A proposed California law would limit the ability of state prisons to cancel visits at the last minute, a change advocates say is needed for families who often travel hundreds of miles and spend significant money for brief time with incarcerated loved ones.
The issue was highlighted by Los Angeles-based journalist Victoria Valenzuela, who described traveling 415 miles from Los Angeles County to visit her father at San Quentin Rehabilitation Center last July, only to learn less than an hour before her appointment that visiting had been called off.
Valenzuela said she was preparing for a noon visit when her father called from the prison’s prepaid phone system and told her the facility had been placed on lockdown. The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation posted an update at 11:09 a.m. stating that visits were canceled, giving families 51 minutes’ notice before visiting was scheduled to begin.
Despite the call, Valenzuela went to the prison. She found the visiting area locked and a notice on the door saying visits had been canceled because of modified programming. Outside, she encountered other women who had also traveled long distances and were left with no opportunity to see their loved ones.
Valenzuela had planned to visit her father for several hours over the weekend. Her Saturday appointment was scheduled for 7:30 a.m., but visiting was canceled again. She said prison staff agreed to move her appointment to Sunday, but visits were canceled that day as well. She returned to Southern California without seeing her father.
Assemblymember Mia Bonta, a Democrat from Oakland, has introduced Assembly Bill 2434, which would bar the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation from issuing same-day visit denials when a visitor has traveled more than 100 miles or has not had a visit within the previous 30 days.
The bill also would restrict prisons from denying or limiting visits because of disciplinary matters that are unrelated to visitation. It would require staff to prioritize preserving visits when dress code concerns arise, an issue families say can result in people being turned away for clothing deemed too tight or too loose.
AB 2434 also addresses visitor searches. The measure would require searches to be voluntary and non-contact, and would require officers of the same gender to conduct unclothed searches when such searches are required.
Families of incarcerated people have pushed for stronger visitation protections since 2021, when pandemic restrictions left many unsure when they would be allowed to see relatives again. Supporters of the bill say clear statewide rules are needed so families are not forced to absorb the financial and emotional cost of abrupt cancellations after long-distance travel.
Original source: CalMatters
