UPDATED JULY 20, 2020

On April 6, 2020, the Prison Law Office filed an emergency motion in federal court to force the Riverside County jails to institute physical distancing for all people living in the jails and provide appropriate hygiene supplies to disinfect and protect against the spread of COVID-19.

The motion was filed in the class action lawsuit Gray v. Riverside, in which the federal district court found four years ago that medical and mental health care in the County’s jails were below the minimum allowed by the U.S. Constitution.  The court now oversees a Consent Decree governing how medical and mental health care are provided in the jails.

According to the Court’s experts, Dr. Scott Allen and Dr. Bruce Gage, people in the jails are at serious risk from the rapid spread of COVID-19 in the crowded dorms and among the medically vulnerable population.  They advised urgent action to reduce population density and institute other public health measures.

The Prison Law Office’s motion asks the judge to order the County to come up with a plan to comply.  “All Californians have been told to practice physical distancing, frequent handwashing, and the use of disinfectant in order to protect themselves and their communities from the spread of this deadly disease,” said Sara Norman, lead counsel for plaintiffs in the case.  “We are asking the judge to make sure that these basic public safety measures are available to the people living in the jails as well.”

###

UPDATE:  At a hearing held on April 14, 2020, District Judge Virginia A. Phillips granted Plaintiffs’ Motion, and ordered the County to develop a plan to address COVID-19 in the jails.  On April 16, 2020, she issued a detailed written order directing the County to develop a COVID-19 plan that includes:

1. 1. 1. An evaluation of current jail capacity to house people safely consistent with physical distancing requirements to reduce transmission of COVID-19, including an architectural survey of the dorms and cells used in the jail system;
      2. A plan to safely house and care for people incarcerated in the jail who are at high risk for severe complications from COVID-19;
      3. Adequate hygiene and cleaning supplies; and,
      4. Measures to address the mental health needs of people held in medical quarantine.

She also directed the parties to engage in mediation to evaluate the adequacy of any plan.

On July 20, 2020, the parties submitted a proposed COVID-19 management plan.

LINKS:

• Plaintiffs’ Emergency Motion to Enforce or Modify the Consent Decree
• Declaration of Sara Norman, Prison Law Office, and Exhibits A-K and Exhibits L-V
• Plaintiffs’ Request for Judicial Notice and Exhibits 1-9
• Plaintiffs’ Reply in Support of Emergency Motion
• Declaration of Sara Norman in Support of Reply and Exhibits A-C
• Plaintiffs’ Request for Judicial Notice and Exhibits A-D
• April 14, 2020 Minute Order Granting Plaintiffs’ Motion
• April 16, 2020 Final Order Granting Plaintiffs’ Motion
• July 20, 2020 Joint Stipulation Regarding COVID-19 and Proposed Plan

# # #

Handout regarding COVID-19 for people incarcerated in Riverside County jails (updated May 11, 2020)

# # #

Please check back to this site for any updates regarding the status of our filing, and future court developments.

If you have questions or concerns about COVID-19 in Riverside County jails, please contact the Prison Law Office at office@prisonlaw.com.  NOTE:  Our offices are closed indefinitely under the State of California’s state of emergency order.  All of our staff are working remotely, and we apologize for any delays in responding to inquiries. We will try to respond as quickly as possible to all inquiries.