In a statement issued June 18, the California Public Defenders Association (CPDA) condemned the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) for “imposing sweeping and indefinite lockdowns, under the guise of a so-called ‘Modified Program,’ across nearly two dozen state prisons. Implemented on June 12, 2025, CDCR’s program targets all men housed in Level III and IV facilities, citing an increase in violence, overdoses and contraband. CDCR’s action, in practice, is a blanket deprivation of fundamental rights and a human rights crisis.
“Under this ‘Modified Program,’all phone calls, tablet communications, and in-person visits have been suspended. Movement is severely restricted, including access to showers and programming. Further, meals are delivered directly to cells in Level IV facilities, and some Level III residents eat under surveillance. Recreation, rehabilitative, religious and educational programming have all been halted. These extreme restrictions are being applied indiscriminately ,to all individuals in these facilities, regardless of individual conduct and without any clear end date or meaningful external oversight.
“‘This is collective punishment, plain and simple,’ said CPDA Executive Director Kate Chatfield. ‘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.”
“While CDCR claims an internal review is underway, no details have been shared about what prompted the lockdown, who is conducting the investigation, its scope, or when it will conclude. Without transparency or external accountability, this process cannot be trusted to protect the fundamental rights and wellbeing of incarcerated people.
“CPDA calls for the immediate restoration of access to communication, family visitation, programming and basic movement for all impacted individuals. 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.
“The California Public Defenders Association (CPDA) is a statewide organization representing over 4,000 attorneys and staff working to protect the rights of individuals accused of crimes and to advance a fair and just legal system.”
Some lockdowns lifted
On June 26, the Los Angeles Times reported: “Authorities on Thursday rolled back restrictions at nine California prisons where privileges had been suspended and inmate movements restricted because of a statewide surge in violence,” while “(t)welve other prisons remain under lockdown conditions, California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation officials said in a statement” earlier that day.
Current and former prisoners recommend a wiser way
The Prisoner Human Rights Movement (PHRM) Steering Committee made public the following letter to the California Corrections Department.
“Dear CDCR,
“This letter is written on behalf of the incarcerated men and women across California’s prison system – those who stood together, risked everything and forced CDCr to acknowledge the inhumane conditions it had long refused to acknowledge. It is written by those of us on the outside who refuse to let our voices be silenced.
“We write to remind you of the commitments made in response to the historic hunger strikes, legal battles and the Agreement to End Hostilities (AEH). These agreements were not granted out of goodwill but won through struggle against abuses that were later exposed as not just unethical, but unlawful.
“In 2012, prisoners put aside long-standing divisions to issue the Agreement to End Hostilities, recognizing that CDCR’s power depended on our separation, our isolation and out silence. In 2013, 30,000 incarcerated individuals put their lives on the line to participate in an historic hunger strike to demand an end to indefinite solitary confinement, race-based lockdowns and group punishment.
“In 2015, a federal court settlement reinforced what we had always known: CDCR’s policies were not just arbitrary, but illegal. In response, the department agreed to change. Yet, nearly 10 years later, the same abuses continue under different names, but with the same intent. Race-based lockdowns persist, disguised as ‘modified programming’ and ‘security measures.’
“Collective punishment remains a tool of control for CDCR, restricting entire populations for the actions of individuals. This is a violation of both international law and the 2015 settlement, in which CDCR promised to use a behavior-based system for restricting prisoners’ access to the outside world and to others imprisoned.
“CDCR continues to govern through division, manipulating conflicts while pretending to promote rehabilitation. This is not just a betrayal of the individuals inside, it is a blatant violation of the agreements made in court and on public record. We are watching. We see what is happening.
“The voices of those affected by these practices can now be heard beyond prison walls. We are their extension, and we will stand together. Their words will be spoken, their actions will be amplified and their resistance will not be confined. The legal, political and public pressure that forced these agreements into existence has not disappeared.
“Consider this your notice that we will not allow torture and abuse to go on in the state of California. We call on CDCR to honor the agreements, end race-based lockdowns and stop group punishment.”
Hunger striking for true freedom
Incarcerated people at Salinas Valley State Prison are being deprived of their rights to access the programs required by the state in order to be granted parole. They have issued the following statement:
Formal Declaration of Hunger Strike and Protest Against Systemic Violations by CDCR at Salinas Valley State Prison
“We, the incarcerated individuals housed in Salinas Valley State Prison, formally declare the beginning of a peaceful hunger strike effective June 13, 2025. This action arises in response to persistent and unlawful practices by the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR), including the use of indiscriminate lockdowns, deprivation of rehabilitative and constitutional rights, and collective punishment of the incarcerated population.
“This protest is not rooted in defiance 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.”
For more information, contact Minister King X at KAGEUNIVERSAL11@gmail.com.
