CAP : Los Angeles

COVID-19 (Helping Clients)

Resources to Help Your Clients

CDCR

County Jail

COVID-19 Page: https://www.cdcr.ca.gov/covid19/covid-19-response-efforts/

COVID caused changes in CDCR visitation policies. Information on current visitation policies can be found at https://www.cdcr.ca.gov/visitors/ FAQ on visitation available here. Visiting status by facility available here. Note: people in isolation or quarantine cannot participate in video visitation.

The CDCR tracks in-prison COVID cases and outcomes. The latest information on this can be found at https://www.cdcr.ca.gov/covid19/population-status-tracking/. 

FAQ for vaccine distribution available here.

FAQ for persons sentenced to CDCR and being held in county jail available here. Updates on intake from county jail are available here.

Parole hearings are being conducted by video. https://www.cdcr.ca.gov/bph/the-boards-covid-19-response/

COVID-19 information for Division of Juvenile Justice: https://www.cdcr.ca.gov/juvenile-justice/

Los Angeles County Jail
LASD updates
(February 1, 2021) Total population: 14,883; State prison inmates awaiting transfer: 3,520; Total COVID-19 cases (historical): 4,209; Deaths: 13

Substantive Issues

FDAP COVID-19 Litigation Update and Strategies Page: here
*Note that the habeas policy in the First District differs from that in the Second. If you have questions about any of your cases, please contact CAP-LA staff.

Prison Policy Initiative
The Prison Policy Initiative tracks examples of state and local agencies taking meaningful steps to stop the spread of COVID-19.  Sections include releasing people from jails and prisons, eliminating medical co-pays, reducing costs of phone calls and video communication. The page also contains a link to list of other websites aggregating information. https://www.prisonpolicy.org/virus/virusresponse.html

California Attorneys for Criminal Justice (CACJ)
COVID-19 Resource Page https://cacj.org/page/COVID-19
*includes briefing (click “Briefs and Articles”)
*CACJ is making its resources publicly available during this emergency. 

California Appellate Defense Counsel (CADC)
Briefbank and forums contain helpful substantive COVID-19 response materials as well as information regarding the various panels.  
https://cadc.net/

Prison Law Office
January 19, 2021 letter to incarcerated people from PLO regarding COVID-19 issues. The letter contains an appendix regarding CDCR’s early release programs and vaccine information.

CARES Act and CAA Stimulus Payments for People in Jail or Prison: PLO information letter (rev. January 2021) available here.

Prison Law Office's efforts to address COVID-19 in California prisons. https://prisonlaw.com/cdcr-covid/

Prison Advocacy Network
Includes a number of COVID-19 resource guides and self-help materials, a survey for those with loved ones who are incarcerated, and links to relevant court forms and CDCR forms. https://www.prisoneradvocacynetwork.org/covid-19.html

UCLA Covid-19 Behind Bars Data Project: “The Project tracks Covid-19 conditions in jails and prisons and the efforts – both in and out of court – to decrease jail and prison populations and improve conditions to ensure the safety of residents and staff.” The Project includes Covid-19-Related Legal Filings and Court Orders. https://uclacovidbehindbars.org/

UCLA Law Library
Legal Responses to Coronavirus (COVID-19).  https://libguides.law.ucla.edu/coronavirus

Incarceration and the Law
Includes briefing, news coverage, best practices, and links to webinars.   https://incarcerationlaw.com/covid/

Hear Us
First hand accounts of the human impact and continued cruelty of criminalization, jails, prisons, and detention centers in the time of COVID-19. https://nowhearus.org/

Other Project Resources