Attacks using bodily fluids a problem at California lockups

LOS ANGELES (AP) — A new report says California prisons and jails should do more to protect guards from prisoners who fling bodily fluids in so-called “gassing” attacks.

The state auditor’s office says Tuesday that it looked at three lockups holding a total of nearly 10,000 inmates. It identified 111 instances of attacks involving a noxious mix of urine and feces during 2017.

The investigation concludes the facilities did not adequately respond to and investigate gassing attacks. And it finds administrators don’t have adequate procedures to care for victims.

The auditors’ recommendations include additional training for guards, harsher discipline for prisoners and counseling for victims.

The lockups studied in the audit were California Institution for Men in San Bernardino County, the Men’s Central Jail in Los Angeles and Alameda County’s Santa Rita Jail.