A California lawmaker says he will press for oversight hearings after state prison officials imposed lockdowns during an intense heat wave at the Richard J. Donovan Correctional Facility last month.
In an interview with KPBS, Assembly Public Safety Committee Chair Nick Schultz said he was gravely concerned for the health of incarcerated people at the state prison in the Otay Mesa area of San Diego. He said he would seek clarity from the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, which oversees the state prison system.
“Just because someone has committed a serious crime and might be doing time at Donovan does not mean that they should be subject to cruel and unusual conditions,” said Schultz, a Democratic assemblymember from Burbank. “I will push for information and answers from CDCR when we return in January.”…