SACRAMENTO, CA – High-security prisons across California have implemented strict movement, communication, and visitation restrictions in response to a surge in violence this year, Associated Press News has reported.
The restrictions, which began in mid-March, affect the highest-security sections of nearly a dozen prisons, including the California Correctional Institution, California State Prison-Los Angeles County and California State Prison-Sacramento, according to AP News.
Under these new protocols, meals must be delivered directly to housing units, and all movements, including showers, must occur in a controlled manner, said the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR), AP News reports.
Calls and visitations have also been restricted, though incarcerated people will continue to have access to medical care, legal proceedings and other critical appointments, AP News stated.
“It is important to note this modified program is distinct from a lockdown and applies exclusively to Level IV housing units,” CDCR claimed, according to AP News.
CDCR spokesperson Terri Hardy told AP News that officials are conducting a comprehensive investigation into the recent incidents, but did not specify how long the restrictions would remain in place.
Since the beginning of the year, corrections officials have classified seven deaths as homicides, three of which occurred on March 7, the day before the new restrictions were implemented, AP News noted.
Among the victims was Joshua L. Peppers, 39, who was attacked by another prisoner at the Los Angeles County institution and later died at a medical facility. Peppers had been serving a sentence for second-degree robbery, according to AP News.
That same morning, Jake T. Kennedy, 32, was found stabbed multiple times in his cell at California State Prison-Sacramento. An improvised weapon was discovered at the scene. Kennedy had been incarcerated for carrying a concealed bladed weapon and a prison assault, AP News wrote.
Hours later, German M. Merino, 37, died after being attacked by two prisoners at Kern Valley State Prison. He had been serving a life sentence for first-degree murder, AP News noted.
CDCR officials have long struggled with violence among incarcerated individuals, particularly those serving life sentences, who have little to lose, AP News reported.
In January, Mario Campbell, 36, was attacked by two prisoners at California State Prison-Sacramento while on the main exercise yard. Both attackers were serving life sentences with the possibility of parole. Campbell died at a medical facility an hour and a half later, and officers recovered three improvised weapons, AP News reported.
“The investigation continues,” Hardy stated, while emphasizing that officials are working to determine the underlying causes of the violent incidents, AP News reported, adding the restrictions will remain in place until the investigation is completed, though no timeline has been provided, AP News stated.
Last year, 32 homicides occurred in California state prisons, underscoring the ongoing security challenges, wrote AP News.
