,640
Speaker 7: clothes or iron and his hair is cut and comb

967
00:54:52,920 --> 00:54:54,759
Speaker 7: instead of just coming out and joying the visit, he

968
00:54:54,840 --> 00:54:57,160
Speaker 7: has to make sure he is like picture ready.

969
00:54:57,280 --> 00:55:01,359
Speaker 6: I guess I don't know, and that's not what you're

970
00:55:01,400 --> 00:55:01,960
Speaker 6: care about.

971
00:55:02,400 --> 00:55:05,080
Speaker 7: No, but he is even if my shoes are dirty.

972
00:55:05,120 --> 00:55:05,640
Speaker 4: He gets mad.

973
00:55:06,719 --> 00:55:09,360
Speaker 7: Sometimes I feel like he's just so comfortable now that

974
00:55:09,440 --> 00:55:12,440
Speaker 7: we're married. Sometimes I just feel like he just doesn't

975
00:55:12,600 --> 00:55:16,279
Speaker 7: value my effort in my time. Sometimes, like I get it,

976
00:55:16,440 --> 00:55:18,440
Speaker 7: he cares about his looks and all that, but at

977
00:55:18,480 --> 00:55:20,600
Speaker 7: the same time, we only get limited hours to be

978
00:55:20,680 --> 00:55:23,920
Speaker 7: together during visits, so I just feel like they shouldn't

979
00:55:23,960 --> 00:55:26,080
Speaker 7: be wasted, and I feel like sometimes he just takes

980
00:55:26,120 --> 00:55:28,879
Speaker 7: that for granted, and I think.

981
00:55:28,800 --> 00:55:32,000
Speaker 6: That's pretty selfish today, Yes I did.

982
00:55:33,120 --> 00:55:36,120
Speaker 7: I think he's say that I need to be more

983
00:55:36,200 --> 00:55:40,160
Speaker 7: understanding that he can't control everything, and he's always reminding

984
00:55:40,200 --> 00:55:41,920
Speaker 7: me that he's in prison and there's rules and they

985
00:55:41,920 --> 00:55:43,919
Speaker 7: don't get to just do whatever they want when they want.

986
00:55:44,440 --> 00:55:47,920
Speaker 7: But then he apologized, and then I apologized, and we

987
00:55:48,400 --> 00:55:52,280
Speaker 7: finished our visit really good, just sitting there and talking

988
00:55:52,280 --> 00:55:53,799
Speaker 7: about our upcoming family visit.

989
00:55:55,040 --> 00:55:56,120
Speaker 4: I'm gonna work on being.

990
00:55:56,000 --> 00:55:59,160
Speaker 7: More understanding and patient, because I know sometimes I could

991
00:55:59,160 --> 00:55:59,960
Speaker 7: be impatient as well.

992
00:56:00,040 --> 00:56:00,200
Speaker 8: Well.

993
00:56:01,360 --> 00:56:05,240
Speaker 5: It's hard for me to understand these women's unwavering commitment.

994
00:56:05,960 --> 00:56:07,680
Speaker 3: I tell them, I don't think a lot of people

995
00:56:07,719 --> 00:56:10,040
Speaker 3: could do it. They're also very.

996
00:56:10,000 --> 00:56:13,759
Speaker 5: Open about their frustrations with their husbands, yet here they

997
00:56:13,840 --> 00:56:14,960
Speaker 5: are most weekends.

998
00:56:15,480 --> 00:56:16,520
Speaker 6: It's a big commitment.

999
00:56:17,239 --> 00:56:18,879
Speaker 4: Yeah, it is very good.

1000
00:56:20,840 --> 00:56:23,960
Speaker 6: So why keep doing that? Why keep coming? Why keep

1001
00:56:24,200 --> 00:56:25,000
Speaker 6: taking care of him?

1002
00:56:25,239 --> 00:56:26,080
Speaker 4: Because I love him?

1003
00:56:27,120 --> 00:56:30,319
Speaker 7: Yeah, I'm in love with him, so I don't mind

1004
00:56:30,400 --> 00:56:34,160
Speaker 7: doing it. We can't help we love, and yes, like

1005
00:56:34,239 --> 00:56:37,000
Speaker 7: our loved ones had made mistakes, but people do change,

1006
00:56:37,120 --> 00:56:40,640
Speaker 7: and not everyone in those walls are bad people. They're human,

1007
00:56:40,760 --> 00:56:42,520
Speaker 7: just like us, and everyone makes mistakes.

1008
00:56:44,400 --> 00:56:46,600
Speaker 5: Mary hents me a photo she took with Robert in

1009
00:56:46,640 --> 00:56:49,560
Speaker 5: the morning during her visit. Robert is in a light

1010
00:56:49,640 --> 00:56:52,640
Speaker 5: blue T shirt and navy blue pants with the letters

1011
00:56:52,719 --> 00:56:56,600
Speaker 5: C DCR in yellow across his right leg. He statooed

1012
00:56:56,760 --> 00:56:59,760
Speaker 5: arm holding Mary's and hers grubbing his shirt.

1013
00:57:00,400 --> 00:57:02,800
Speaker 4: We took two pictures. He kept the ugly one. I

1014
00:57:02,920 --> 00:57:08,480
Speaker 4: kept the one that I thought was that I looked goods.

1015
00:57:09,360 --> 00:57:09,680
Speaker 5: Thank you.

1016
00:57:11,120 --> 00:57:14,640
Speaker 4: You have the same post as like all the said, Yeah,

1017
00:57:14,800 --> 00:57:19,880
Speaker 4: that's those are the only poses we have. I try

1018
00:57:19,920 --> 00:57:21,960
Speaker 4: to do more, and it's just like, should do one

1019
00:57:22,000 --> 00:57:24,920
Speaker 4: of those site by Yeah. He doesn't want to because

1020
00:57:24,960 --> 00:57:28,040
Speaker 4: he's too fat and I'm too fat, And I told

1021
00:57:28,120 --> 00:57:30,439
Speaker 4: him it's okay. We'll look like a double zero.

1022
00:57:33,560 --> 00:57:36,320
Speaker 5: When she gets home, Mary's gonna place the photo in

1023
00:57:36,400 --> 00:57:39,200
Speaker 5: one of her many albums that is also part of

1024
00:57:39,280 --> 00:57:43,240
Speaker 5: her ritual. Both Mary and Davette are already planning and

1025
00:57:43,400 --> 00:57:47,000
Speaker 5: saving for their family visit next month. They'll be spending

1026
00:57:47,040 --> 00:57:50,520
Speaker 5: two days and two nights inside Donovan Prison, on the

1027
00:57:50,640 --> 00:57:53,320
Speaker 5: other side of the barbed wire. I tell them that

1028
00:57:53,880 --> 00:57:56,720
Speaker 5: in a way, even when they're out here, it's like

1029
00:57:56,760 --> 00:57:57,600
Speaker 5: they're in prison too.

1030
00:57:58,240 --> 00:58:02,680
Speaker 4: Oh yeah. When I fight with my husband, oh my god,

1031
00:58:03,520 --> 00:58:05,760
Speaker 4: I tell him, you think you're the fucking only one

1032
00:58:05,880 --> 00:58:09,400
Speaker 4: doing this damn journey I said, I'm the one incarcerated

1033
00:58:09,480 --> 00:58:14,360
Speaker 4: with the financial burdens. You have it easy, and he

1034
00:58:14,440 --> 00:58:16,240
Speaker 4: gets all quiet because he knows it's true.

1035
00:58:17,640 --> 00:58:20,800
Speaker 5: It's Sunday evenings, so traffic is getting heavier on the

1036
00:58:20,880 --> 00:58:24,960
Speaker 5: never ending freeway. Mary decides to take a shortcut and

1037
00:58:25,120 --> 00:58:28,720
Speaker 5: drives through some secondary roads and then about an hour

1038
00:58:28,840 --> 00:58:31,280
Speaker 5: later we arrive at the wall or parking lot to

1039
00:58:31,440 --> 00:58:32,240
Speaker 5: drop off your bed.

1040
00:58:32,680 --> 00:58:35,360
Speaker 4: See, and your car is still hear you bet and Mary,

1041
00:58:35,440 --> 00:58:38,040
Speaker 4: we gotta like really to protest because yes.

1042
00:58:38,600 --> 00:58:43,000
Speaker 7: They're anning already. Ye, any bananas and put peper and eggs.

1043
00:58:44,480 --> 00:58:55,560
Speaker 4: That's hilarious. I was like, oh, be careful fire. See,

1044
00:58:55,600 --> 00:58:57,160
Speaker 4: we left in the dark and we're coming back in

1045
00:58:57,240 --> 00:58:59,919
Speaker 4: the dark. Yeah, that's free.

1046
00:59:02,280 --> 00:59:04,880
Speaker 5: As the sky turns dark and the traffic gets heavier,

1047
00:59:05,480 --> 00:59:08,800
Speaker 5: the freeway becomes a strip of dancing white and red lights.

1048
00:59:09,920 --> 00:59:12,760
Speaker 5: Mary's face melts into the night as she drives, and

1049
00:59:12,920 --> 00:59:16,120
Speaker 5: then it gets illuminated again by the phone screen hanging

1050
00:59:16,200 --> 00:59:20,000
Speaker 5: below the rear mirror. The faces of three women appear

1051
00:59:20,080 --> 00:59:23,960
Speaker 5: on the screen. It's another impromptu meeting of the food committee.

1052
00:59:24,600 --> 00:59:30,120
Speaker 6: What menu po sounds like diarrhea, eggs and lettuce.

1053
00:59:30,760 --> 00:59:34,360
Speaker 5: The conversation makes the long journey back home more palatable.

1054
00:59:35,200 --> 00:59:38,200
Speaker 5: The questions for Mary keep coming, but so do the laughs,

1055
00:59:39,320 --> 00:59:42,439
Speaker 5: and there's also a sense of community. They're not doing

1056
00:59:42,520 --> 00:59:48,120
Speaker 5: this journey alone. Mary has found her calling. Mary says

1057
00:59:48,200 --> 00:59:51,160
Speaker 5: she's very proud of the women in her committee. It's

1058
00:59:51,200 --> 00:59:55,280
Speaker 5: the best committee she's ever had. The women are smart and.

1059
00:59:55,440 --> 01:00:01,760
Speaker 4: Fearce Virginia, Jen Jasmine, Lisa yve at Wanaka. You know,

1060
01:00:01,880 --> 01:00:05,040
Speaker 4: they're all strong and they believe in the fight, and

1061
01:00:05,240 --> 01:00:08,320
Speaker 4: that's what I need. I can't fight for everybody. They

1062
01:00:08,400 --> 01:00:10,720
Speaker 4: have to fight for themselves and for their loved ones.

1063
01:00:12,040 --> 01:00:15,120
Speaker 4: And it's hard to come across women that are one

1064
01:00:15,200 --> 01:00:19,360
Speaker 4: hundred percent and the prison life the majority of the

1065
01:00:19,440 --> 01:00:23,480
Speaker 4: visitors are women that I had a conversation with my

1066
01:00:23,600 --> 01:00:25,800
Speaker 4: husband about that two weeks ago because he pissed me

1067
01:00:25,920 --> 01:00:28,600
Speaker 4: off and I told him, I've had to put my

1068
01:00:28,680 --> 01:00:30,880
Speaker 4: life on hold all these years, so when is it

1069
01:00:30,960 --> 01:00:34,120
Speaker 4: going to be my chrain to live? And his answer

1070
01:00:34,200 --> 01:00:36,200
Speaker 4: to me was, well, you knew what you were getting

1071
01:00:36,240 --> 01:00:39,920
Speaker 4: yourself into, which was a cheap shot. And I told him,

1072
01:00:39,960 --> 01:00:42,320
Speaker 4: you know, I don't have to be here. I choose

1073
01:00:42,400 --> 01:00:45,080
Speaker 4: to be here because I love you. But let's not

1074
01:00:45,200 --> 01:00:47,560
Speaker 4: get it twisted. Keep pushing me, and you can do

1075
01:00:47,680 --> 01:00:52,200
Speaker 4: your journey by yourself. This is all I really know

1076
01:00:52,800 --> 01:00:55,320
Speaker 4: is how to be a prison wife, how to advocate

1077
01:00:55,560 --> 01:00:59,080
Speaker 4: for your rights. But as to having another relationship, I

1078
01:00:59,160 --> 01:01:00,720
Speaker 4: wouldn't even know how to deal with that, and I

1079
01:01:00,760 --> 01:01:01,320
Speaker 4: don't want to.

1080
01:01:09,480 --> 01:01:11,720
Speaker 5: At the end of the cul de sac, we finally

1081
01:01:11,800 --> 01:01:15,440
Speaker 5: see Mary's house with its well kept long It's almost

1082
01:01:15,520 --> 01:01:18,600
Speaker 5: seven pm. It's been more than twelve hours since we

1083
01:01:18,720 --> 01:01:19,680
Speaker 5: started this journey.

1084
01:01:20,240 --> 01:01:25,080
Speaker 4: Oh, it's good to be home. Yeah I made it. Yes,

1085
01:01:26,080 --> 01:01:27,000
Speaker 4: Oh thank god.

1086
01:01:30,000 --> 01:01:32,360
Speaker 5: Once Mary gets inside, she's going to have to make

1087
01:01:32,480 --> 01:01:36,440
Speaker 5: more calls, answer more messages from her Facebook group, and

1088
01:01:36,560 --> 01:01:40,880
Speaker 5: then hopefully Robert will call to say good night. Luckily,

1089
01:01:41,120 --> 01:01:44,000
Speaker 5: tomorrow is President's Day, so she'll be able to rest

1090
01:01:44,040 --> 01:01:46,880
Speaker 5: a bit, but most weekends she won't be able to

1091
01:01:46,960 --> 01:01:47,200
Speaker 5: do that.

1092
01:01:47,800 --> 01:01:51,240
Speaker 3: She'll just go straight back to work, back to her

1093
01:01:51,320 --> 01:01:51,919
Speaker 3: other life.

1094
01:02:14,480 --> 01:02:17,720
Speaker 2: This episode was produced by Marta Martinez. He was edited

1095
01:02:17,800 --> 01:02:21,600
Speaker 2: by Daisy Contreras. It was mixed by Stephanie Lebo and

1096
01:02:21,720 --> 01:02:26,120
Speaker 2: Julia Caruso. Fact checking for this episode by Monica Morales Arcia.

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01:02:26,680 --> 01:02:31,760
Speaker 2: Special thanks to Sophia Mihias Pasco, Annie Nissensen and Julieta Martinelli.

1098
01:02:32,160 --> 01:02:36,600
Speaker 2: The Latino USA team includes andrelro Pez Cruzado, Mike Sargent,

1099
01:02:36,800 --> 01:02:40,680
Speaker 2: Victoria Strada, and Renaldo Leanos Junior. We had helped from

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01:02:40,760 --> 01:02:45,680
Speaker 2: Lori mar Marquez and raul Perezinojosa, additional engineering support by

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01:02:45,720 --> 01:02:49,400
Speaker 2: Gabriel A Baez and JJ Carubin. Our marketing manager is

1102
01:02:49,520 --> 01:02:53,160
Speaker 2: Luis Luna. Our theme music was composed by Senior Robinos.

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01:02:53,440 --> 01:02:56,720
Speaker 2: I'm your host and executive producer Marieno Josa. Join us

1104
01:02:56,720 --> 01:02:59,000
Speaker 2: again on our next episode. In the meantime, look for

1105
01:02:59,120 --> 01:03:01,800
Speaker 2: us on all of your social media. I'll be sure

1106
01:03:01,800 --> 01:03:04,520
Speaker 2: to see you there, and remember, don't go anywhere but

1107
01:03:04,800 --> 01:03:05,840
Speaker 2: by yes bye.

1108
01:03:09,880 --> 01:03:14,560
Speaker 9: Latino USA is made possible in part by Public Welfare Foundation,

1109
01:03:15,240 --> 01:03:20,240
Speaker 9: catalyzing transformative approaches to justice that are community led, restorative,

1110
01:03:20,520 --> 01:03:25,120
Speaker 9: and racially just. California Endowment building a strong state by

1111
01:03:25,160 --> 01:03:29,720
Speaker 9: improving the health of all Californians, and funding for Latino

1112
01:03:29,840 --> 01:03:32,760
Speaker 9: USA is Coverage of a culture of health is made

1113
01:03:32,840 --> 01:03:35,200
Speaker 9: possible in part by a grant from the Robert Wood

1114
01:03:35,280 --> 01:03:36,160
Speaker 9: Johnson Foundation.

1115
01:03:43,640 --> 01:03:48,240
Speaker 5: Hello, Robert and Mary, what I do right now?

1116
01:03:49,000 --> 01:03:49,520
Speaker 3: Name and number?

1117
01:03:49,800 --> 01:03:49,960
Speaker 6: Well?

1118
01:03:52,240 --> 01:03:55,120
Speaker 8: Let me baby, let me too go bye,