(Image Credit: IMAGN) A prisoner looks out of his cell at the Franklin County Jail in downtown Columbus on Friday, February 17, 2017
Salinas, California – In what has become the largest lockdown of California’s prison system since the pandemic, nearly two dozen state facilities have cut off incarcerated people from the outside world — and triggered a growing hunger strike in protest.
On June 12, the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) imposed sweeping restrictions on roughly 34,000 incarcerated individuals. The move, prompted by what the department describes as “an uptick in violence, overdoses and contraband,” has suspended in-person visits, rehabilitation programming, and all electronic communications. Most incarcerated people are now confined almost entirely to their cells or dorms, with no clear timeline for when the restrictions will be lifted.
What began as a policy decision has escalated into a moral flashpoint. Advocates and legal scholars say the restrictions amount to mass solitary confinement in all but name — a practice widely condemned for its long-term psychological effects.
CDCR Secretary Jeff Macomber defended the measures in a written statement, citing a responsibility to ensure safety for staff, incarcerated individuals, and surrounding communities. A press release from the department listed recent incidents of violence, including armed assaults and riots, although there were no specifics about where or when those events allegedly occurred.
Critics argue the department is using opaque language to justify collective punishment. “They are professionals of abstract, obtuse, and vague statements that are generated to keep families in the dark,” said Angel Torrez, whose father is incarcerated at Folsom State Prison. “I wonder if he’s safe and sound.”
The hunger strike, initiated at Salinas Valley State Prison just one day after the restrictions took effect, is being framed by participants as a constitutional demand. “This protest is not rooted in defiance,” they wrote in a letter provided to CalMatters, “but in our firm demand that CDCR adhere to its obligations under the U.S. Constitution, California Penal Code, and Title 15 of the California Code of Regulations.”
Brooke Terpstra, an organizer with Oakland Abolition & Solidarity, said that more than 500 people are participating, and that number is expected to grow. “(The department’s) unified collective punishment has produced a unified collective response,” he said. “It’s inspiring.”
CDCR has faced scrutiny in recent years for its handling of violence and contraband, with past court rulings and oversight reports questioning its transparency and internal accountability. As the hunger strike intensifies, so too does pressure on the state to justify its methods — and its silence.
