California legislators send third letter to Bureau of Prisons
SANTA BARBARA COUNTY, Calif. - For the third time since the start of the coronavirus pandemic, three California legislators have sent a letter to the Bureau of Prisons urging more immediate action at the Lompoc prisons.
The letter was written by Senators Dianne Feinstein and Kamala Harris and Congressman Salud Carbajal (D-24) and is addressed to BOP Director Michael Carvajal.
In the letter, the three lawmakers call for more open lines of communications about the goings-on at the prison, options for safe temporary housing for employees of the prison, and immediate testing of all the inmates at the medium-security USP Lompoc. The Bureau of Prisons told our newsroom weeks ago that there were no plans to test 100 percent of the inmate population of USP Lompoc, days after testing all the inmates at FCI Lompoc - the minimum-security prison at the complex.
This is the third letter sent by Feinstein, Harris and Carbajal. At the time of their first letter, there were a total of 64 cases at the Lompoc prisons. In the weeks since, there are more than 1,000 confirmed cases at the prison.
This letter comes as the BOP announced a third inmate death at the prison. The BOP released information about the inmate Friday, four days after he died.
The lawmakers say they are demanding answers from BOP about how the virus spread so quickly throughout the prison population and what steps could've been taken to prevent it.
“We are troubled the BOP did not take swift action to test the inmate population, isolate those who tested positive for the virus, and effectively curb the spread of COVID-19,” the letter reads. “We are also disturbed that it took the BOP over four weeks to arrange for alternative housing options for its correctional officers and law enforcement personnel and has not moved forward with measures to test all inmates within the USP at Lompoc for COVID-19.”
BOP has not publicly responded to any of the letters, but has said previously that necessary preventative measures were taken and staff and inmates at the prison were educated with proper cleaning protocols and provided adequate personal protective equipment.
Ultimately, the legislators say their goal is to ensure that the prisons meet local benchmarks to contain the outbreak and the BOP takes a more "proactive role" in supporting prison staff and inmates.
To read the entire letter sent to the Bureau of Prisons Director, click here.
