The American Civil Liberties union has filed a lawsuit against the federal government, alleging that huge coronavirus outbreaks at prison facilities in Santa Barbara and Los Angeles Counties have been mismanaged.
The ACLU suit claims the Federal Bureau of Prisons didn’t act quickly enough to deal with coronavirus at its complex in Lompoc, or at its facility at Terminal Island in Los Angeles.
The federal agency reports that more than 940 inmates and 30 staff members in Lompoc have tested positive. The suit seeks the release of some inmates to help keep the outbreak under control.
There are currently 2481 diagnosed coronavirus cases on the Central and South Coasts. Santa Barbara County is reporting 1474 cases, including 972 connected with the prison. Ventura County has 764 documented cases, but hasn’t updated their numbers since Friday. And, San Luis Obispo County has 243 cases.
