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.
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