‘We went from almost no lockdowns to daily lockdowns’: The mental health crisis inside California women’s prisons
Liz Lozano has been incarcerated since 1995. Having spent over 20 years at the Central California Women’s Facility, the largest women’s prison in the world, she’s a big believer in the importance of mental health for rehabilitation. She also knows what works for her. In addition to talking to a therapist once a month, she jogs in the yard whenever she can. She also loves to garden. “Being out in nature helps me ground myself and find peace,” she said over the phone, her voice calm and measured. “But I can’t garden anymore because of constant lockdowns.”
When the pandemic hit in 2020, health experts quickly raised the alarm about the unique risks the virus would pose for both the physical and mental health of incarcerated people. Many of those fears came to fruition — and research and interviews suggest that the extended lockdowns introduced in the wake of the pandemic continue to take a toll on prisoners’ mental health and well-being. In STAT’s interviews with more than a half-dozen women who are incarcerated in California, many described the post-pandemic era as their most difficult period of incarceration. Every single woman also said that these lockdowns haven’t let up in the three years since the pandemic started.
