The COVID-19 time bomb ticking inside the Lompoc prison complex since late March detonated in dramatic fashion this week as the federal facility confirmed 912 open cases among inmates and 25 cases among staff. The outbreak remains the largest in any federal prison in the United States. The rest of Santa Barbara County has reported 475 total positive cases.
The sharp increase in numbers — the complex announced only 172 active infections on May 6 — is attributable to the mass testing now taking place at one-half of the property, Federal Correctional Institute Lompoc (FCI Lompoc). Mass testing has not yet been organized for the other half, United States Penitentiary Lompoc (USP Lompoc). If and when USP Lompoc is fully tested, the figure will likely spike again. The only two inmates at the complex to have died from the virus — 66-year-old Oliver M. Boling and 75-year-old Jimmie Lee Houston — resided at USP Lompoc.