Other than that, she said, this was not a routine protocol. She also remembers one lockdown due to extreme winds back in 2015. At CIW, where the suicide rate was eight times the national average as of 2016, Fraher remembers getting locked down, pre-pandemic, whenever there was a death in the prison.

“We went from almost no lockdowns to daily lockdowns,” said Fraher. By contrast, they say, lockdowns were rare before the pandemic.

Women at both CIW and CCWF claim that they are still experiencing lockdowns up to four times per week. Every single woman also said that these lockdowns haven’t let up in the three years since the pandemic started. 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. 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. 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. “But I can’t garden anymore because of constant lockdowns.” “Being out in nature helps me ground myself and find peace,” she said over the phone, her voice calm and measured. In addition to talking to a therapist once a month, she jogs in the yard whenever she can.

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. Liz Lozano has been incarcerated since 1995.

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