By Diana Block
On Jan. 26, more than 400 people from across California rallied, marched and chanted to protest extreme overcrowding, deteriorating healthcare and constant lockdowns in the women’s prisons in California. Overcrowding at the Central California Women’s Facility (CCWF) is now at 189% of capacity with eight women being housed in cells built for four.
The rally was organized by a broad-based coalition and included many groups and individuals from the San Francisco Bay Area, Los Angeles and the San Joaquin Valley. Rallies in solidarity were also held at women’s prisons in Philadelphia and London.
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Diana Block is with the California Coalition for Women Prisoners. Learn more at www.womenprisoners.org.
