California Bill To Open State Prisons To Media Access Heads To Governor’s Desk

A bill that would allow greater media access to California prisons is headed to Gov. Gavin Newsom’s desk for a possible signature.

Senate Bill 254 from state Sen. Nancy Skinner, D-Berkeley, would also open the prison system to legislators and other state officials, including the governor, in order to improve transparency and oversight.

“California used to allow the news media much greater access to state prisons, so the public could be informed about prison conditions. But for the past three decades, California prisons have been among the least transparent in the nation,” Skinner said in a news release Thursday.

SB 254, co-sponsored by the California News Publishers Association and the California Broadcasters Association, passed the state Senate with a vote of 30-10 and the Assembly with a vote of 72-0 Wednesday.

A spokesperson for Newsom said the governor has until Sept. 30 to sign or veto the bill but declined to say what his plans are.

“This measure will be evaluated on its merits,” said Tara Gallegos, the governor’s deputy director of communications.

In 1994, the state drastically reduced reporters’ access to its prison system, which operates on a $14.3 billion budget.

To rectify this, SB 254 would:

–Allow representatives of the news media to tour prisons and jails and interview prisoners during tours or in prearranged interviews, if the facility determines the tour or interview would not jeopardize safety or prison operations.
–Allow representatives of the news media to use video cameras and other recording devices, which are now mostly prohibited.
–Protect prisoners from being punished for participating in a news media interview.
— Require media to obtain consent before publishing identifying images of CDCR staff or contractors, prisoners, or visitors, and to blur identifying images if no consent is given.