Class-action lawsuit filed on behalf of inmates at Lompoc prison for alleged COVID-19 mistreatment

LOMPOC, Calif. - A class-action lawsuit has been filed on behalf of inmates incarcerated at the Federal Correctional Institution in Lompoc and on Terminal Island in Los Angeles.

The lawsuits were filed by the American Civil Liberties Union Foundation of Southern California, the Prison Law Office, and the law firm Bird Marella on Saturday against the Lompoc prison and the Federal Bureau of Prisons.

They allege that prison officials at both facilities failed to take the necessary measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

The lawsuit begins by claiming, "The Federal Bureau of Prisons is mismanaging one of the worst public health catastrophes related to COVID-19 anywhere in the country—and at the epicenter of the outbreak are FCI Lompoc and USP Lompoc (collectively “Lompoc”), where more than 1,000 incarcerated persons have tested positive for COVID."

At this time, more than 90% of inmates at FCI Lompoc have tested positive for COVID-19, or 929 out of the 963 inmate population. 161 inmates at USP Lompoc have tested positive as well making at least 1,090 inmates overall with the virus at the Federal Prison Complex. Two inmates have died from the virus.

“Prison officials’ deliberate indifference has endangered the lives of the thousands of people imprisoned in Terminal Island and Lompoc, including those who have high risk health conditions,” said Naeun Rim, a principal with Bird Marella. “Congress gave prisons broad authority to release low risk offenders into home confinement so that it could reduce overcrowding and save lives. But officials failed to use that authority. We will hold them accountable in court.”

American Civil Liberties said that the prison did not provide adequate spacing for physical distancing, required inmates to line up or gather in crowded areas for daily tasks like eating and even did not provide enough soap.

They said the only way to help protect inmates from the virus is to reduce prison populations, which is one of the aims of the federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES) which was signed into law on March 27.

The CARES Act gives prison officials the discretion to allow inmates with underlying health conditions to receive home confinement so as to avoid exposure to the virus.

The lawsuits also claim the acts of prison officials have been a violation of the Eighth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution that protects against “cruel and unusual punishments.” 

These lawsuits were filed just one day before family and friends of those incarcerated in Lompoc took to the streets to protest the treatment of inmates amid the pandemic.

A NewsChannel reporter even spoke with one inmate's family who described the poor treatment the inmate was receiving.

“He's told me it's horrible … They are pretty much stuck to their bunks, and this is 160 men all over each other. They are not practicing social distancing at all,” said the inmate's wife.

Specific plaintiff circumstances and treatment are described in the lawsuits.

You can read the full lawsuit filed against the Lompoc prison here.

Read the full lawsuit filed against Terminal Island here.