High-security prisons throughout California have implemented strict restrictions on movement, communication, and visits as officials investigate a significant rise in violence this year.
These measures began on Saturday, impacting the most secure sections of almost twelve facilities, including the California Correctional Institution, California State Prison-Los Angeles County, and California State Prison-Sacramento.
According to a statement by the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, meals are being delivered directly to prisoners’ housing units, and showers and other activities are conducted in a “controlled manner.”
Telephone and ViaPath tablet communications, as well as visitations, are similarly restricted.
However, prisoners retain access to medical care, legal processes, and other vital appointments, corrections officials confirmed.
“It is important to note this modified program is distinct from a lockdown and applies exclusively to Level IV housing units,” stated the announcement.
When asked for further details on the restrictions, CDCR spokesperson Terri Hardy mentioned that a “comprehensive investigation into the underlying causes of violent incidents at Level IV facilities throughout the state” is underway and ongoing.
Since the start of the year, corrections officials are examining seven deaths, which they are treating as homicides. Three occurred just before the new restrictions were publicly disclosed.
On March 7, Joshua L. Peppers, aged 39, was assaulted by another inmate at the Los Angeles County institution and later died at a medical facility. He had been incarcerated for second-degree robbery.
The same morning, Jake T. Kennedy, 32, was found with multiple stab wounds inside his cell at the Sacramento prison. He succumbed to his injuries in a treatment area, where an improvised weapon was also discovered. Kennedy was serving a sentence for carrying a concealed bladed weapon and assaulting another inmate.
Just hours later, 37-year-old German M. Merino died after being attacked by two other inmates at Kern Valley State Prison. He was serving a life sentence for first-degree murder.
Violence within prisons is an enduring issue as inmates with life sentences face minimal consequences.
For instance, in January, Mario Campbell, 36, was attacked on the main exercise yard at the Sacramento prison by two inmates serving life sentences with the possibility of parole. He passed away at a medical facility an hour and a half later; officers recovered three improvised weapons.
The current restrictions will remain until the investigation concludes, although the timeline is uncertain.
In the previous year, there were 32 homicides across state prisons, as reported by the California Correctional Health Care Services.
