Mental hospital visits are banned
State officials say they are banning relatives from visiting a state hospital that treats sex offenders while police investigate reports of smuggling.
A spokeswoman for Coalinga State Hospital says visitation was canceled from Friday through Monday so hospital police could look into claims that visitors were smuggling drugs, electronics and weapons into the facility.
The state Department of Mental Health houses sexually violent predators in Coalinga after they finish their prison sentences under a procedure called civil detainment, in which criminals can be held indefinitely after completing their sentences if they are still considered a threat.
A group of relatives protesting outside the hospital Sunday said they feared that visitation was denied to punish detainees.
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