We demand that California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation in California State Prison Los Angeles County's Warden and the administration start taking the Covid-19 pandemic serious. There needs to be plans on how to contain positive inmates, effectively disinfect the institution on a regular basis, resume canteen and quarterly packages so inmates can eat and focus on ways to improve the strained mental health of the inmate population because it is not the inmates fault that Covid has spread and yet they are the ones suffering and being punished.

 Since the beginning of this pandemic over 1000 inmates at CSP-LAC have tested positive for Covid 19 with 3 deaths. Inmates have been locked away and small cells with no way to physical distance. People that have tested positive are being allowed to stay in buildings with uninfected people putting lives at risk. Quarantined inmates have been allowed out, free to roam around spreading the virus through everything they touch or come into contact with. When an inmate tests positive the Administration has been allowing that person be moved to quarantine but leaving the cell mate in that cell even though they have been exposed and then forcing another inmate into that cell likely resulting in surges of positive cases. Many times infected inmates are moved and that cell is immediately filled without anyone ever cleaning  and disinfecting the cells first. The buildings which house up to 200 individuals are not being disinfected regularly and showers not cleaned or disinfected after each use or on a regular basis. Throughout California county jails have been reducing populations to help with social distancing and CDCR was supposed to reduce its population but CSP-LAC is still full.

The administration at CSP-LAC has not tried to evaluate the mental health of its population especially at a time where stresses have been at an all-time high. Inmates have been isolated in cells since March 2020 with no dayroom and limited yard to begin with to no dayroom or yard now.

 Inmates are not being allowed to go to canteen or receive quarterly packages which is extremely hard on inmates due to the fact they are terrified to accept food trays since main kitchen workers keep contracting covid-19 and most are sick weeks before they get tested and likely spreading the virus through the food. More prepackaged food should also be being used right now.

There has been no visiting since March 2020 so inmates have had very limited contact with family and friends. CDCR should be providing more free phone calls and providing postage for all inmates for the remainder of this pandemic so that inmates can maintain their already strained relationships.

With programs shut down and inmates are forced to stay in cells all day everyday CDCR and CSP-LAC Administration should be focusing on ways to keep the inmate population entertained but instead CSP-LAC has removed movie channels and refused to give anything but basic television. CDCR should also allow all inmates to be able to get tablets which are already approved at select institutions and pose no threat since you can only play games and listen to music.

Access to the law library has also been stopped which has a severe negative impact on inmates who need to research cases and have court impose timelines to file paperwork. Inmates are not being allowed to make copies of certain documents like grievances or request forms so when inmates file them they are often lost or not being responded to because the inmates have no proof they filed grievances or sent out requests.

CSP-LAC needs to address ALL of these issues and stop punishing its inmate population by treating them as if they are just numbers and statistics. These are REAL problems and affect EACH and EVERY person that is under their care.

WE CANNOT AND WILL NOT ACCEPT WHAT HAS BEEN HAPPENING!

OUR VOICES NEED TO BE HEARD AND REAL CHANGES NEED TO BE MADE!