In April 2020, the Speaker of the Assembly requested the Office of the Inspector General (the OIG) assess the policies, guidance, and directives the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (the department) had implemented since February 1, 2020, in response to the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19).

Specifically, the Speaker requested focus on three concerns:

1) the department’s screening process for all individuals entering a prison or facility in which incarcerated persons are housed or are present,

2) its distribution of personal protective equipment to departmental staff and incarcerated persons

3) how it treats incarcerated persons who are suspected to have either contracted or been exposed to COVID-19.

This Fact Sheet presents highlights from the third report in this series, which was published in February 2021