Patients at Coalinga psychiatric hospital protest

SACRAMENTO — A California state psychiatric hospital housing mostly sexually violent predators has been locked down and visits canceled after a weekend protest over a crackdown on devices, like flash drives, that officials say are often used to smuggle child pornography.

The patients at Coalinga State Hospital were protesting new restrictions on electronic devices, Department of State Hospitals spokesman Ralph Montano said Tuesday, but no injuries were reported. Department officials have cited lawsuit testimony asserting that there is a “porn epidemic” at Coalinga to justify the crackdown.

At least 200 Coalinga patients have been involved with the possession or transmission of child pornography and there are typically two or three new child pornography cases reported each month which require investigation, officials said. Patients also copy and sell or exchange legal movies and music for profit, the department said.

The facility in Fresno County can hold nearly 1,300 patients, nearly three-quarters of whom are court-designated sexually violent predators. Most of the remaining patients are being treated for mental illness after completing prison sentences.

A notice on the hospital’s website said the visitor center was closed Sunday due to the lockdown until further notice. Department spokesman Ken August said Tuesday evening that patients broke six windows, damaged several electronic messaging boards and clogged a few toilets, but flooding and damage were minimal. Some patients engaged in various forms of disruptive behavior on Saturday, he said, including refusing to follow directions, disrupting patient head counts, threats and property damage.

“This facility treats sexually violent predators. These regulations apply to all state hospitals, however only patients at this hospital have responded in this way,” he said in an email.

Los Angeles-based attorney Ezra Landes, who has represented Coalinga patients in a classaction lawsuit alleging poor conditions, said he was concerned that the institution’s telephones were shut down or confiscated and detainees were unable to consult with their lawyers.