by Vanguard Staff
SACRAMENTO, CA — The California Public Defenders Association (CPDA) issued a strong rebuke this week against the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR), calling the department’s sweeping and indefinite lockdown of nearly two dozen state prisons a “human rights crisis” and an act of “collective punishment.”
On June 12, CDCR placed all Level III and IV facilities across the state on what it described as a “modified program,” citing a spike in violence, overdoses, and contraband inside the prisons.
According to CDCR’s press release, the action affects 21 institutions, including Pelican Bay, Mule Creek, Folsom, and Salinas Valley State Prisons.
The modified program includes a complete suspension of phone calls, tablet communications, and in-person visits, along with heavily restricted movement and the delivery of meals directly to housing units.
In its public statement, CPDA condemned the measures as excessive and lacking in any form of individualized review or accountability.
“This is collective punishment, plain and simple,” said Kate Chatfield, Executive Director of CPDA. “By cutting off communication with the outside world, CDCR is isolating people from their families, attorneys, and communities, and doing so indefinitely. That’s not correctional safety, that’s institutional cruelty.”
Under the current restrictions, nearly every form of rehabilitative, religious, educational, and recreational programming has been halted.
While CDCR claims that access to “essential services, including medical care, legal proceedings and other critical appointments” will continue during the lockdown, CPDA argues that such assurances are vague and insufficient, especially when basic rights such as communication and family contact are being suspended without due process.
The association further criticized the lack of transparency surrounding the lockdown. CDCR has not released any detailed information about the nature or scope of the alleged incidents that prompted the action, nor has it indicated how long the restrictions will last. The department has only stated that “a thorough investigation” is underway and that the modified program “will remain in effect until the review is complete”.
CPDA warned that without an independent review process, there is no mechanism to safeguard the constitutional rights and well-being of the incarcerated population. The group is now urging state leaders to step in.
“We request that the Governor, the legislature, and independent oversight bodies step in now to ensure transparency, accountability, and humanity in California’s prison system,” said Chatfield.
Advocates have long criticized the CDCR for what they see as opaque decision-making and a pattern of overly punitive responses to security concerns. They argue that these types of blanket lockdowns have historically led to mental health deterioration, tension within prison walls, and increased isolation among those who already suffer from disconnection and neglect.
According to CPDA, many of those affected by the lockdown are being punished without cause or connection to any of the cited incidents. The organization asserts that treating every incarcerated person in these facilities as a threat, regardless of behavior or disciplinary history, violates principles of proportionality and basic human dignity.
The California Public Defenders Association, which represents over 4,000 attorneys and staff across the state, emphasized that safety and human rights are not mutually exclusive.
“CDCR cannot trade constitutional rights for convenience or control,” the group stated. “Public safety and human dignity must go hand in hand.”
