Gov. Acts Quickly to Name Chief of Prisons
A day after Jeanne Woodford's resignation, the third corrections secretary in two months is appointed. Guards union praises the choice.
By Jenifer Warren and Peter Nicholas
Times Staff Writers
April 21, 2006
SACRAMENTO — Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger on Thursday put California's troubled prison system in the hands of a new leader who vowed to improve relations with the guards union, a powerful political force partly blamed for the departures of the last two corrections chiefs.
The governor's appointment of James Tilton came a day after acting Corrections Secretary Jeanne S. Woodford stepped down, the second top official in two months to quit amid concerns about union influence over prison management.
Tilton, 57, expressed no such qualms. In a conference call with reporters, the veteran civil servant said he "always had a good working relationship" with the California Correctional Peace Officers Assn. during his 13 years with the prison system.
"One of the first things I'm going to do is reconnect with the union and verify that those relationships are still there and make sure we still have an open dialogue," said Tilton, who has served most recently in the Department of Finance.
That posture, coupled with similar comments from one of Schwarzenegger's top aides, could put the governor on a collision course with the federal court.
U.S. District Judge Thelton Henderson placed the medical system under a federal receiver beginning this week. Henderson scolded the administration in 2004 for ceding too much management authority to the union in a renegotiated labor pact.
A year earlier, Henderson denounced a former corrections director, Edward Alameida, for allegedly quashing a perjury investigation involving guards to appease the union — and threatened contempt charges against Alameida.
On Thursday, John Hagar, a court-appointed expert in cases involving the state's prisons, expressed concern about the latest developments. He said he would detail "the real reasons behind these sudden departures" — those of Woodford and her predecessor, Roderick Q. Hickman — in a report to Henderson within a month. Hagar would not elaborate.
As Schwarzenegger runs for reelection this year, political analysts said, he may be trying to assuage the guards union, an influential campaign player that has been highly critical of his policies. Its leaders have poured millions of dollars into past statewide races, and Schwarzenegger needs to neutralize the union, the analysts said.
His campaign team can't "run the risk of being on the short end of a media campaign saying that Gov. Schwarzenegger is soft on crime," said Bill Whalen, a research fellow at the Hoover Institution and a former speech writer to former Gov. Pete Wilson. Like Schwarzenegger, Wilson is a Republican.
"History has shown that [the guards union is] prepared to do it and prepared to do it to candidates regardless of party affiliation," Whalen said.
In 1990, the union spent nearly $1 million to help elect Wilson. Eight years later, it plowed $2 million into Democrat Gray Davis' successful campaign for governor.
Union members cheered Woodford's departure, as they had Hickman's in February. About a dozen postings Thursday on a union-related blog generally praised Tilton, a Republican from Sacramento, as a strong, approachable leader. One said, "After two losers it sounds like we might have a winner."
Numerous others familiar with corrections lauded Tilton as a savvy fiscal manager who understands prisons.
"He's a smart, respected guy, and he knows corrections," said Kevin Carruth, who was an undersecretary to Hickman.
On Thursday, Woodford, 52, issued a memo to staff announcing her departure. A onetime warden at San Quentin State Prison who began her 28-year career as a prison guard, she said her decision related to her "commitment to my family and in no way reflects any change in my belief that this department is headed in a positive direction."
But officials familiar with her thinking, but not authorized to discuss the circumstances, said she was frustrated that the administration had recently nixed candidates that she proposed for jobs in the department — after consultations with the union.
In one instance, Woodford had proposed naming Tim Virga as deputy secretary for labor relations, but the governor's aides rejected him.
Guards had viewed Virga, formerly a negotiator for the union, as a turncoat since he went to work for the department.
In the conference call with reporters, the governor's Cabinet secretary, Fred Aguiar, disputed that the union had influenced decisions on appointments. "That is inaccurate," he said.
Woodford declined interview requests, and Virga could not be reached for comment.
As for meetings with the guards union, an administration official said communication had increased after a broad staff shake-up that began several months ago with the appointment of Schwarzenegger's new chief of staff, Democrat Susan Kennedy. They said Kennedy had lunch with union President Mike Jimenez and had taken part in at least one other meeting with union officials.
Kennedy has participated in perhaps 10 meetings with other unions, the official said.
The group's executive vice president and chief spokesman, Chuck Alexander, could not be reached for comment Thursday. But on Wednesday, Lance Corcoran, a lobbyist for the guards, said the suggestion that the union was "the bad guy" responsible for the recent resignations was absurd.
"All we've ever asked was the opportunity to have a voice" in the management of corrections, Corcoran said. Now, he added, "this administration has signaled that they are interested in communication, but I think they've indicated that to nurses, teachers, firefighters and other groups as well."
Corcoran added that if the guards union "were running the prisons, like everybody thinks we are, they'd be a lot better, safer and more efficient."
Tilton has served as a program budget manager for the Department of Finance since 2003, overseeing corrections, consumer services and several other areas.
In the 1980s and '90s, he was deputy director of administrative services in corrections, responsible for peace officer selection, personnel, training, budget matters and environmental health and safety.
Tilton said his tenure would be temporary, while the administration conducts a nationwide search for a permanent secretary. His top priority, he said, was to "put the department's fiscal house in order" and "assemble a management team to turn the department around."
He also said he was shocked to find that many of the inmate education and work programs that existed when he last worked in the department were gone. He vowed to push for their return.
One challenge before Tilton is that the union's five-year contract with the state, covering 30,000 prison guards, parole agents, medical technicians and others, is due to expire July 2. Contract talks between the union and the Schwarzenegger administration have not yet begun.
Carol Leonard
http://www.groups.yahoo.com/group/PrisonMovement
Prison Reform is NOT soft on crime
Friday, April 21, 2006
Jail Guards Admit Supplying Contraband To Inmates
Jail Guards Admit Supplying Contraband To Inmates
(CBS) LOS ANGELES Two jail guards admitted Thursday that they took thousands of dollars in bribes to smuggle contraband cell phones to inmates at a downtown Los Angeles lockup.
Former guard Juan Cortes, 34, pleaded guilty to a felony bribery count and a misdemeanor count of supplying contraband to a prison inmate at the Metropolitan Detention Center, where defendants are kept while awaiting trial on federal charges. In pleading guilty, the San Diego resident admitted taking a $6,000 bribe last April to give an MDC inmate a cell phone and three cartons of cigarettes.
Three-year Bureau of Prisons veteran Ricardo Campos, 26, of El Monte, pleaded guilty to the same charges, acknowledging he took a $5,000 bribe in exchange for giving an MDC inmate a cell phone last May.
Both men could face up to a maximum sentence of 15 1/2 years in federal prison, plus fines, when they are sentenced by U.S. District Judge Manuel Real on July 17.
In Campos' case, prosecutors have agreed to recommend that he receive about 10-16 months in prison, but his attorney, David Cohn, said he is hopeful he can persuade the judge to sentence his client to probation.
The former guard, who began work in May 2005 as a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement custodial agent in the San Diego area, was put on administrative leave by ICE in November after state charges were brought against him in a separate case accusing him of forgery and identity theft.
In addition to potential prison time and fines, both men could be barred from holding "any office of honor, trust, or profit under the United States."
In announcing the charges, U.S. Attorney Debra Wong Yang said officials in the penal system "must always abide by a bright line of acceptable and legal conduct."
"Those who break their promise to uphold the law not only risk losing their jobs, they risk losing their freedom," Yang said.
Two other guards, Anthony Robuffo and Juan Nieto, are also charged in the case. They have pleaded not guilty.
Since 2004, cigarettes have been almost totally banned in federal prisons and correctional facilities.
The MDC, located on Alameda Street near the Hollywood Freeway, housesnearly 1,000 inmates, according to the Bureau of Prisons Web site.
(CBS) LOS ANGELES Two jail guards admitted Thursday that they took thousands of dollars in bribes to smuggle contraband cell phones to inmates at a downtown Los Angeles lockup.
Former guard Juan Cortes, 34, pleaded guilty to a felony bribery count and a misdemeanor count of supplying contraband to a prison inmate at the Metropolitan Detention Center, where defendants are kept while awaiting trial on federal charges. In pleading guilty, the San Diego resident admitted taking a $6,000 bribe last April to give an MDC inmate a cell phone and three cartons of cigarettes.
Three-year Bureau of Prisons veteran Ricardo Campos, 26, of El Monte, pleaded guilty to the same charges, acknowledging he took a $5,000 bribe in exchange for giving an MDC inmate a cell phone last May.
Both men could face up to a maximum sentence of 15 1/2 years in federal prison, plus fines, when they are sentenced by U.S. District Judge Manuel Real on July 17.
In Campos' case, prosecutors have agreed to recommend that he receive about 10-16 months in prison, but his attorney, David Cohn, said he is hopeful he can persuade the judge to sentence his client to probation.
The former guard, who began work in May 2005 as a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement custodial agent in the San Diego area, was put on administrative leave by ICE in November after state charges were brought against him in a separate case accusing him of forgery and identity theft.
In addition to potential prison time and fines, both men could be barred from holding "any office of honor, trust, or profit under the United States."
In announcing the charges, U.S. Attorney Debra Wong Yang said officials in the penal system "must always abide by a bright line of acceptable and legal conduct."
"Those who break their promise to uphold the law not only risk losing their jobs, they risk losing their freedom," Yang said.
Two other guards, Anthony Robuffo and Juan Nieto, are also charged in the case. They have pleaded not guilty.
Since 2004, cigarettes have been almost totally banned in federal prisons and correctional facilities.
The MDC, located on Alameda Street near the Hollywood Freeway, housesnearly 1,000 inmates, according to the Bureau of Prisons Web site.
Information from prison spotty
Information from prison spotty
State agency fails to respond to request
Mason Stockstill, Staff Writer
San Bernardino County Sun
It's a mixed bag when seeking public records from the state Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.
In some instances, the department has responded quickly to requests for documents regarding prison budgets and other operations.
But when the information sought is not something the department's Sacramento-based media representatives can immediately locate, requests can drag on indefinitely.
"If we had that (record) on the shelf up here, you would have had it by now," George Kostyrko , the department's acting communications manager, said in response to a recent request. "It's just not something we had in hand."
On March 8, The Sun's sister newspaper, the Inland Valley Daily Bulletin in Ontario, asked for copies of several different documents relating to operations at the California Institution for Men in Chino.
The request included reports and audits outlined in a "corrective action plan" instituted last year after an officer was stabbed to death at the prison. The plan included dozens of recommended changes and improvements to the department's operations.
While prison officials say much has changed since the killing, a recent investigation by the state Office of the Inspector General found deficiencies at the prison in Chino and several others throughout the state.
Dozens of potentially violent inmates were being held in improper housing months after the department made changes to prevent that from happening, according to the inspector general's report released in March.
The Daily Bulletin's request sought to determine whether other deficiencies that may have contributed to the officer's death had been corrected at the Chino prison.
Although state law requires public agencies to respond to such requests within 10 days and to notify anyone seeking records whether or not they will be released, the Corrections Department has not done so.
Instead, Kostyrko sent a letter that acknowledged the request and said "a determination will be made shortly" on whether the documents can be released. State law allows some records to be kept confidential, such as medical reports or certain files from police investigations.
As of Thursday more than six weeks later no such determination had been made.
"The fact that they sent you a letter, that was very nice of them, but they're not in compliance with the law," said Jim Ewert , staff attorney for the California Newspaper Publishers Association.
Ewert noted that the California Public Records Act requires records to be produced "promptly" and allows for an extension of up to 14 days, if the head of the department notifies the requesting party of "unusual circumstances" that would cause a delay. No such notification has been sent to the newspaper.
Kostyrko admitted the error and apologized for the delay, but said the department's large bureaucracy slowed the official response.
"Until others get back to me on the whereabouts of the documents, I cannot give you a reasonable time that we will be getting back to you," he wrote in an e-mail.
Previous attempts to obtain public records from the department have fared better. In February, Kostyrko promptly supplied a requested budget document outlining the fiscal year 2004-05 operating budget for each institution in California.
That same month, Lt. Tim Shirlock, the Chino prison's public information officer, provided information regarding the prison's operating budget within days of receiving an e-mailed request.
At the prison, officials have taken other steps to improve communication with neighbors. The warden recorded a series of public service announcements now airing in Chino that explain the prison's escape-warning system, and he has met with local officials to discuss potential concerns about the facility.
But the Corrections Department's record on releasing information is less than stellar. Last year, the correctional officers' union took the department to court after it delayed the release of properly requested budget documents by more than five months.
Also last year, interns from Quill, the monthly magazine of the Society of Professional Journalists, tried to obtain information about prison violence from five states and the federal Bureau of Prisons.
The journalists spent 23 days trying to get the records, which are public and accessible under the federal Freedom of Information Act. California's prisons agency never produced the information.
Ewert said it's not unusual for the Corrections Department to drag its feet on processing such requests, even though state law including the California Constitution requires quick response.
"If they know the information is disclosable, and that no exemption applies, then - the act requires that they make the record promptly available," he said. "We've always interpreted that to be as soon as possible."
Editor's note: The Sun is devoting this space to a new feature, "Freedom Friday." Each week, we will spotlight a government agency and detail its willingness to provide documents it is required to make available to the public. We'd also like to know your experiences when it comes to obtaining public information from public agencies.
E-mail us at: citydesk@sbsun.com.
A request for information from the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation has been met with weeks of delay.
The information sought is outlined in a report created by the department last year to address critical needs at the California Institution for Men in Chino, where an officer was stabbed to death in January 2005.
Though a department representative said the records will likely be released, he offered no timeline and no official response outlining what information will be included.
But the department has supplied information in response to other requests in the past. Additionally, a wealth of statistical data and other information including population reports, demographics and historical trends is available at the CDCR Web site, www.cdcr.ca.gov.
More information about the California Public Records Act can be found online from the California First Amendment Coalition at www.cfac.org.
State agency fails to respond to request
Mason Stockstill, Staff Writer
San Bernardino County Sun
It's a mixed bag when seeking public records from the state Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.
In some instances, the department has responded quickly to requests for documents regarding prison budgets and other operations.
But when the information sought is not something the department's Sacramento-based media representatives can immediately locate, requests can drag on indefinitely.
"If we had that (record) on the shelf up here, you would have had it by now," George Kostyrko , the department's acting communications manager, said in response to a recent request. "It's just not something we had in hand."
On March 8, The Sun's sister newspaper, the Inland Valley Daily Bulletin in Ontario, asked for copies of several different documents relating to operations at the California Institution for Men in Chino.
The request included reports and audits outlined in a "corrective action plan" instituted last year after an officer was stabbed to death at the prison. The plan included dozens of recommended changes and improvements to the department's operations.
While prison officials say much has changed since the killing, a recent investigation by the state Office of the Inspector General found deficiencies at the prison in Chino and several others throughout the state.
Dozens of potentially violent inmates were being held in improper housing months after the department made changes to prevent that from happening, according to the inspector general's report released in March.
The Daily Bulletin's request sought to determine whether other deficiencies that may have contributed to the officer's death had been corrected at the Chino prison.
Although state law requires public agencies to respond to such requests within 10 days and to notify anyone seeking records whether or not they will be released, the Corrections Department has not done so.
Instead, Kostyrko sent a letter that acknowledged the request and said "a determination will be made shortly" on whether the documents can be released. State law allows some records to be kept confidential, such as medical reports or certain files from police investigations.
As of Thursday more than six weeks later no such determination had been made.
"The fact that they sent you a letter, that was very nice of them, but they're not in compliance with the law," said Jim Ewert , staff attorney for the California Newspaper Publishers Association.
Ewert noted that the California Public Records Act requires records to be produced "promptly" and allows for an extension of up to 14 days, if the head of the department notifies the requesting party of "unusual circumstances" that would cause a delay. No such notification has been sent to the newspaper.
Kostyrko admitted the error and apologized for the delay, but said the department's large bureaucracy slowed the official response.
"Until others get back to me on the whereabouts of the documents, I cannot give you a reasonable time that we will be getting back to you," he wrote in an e-mail.
Previous attempts to obtain public records from the department have fared better. In February, Kostyrko promptly supplied a requested budget document outlining the fiscal year 2004-05 operating budget for each institution in California.
That same month, Lt. Tim Shirlock, the Chino prison's public information officer, provided information regarding the prison's operating budget within days of receiving an e-mailed request.
At the prison, officials have taken other steps to improve communication with neighbors. The warden recorded a series of public service announcements now airing in Chino that explain the prison's escape-warning system, and he has met with local officials to discuss potential concerns about the facility.
But the Corrections Department's record on releasing information is less than stellar. Last year, the correctional officers' union took the department to court after it delayed the release of properly requested budget documents by more than five months.
Also last year, interns from Quill, the monthly magazine of the Society of Professional Journalists, tried to obtain information about prison violence from five states and the federal Bureau of Prisons.
The journalists spent 23 days trying to get the records, which are public and accessible under the federal Freedom of Information Act. California's prisons agency never produced the information.
Ewert said it's not unusual for the Corrections Department to drag its feet on processing such requests, even though state law including the California Constitution requires quick response.
"If they know the information is disclosable, and that no exemption applies, then - the act requires that they make the record promptly available," he said. "We've always interpreted that to be as soon as possible."
Editor's note: The Sun is devoting this space to a new feature, "Freedom Friday." Each week, we will spotlight a government agency and detail its willingness to provide documents it is required to make available to the public. We'd also like to know your experiences when it comes to obtaining public information from public agencies.
E-mail us at: citydesk@sbsun.com.
A request for information from the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation has been met with weeks of delay.
The information sought is outlined in a report created by the department last year to address critical needs at the California Institution for Men in Chino, where an officer was stabbed to death in January 2005.
Though a department representative said the records will likely be released, he offered no timeline and no official response outlining what information will be included.
But the department has supplied information in response to other requests in the past. Additionally, a wealth of statistical data and other information including population reports, demographics and historical trends is available at the CDCR Web site, www.cdcr.ca.gov.
More information about the California Public Records Act can be found online from the California First Amendment Coalition at www.cfac.org.
REACTIONARY UNIONS Imprisoned by timidity
From the Los Angeles Times
EDITORIAL
REACTIONARY UNIONS Imprisoned by timidity …
April 21, 2006
GOV. ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER hasn't just abandoned his campaign promise
to fight the special interests that dominate Sacramento politics. He
has thrown it from his favorite Hummer and driven over it. His craven
surrender to the tyrannical prison guards union is so complete that
his aides have been subverting the authority of the state corrections
chief by consulting union officials on her choices for warden
positions and other jobs.
And that, according to one insider, is the explanation for the
resignation Wednesday of Jeanne S. Woodford, acting secretary of the
state Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. Woodford quit
just two months into the job; her predecessor had departed because he
felt the governor was not backing him in the face of resistance by
the guards to reforms.
The union has long fought nearly every effort at turning the state
prison system into an organization that rehabilitates as well as
punishes. The result is a spectacularly dysfunctional operation.
Prisons are running at about 200% of capacity because inmates are
simply warehoused instead of getting the training or drug
rehabilitation that might keep them from committing crimes once they
are released. Woodford, a reformer, clearly didn't want to be just a
figurehead.
Schwarzenegger hurriedly replaced Woodford on Thursday with James
Tilton, a numbers cruncher from the Department of Finance who will
run the department until the governor finds a permanent chief.
Whether Schwarzenegger first begged union leaders for their approval
before appointing Tilton is unknown, but it wouldn't be surprising.
Under the cynical calculus of political consultants, Schwarzenegger
is probably doing the smart thing. The governor is up for reelection
and doesn't want the guards to actively oppose him. Of course, the
public embarrassment of having two prison chiefs quit in as many
months as the system degenerates into chaos isn't great for his image
either, but few voters know what's going on behind prison walls.
Smart as they might be in the short term, however, Schwarzenegger's
moves are disastrous for the prisons. And they show he is nowhere
close to being the kind of governor he said he would be.
In February, a federal judge placed the prisons' healthcare system
under receivership, appointing an administrator who started this week
and who has broad powers to hire and fire and controls a $1.2-billion
budget. It was an extreme but necessary step given the negligence and
incompetence of a healthcare system in which one inmate a week was
dying needlessly — despite big financial outlays by the state. In
2004, the same judge threatened to put the entire state corrections
system under receivership.
Sadly, given the political clout of the guards union and the failure
of the state's executive and legislative branches to stand up to it,
that may be the only way to fix what's wrong with California's prisons.
Copyright 2006 Los Angeles Times
EDITORIAL
REACTIONARY UNIONS Imprisoned by timidity …
April 21, 2006
GOV. ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER hasn't just abandoned his campaign promise
to fight the special interests that dominate Sacramento politics. He
has thrown it from his favorite Hummer and driven over it. His craven
surrender to the tyrannical prison guards union is so complete that
his aides have been subverting the authority of the state corrections
chief by consulting union officials on her choices for warden
positions and other jobs.
And that, according to one insider, is the explanation for the
resignation Wednesday of Jeanne S. Woodford, acting secretary of the
state Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. Woodford quit
just two months into the job; her predecessor had departed because he
felt the governor was not backing him in the face of resistance by
the guards to reforms.
The union has long fought nearly every effort at turning the state
prison system into an organization that rehabilitates as well as
punishes. The result is a spectacularly dysfunctional operation.
Prisons are running at about 200% of capacity because inmates are
simply warehoused instead of getting the training or drug
rehabilitation that might keep them from committing crimes once they
are released. Woodford, a reformer, clearly didn't want to be just a
figurehead.
Schwarzenegger hurriedly replaced Woodford on Thursday with James
Tilton, a numbers cruncher from the Department of Finance who will
run the department until the governor finds a permanent chief.
Whether Schwarzenegger first begged union leaders for their approval
before appointing Tilton is unknown, but it wouldn't be surprising.
Under the cynical calculus of political consultants, Schwarzenegger
is probably doing the smart thing. The governor is up for reelection
and doesn't want the guards to actively oppose him. Of course, the
public embarrassment of having two prison chiefs quit in as many
months as the system degenerates into chaos isn't great for his image
either, but few voters know what's going on behind prison walls.
Smart as they might be in the short term, however, Schwarzenegger's
moves are disastrous for the prisons. And they show he is nowhere
close to being the kind of governor he said he would be.
In February, a federal judge placed the prisons' healthcare system
under receivership, appointing an administrator who started this week
and who has broad powers to hire and fire and controls a $1.2-billion
budget. It was an extreme but necessary step given the negligence and
incompetence of a healthcare system in which one inmate a week was
dying needlessly — despite big financial outlays by the state. In
2004, the same judge threatened to put the entire state corrections
system under receivership.
Sadly, given the political clout of the guards union and the failure
of the state's executive and legislative branches to stand up to it,
that may be the only way to fix what's wrong with California's prisons.
Copyright 2006 Los Angeles Times
What's next? One step forward, two steps back for prisons
What's next?
One step forward, two steps back for prisons
The clouds of chaos continue to hover over the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.
Just as we are about to celebrate some good news for California's beleaguered prison system, more unsettling news emerges.
Less than two months after the state corrections chief quit his job, it was announced Wednesday that his replacement also has resigned. On Thursday, the governor appointed a state finance expert to temporarily take over.
Granted, there are a number of critics who might celebrate the departure of Jeanne S. Woodford, but for those of us outside the system, we can only shake our heads and wonder how much more damage this already broken system can sustain. No disrespect to appointee James Tilton, but we really see his placement as a temporary stopgap measure. His financial background will certainly be welcomed, but without experience in corrections, he is simply not a long-term option.
Ms. Woodford's predecessor, Rod Hickman, quit the same position in February, saying that he felt politics precluded him from getting the job done.
And what a job it is. Reform is not just needed, it is mandatory.
The prison system, as we have lamented for years, is in a deplorable state.
We have learned, through a series of hearings, letters, lawsuits and reports that the state's prison system is rife with corruption, neglect and abuse. We have heard testimony about correctional officers' "code of silence," and heard horror stories of needless deaths. Last year, a federal judge ordered the prison's troubled medical system into receivership.
Safety is an issue, not just for the inmates, but also the people who work at the prisons. With two prisons in Vacaville, we are naturally concerned. Not only are there some 9,000 inmates between California Medical Facility and California State Prison, Solano, but more than 2,400 employees, many who live in our communities.
Staffing continues to be a problem, especially at the medical facility, where nurses are always in demand. Inmate care is especially critical at CMF, which houses a wing for AIDS patients, a geriatric unit and deals with psychiatric inmates.
The governor will have his hands full, finding a more long-term replacement.
So what about that good news? Well, it dims somewhat in comparison to the latest shakeup, but it is still worth noting.
A report released this week by the state inspector general says that the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation has improved its policing of correctional officers who were accused of abusing inmates.
A backlog of cases involving officer discipline has been nearly eliminated.
In addition, Inspector General Michael Cate noted that employees and individuals have moved quickly to make improvements.
Delays, however, have been experienced at the department's headquarters.
In addition, the report found that most of the state's prisons are still doing a poor job of keeping inmates healthy, much less preparing them to return to society.
In reviewing 22 previous state audits, Mr. Cate found fewer than half of the audit recommendations regarding inmate medical care had been implemented by top medical administrators, and fewer than 70 percent of nonmedical reforms had been put in place, according to an Associated Press story.
On the upside, Mr. Cate's 400-page report, compiled after an eight-month study, notes some significant progress and substantial improvements, including recidivism rates.
Just this week, the court-appointed receiver, Robert Sillen, has stepped in and immediately toured San Quentin State Prison, one of the most troubled, according to audits.
His arrival "is a huge step in making the changes that need to be made," said department spokeswoman Elaine Jennings.
We hope so. There is still much work to be done to improve inmate health care, reform parole and record-keeping functions, and address the system's soaring inmate population.
Unfortunately, it appears that the system is taking one step forward and two steps back.
http://www.thereporter.com/ci_3735203
Carol Leonard
http://www.groups.yahoo.com/group/PrisonMovement
Prison Reform is NOT soft on crime
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
One step forward, two steps back for prisons
The clouds of chaos continue to hover over the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.
Just as we are about to celebrate some good news for California's beleaguered prison system, more unsettling news emerges.
Less than two months after the state corrections chief quit his job, it was announced Wednesday that his replacement also has resigned. On Thursday, the governor appointed a state finance expert to temporarily take over.
Granted, there are a number of critics who might celebrate the departure of Jeanne S. Woodford, but for those of us outside the system, we can only shake our heads and wonder how much more damage this already broken system can sustain. No disrespect to appointee James Tilton, but we really see his placement as a temporary stopgap measure. His financial background will certainly be welcomed, but without experience in corrections, he is simply not a long-term option.
Ms. Woodford's predecessor, Rod Hickman, quit the same position in February, saying that he felt politics precluded him from getting the job done.
And what a job it is. Reform is not just needed, it is mandatory.
The prison system, as we have lamented for years, is in a deplorable state.
We have learned, through a series of hearings, letters, lawsuits and reports that the state's prison system is rife with corruption, neglect and abuse. We have heard testimony about correctional officers' "code of silence," and heard horror stories of needless deaths. Last year, a federal judge ordered the prison's troubled medical system into receivership.
Safety is an issue, not just for the inmates, but also the people who work at the prisons. With two prisons in Vacaville, we are naturally concerned. Not only are there some 9,000 inmates between California Medical Facility and California State Prison, Solano, but more than 2,400 employees, many who live in our communities.
Staffing continues to be a problem, especially at the medical facility, where nurses are always in demand. Inmate care is especially critical at CMF, which houses a wing for AIDS patients, a geriatric unit and deals with psychiatric inmates.
The governor will have his hands full, finding a more long-term replacement.
So what about that good news? Well, it dims somewhat in comparison to the latest shakeup, but it is still worth noting.
A report released this week by the state inspector general says that the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation has improved its policing of correctional officers who were accused of abusing inmates.
A backlog of cases involving officer discipline has been nearly eliminated.
In addition, Inspector General Michael Cate noted that employees and individuals have moved quickly to make improvements.
Delays, however, have been experienced at the department's headquarters.
In addition, the report found that most of the state's prisons are still doing a poor job of keeping inmates healthy, much less preparing them to return to society.
In reviewing 22 previous state audits, Mr. Cate found fewer than half of the audit recommendations regarding inmate medical care had been implemented by top medical administrators, and fewer than 70 percent of nonmedical reforms had been put in place, according to an Associated Press story.
On the upside, Mr. Cate's 400-page report, compiled after an eight-month study, notes some significant progress and substantial improvements, including recidivism rates.
Just this week, the court-appointed receiver, Robert Sillen, has stepped in and immediately toured San Quentin State Prison, one of the most troubled, according to audits.
His arrival "is a huge step in making the changes that need to be made," said department spokeswoman Elaine Jennings.
We hope so. There is still much work to be done to improve inmate health care, reform parole and record-keeping functions, and address the system's soaring inmate population.
Unfortunately, it appears that the system is taking one step forward and two steps back.
http://www.thereporter.com/ci_3735203
Carol Leonard
http://www.groups.yahoo.com/group/PrisonMovement
Prison Reform is NOT soft on crime
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Prison reform in disarray
Prison reform in disarray
-
Friday, April 21, 2006
SHORTLY AFTER he took office, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger said he would put "rehabilitation" back into the mission of California's crisis-riven prison system. He even changed the name of the department to "Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation."
But with the departure of the two prison officials most closely identified with the effort to make sure that inmates leave prison with enough skills to succeed on the outside, Schwarzenegger's commitment to the goal of rehabilitation is now deeply in doubt.
In February, his own Secretary of Corrections and Rehabilitation Rod Hickman quit in frustration. Jeanne Woodford, a former warden at San Quentin State Prison, was then appointed acting secretary. Late yesterday, after just two months on the job, she put out a press release saying she had resigned because of her commitment to her family, and that she still believed the department was "headed in a positive direction."
But there was also speculation, in the press and elsewhere, that one reason Woodford left was because of meetings senior aides to Schwarzenegger have had with the prison guards union.
The union has, all along, been derisive about Schwarzenegger's emphasis on rehabilitation. The union and the governor have butted heads on other issues, including generous pay and benefits packages approved by former Gov. Gray Davis. The union also worked to defeat all of Schwarzenegger's special-election ballot measures last November.
Schwarzenegger has been trying to mend fences with all his adversaries. The prison guards should be part of any solution to the prison crisis. But reconciliation should not come at the expense of rehabilitation, which the majority of Californians say they want.
Yesterday, Schwarzenegger appointed James Tilton, a former corrections administrator, as acting secretary to replace Woodford. Tilton insisted that rehabilitation is a top priority for him, and "I know it is for the governor." But what's needed now is action, not words. Schwarzenegger must specify what rehabilitation programs he intends to introduce, how they will be funded, and a timeline for implementing them
-
Friday, April 21, 2006
SHORTLY AFTER he took office, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger said he would put "rehabilitation" back into the mission of California's crisis-riven prison system. He even changed the name of the department to "Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation."
But with the departure of the two prison officials most closely identified with the effort to make sure that inmates leave prison with enough skills to succeed on the outside, Schwarzenegger's commitment to the goal of rehabilitation is now deeply in doubt.
In February, his own Secretary of Corrections and Rehabilitation Rod Hickman quit in frustration. Jeanne Woodford, a former warden at San Quentin State Prison, was then appointed acting secretary. Late yesterday, after just two months on the job, she put out a press release saying she had resigned because of her commitment to her family, and that she still believed the department was "headed in a positive direction."
But there was also speculation, in the press and elsewhere, that one reason Woodford left was because of meetings senior aides to Schwarzenegger have had with the prison guards union.
The union has, all along, been derisive about Schwarzenegger's emphasis on rehabilitation. The union and the governor have butted heads on other issues, including generous pay and benefits packages approved by former Gov. Gray Davis. The union also worked to defeat all of Schwarzenegger's special-election ballot measures last November.
Schwarzenegger has been trying to mend fences with all his adversaries. The prison guards should be part of any solution to the prison crisis. But reconciliation should not come at the expense of rehabilitation, which the majority of Californians say they want.
Yesterday, Schwarzenegger appointed James Tilton, a former corrections administrator, as acting secretary to replace Woodford. Tilton insisted that rehabilitation is a top priority for him, and "I know it is for the governor." But what's needed now is action, not words. Schwarzenegger must specify what rehabilitation programs he intends to introduce, how they will be funded, and a timeline for implementing them
Saturday, April 08, 2006
Taxpayers for Improving Public Safety Update
TiPS Periodic Update Taxpayers for Improving Public Safety
www.ForPublicSafety.com
In this edition:
TiPS in the news
Legislation Update
- Foreign Transfers
- Lifers Getting Parole
Board of Parole Hearings
Lobby Day
Memberships
Yard Elections
1. TiPS in the News
Among the many pieces of legislation being advanced this year on sex offenses, Assembly Member Barbara Matthews (R-Stockton), has introduced AB 2261 which seeks to provide a term of Life Without the Opportunity for Parole (LWOP), for any offender who commits broadly described sex acts upon a corpse.
In an attempt to raise emotional public outcry in support of the legislation, the author's office fed the story to The Record (which for the most part wrote a fair and objective article -- except it did not mention the lack of any evidence that the crime actually fit what this legislation sought to address).
Creating emotional outcries is how the dogmatic tough-on-crime enthusiasts do business. One of TiPS' statements to the committee yesterday was "The legislative fervor against sex offenses has turned into the McCarthyism of the twenty first century. We know what works and that evidence is ignored; many lawmakers would rather react to emotionally based propaganda than focusing upon what fixes the problem."
In committee Ms. Matthews admitted that in the 15 year old case which prompted this legislation, without certainty the offender only might have engaged in this conduct and she was unable to come up with any substantiated instances of any verified crime as addressed by the legislation. In addition to the absence of a clear need for the bill, the way the measure was written made it unclear as to what actually constituted a sexual act and since it could apply to simply moving the victim, and the bill was therefore overly broad. Absent any showing of a need for the legislation, and since it was written too broadly, TiPS opposed the measure in the Assembly Committee on Public Safety today.
AB 2261 failed passage in the committee.
To review the story in its entirety please go to: http://www.recordnet.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060404/NEWS01/604040329/1001
2. LEGISLATION
Every week TiPS members are represented in the Legislature as more and more tough-on-crime bills try to squeak thru. Legislators, during this election year, are trying to increase penalties, make more behavior criminal, remove protections, and stick it to the inmates & families. Thankfully many of these bills are amended, watered down, or killed.
TiPS' own legislation, SB 1444 (by Senator Escutia, D-Norwalk) which will dramatically reduce our prison population and allow our foreign born inmates to be re-united with their families back home, will be heard in the Senate Committee on Public Safety (SCoPS) later this month.
It would help our position to have even more letter of support from our members who were born in a foreign country and could be affected by this legislation. We have made an online petition available for people to simply fill out and mail into our office. Please print out, mail inside, and have them mail it directly to us. To access the petition go to http://www.forpublicsafety.com/sb1444.pdf
SB 1444 seeks to reduce the prison population by repatriating foreign national inmates (i.e. "undocumented" inmates), to serve out their sentence in their country of origin, if that country is a signatory to either the Vienna or OAS convention. If passed, this will reduce our prison population by roughly 23,000 inmates (nearly 14%).
CDCR is in a bad position because it could have approved the applications by these individuals, and yet has not done so because of their unpublished policy not to. They claim the Feds will not receive them, but federal law is clear and the conventions & treaties requiring the transfer of sentenced persons to their signatory countries are equally clear. These inmates have the right to go home and serve out their sentences.
On the second piece of legislation, to serve our term-lifer members, we are awaiting the bill number to be assigned. Based upon very real cost concerns with allowing inmates direct access to court (which would have killed the bill in Appropriations Committee) our legal steering committee came up with a proposal to strip the Board of Parole Hearings of its current commissioners and replace them with retired judges. Judges are much more accustomed to being held to a higher standard of impartiality, actually know the law, and are qualified to render decisions which will resolve much of the litigation now being pursued as a result of an incompetent BPH.
3. BOARD OF PAROLE HEARINGS (BPH)
With Margarita Perez now gone, the focus has switched to Farmer and Fisher for their behavior on the Board.
Farmer has even gone so far as to interrupt victim testimony and challenge their statements at hearings when he learns they are speaking in favor of the inmate's release. Do you have Terry Farmer stories that should be brought to light? We want to know!
4. TiPS LOBBY DAY 2006
We so far have a great turnout and expect to have the largest prison reform turnout ever. You can make sure it is -- and send a very clear message to Legislators that we ARE mobilized, we ARE organized, and we ARE committed to these issues. The more the merrier, so please keep talking to people and getting them to confirm their attendance.
April 19th, at 10am, in Sacramento is our annual "Lobby Day" when members of TiPS will converge upon the Capitol in Sacramento and walk the halls to meet about issues which are important to us.
This annual Lobby Day is an opportunity for our members to get their face-time with lawmakers and their staff to discuss prison issues and our legislation. But you don't have to speak; and there will be plenty of experienced members there to do the talking if you don't want to.
In addition to personal meetings, a number of Legislators have committed to come to our rally, including several prominent heroes on prison reform issues. TiPS has also secured an entire side of the State Capitol building for our use during an early afternoon rally.
We need to know who is coming (beforehand), so we can guarantee supplies and get them in meeting with the right offices. E-mail: LobbyDay@CorrectionsReform.com to confirm your attendance.
Be sure to reserve your place today. The event is FREE to TiPS members. After our brief morning training and question & answer session, we'll form small groups of TiPS members to visit specific offices of lawmakers from their home towns -- so that means we need members from all over California. The experience is always fun and well-worth the time, and gives you a better understanding of how the process works.
Lobby Day is a lot of fun and is my favorite work day of the year!
We have created a forums section on our Members Access web page for people to learn about hotel and transportation options, and work out other details. Please to there indicate if you can help with either transportation, lodging, financial assistance, organizing, or any other benefit to the attendees. The recommended dress attire is business dress, but more importantly, make sure you come in GREAT walking shoes and are comfortable.
We are tentatively set to begin at 10am so those who are driving-in from out of town will not have to get up too early. If you would like to be a volunteer in putting Lobby Day together, we would welcome your help!
5. MEMBERSHIPS:
You have your SoM in, but have you paid your dues?
You paid your dues, but did you turn in your SoM?
You paid your dues and turned in your SoM, but did you create your username on the web site (and let us know what it is)?
You are indigent and turned in your SoM, but did you provide us with a copy of your trust account statement?
These are the most common mistakes made by (prospective) members which holds up their membership processing.
These are most encouraging times are TiPS continues to grow. We are now up to many new memberships every day can really see the rapid growth.
That being said, let's not lose our momentum. Keep spreading the word, talking to people during visitation, sharing our goals and vision with everyone you know so we can take back California from the special interest groups that have sold our children's future to line the pockets of prison guards.
Invest in yourself and your future, be a part of something bigger than yourself, and get others to join up. We continue to grow and the success (or failure) of this effort will be a direct result of every member's personal commitment to success.
Know of someone who resists joining? They just don’t get the ‘big picture,’ don’t be discouraged as we are seeing there are plenty of other who do. Focus your efforts on those who will produce results.
The new TiPS Statement of Membership (SoM) can be found on our web site at http://www.correctionsreform.com/som.pdf You do not need to fill out another SoM if you have already turned yours in.
6. YARD ELECTIONS:
Once a majority of TiPS members are on a yard, elections will be held amongst the membership to designate a union representative for that yard. Union reps will communicate with TiPS local community representatives, who in turn will monitor that institution & participate directly with TiPS headquarters. Is your MAC/WAC representative involved with TiPS? If not, then whose interest are they really serving?
That's all for now!
Matt Gray
Taxpayers for Improving Public Safety
P.O. Box 255456
Sacramento, CA 95865-5456
- Taxpayers for Improving Public Safety Staff
www.ForPublicSafety.com
In this edition:
TiPS in the news
Legislation Update
- Foreign Transfers
- Lifers Getting Parole
Board of Parole Hearings
Lobby Day
Memberships
Yard Elections
1. TiPS in the News
Among the many pieces of legislation being advanced this year on sex offenses, Assembly Member Barbara Matthews (R-Stockton), has introduced AB 2261 which seeks to provide a term of Life Without the Opportunity for Parole (LWOP), for any offender who commits broadly described sex acts upon a corpse.
In an attempt to raise emotional public outcry in support of the legislation, the author's office fed the story to The Record (which for the most part wrote a fair and objective article -- except it did not mention the lack of any evidence that the crime actually fit what this legislation sought to address).
Creating emotional outcries is how the dogmatic tough-on-crime enthusiasts do business. One of TiPS' statements to the committee yesterday was "The legislative fervor against sex offenses has turned into the McCarthyism of the twenty first century. We know what works and that evidence is ignored; many lawmakers would rather react to emotionally based propaganda than focusing upon what fixes the problem."
In committee Ms. Matthews admitted that in the 15 year old case which prompted this legislation, without certainty the offender only might have engaged in this conduct and she was unable to come up with any substantiated instances of any verified crime as addressed by the legislation. In addition to the absence of a clear need for the bill, the way the measure was written made it unclear as to what actually constituted a sexual act and since it could apply to simply moving the victim, and the bill was therefore overly broad. Absent any showing of a need for the legislation, and since it was written too broadly, TiPS opposed the measure in the Assembly Committee on Public Safety today.
AB 2261 failed passage in the committee.
To review the story in its entirety please go to: http://www.recordnet.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060404/NEWS01/604040329/1001
2. LEGISLATION
Every week TiPS members are represented in the Legislature as more and more tough-on-crime bills try to squeak thru. Legislators, during this election year, are trying to increase penalties, make more behavior criminal, remove protections, and stick it to the inmates & families. Thankfully many of these bills are amended, watered down, or killed.
TiPS' own legislation, SB 1444 (by Senator Escutia, D-Norwalk) which will dramatically reduce our prison population and allow our foreign born inmates to be re-united with their families back home, will be heard in the Senate Committee on Public Safety (SCoPS) later this month.
It would help our position to have even more letter of support from our members who were born in a foreign country and could be affected by this legislation. We have made an online petition available for people to simply fill out and mail into our office. Please print out, mail inside, and have them mail it directly to us. To access the petition go to http://www.forpublicsafety.com/sb1444.pdf
SB 1444 seeks to reduce the prison population by repatriating foreign national inmates (i.e. "undocumented" inmates), to serve out their sentence in their country of origin, if that country is a signatory to either the Vienna or OAS convention. If passed, this will reduce our prison population by roughly 23,000 inmates (nearly 14%).
CDCR is in a bad position because it could have approved the applications by these individuals, and yet has not done so because of their unpublished policy not to. They claim the Feds will not receive them, but federal law is clear and the conventions & treaties requiring the transfer of sentenced persons to their signatory countries are equally clear. These inmates have the right to go home and serve out their sentences.
On the second piece of legislation, to serve our term-lifer members, we are awaiting the bill number to be assigned. Based upon very real cost concerns with allowing inmates direct access to court (which would have killed the bill in Appropriations Committee) our legal steering committee came up with a proposal to strip the Board of Parole Hearings of its current commissioners and replace them with retired judges. Judges are much more accustomed to being held to a higher standard of impartiality, actually know the law, and are qualified to render decisions which will resolve much of the litigation now being pursued as a result of an incompetent BPH.
3. BOARD OF PAROLE HEARINGS (BPH)
With Margarita Perez now gone, the focus has switched to Farmer and Fisher for their behavior on the Board.
Farmer has even gone so far as to interrupt victim testimony and challenge their statements at hearings when he learns they are speaking in favor of the inmate's release. Do you have Terry Farmer stories that should be brought to light? We want to know!
4. TiPS LOBBY DAY 2006
We so far have a great turnout and expect to have the largest prison reform turnout ever. You can make sure it is -- and send a very clear message to Legislators that we ARE mobilized, we ARE organized, and we ARE committed to these issues. The more the merrier, so please keep talking to people and getting them to confirm their attendance.
April 19th, at 10am, in Sacramento is our annual "Lobby Day" when members of TiPS will converge upon the Capitol in Sacramento and walk the halls to meet about issues which are important to us.
This annual Lobby Day is an opportunity for our members to get their face-time with lawmakers and their staff to discuss prison issues and our legislation. But you don't have to speak; and there will be plenty of experienced members there to do the talking if you don't want to.
In addition to personal meetings, a number of Legislators have committed to come to our rally, including several prominent heroes on prison reform issues. TiPS has also secured an entire side of the State Capitol building for our use during an early afternoon rally.
We need to know who is coming (beforehand), so we can guarantee supplies and get them in meeting with the right offices. E-mail: LobbyDay@CorrectionsReform.com to confirm your attendance.
Be sure to reserve your place today. The event is FREE to TiPS members. After our brief morning training and question & answer session, we'll form small groups of TiPS members to visit specific offices of lawmakers from their home towns -- so that means we need members from all over California. The experience is always fun and well-worth the time, and gives you a better understanding of how the process works.
Lobby Day is a lot of fun and is my favorite work day of the year!
We have created a forums section on our Members Access web page for people to learn about hotel and transportation options, and work out other details. Please to there indicate if you can help with either transportation, lodging, financial assistance, organizing, or any other benefit to the attendees. The recommended dress attire is business dress, but more importantly, make sure you come in GREAT walking shoes and are comfortable.
We are tentatively set to begin at 10am so those who are driving-in from out of town will not have to get up too early. If you would like to be a volunteer in putting Lobby Day together, we would welcome your help!
5. MEMBERSHIPS:
You have your SoM in, but have you paid your dues?
You paid your dues, but did you turn in your SoM?
You paid your dues and turned in your SoM, but did you create your username on the web site (and let us know what it is)?
You are indigent and turned in your SoM, but did you provide us with a copy of your trust account statement?
These are the most common mistakes made by (prospective) members which holds up their membership processing.
These are most encouraging times are TiPS continues to grow. We are now up to many new memberships every day can really see the rapid growth.
That being said, let's not lose our momentum. Keep spreading the word, talking to people during visitation, sharing our goals and vision with everyone you know so we can take back California from the special interest groups that have sold our children's future to line the pockets of prison guards.
Invest in yourself and your future, be a part of something bigger than yourself, and get others to join up. We continue to grow and the success (or failure) of this effort will be a direct result of every member's personal commitment to success.
Know of someone who resists joining? They just don’t get the ‘big picture,’ don’t be discouraged as we are seeing there are plenty of other who do. Focus your efforts on those who will produce results.
The new TiPS Statement of Membership (SoM) can be found on our web site at http://www.correctionsreform.com/som.pdf You do not need to fill out another SoM if you have already turned yours in.
6. YARD ELECTIONS:
Once a majority of TiPS members are on a yard, elections will be held amongst the membership to designate a union representative for that yard. Union reps will communicate with TiPS local community representatives, who in turn will monitor that institution & participate directly with TiPS headquarters. Is your MAC/WAC representative involved with TiPS? If not, then whose interest are they really serving?
That's all for now!
Matt Gray
Taxpayers for Improving Public Safety
P.O. Box 255456
Sacramento, CA 95865-5456
- Taxpayers for Improving Public Safety Staff
Death at Chino's CIM not revealed right away
Death at Chino's CIM not revealed right away
By Mason Stockstill Staff Writer,
Inland Valley Daily Bulletin
CHINO - Officials at the California Institution for Men failed to release information about the death of an inmate who was assaulted last year until they were queried by reporters several months later.
Raymond Castaneda, 44, died Oct. 23 from injuries he had sustained in an assault three months earlier at Reception Center-West, one of three processing facilities at the prison.
No announcement was made about his death because it was first reported as a battery on an inmate -- a regular occurrence at the prison, said Lt. Tim Shirlock.
"We wouldn't normally do a press release on that anyway," Shirlock said. "Obviously, if I have somebody murdered right away, I'm going to do a press release on it."
The lack of immediate public notification fits a pattern established by the state prison system, critics said: Communication with the outside world is often inconsistent at best.
Officials with other law enforcement agencies said that a death in their jail cells would mean they'd issue a press release or otherwise notify the public.
"If somebody died while in police custody, that's the kind of thing that would draw attention," said Michelle Van Der Linden, a spokeswoman for the Chino Police Department. "We would definitely get something out."
The California Code of Regulations states that the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation will "make known to the public, through the news media ... all relevant information" about prison operations. The only requirement for notifying the media of a specific incident is when an inmate escapes.
Prison officials at Salinas Valley State Prison in Monterey County have already faced criticism earlier this year for not reporting two inmate homicides to the public or the media. Reporters from the Monterey Herald learned of those killings through rumors and an unrelated interview with prison staff.
Chino Mayor Dennis Yates said he's been frustrated by a lack of communication coming from the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation in the past.
He noted that no one told the city about new plans to build a 25-bed mental health facility at the women's prison in Chino until a day before the proposal was submitted to the Legislature last week.
"That's typical for Corrections," said Yates, who opposes the construction of any new prison facilities in Chino. "They don't ask our opinion."
Particularly galling was the fact that city leaders met with officials in Sacramento several times to discuss a different proposal regarding the men's prison, yet the planned facility at the women's prison never came up, Yates said.
"We were up there about three times over the last five or six months," he said. "They didn't mention it."
Terry Thornton, a spokeswoman for the department, said officials did share information with others regarding the mental health facility.
"I know we did a lot of outreach to local officials in these areas, and also to the legislators that oversee our budget, too," Thornton said.
Inmate deaths such as Castaneda's are reported to the state Attorney General's office, where they are compiled in a database.
According to that data, 21 inmates died at CIM in 2005, most from natural causes or illness. Two were suicides, and three, including Castaneda, had the cause of death listed as "pending/unknown."
Castaneda had previously been convicted of sexual battery and sentenced to eight years in prison in 1997.
Investigators at the prison are still looking into his killing, and may soon have enough evidence to seek charges against the suspect or suspects, Shirlock said.
http://www.dailybulletin.com/news/ci_3672919
By Mason Stockstill Staff Writer,
Inland Valley Daily Bulletin
CHINO - Officials at the California Institution for Men failed to release information about the death of an inmate who was assaulted last year until they were queried by reporters several months later.
Raymond Castaneda, 44, died Oct. 23 from injuries he had sustained in an assault three months earlier at Reception Center-West, one of three processing facilities at the prison.
No announcement was made about his death because it was first reported as a battery on an inmate -- a regular occurrence at the prison, said Lt. Tim Shirlock.
"We wouldn't normally do a press release on that anyway," Shirlock said. "Obviously, if I have somebody murdered right away, I'm going to do a press release on it."
The lack of immediate public notification fits a pattern established by the state prison system, critics said: Communication with the outside world is often inconsistent at best.
Officials with other law enforcement agencies said that a death in their jail cells would mean they'd issue a press release or otherwise notify the public.
"If somebody died while in police custody, that's the kind of thing that would draw attention," said Michelle Van Der Linden, a spokeswoman for the Chino Police Department. "We would definitely get something out."
The California Code of Regulations states that the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation will "make known to the public, through the news media ... all relevant information" about prison operations. The only requirement for notifying the media of a specific incident is when an inmate escapes.
Prison officials at Salinas Valley State Prison in Monterey County have already faced criticism earlier this year for not reporting two inmate homicides to the public or the media. Reporters from the Monterey Herald learned of those killings through rumors and an unrelated interview with prison staff.
Chino Mayor Dennis Yates said he's been frustrated by a lack of communication coming from the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation in the past.
He noted that no one told the city about new plans to build a 25-bed mental health facility at the women's prison in Chino until a day before the proposal was submitted to the Legislature last week.
"That's typical for Corrections," said Yates, who opposes the construction of any new prison facilities in Chino. "They don't ask our opinion."
Particularly galling was the fact that city leaders met with officials in Sacramento several times to discuss a different proposal regarding the men's prison, yet the planned facility at the women's prison never came up, Yates said.
"We were up there about three times over the last five or six months," he said. "They didn't mention it."
Terry Thornton, a spokeswoman for the department, said officials did share information with others regarding the mental health facility.
"I know we did a lot of outreach to local officials in these areas, and also to the legislators that oversee our budget, too," Thornton said.
Inmate deaths such as Castaneda's are reported to the state Attorney General's office, where they are compiled in a database.
According to that data, 21 inmates died at CIM in 2005, most from natural causes or illness. Two were suicides, and three, including Castaneda, had the cause of death listed as "pending/unknown."
Castaneda had previously been convicted of sexual battery and sentenced to eight years in prison in 1997.
Investigators at the prison are still looking into his killing, and may soon have enough evidence to seek charges against the suspect or suspects, Shirlock said.
http://www.dailybulletin.com/news/ci_3672919
The Unforgiven's Message- Part II
I'm trying to figure out where to begin.
I've come to believe that the greatest problem plaguing the entire
system is the lack of accountability. It's only been in the last
few weeks that Florida Governor Jeb Bush finally held former
Secretary of Corrections James Crosby accountable for his corrupt
activities and mismanagement of the FLDOC. Please don't be fooled
by believing that this came about because of a desire on the part of
our Governor or our State Attorney General Charlie "Chaingang
Charlie" Crist, to do the right thing. It only happened because the
FBI and the FDLE (Florida Department of Law Enforcement) had built a
case that was soon to become public. (The Governor had to act in
order to separate himself from the man him and "Chaingang Charlie"
have long supported.) It was also political survival for both Bush,
who aspires to greater political heights in the future and for Crist
who is now campaigning for Governor of the state of Florida
with "Law and Order" being the backbone of his campaign. Throughout
the FLDOC, officers and administrative staff, along with those in
medical and the private company Aramark Food Services (a company in
which it's said the Bush family has large stock holdings) are free
to say and do whatever they choose to, or choose not to do.
I can't prove this to be true, as I have no tape recorders or video
cameras to capture the evidence, and the system will surely call me
a liar and show you all kinds of policies, procedures and rules to
show how diligently they manage everything, but it's all a facade,
an illusionary wall that hides "the systems" untruths from a public
who wants to believe that a person with a badge is the honorable
hero who is underappreciated. A lot of them are too, but
unfortunately far too many are far from it.
Though I can't prove a lot of what I'm going to be writing, it can
be proven. There are those who have worked in "the system" and have
spoken out about what's really going on. They've been harassed,
threatened, fired and swept under the rug; they've quit their jobs,
gone to the press and to the courts. But it's been to no avail
because for every one person who speaks out, "the system" presents
ten more to discredit them. And sadly, the public doesn't care;
they don't want to see the truth, because they are blinded by their
hatred of crime and criminals. I also understand society's
attitude toward those who commit crimes, especially those who prey
on the innocent, but the time has come for people to start viewing
the situation with their minds and not their emotions.
The hardest fact for the public to accept is that by turning a blind
eye to the "hows" and "whys" of the care, custody and control of our
prisoners, they are responsible to varying degrees when a monster
just released from custody directs his anger toward an innocent
victim. I'm not attempting to justify the acts of such a predator,
I just want you to see the culpability involved, so please read
on.
I give you two scenarios:
A man is arrested; let's say for rape. During the arrest he is
beaten, let's say like Rodney King was. When he is taken to the
police department, he is set in a chair; bent over at the waist and
his hands are cuffed to an eyebolt on the floor behind his legs
under the chair. He's denied any medical treatment for the beating
he's already received and for the next 10 hours, he is interrogated,
punched, kicked and psychologically beaten down by the good cop /
bad cop games you see working all the time on television* (see ABC
News Primetime, March 30, 2006 False Confessions Not Hard to Get,
Says Expert http://abcnews.go.com/Primetime/story?
id=1783918&page=1 ) and in the movies. After he confesses to his
crimes, along with a couple that weren't his, he's taken to jail and
put in a cell, still without medical care since "we don't want proof
of injury." (He will be healed by the time he sees a lawyer; weeks
or months later and everyone will scoff at his claims that he was
ever beaten.)
This man will sit in jail anywhere from one to five years waiting
for trial (if he even goes to trial) or he's waiting to enter into a
plea bargain (which are probably 70% or more of what criminal
defendants do). It's a given that during this phase, the State's
Attorney will not play by the rules and said criminal will be
sentenced either to more time then the law allows or to a higher
degree of criminal charge then he should be, or of course, both of
these; with a slew of procedural rules violated, to boot. The judge
won't demand everything is done by the book and if the Public
Defender doesn't make too much of a stink, it's off to prison he
goes.
Okay, I will grant you that this entire scenario doesn't occur every
time someone is arrested, but I will guarantee you that it does
happen. It might only happen every now and then (I'm being generous
here in order to err on the side of caution) but you must stop and
understand that the crimes perpetrated against those like Polly
Klauss and Jessica Lundsford are less then 1% of crimes committed.
And while all of the above abuses of authority don't occur together,
they happen in varying degrees in almost every criminal case,
increasing with the severity of the crimes one might be charged
with. Where am I going with all this? Bear with me just a bit
longer and you will see...
So, our scumbag is now heading to prison. He arrives at one of
Florida's three reception centers and upon stepping off the bus, he
has what's suppose to be a professional correctional officer in his
face screaming at him and everyone else just arriving (usually 50 or
so per bus). He's called every name in the book but his own, he's
stripped naked and made to stand shoulder to shoulder in line with
all the other naked men (does this remind you of the US Military
scandal in Abu Ghraibi?); he's made to bend over while squatting,
grab both of his butt cheeks and spread them. The inmate remains in
that position until an officer (CO) steps behind all the inmates,
one at a time, and makes them cough. It's claimed that this is to
insure no contraband is smuggled anally, but that's a bunch of crap
(no pun intended). In my 20 years, I've never seen or heard of
anyone having anything "fall out" or be "seen" in this manner; not
even those who I know actually did have contraband (drugs, money and
other things you just wouldn't believe) hidden in this manner.
This practice is solely one of utter humiliation and all inmates
must comply at any time a CO feels like making them or any time they
get a visit. Poor Baby, you might say. And I understand, I really
do, but please read on...
After the "strip `em and spread `em" procedure is done, all his hair
is shaved off his head, he's put in a blue uniform with a white
stripe down the leg; he's given a number and ceases to be an
individual. He's treated like a child, boot camp recruit and play
toy all rolled up into one. He's forced to do whatever a CO wants
him to, including sweeping the sun off of the sidewalk (I kid you
not) and if he rebels in any way, he will be handcuffed, smacked
around and put into a confinement cell for varying lengths of time.
Eventually he will be sent to a permanent institution where he must
remain for three to five years before he can attempt to get
transferred somewhere else. A transfer is usually sought because,
contrary to the FLDOC's written statement, most prisoners are housed
too far from their home for any of their family to visit, thus,
isolating our guy even further. Since a 15 minute phone call costs
our families close to $6.00, even phone contact is very limited as
most prisoners are of low income homes.
This guy gets no education, no job training, is taught no social
skills and gets no psychological treatment (unless he asks for it,
but even then, 30 or 40 minutes of limited counseling once a month
is far short of the hour long weekly sessions recommended by
psychiatric professionals for basic treatment, much less than
recommended for serious disorder treatment.) On top of all this,
our guy is subjected to constant verbal and psychological harassment
from officers who themselves, have little education, less
professionalism and lack the mentality to exercise absolute
authority over a class of men they despise. Unwarranted use of
physical force, chemical agents* (see: Prisoners Sue DOC for
Excessive Gassing
http://www.angelfire.com/fl4/fci/pepperspraysuit.html ) and the
malicious destruction of the little personal property one is
allowed* (see: a XANGA online journal: Inside the Slam, Lockdown,
Nov. 9, 2005 http://www.xanga.com/puddlejumpertwo ), all serve to
build within this hated being, a rage so intense that the many hours
of anything meaningful to occupy one's mind, are filled with hatred
and the fantasies of violent thoughts.
Now after 10, 15 or 25 years, this man is released back into the
real world. He usually has no place to live, no clothes to wear
(other then what he's wearing) and very little, if any, chance of
finding a job. He has no food, no toiletries, no transportation.
He is a social zero. The $100.00 the state gives him upon release,
doesn't last a minute in today's economy so now he has nothing but a
bad attitude and nothing to lose. Yes, there are groups and
services out there to help ex-felons, but they have their own uphill
battle that they lose more often then not. They are underfunded,
understaffed and there's really little they can do for a guy like
one I've just explained. No employer wants to hire him, no woman
wants to date him, no bank or company will give him credit; he is
the perfect example of "the system's" multi billion dollar failure.
So what does this failure now do? He steals your money because he
has none; he starts doing drugs to escape the truth of failure and
have a little "fun." He brutalizes, he robs, he rapes and he
kills. When he finally snaps, all the seething rage and hatred
directs itself at some innocent person he makes suffer for every
wrong done to him for so many years.
And whether they accept it or not, that innocent blood is on the
hands of every DOC employee who perpetuates any abuse of authority
toward prisoners and on every DOC employee who knows, whether
they've seen it or heard it, that abuse occurs and does nothing
about it. That blood is on the hands of every judge, prosecutor and
clerk who violates the statutes and procedures of the law, as well
as those who know it occurs and yet do nothing to stop it. That
blood is on the hands of every cop who beats a suspect, lies on the
witness stand and manipulates or plants evidence as well as every
cop who turns a blind eye and upholds the infamous "Blue Wall of
Silence." That blood is on the hands of every politician who allows
employers of these agencies, qualified immunity and makes it nearly
impossible to hold them accountable for their actions and when
they're caught, allows them to only give up their jobs and rarely
holds them criminally accountable. And lastly, sadly, that blood is
on the hands of society itself, whose apathy toward all things
within "the system" has allowed things to get so horribly out of
control that this system creates more crime, criminals and victims
than it deters, all in the name of power and the almighty dollar.
I challenge any honest, well intentional citizen who scoffs at the
idea of the abuses throughout "the system" to simply get a job in
any area and see for yourself. If you do, just go with the flow,
don't voice any moral or ethical objections or opinions and "the
system" will soon reveal itself.
Now, hopefully, you can see where I have been going with this
scenario. The scenario I described is not made up. I've used only
my own experiences and those of others I can personally verify, to
create the monster making scenario. I don't justify or condone any
crime committed by someone released from prison, I just wanted you
to see the roots of their failure.
Now however, I'm going to give you scenario #2. It will be shorter
I promise and is solely, a product of my imagination.
Our guy is the same one as before. He's been arrested by the police
and they use only the amount of force necessary to take the suspect
into custody. The officers dealing with him are professional,
polite and honorable. The arrest, and every interaction with any
officer are videotaped with fiber optic technology with a belt-
mounted receiver. Being taped means all rules and laws will have to
be meticulously obeyed. Which is a good thing, right?
During questioning, detectives are given any tool they need to
ascertain the truth. New brain pattern recognition technology is an
ideal crime fighting tool. Areas of the brain activate when a
suspect is lying, and another activates with actual memory
stimulation signaling truth. When faced with proof of their guilt,
most criminals confess. For those who don't, good solid police work
can be amazingly successful and his trial will determine innocence
or guilt. During all court proceedings, the law is applied equally
to the rich and to the poor by prosecutors who view their job not as
one to exact justice on criminals, but rather, as one to see justice
in its purest form for the public and for those facing the
consequences of violating the law. Judges would be in their
positions to interpret legal disputes and insure proper applications
of law. This system would have in place penalties that would disbar
and / or incarcerate any judge, prosecutor, defense attorney or
police officer who knowingly manipulated the law, rules or procedure
and remove others from the courtroom into lesser roles for making
mistakes due to a lack of due diligence.
Once our guy is sentenced, he is sent to prison and treated by all
staff in a professional unbiased manner, humanely and fairly. If he
has family wishing to be a part of his rehabilitation, he will be
housed as close as possible to them and his visits and phone calls
will be affordable and easily accessed.
Education, vocational and social training, will be mandatory in
order for him to complete his commitment. Psychological counseling
will be thorough and doctors will have the means to invoke judicial
review and continued hospitalization, similar to that in place with
the Jimmy Rice Act, for those deemed a continued threat to society.
Upon release, this man will have his civil rights restored and will
be placed in transitional housing (if it's needed.) Companies who
are given tax break incentives and are a part of the vocational
training within the system will allow this man to work, earn a
livelihood and offer health care (or contribute to a public health
care fund.) Other companies and banks would offer government
insured lines of credit for our guy's initial re-entry into society
for transportation, clothes, food and other necessities.
Within weeks of his release, this man will be a working, tax paying
productive member of society able to provide for himself and when he
is embraced by a community instead of ostracized, a family of his
own. A family that will be the best deterrent to keep him from
further crime.
That's my vision. A vision I know is possible given time, resources
and a large enough group of voting citizens demanding our
politicians do it. Which guy would you want walking in your
neighborhood? Obviously, it's scenario #2, so let's all do
something about it. Let's make as many ordinary people as possible,
aware of what's really happening and why it's in all of our best
interest to stop what's currently going on inside our criminal
justice system.
Once someone is shown what's going on, they are accountable for
their part. Either they choose to condone the current doings
within "the system" or they can choose to help change it. All it
takes for evil to prevail is for good men and women to do nothing
about it. So if someone says "screw the criminals, the system's
fine"; when they become a victim of a recidivist, they are as fault
as well.
I have to stop here, but I will get back to what's going on more
specifically in prisons, the courts, etc., next time. I hope this
makes as much sense to you as it does to me.
`Til Next Time ~
The Unforgiven
They dedicate their lives / To running all of his / He tries to
please them all / This bitter man he is / Throughout his life the
same / He's battled constantly / This fight he cannot win
I've come to believe that the greatest problem plaguing the entire
system is the lack of accountability. It's only been in the last
few weeks that Florida Governor Jeb Bush finally held former
Secretary of Corrections James Crosby accountable for his corrupt
activities and mismanagement of the FLDOC. Please don't be fooled
by believing that this came about because of a desire on the part of
our Governor or our State Attorney General Charlie "Chaingang
Charlie" Crist, to do the right thing. It only happened because the
FBI and the FDLE (Florida Department of Law Enforcement) had built a
case that was soon to become public. (The Governor had to act in
order to separate himself from the man him and "Chaingang Charlie"
have long supported.) It was also political survival for both Bush,
who aspires to greater political heights in the future and for Crist
who is now campaigning for Governor of the state of Florida
with "Law and Order" being the backbone of his campaign. Throughout
the FLDOC, officers and administrative staff, along with those in
medical and the private company Aramark Food Services (a company in
which it's said the Bush family has large stock holdings) are free
to say and do whatever they choose to, or choose not to do.
I can't prove this to be true, as I have no tape recorders or video
cameras to capture the evidence, and the system will surely call me
a liar and show you all kinds of policies, procedures and rules to
show how diligently they manage everything, but it's all a facade,
an illusionary wall that hides "the systems" untruths from a public
who wants to believe that a person with a badge is the honorable
hero who is underappreciated. A lot of them are too, but
unfortunately far too many are far from it.
Though I can't prove a lot of what I'm going to be writing, it can
be proven. There are those who have worked in "the system" and have
spoken out about what's really going on. They've been harassed,
threatened, fired and swept under the rug; they've quit their jobs,
gone to the press and to the courts. But it's been to no avail
because for every one person who speaks out, "the system" presents
ten more to discredit them. And sadly, the public doesn't care;
they don't want to see the truth, because they are blinded by their
hatred of crime and criminals. I also understand society's
attitude toward those who commit crimes, especially those who prey
on the innocent, but the time has come for people to start viewing
the situation with their minds and not their emotions.
The hardest fact for the public to accept is that by turning a blind
eye to the "hows" and "whys" of the care, custody and control of our
prisoners, they are responsible to varying degrees when a monster
just released from custody directs his anger toward an innocent
victim. I'm not attempting to justify the acts of such a predator,
I just want you to see the culpability involved, so please read
on.
I give you two scenarios:
A man is arrested; let's say for rape. During the arrest he is
beaten, let's say like Rodney King was. When he is taken to the
police department, he is set in a chair; bent over at the waist and
his hands are cuffed to an eyebolt on the floor behind his legs
under the chair. He's denied any medical treatment for the beating
he's already received and for the next 10 hours, he is interrogated,
punched, kicked and psychologically beaten down by the good cop /
bad cop games you see working all the time on television* (see ABC
News Primetime, March 30, 2006 False Confessions Not Hard to Get,
Says Expert http://abcnews.go.com/Primetime/story?
id=1783918&page=1 ) and in the movies. After he confesses to his
crimes, along with a couple that weren't his, he's taken to jail and
put in a cell, still without medical care since "we don't want proof
of injury." (He will be healed by the time he sees a lawyer; weeks
or months later and everyone will scoff at his claims that he was
ever beaten.)
This man will sit in jail anywhere from one to five years waiting
for trial (if he even goes to trial) or he's waiting to enter into a
plea bargain (which are probably 70% or more of what criminal
defendants do). It's a given that during this phase, the State's
Attorney will not play by the rules and said criminal will be
sentenced either to more time then the law allows or to a higher
degree of criminal charge then he should be, or of course, both of
these; with a slew of procedural rules violated, to boot. The judge
won't demand everything is done by the book and if the Public
Defender doesn't make too much of a stink, it's off to prison he
goes.
Okay, I will grant you that this entire scenario doesn't occur every
time someone is arrested, but I will guarantee you that it does
happen. It might only happen every now and then (I'm being generous
here in order to err on the side of caution) but you must stop and
understand that the crimes perpetrated against those like Polly
Klauss and Jessica Lundsford are less then 1% of crimes committed.
And while all of the above abuses of authority don't occur together,
they happen in varying degrees in almost every criminal case,
increasing with the severity of the crimes one might be charged
with. Where am I going with all this? Bear with me just a bit
longer and you will see...
So, our scumbag is now heading to prison. He arrives at one of
Florida's three reception centers and upon stepping off the bus, he
has what's suppose to be a professional correctional officer in his
face screaming at him and everyone else just arriving (usually 50 or
so per bus). He's called every name in the book but his own, he's
stripped naked and made to stand shoulder to shoulder in line with
all the other naked men (does this remind you of the US Military
scandal in Abu Ghraibi?); he's made to bend over while squatting,
grab both of his butt cheeks and spread them. The inmate remains in
that position until an officer (CO) steps behind all the inmates,
one at a time, and makes them cough. It's claimed that this is to
insure no contraband is smuggled anally, but that's a bunch of crap
(no pun intended). In my 20 years, I've never seen or heard of
anyone having anything "fall out" or be "seen" in this manner; not
even those who I know actually did have contraband (drugs, money and
other things you just wouldn't believe) hidden in this manner.
This practice is solely one of utter humiliation and all inmates
must comply at any time a CO feels like making them or any time they
get a visit. Poor Baby, you might say. And I understand, I really
do, but please read on...
After the "strip `em and spread `em" procedure is done, all his hair
is shaved off his head, he's put in a blue uniform with a white
stripe down the leg; he's given a number and ceases to be an
individual. He's treated like a child, boot camp recruit and play
toy all rolled up into one. He's forced to do whatever a CO wants
him to, including sweeping the sun off of the sidewalk (I kid you
not) and if he rebels in any way, he will be handcuffed, smacked
around and put into a confinement cell for varying lengths of time.
Eventually he will be sent to a permanent institution where he must
remain for three to five years before he can attempt to get
transferred somewhere else. A transfer is usually sought because,
contrary to the FLDOC's written statement, most prisoners are housed
too far from their home for any of their family to visit, thus,
isolating our guy even further. Since a 15 minute phone call costs
our families close to $6.00, even phone contact is very limited as
most prisoners are of low income homes.
This guy gets no education, no job training, is taught no social
skills and gets no psychological treatment (unless he asks for it,
but even then, 30 or 40 minutes of limited counseling once a month
is far short of the hour long weekly sessions recommended by
psychiatric professionals for basic treatment, much less than
recommended for serious disorder treatment.) On top of all this,
our guy is subjected to constant verbal and psychological harassment
from officers who themselves, have little education, less
professionalism and lack the mentality to exercise absolute
authority over a class of men they despise. Unwarranted use of
physical force, chemical agents* (see: Prisoners Sue DOC for
Excessive Gassing
http://www.angelfire.com/fl4/fci/pepperspraysuit.html ) and the
malicious destruction of the little personal property one is
allowed* (see: a XANGA online journal: Inside the Slam, Lockdown,
Nov. 9, 2005 http://www.xanga.com/puddlejumpertwo ), all serve to
build within this hated being, a rage so intense that the many hours
of anything meaningful to occupy one's mind, are filled with hatred
and the fantasies of violent thoughts.
Now after 10, 15 or 25 years, this man is released back into the
real world. He usually has no place to live, no clothes to wear
(other then what he's wearing) and very little, if any, chance of
finding a job. He has no food, no toiletries, no transportation.
He is a social zero. The $100.00 the state gives him upon release,
doesn't last a minute in today's economy so now he has nothing but a
bad attitude and nothing to lose. Yes, there are groups and
services out there to help ex-felons, but they have their own uphill
battle that they lose more often then not. They are underfunded,
understaffed and there's really little they can do for a guy like
one I've just explained. No employer wants to hire him, no woman
wants to date him, no bank or company will give him credit; he is
the perfect example of "the system's" multi billion dollar failure.
So what does this failure now do? He steals your money because he
has none; he starts doing drugs to escape the truth of failure and
have a little "fun." He brutalizes, he robs, he rapes and he
kills. When he finally snaps, all the seething rage and hatred
directs itself at some innocent person he makes suffer for every
wrong done to him for so many years.
And whether they accept it or not, that innocent blood is on the
hands of every DOC employee who perpetuates any abuse of authority
toward prisoners and on every DOC employee who knows, whether
they've seen it or heard it, that abuse occurs and does nothing
about it. That blood is on the hands of every judge, prosecutor and
clerk who violates the statutes and procedures of the law, as well
as those who know it occurs and yet do nothing to stop it. That
blood is on the hands of every cop who beats a suspect, lies on the
witness stand and manipulates or plants evidence as well as every
cop who turns a blind eye and upholds the infamous "Blue Wall of
Silence." That blood is on the hands of every politician who allows
employers of these agencies, qualified immunity and makes it nearly
impossible to hold them accountable for their actions and when
they're caught, allows them to only give up their jobs and rarely
holds them criminally accountable. And lastly, sadly, that blood is
on the hands of society itself, whose apathy toward all things
within "the system" has allowed things to get so horribly out of
control that this system creates more crime, criminals and victims
than it deters, all in the name of power and the almighty dollar.
I challenge any honest, well intentional citizen who scoffs at the
idea of the abuses throughout "the system" to simply get a job in
any area and see for yourself. If you do, just go with the flow,
don't voice any moral or ethical objections or opinions and "the
system" will soon reveal itself.
Now, hopefully, you can see where I have been going with this
scenario. The scenario I described is not made up. I've used only
my own experiences and those of others I can personally verify, to
create the monster making scenario. I don't justify or condone any
crime committed by someone released from prison, I just wanted you
to see the roots of their failure.
Now however, I'm going to give you scenario #2. It will be shorter
I promise and is solely, a product of my imagination.
Our guy is the same one as before. He's been arrested by the police
and they use only the amount of force necessary to take the suspect
into custody. The officers dealing with him are professional,
polite and honorable. The arrest, and every interaction with any
officer are videotaped with fiber optic technology with a belt-
mounted receiver. Being taped means all rules and laws will have to
be meticulously obeyed. Which is a good thing, right?
During questioning, detectives are given any tool they need to
ascertain the truth. New brain pattern recognition technology is an
ideal crime fighting tool. Areas of the brain activate when a
suspect is lying, and another activates with actual memory
stimulation signaling truth. When faced with proof of their guilt,
most criminals confess. For those who don't, good solid police work
can be amazingly successful and his trial will determine innocence
or guilt. During all court proceedings, the law is applied equally
to the rich and to the poor by prosecutors who view their job not as
one to exact justice on criminals, but rather, as one to see justice
in its purest form for the public and for those facing the
consequences of violating the law. Judges would be in their
positions to interpret legal disputes and insure proper applications
of law. This system would have in place penalties that would disbar
and / or incarcerate any judge, prosecutor, defense attorney or
police officer who knowingly manipulated the law, rules or procedure
and remove others from the courtroom into lesser roles for making
mistakes due to a lack of due diligence.
Once our guy is sentenced, he is sent to prison and treated by all
staff in a professional unbiased manner, humanely and fairly. If he
has family wishing to be a part of his rehabilitation, he will be
housed as close as possible to them and his visits and phone calls
will be affordable and easily accessed.
Education, vocational and social training, will be mandatory in
order for him to complete his commitment. Psychological counseling
will be thorough and doctors will have the means to invoke judicial
review and continued hospitalization, similar to that in place with
the Jimmy Rice Act, for those deemed a continued threat to society.
Upon release, this man will have his civil rights restored and will
be placed in transitional housing (if it's needed.) Companies who
are given tax break incentives and are a part of the vocational
training within the system will allow this man to work, earn a
livelihood and offer health care (or contribute to a public health
care fund.) Other companies and banks would offer government
insured lines of credit for our guy's initial re-entry into society
for transportation, clothes, food and other necessities.
Within weeks of his release, this man will be a working, tax paying
productive member of society able to provide for himself and when he
is embraced by a community instead of ostracized, a family of his
own. A family that will be the best deterrent to keep him from
further crime.
That's my vision. A vision I know is possible given time, resources
and a large enough group of voting citizens demanding our
politicians do it. Which guy would you want walking in your
neighborhood? Obviously, it's scenario #2, so let's all do
something about it. Let's make as many ordinary people as possible,
aware of what's really happening and why it's in all of our best
interest to stop what's currently going on inside our criminal
justice system.
Once someone is shown what's going on, they are accountable for
their part. Either they choose to condone the current doings
within "the system" or they can choose to help change it. All it
takes for evil to prevail is for good men and women to do nothing
about it. So if someone says "screw the criminals, the system's
fine"; when they become a victim of a recidivist, they are as fault
as well.
I have to stop here, but I will get back to what's going on more
specifically in prisons, the courts, etc., next time. I hope this
makes as much sense to you as it does to me.
`Til Next Time ~
The Unforgiven
They dedicate their lives / To running all of his / He tries to
please them all / This bitter man he is / Throughout his life the
same / He's battled constantly / This fight he cannot win
Saturday, April 01, 2006
Integrating the cell block
Integrating the cell block
State lockups can't separate prisoners by race alone.
Long Beach Press Telegram
California is one of the few states that openly acknowledges its prison system segregates inmates by race. That's about to change after the U.S. Supreme Court let stand a successful challenge to the unwritten policy that assigns inmates of the same race to two-inmate cells. Some wardens are nervous, and for good reason.
During the past few months riots have broken out between Latino and black inmates at L.A. County jails. Two inmates were killed and scores have been injured. Inmates at one prison told the Wall Street Journal that prison culture dictates that the races don't mingle. Of the 170,000 inmates in the state's overcrowded prisons, 38 percent are Hispanic, 29 percent are black and 27 percent are white. It's common, even at low-security lockups, for inmates who belong to the Mexican Mafia, Black Guerrilla Family or the Nazi Low Riders to display gang tattoos on the back of their heads.
Under the new policy, inmates, regardless of race, will be assigned to the next available cell. In Texas, which adopted the policy a decade ago, violence actually declined when cells were desegregated. Some scholars and Supreme Court justices are hopeful that prisoners will get along just fine in California, too. But at least one scholar, a former San Jose police chief who now is a research fellow at the Hoover Institution, isn't so sure. He fears that the new policy could cause even more racial tension.
What's even more worrisome is the shortage of prison guards. On a recent day at the California Institute for Men at Chino eight officers were guarding 500 inmates in the prison yard. That's not unusual, a state corrections officials told the Journal.
We'd like to think prisons are all about rehabilitation, and that includes learning racial tolerance. The Supreme Court, citing Brown v. Board of Education, found prison segregation as unconstitutional as school segregation. The court concluded that prisoner segregation only reinforces "racial and ethnic divisions." But when it comes to gang-banger felons with racial tattoos on their heads, wardens understand the culture better than anyone, and should be allowed to do whatever is necessary to prevent violence.
http://www.presstelegram.com/opinions/ci_3639404
State lockups can't separate prisoners by race alone.
Long Beach Press Telegram
California is one of the few states that openly acknowledges its prison system segregates inmates by race. That's about to change after the U.S. Supreme Court let stand a successful challenge to the unwritten policy that assigns inmates of the same race to two-inmate cells. Some wardens are nervous, and for good reason.
During the past few months riots have broken out between Latino and black inmates at L.A. County jails. Two inmates were killed and scores have been injured. Inmates at one prison told the Wall Street Journal that prison culture dictates that the races don't mingle. Of the 170,000 inmates in the state's overcrowded prisons, 38 percent are Hispanic, 29 percent are black and 27 percent are white. It's common, even at low-security lockups, for inmates who belong to the Mexican Mafia, Black Guerrilla Family or the Nazi Low Riders to display gang tattoos on the back of their heads.
Under the new policy, inmates, regardless of race, will be assigned to the next available cell. In Texas, which adopted the policy a decade ago, violence actually declined when cells were desegregated. Some scholars and Supreme Court justices are hopeful that prisoners will get along just fine in California, too. But at least one scholar, a former San Jose police chief who now is a research fellow at the Hoover Institution, isn't so sure. He fears that the new policy could cause even more racial tension.
What's even more worrisome is the shortage of prison guards. On a recent day at the California Institute for Men at Chino eight officers were guarding 500 inmates in the prison yard. That's not unusual, a state corrections officials told the Journal.
We'd like to think prisons are all about rehabilitation, and that includes learning racial tolerance. The Supreme Court, citing Brown v. Board of Education, found prison segregation as unconstitutional as school segregation. The court concluded that prisoner segregation only reinforces "racial and ethnic divisions." But when it comes to gang-banger felons with racial tattoos on their heads, wardens understand the culture better than anyone, and should be allowed to do whatever is necessary to prevent violence.
http://www.presstelegram.com/opinions/ci_3639404
Invitation to Lobby Day 2006 at the CA State Capitol
Invitation to Lobby Day 2006 at the CA State Capitol
2006 Prison Reform
LOBBY DAY
Wednesday, April 19, 2006 10:00 am - 4:00 pm
SPEAK WITH YOUR LEGISLATOR.
Taxpayers for Improving Public
Safety & Capital Alliance are
providing logistical support &
training at this important event.
Don't miss this opportunity to
advocate for prison reform and
improved public safety!
Speak with your legislators be part of the process!
2006 TiPS LOBBY DAY
For more information
or to RSVP
E-mail
LobbyDay@CorrectionsReform.com
Or call Capital Alliance at
(916) 444-5551
Begins with a training session at 10 am
Opportunity for TiPS members to meet
with Legislators and staff to discuss
public safety/prison issues & discuss
TiPS legislation.
We will also have a gathering on the
South steps of the Capitol building for
guest speakers, including Legislators,
to address TiPS members.
2006 LOBBY DAY
For more information
or to RSVP
E-mail
LobbyDay@CorrectionsReform.com
Or call Capital Alliance at
(916) 444-5551
RSVP now to
reserve your space
Taxpayers for Improving Public Safety
Bringing "unity" to the prison reform community
MISSION STATEMENT:
To unite the prison reform community into their rightful political force, to reform Corrections to live up to its name and thereby improve public safety, to support politicians who support prison reform and replace those who do not.
To accomplish this goal we have established a multidisciplinary union of inmates & victims, children, individuals and businesses who are united thru their common interest of improving public safety. Click here to review our union contract and join in our efforts
Taxpayers for Improving Public Safety
Building Partnerships - Reforming Corrections - Improving Public Safety
Dear California Taxpayer:
Our tax dollars continue to be spent on a broken and costly correctional system. Each year our state's prison budget increases by between $200 million and $400 million while other valuable state programs are slashed.1
It is time to revisit how our costly prison system functions. It is time we take a non-partisan approach to reforming Corrections in meaningful ways which provide for real public safety for all Californians.
Our rapidly growing prison system has the highest failure rate in the nation. 79% of inmates who are released fail to complete their parole and are returned to 'the system' because they are unprepared to succeed in our society.2 These returning offenders along with new offenders means an ever-growing prison system.
Yet despite these significant cost increases and obvious failures, very little is spent on preparing our offenders to succeed once released. Drug treatment (when available) is given only at the end of a prison sentence, yet 80% of our inmate population is serving time for an offense related to substance abuse. The average inmate has a 7th grade education, however educational courses are offered only to 3% of the inmate population and classes are frequently cancelled. Only 10% of our inmates are enrolled in a vocational program to provide them with employable skills once released.3
Where does the money go? 66% of the budget goes to a phenomenal benefits package for prison guards who use their political power in the Legislature to get longer prison sentences and to criminalize more behavior.4
The result is a bulging prison population and an ever-growing guards union with increased political influence.
Shall we simply lock up inmates for longer and continue to increase our taxes to pay for it all? Leading criminologist research shows that approach no longer works for California because we have reached the threshold of "diminishing returns" on our investment in prisons.5 That means the 30-years of lock-'em-upand-throw-away-the-key mentality no longer makes us any safer, it just costs us taxpayers more money.
TiPS has been formed as the non-partisan political vehicle for the purpose of delivering improved public
safety. For as little as $5 per month (less than 20-cents per day), your membership fees are used to
implement a strategic 3-part plan to:
• Build a broad membership foundation;
• Launch a public awareness campaign; and
• Influence public policy to provide for real and lasting improved public safety.
By building a broad membership foundation, educating the general public, and refining our government down
to progressive pro-prison reform decision makers, we will altogether reform Corrections and thereby improve public safety in our communities.
Will you partner with us in being a positive influence to achieve these goals? Become a member of this
coalition, urge your friends and family members to join as well, and help to make this effort an historic
turning point for prison reform in California.
For more information, please visit us online at www.ForPublicSafety.com . Memberships or general
contributions may also be paid securely by credit card online, or mailed and made payable to TiPS.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ENDNOTES
1. California State Legislature, Annual Budget Act, 2001-02, 2002-03, 2003-04, 2004-05
2. Legislative Analyst's Office, Analysis of California's Parole System. March, 2003.
3. California Department of Corrections, CDC Facts, 2003-2004
4. California State Legislature, Annual Budget Act, 2003-04, 2004-05
5. James Q. Wilson, "Crime and Public Policy" Crime ICS Press, Oakland, California 1995, page 489-507
2006 LOBBY DAY
For more information
or to RSVP
E-mail
LobbyDay@CorrectionsReform.com
Or call Capital Alliance at
(916) 444-5551
RSVP now to
reserve your space
2006 Prison Reform
LOBBY DAY
Wednesday, April 19, 2006 10:00 am - 4:00 pm
SPEAK WITH YOUR LEGISLATOR.
Taxpayers for Improving Public
Safety & Capital Alliance are
providing logistical support &
training at this important event.
Don't miss this opportunity to
advocate for prison reform and
improved public safety!
Speak with your legislators be part of the process!
2006 TiPS LOBBY DAY
For more information
or to RSVP
LobbyDay@CorrectionsReform.com
Or call Capital Alliance at
(916) 444-5551
Begins with a training session at 10 am
Opportunity for TiPS members to meet
with Legislators and staff to discuss
public safety/prison issues & discuss
TiPS legislation.
We will also have a gathering on the
South steps of the Capitol building for
guest speakers, including Legislators,
to address TiPS members.
2006 LOBBY DAY
For more information
or to RSVP
LobbyDay@CorrectionsReform.com
Or call Capital Alliance at
(916) 444-5551
RSVP now to
reserve your space
Taxpayers for Improving Public Safety
Bringing "unity" to the prison reform community
MISSION STATEMENT:
To unite the prison reform community into their rightful political force, to reform Corrections to live up to its name and thereby improve public safety, to support politicians who support prison reform and replace those who do not.
To accomplish this goal we have established a multidisciplinary union of inmates & victims, children, individuals and businesses who are united thru their common interest of improving public safety. Click here to review our union contract and join in our efforts
Taxpayers for Improving Public Safety
Building Partnerships - Reforming Corrections - Improving Public Safety
Dear California Taxpayer:
Our tax dollars continue to be spent on a broken and costly correctional system. Each year our state's prison budget increases by between $200 million and $400 million while other valuable state programs are slashed.1
It is time to revisit how our costly prison system functions. It is time we take a non-partisan approach to reforming Corrections in meaningful ways which provide for real public safety for all Californians.
Our rapidly growing prison system has the highest failure rate in the nation. 79% of inmates who are released fail to complete their parole and are returned to 'the system' because they are unprepared to succeed in our society.2 These returning offenders along with new offenders means an ever-growing prison system.
Yet despite these significant cost increases and obvious failures, very little is spent on preparing our offenders to succeed once released. Drug treatment (when available) is given only at the end of a prison sentence, yet 80% of our inmate population is serving time for an offense related to substance abuse. The average inmate has a 7th grade education, however educational courses are offered only to 3% of the inmate population and classes are frequently cancelled. Only 10% of our inmates are enrolled in a vocational program to provide them with employable skills once released.3
Where does the money go? 66% of the budget goes to a phenomenal benefits package for prison guards who use their political power in the Legislature to get longer prison sentences and to criminalize more behavior.4
The result is a bulging prison population and an ever-growing guards union with increased political influence.
Shall we simply lock up inmates for longer and continue to increase our taxes to pay for it all? Leading criminologist research shows that approach no longer works for California because we have reached the threshold of "diminishing returns" on our investment in prisons.5 That means the 30-years of lock-'em-upand-throw-away-the-key mentality no longer makes us any safer, it just costs us taxpayers more money.
TiPS has been formed as the non-partisan political vehicle for the purpose of delivering improved public
safety. For as little as $5 per month (less than 20-cents per day), your membership fees are used to
implement a strategic 3-part plan to:
• Build a broad membership foundation;
• Launch a public awareness campaign; and
• Influence public policy to provide for real and lasting improved public safety.
By building a broad membership foundation, educating the general public, and refining our government down
to progressive pro-prison reform decision makers, we will altogether reform Corrections and thereby improve public safety in our communities.
Will you partner with us in being a positive influence to achieve these goals? Become a member of this
coalition, urge your friends and family members to join as well, and help to make this effort an historic
turning point for prison reform in California.
For more information, please visit us online at www.ForPublicSafety.com . Memberships or general
contributions may also be paid securely by credit card online, or mailed and made payable to TiPS.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
ENDNOTES
1. California State Legislature, Annual Budget Act, 2001-02, 2002-03, 2003-04, 2004-05
2. Legislative Analyst's Office, Analysis of California's Parole System. March, 2003.
3. California Department of Corrections, CDC Facts, 2003-2004
4. California State Legislature, Annual Budget Act, 2003-04, 2004-05
5. James Q. Wilson, "Crime and Public Policy" Crime ICS Press, Oakland, California 1995, page 489-507
2006 LOBBY DAY
For more information
or to RSVP
LobbyDay@CorrectionsReform.com
Or call Capital Alliance at
(916) 444-5551
RSVP now to
reserve your space
Relatives Sue Over Inmate's Slaying by Prison Guard
Relatives Sue Over Inmate's Slaying by Prison Guard
The family alleges improper training of the officer and inadequate medical care for the Wasco facility's prisoner.
By Jenifer Warren, Times Staff Writer
March 29, 2006
SACRAMENTO — Relatives of an inmate killed by a guard at a prison near Bakersfield sued the state Tuesday, alleging that the officer was ill-trained in the use of his weapon and that corrections officials failed to provide adequate medical care.
The lawsuit, which seeks unspecified damages, was filed on behalf of the young son and mother of Daniel Provencio, an Oxnard man who died last year after he was shot in the head with a rubber projectile.
The shooting was ruled justified by an independent review team. But investigators said inadequate training with the weapon may have caused the officer to hit Provencio in the forehead, rather than in the legs as intended, when he opened fire to break up a fight.
The Kern County coroner's office ruled the death a homicide caused by blunt-force trauma to the head.
Provencio's case stirred attention from state lawmakers -- and Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger — because he was hospitalized in a coma for weeks while being guarded around the clock at a cost of more than $30,000 to taxpayers. For a portion of that time, Provencio also was shackled.
Schwarzenegger called the guarding of a brain-dead inmate "ludicrous" and a poor use of state money, prompting a review of internal rules by the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. On Tuesday, a department spokeswoman said that review was continuing and that decisions about appropriate security for incapacitated inmates were being made on a case-by-case basis. She declined to comment on the lawsuit.
The shooting took place during dinner on Jan. 16, 2005, at Wasco State Prison. After an inmate dumped food on another and hit him on the head with a tray, an officer ordered all prisoners to lie down.
Most complied, the investigative report said, but Provencio — who had not been involved in the fight — moved toward the officer in what witnesses described as a threatening manner. Tests later showed that he was intoxicated, with a blood-alcohol level of nearly twice the legal limit for motorists. Witnesses said he had consumed a large amount of pruno, an alcoholic brew made illegally behind bars from fruit and other ingredients.
Perched in an elevated control booth, a second officer fired a projectile from his 40-millimeter launcher, striking Provencio in the head. He lost consciousness at the prison infirmary and was taken to a hospital, where he slipped into a coma that lasted until his death March 4, 2005.
An investigation by the Office of the Inspector General — a watchdog over state prisons — called the use of the launcher reasonable but faulted the prison's weapons training.
The lawsuit alleges that the state and the prison's warden were negligent in failing to properly train the officer to use a weapon designed to be nonlethal. The suit also says prison officials failed to conduct inspections that might have discovered the pruno.
The lawsuit further alleges that a doctor and nurse who examined Provencio in the prison infirmary lacked the education and skills to properly treat him. As a result, the suit contends, his head wound developed into a subdural hematoma, leading to his death.
A Westwood lawyer for the Provencio family, John P. McNicholas, declined to discuss the lawsuit, saying, "We will get to the bottom of this through the due process of law."
Provencio, 28, was in prison for parole violations and previously had served a term for a narcotics conviction. In an interview after he was shot, his mother, Nancy Mendoza, said her son had recently overcome a heroin addiction and had been working a steady job laying utility pipe until his arrest for drunk driving.
Provencio's sister, Nancy Anaya, said Tuesday that her family decided to sue because "we hope to make some changes, so that his death will not be in vain."
"The guards need to be trained on this weapon if they are going to be firing," Anaya said. "Not all of these inmates are in prison for violent crimes and [they] do not deserve to be treated like an animal."
The family alleges improper training of the officer and inadequate medical care for the Wasco facility's prisoner.
By Jenifer Warren, Times Staff Writer
March 29, 2006
SACRAMENTO — Relatives of an inmate killed by a guard at a prison near Bakersfield sued the state Tuesday, alleging that the officer was ill-trained in the use of his weapon and that corrections officials failed to provide adequate medical care.
The lawsuit, which seeks unspecified damages, was filed on behalf of the young son and mother of Daniel Provencio, an Oxnard man who died last year after he was shot in the head with a rubber projectile.
The shooting was ruled justified by an independent review team. But investigators said inadequate training with the weapon may have caused the officer to hit Provencio in the forehead, rather than in the legs as intended, when he opened fire to break up a fight.
The Kern County coroner's office ruled the death a homicide caused by blunt-force trauma to the head.
Provencio's case stirred attention from state lawmakers -- and Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger — because he was hospitalized in a coma for weeks while being guarded around the clock at a cost of more than $30,000 to taxpayers. For a portion of that time, Provencio also was shackled.
Schwarzenegger called the guarding of a brain-dead inmate "ludicrous" and a poor use of state money, prompting a review of internal rules by the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. On Tuesday, a department spokeswoman said that review was continuing and that decisions about appropriate security for incapacitated inmates were being made on a case-by-case basis. She declined to comment on the lawsuit.
The shooting took place during dinner on Jan. 16, 2005, at Wasco State Prison. After an inmate dumped food on another and hit him on the head with a tray, an officer ordered all prisoners to lie down.
Most complied, the investigative report said, but Provencio — who had not been involved in the fight — moved toward the officer in what witnesses described as a threatening manner. Tests later showed that he was intoxicated, with a blood-alcohol level of nearly twice the legal limit for motorists. Witnesses said he had consumed a large amount of pruno, an alcoholic brew made illegally behind bars from fruit and other ingredients.
Perched in an elevated control booth, a second officer fired a projectile from his 40-millimeter launcher, striking Provencio in the head. He lost consciousness at the prison infirmary and was taken to a hospital, where he slipped into a coma that lasted until his death March 4, 2005.
An investigation by the Office of the Inspector General — a watchdog over state prisons — called the use of the launcher reasonable but faulted the prison's weapons training.
The lawsuit alleges that the state and the prison's warden were negligent in failing to properly train the officer to use a weapon designed to be nonlethal. The suit also says prison officials failed to conduct inspections that might have discovered the pruno.
The lawsuit further alleges that a doctor and nurse who examined Provencio in the prison infirmary lacked the education and skills to properly treat him. As a result, the suit contends, his head wound developed into a subdural hematoma, leading to his death.
A Westwood lawyer for the Provencio family, John P. McNicholas, declined to discuss the lawsuit, saying, "We will get to the bottom of this through the due process of law."
Provencio, 28, was in prison for parole violations and previously had served a term for a narcotics conviction. In an interview after he was shot, his mother, Nancy Mendoza, said her son had recently overcome a heroin addiction and had been working a steady job laying utility pipe until his arrest for drunk driving.
Provencio's sister, Nancy Anaya, said Tuesday that her family decided to sue because "we hope to make some changes, so that his death will not be in vain."
"The guards need to be trained on this weapon if they are going to be firing," Anaya said. "Not all of these inmates are in prison for violent crimes and [they] do not deserve to be treated like an animal."
Former prisoners say special housing units are dangerous
Family members of those incarcerated in special housing units and several women formerly confined to those types of cells provided emotional testimony at a press conference held by Mental Health Alternatives to Solitary Confinement last Tuesday.
They were calling for the passage of a bill (S.2207) establishing residential treatment programs for the rehabilitation and confinement of inmates with serious mental illnesses in a way consistent with the needs of the mentally ill and security and safety of the prison workers.
At the conference several advocates arrived dressed in hospital gowns and placed boxes over their heads in protest of the cramped and confined conditions that inmates placed in a special housing unit, or SHU, must endure.
They recounted stories that revealed how SHUs impacted those with mental disabilities; by their accounts these conditions allowed for bleak violations of human rights and disregard for New York state law. Manifested in outbursts and tearful recollections, they offered blurry fragments of obviously painful stories including the rape, suicide and mistreatment of prison inmates.
Brenda Jerry, an ex-prison inmate, told the audience of mostly mental health advocates that she had been diagnosed with acute bipolar disorder before entering the prison system. While in prison she was placed into confinement where she was molested by guards, “beaten black and blue in places it don’t show,” and had her dignity stripped away.
Other women told tales of children in confinement who lost a dangerous amount of weight, their sanity, or even their lives.
The Correctional Association surveyed 162 prisoners with mental illness in special housing units and found that between 1998 and 2001, over 50 percent of the system’s 48 suicides occurred in 23-hour lockdown, which is the normal stay without human interaction, sunlight or fresh air, that an inmate can experience in a SHU. Fifty-three percent of inmates with mental illness in SHUs reported previous suicide attempts while in prison.
“These figures make horribly clear that the SHUs are lethal to these vulnerable prisoners,” said Michael Seereiter, public policy director for the Mental Health Association of New York State.
Jack Beck, director of the Prison Visiting Project, said that the legislation sponsored by Assemblyman Jeffrion Aubry, D-Queens, and Sen. Michael Nozzolio, R,C-Fayette, would help mental health workers to intervene before the mentally ill go to an SHU.
“Prisons are a dumping ground for the mentally ill,” Beck said, “and SHUs are a dumping ground for the prison system.”
Opposition to the bill, which passed the Assembly with an overwhelming vote of 135-7 in late March, included a handful of Assembly members who had various arguments with the bill as it stands.
Assemblyman Robert Reilly, D-Colonie, voted against the bill because of concerns placing dangerous mentally ill inmates in Office of Mental Health facilities that lacked untrained guards would put surrounding communities and others in danger.
“In this legislation there are 6,000 individuals involved and when you have these people in prisons they are a potential danger to themselves, other prisoners and people guarding them,” Reilly said. “You want to make sure they are in a secure facility. The question is who is best prepared to protect the people?”
Assemblyman David R. Koon, D,I-Perinton, has strong feelings that any inmate determined to stay out of the SHU could simply feign a mental disorder and receive a lesser punishment.
“To try and determine if someone who committed a major crime has major mental problems is difficult,” Koon said. “If I wanted to pretend that I had a major problem I could probably pretend that I do.”
Seereiter confirmed that both of the issues expressed by the assemblymen are valid, but that each is addressed in the legislation through a mandatory 40 hours of mental health training for prison guards and extensive psychological screening for the inmates who arrive at a separate facility.
“We will not be satisfied until treatment is consistent and humane across the board,” said Aubry, who spoke at the press conference amid cheers of thanks from the audience. “It has to stop completely.”
http://www.legislativegazette.com/read_more.php?story=1196
They were calling for the passage of a bill (S.2207) establishing residential treatment programs for the rehabilitation and confinement of inmates with serious mental illnesses in a way consistent with the needs of the mentally ill and security and safety of the prison workers.
At the conference several advocates arrived dressed in hospital gowns and placed boxes over their heads in protest of the cramped and confined conditions that inmates placed in a special housing unit, or SHU, must endure.
They recounted stories that revealed how SHUs impacted those with mental disabilities; by their accounts these conditions allowed for bleak violations of human rights and disregard for New York state law. Manifested in outbursts and tearful recollections, they offered blurry fragments of obviously painful stories including the rape, suicide and mistreatment of prison inmates.
Brenda Jerry, an ex-prison inmate, told the audience of mostly mental health advocates that she had been diagnosed with acute bipolar disorder before entering the prison system. While in prison she was placed into confinement where she was molested by guards, “beaten black and blue in places it don’t show,” and had her dignity stripped away.
Other women told tales of children in confinement who lost a dangerous amount of weight, their sanity, or even their lives.
The Correctional Association surveyed 162 prisoners with mental illness in special housing units and found that between 1998 and 2001, over 50 percent of the system’s 48 suicides occurred in 23-hour lockdown, which is the normal stay without human interaction, sunlight or fresh air, that an inmate can experience in a SHU. Fifty-three percent of inmates with mental illness in SHUs reported previous suicide attempts while in prison.
“These figures make horribly clear that the SHUs are lethal to these vulnerable prisoners,” said Michael Seereiter, public policy director for the Mental Health Association of New York State.
Jack Beck, director of the Prison Visiting Project, said that the legislation sponsored by Assemblyman Jeffrion Aubry, D-Queens, and Sen. Michael Nozzolio, R,C-Fayette, would help mental health workers to intervene before the mentally ill go to an SHU.
“Prisons are a dumping ground for the mentally ill,” Beck said, “and SHUs are a dumping ground for the prison system.”
Opposition to the bill, which passed the Assembly with an overwhelming vote of 135-7 in late March, included a handful of Assembly members who had various arguments with the bill as it stands.
Assemblyman Robert Reilly, D-Colonie, voted against the bill because of concerns placing dangerous mentally ill inmates in Office of Mental Health facilities that lacked untrained guards would put surrounding communities and others in danger.
“In this legislation there are 6,000 individuals involved and when you have these people in prisons they are a potential danger to themselves, other prisoners and people guarding them,” Reilly said. “You want to make sure they are in a secure facility. The question is who is best prepared to protect the people?”
Assemblyman David R. Koon, D,I-Perinton, has strong feelings that any inmate determined to stay out of the SHU could simply feign a mental disorder and receive a lesser punishment.
“To try and determine if someone who committed a major crime has major mental problems is difficult,” Koon said. “If I wanted to pretend that I had a major problem I could probably pretend that I do.”
Seereiter confirmed that both of the issues expressed by the assemblymen are valid, but that each is addressed in the legislation through a mandatory 40 hours of mental health training for prison guards and extensive psychological screening for the inmates who arrive at a separate facility.
“We will not be satisfied until treatment is consistent and humane across the board,” said Aubry, who spoke at the press conference amid cheers of thanks from the audience. “It has to stop completely.”
http://www.legislativegazette.com/read_more.php?story=1196
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