A NEW LIFE FOR FELIX GARCIA
It took me 5 1/2 hours to drive to Jarratt, VA to see Felix at his new prison camp, Greensville Correctional Center. I spend the night on Friday May 6th and visited on Saturday, May 7th. He was so excited as it was not only our first Virginia visit but also Mothers Day weekend, which meant so much to him. The hug said it all. Attached is our first visitation picture in VDOC.
With him he had a pen and pad for us to communicate with as talking over the noise is difficult since I have a hearing problem myself. At least Felix can read my lips but most of the time we wrote back and forth on paper. To say he is a happy camper is an understatement. Felix looked so good, the gauntness in his face was gone, he has gained some weight, his face was radiant. And he is still in prison! But not all prisons are alike and Virginia DOC has proven that dealing those with disabilities is different than the hearing population and that it can be done and done on budget. It has to do with proper training and the staff acknowledging the special needs’ prisoner. It is not pandering, it is giving all prisoners equal access to programs and services that their particular camp offers. Another good thing, Felix said, was here they keep gangs in a separate dorm and the mentally ill in a separate dorm as well as the deaf and blind in a separate dorm. He feels safe and protected for the first time ever.
There came a time during our visit he would push his cheeks in to make sure the smile on his face wasn’t frozen and said “I am so happy my face hurts.” He said there is no violence, no fights, no gangs in control. Felix said “they have so much stuff here for the deaf it is astounding.” His dorm has a washer dryer (they provide a machine to buy detergent), micro, ice machine, hot pots, and irons for ironing their blues. Yes, he irons his own clothing and apparently loves it, so proud to show me the creases. And above all, because he loves church and singing his heart out to God, Felix is now able to enjoy with understanding the church services with the aide of an interpreter on a regular basis.
Felix has already gotten acquainted with the new technology offered. The ear specialist said he no longer needs hearing aides to be able to hear noise or use the pocket talker, so the opportunity to use a JP5 Tablet came at the right time. With it he has access to things such as email, over 200 college classes, music, clock, radio and photo gallery. He has access to a video phone and relay service right there in his dorm. The prison has jobs and the prisoner gets paid for what they do. Felix is able to use his creativity. Ex. Felix found a rock, he made a hat, arms, legs and drew a face on it and named it “Rock”. Someone immediately wanted it. He sews for the guys who have a button loose or want their slacks shortened. He makes roses with paper. This is amazing to the guys in his dorm that Felix has these abilities. May not sound like much out here in society, but it’s the little things that are appreciated inside the walls.
All my goodness, then there is the food. VDOC serves him real eggs 3x a week, drinks real milk daily, and has fresh fruit like apples, oranges and cantaloupe. What he buys at the canteen or vending machines is quite reasonable comparatively to where he was before. Like for us all, snacks are important between meals.
However, we don’t forget, it is still prison and the goal is freedom. Our clemency attorney Reggie Garcia (no relation) and I are still working on Felix’s clemency action and parole. We will continue to attend hearings or meetings to further that cause. But in the meantime, I cannot be happier or more relieved to have Felix in Virginia closer to me. To have an ADA Coordinator who understands and is patient with Felix as he leads staff and others as they process Felix into the VDOC has been a blessing. Felix is still in the learning phase and the rules are different, as are the schedules. He’ll have disagreements, there will be mistakes as he has already experienced, and change is tough but he will learn from it and go on. Yet most importantly, Felix must shake off his past life in the Florida prison system for the last 34 years. This will be a challenge for awhile.
If you care to write Felix, be sure the envelope does not contain over 5 pages nor weigh over 1 oz. He can receive emails but that is something that you need to set up with JPay. His address again is Felix Garcia #1805390/HU4-221-B, Greensville Correctional Center, 901 Corrections Way, Jarratt, VA 23770.
I thank you all so much for your continuing interest in deaf inmate Felix Garcia and his case.
Sincerely,
Pat Bliss