COVID complicates prison plans

Amid coronavirus outbreaks that have left inmates being housed and treated by doctors in tents inside one California prison, the state has signaled that it plans to resume accepting new prisoners from county jails on May 26, introducing thousands more people into the system, lawyers for the inmates say.

The decision comes as the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation says 619 inmates have tested positive for COVID-19, including five who have died at the California Institution for Men in Chino, the hardest hit among the state’s prisons with 431 confirmed cases among prisoners.

“All deaths have been of patients from CIM who had serious medical conditions that made them especially vulnerable to the disease,” lawyers for the Berkeley-based Prison Law Office wrote in a federal court filing. “Four were housed in large dorms when infected.

“One of those, a 65-yearold man, was scheduled to parole in just a few months. Before being diagnosed he twice implored medical staff in writing to help him get an early release due to myriad conditions, including severe breathing problems, which made him especially susceptible to severe consequences from COVID-19.”

The outbreak at CIM has become so severe that six tents have been set up to house inmates to provide more space for them, with porta potties and portable sinks nearby, court filings say. Another eight tents have been set up to provide medical care, and staff shortages caused by workers calling in sick have left inmates being served cold box lunches on “many days” instead of hot breakfasts and dinners.

“The seriousness of the situation at CIM cannot be overstated,” inmate lawyers wrote, saying that as of last week nearly 2,000 inmates at CIM were under quarantine.

CDCR Secretary Ralph Diaz initially ordered a 30day halt on March 24 to accepting new inmates from county jails, then extended it to 60 days through May 25. Inmate attorneys now are arguing for a postponement in plans to resume accepting thousands of new prisoners and the transfers between prisons of others.