Salinas Valley Inmate Family Council

UPDATE: We have received notification from the staff at SVSP even though the facility is on a modified program status the video visits WILL go one as planned for this weekend. They do ask again to please be patient as they are still working through issues as they arise. They have been very receptive to the feedback that we have shared with them that the families have given and have been able to help families get issues resolved they experienced. Also as a reminder if your lo...ved one is on quarantine or their entire building is on quarantine or if they are in isolation they will NOT be allowed video visits during the duration of that time. The facility has asked that we also share that if you have a preference or need for your visit to occur on a specific day of the weekend you can add that to the initial email request for the visit and they will do their best to try to accommodate your request. Please understand it is not a guarantee but the facility understands that their are life commitments and will work to try and help you meet those and still be able to visit your loved one. The facility has also asked that if you are unable to be present for your scheduled that you please reach out and let it be known so that they can make the necessary adjustments. They advised they are noting no shows for visits and will take action accordingly if it becomes an issue. Please reach out to us if you have questions and if we can answer them we can try to get you the information needed. Enjoy your visits this weekend and remeber to be patient and when trying to log onto your visit understand that you may get the message that the meeting hasn't started yet and that does not mean to give up keep trying as they may be running late in getting your started. Have a good day!

Good evening families.... we wanted to let everyone know that SVSP is currently on a 14 day modified program status due to the Corona virus spike in numbers. As of now according to the CDCR Covid-19 tracker SVSP has 93 active cases within the population (the link to the tracker will be below). We have been advised that this modified program will allow showers but will not include dayroom, phone calls or yard. We have not been able to get clarification on the status of video visits that have been scheduled for this coming weekend. We have addressed the appropriate staff at the facility and we will post any updates as soon as we get them. If there is anything that we can be of assistance with please feel free to message us. https://www.cdcr.ca.gov/covid19/population-status-tracking/

Good morning SVSP Families and Friends, We would like to inform you that When an inmate is scheduled for a video visit but is unable to participate for any reason, the visiting floor officer will connect the video visiting call and advise the approved visitor of the inmate’s inability to participate in the visit. Specific details of the inmate’s inability to visit will not be shared. As of right now we do know this applies to facility D. We are still encouraging families to log in and wait to see if your visit starts. If you don’t get your visit you can submit a request for a new visit.

Hello all! So today was the first round of video visiting for SVSP. Tomorrow there will be visits for those that have appointments scheduled. We hope that those that visited today had an enjoyable visit and that things ran smoothly for you. We wanted to reach out and ask if you could share feedback on your visits, whether it’s good or not about the experience. We would like to know if there was technical issues or any others so that we can work with the facility on anything t...hat can be improved. We also would love to be able to share any positive feedback as well. And as a reminder if you didn’t get an appointment this weekend and would like to submit a request for next weekend the request period is open now through Monday at 8:00 am cut off. Remember to add all the required information in your request. If you had gotten an appointment this weekend you will not be eligible again for 30 days. So if you visited today or will visit tomorrow please share your feedback so we can help to make the experience of video visits the best they can be until in person visiting reopens. We look forward to hearing from you!

Attached is the FAQ's that were issued by CDCR relating to the video visits Also from SVSP: "When an inmate is scheduled for a video visit but is unable to participate for any reason, the visiting floor officer will connect the video visiting call and advise the approved visitor of the inmate’s inability to participate in the visit. Specific details of the inmate’s inability to visit will not be shared."

Please read attached memo send to us by Warden Atchley in regards to the fire that is currently burning near the prison.

The IFC has been receiving questions about transfers into SVSP and about movement within the facility. After reaching out to the facility they asked that we share the attached statement with the families.

We have been asked by the staff at SVSP to share an update with the families. *Currently none of the population at SVSP is positive with Covid-19, thankfully! *Phone calls on "D" Delta Yard have resumed. All of population assigned to "D" (Delta) yard that are eligible to make phone calls are now being allowed to do so. *Additionally there had been staff that had tested positive for Covid-19 that were connected to "D" (Delta) yard. Buildings that may have had exposure to th...e virus are being cleaned to make every effort in stopping the spread of the virus and to keep everyone safe from it. The facility has had several inquiries from families about this information and wanted it to be shared to help alleviate concerns that this pandemic is causing. The IFC is making ourselves available to the families in case you may have questions that we can assist you with. We are also keeping in communication with the facility on issues that can affect us all that we can provide possible answers. We hope that everyone is staying safe during this difficult time.

We want to share a memo that was sent to the Statewide IFC from the CDCR headquarters regarding the expanding the Tablet Program. The memo dated 6/30/20 addresses why the program is not being expanded to all CDCR facilities at this time. Hopefully at some point the program will be extended to all facilities.

Additional Package During COVID -19...Today the Salinas Valley IFC was asked to share this information with the families and friends of the SVSP population. A memo dated 7/1/2020 that was sent to all CDCR facilities regarding the incarcerated population receiving an additional package during the Covid-19 pandemic. The memo gave authorization to the institutions to allow the extra package during the 2020 calendar year. There are restrictions as with the regular quarterly packa...ges that need to adhered to such as weight of the package. Also packages are not allowed for those in particular privilege groups, so please read the memo for that information. The memo will be posted below for your reference. The one additional package will be allowed starting Monday July 6, 2020 through the end of the fourth quarter. The third quarter started July 1st. The packages will be allowed from the regularly approved CDCR package vendors. Keep in mind that the vendors may be very busy due to all populations in all CDCR institutions being given this privilege. See more

This information was given to IFC to share with the friends and family of those incarcerated at SVSP: This past weekend VPASS was reopened for families to make appointments to visit SVSP on July 5, 2020. SVSP has said that VPASS should have not been reopened for any dates at this time. They stated this was done prematurely and at this time there is no date determined that visiting will be able to resume. There are many issues that will be deciding factors on when visiting wil...l be allowed to resume and it has not come to that point. SVSP wanted it to be shared that they understand the importance of visiting and are ready to move forward as soon as it is determined that it is appropriate to do so. So currently there is no visiting at this time and any appointments that were made for July 5, 2020 will not be allowed to take place. SVSP wanted to state that the facility has halted movement by the population in, out and around the facility. They acknowledged that there had been movement taking place but that since the facility has had positive results in Covid testing they have halted it at this time. As of Monday June 22, CDCR has implemented a 14 day modified program directive. Modified programming has been put into place to limit movement by staff and the population in the facility and throughout CDCR. SVSP stated that things have been changing rapidly and to know that this can change at any given time.

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88480778408

The IFC received a call this morning notifying us that the weddings that were to take place this Saturday virtually have been put on hold. It appears that CDCR still has some issues that need to be vetted before the ceremonies can happen virtually. We will post any updates that we may receive about this.

Message from JPAY regarding the new email feature..................... Dear JPay Customer, To provide more communication options during this time of care and concern, we would like to inform you may now send personalized emails to your incarcerated loved one as another way to stay connected. Your loved one does not need access to a tablet or kiosk to be able to receive these emails, as they will be printed and given to your loved one in letter form. ... THIS SERVICE IS ACTIVE AT ALL CDCR ADULT AND JUVENILE FACILITIES, NOT ONLY THE PILOT LOCATIONS. This service began on April 10, 2020 to help you stay connected during COVID-19, and will continue after COVID- 19 passes. You will be able to send emails to your incarcerated loved one and even attach digital eCards or photos using the JPay mobile app on your cell phone device or JPay.com. Also, only available on the JPay mobile app, you will be able to just send a photo through the "Snap 'N Send" feature without text. All photos, eCards and emails will be printed and given to your loved one. Here is what you need to know: Spend Less & Communicate More! Send an email using JPay for less than the price of a physical stamp. Keep in mind that sending an inbound JPay email takes up to 48 hours to be delivered to your incarcerated loved one depending on mailroom schedules, however that is faster than sending a letter through the mail. To get started, sign up for eMail by downloading JPay mobile app or by going to JPay.com. Emails and photos are reviewed, approved, and printed in black and white before they are delivered to your incarcerated loved one. Emails are inbound only. The option for your loved one to reply is currently not available. Each email costs one JPay Stamp. Any eCard or photo will cost one additional JPay Stamp. A Snap n' Send photo costs one JPay Stamp. We hope this new channel of communication keeps you even more connected with your loved one. Warm regards, Your JPay Team .

CDCR has implemented a new way to contact loved ones incarcerated in their facilities. SVSP has advised that they are on track for the implementation of this service on Friday April 10, 2020. Below is the information released: CDCR has partnered with JPay to extend inbound email print services to all institutions at a reduced rate. (Details below) Inbound messaging... CDCR has partnered with electronic messaging provider JPay to extend inbound email print services to all institutions at a reduced rate. This service enables incarcerated people’s family and friends to use the JPay app to send e-correspondence, which mailroom staff then print and deliver with regular mail. Family and friends purchase stamps for this service. While this will not eliminate physical mail, this process reduces COVID-19 transmission risk. This service is also a cost-effective way for incarcerated people to maintain contact with family and friends, which is especially important while visiting is closed. This service is expected to go live on April 10.

COVID-19 Update: The following memo was released today by CDCR and will affect all adult institutions starting tomorrow, April 8, 2020 and will continue for at least the next 14-days

There is so much to know in order to effectively navigate having an incarcerated loved one. There are some questions that we are still asked on a regular basis. We wanted to provide you with the answers to some very commonly asked questions about mail, package, books and several others. The infomation below has been taken from CDCR's website and put together here to make it more convient for families! We hope you find it useful.... Can an inmate receive mail? Inmate mail is a...Continue reading

The following information was obtained from the CA Corrections/CDCR FaceBook page. There are currently no changes to canteen services at this time. Our goal is to continue providing the incarcerated population with this commissary service as we identify options for modifying the program based on any updates to CDC guidelines We are constantly updating our Frequently Asked Questions regarding #COVID19 here - https://www.cdcr.ca.gov//covid-19-frequently-asked-questi/... Have a question you don't see answered? Email [email protected] to submit your own. See more