Inside CDCR — Ironwood State Prison (ISP) announced that according to preliminary results it achieved a 99.1 percent score from the American Correctional Association audit.
The American Correctional Association (ACA) is the oldest and largest international correctional association in the world. ACA serves all disciplines within the corrections profession and is dedicated to excellence in every aspect of the field including professional development and certification to standards and accreditation.
“It is ISP’s initial audit and not only did we pass, but we tied the highest score within California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR),” said ISP Warden Dave Long. “I would like to express my appreciation to all of ISP’s staff for the hard work, dedication and professionalism they displayed in preparation for and during our initial accreditation audit.”
Wednesday, March 26, 2014
Tuesday, March 25, 2014
Micro Shield
From CimRiders:
A very tragic accident happen last night as staff responded to a code 1, an inmate un-responsive and non breathing. Responding staff immediately stepped in and began life saving measures (CPR).
A very well respected Sergeant without delay pulled out his Micro Shield and began giving life saving breaths to the non breathing inmate. During CPR the inmate ejected bodily fluids and the fluids went right through the Micro Shield. The Sergeant immediately ingested the fluids.
The Sergeant was immediately sent out to the outside Hospital for medical treatment.
The Staff at CIW are sending thoughts and prayers to Sergeant "V" and his family. God Bless you Brother for not hesitating to do the right thing, only to put your own life in danger. We are praying that all tests are negative.
Also thanks to the 3/W staff for their quick actions, and to the Watch Commander for getting the Sergeant out ASAP!
Have a Safe 8
A very tragic accident happen last night as staff responded to a code 1, an inmate un-responsive and non breathing. Responding staff immediately stepped in and began life saving measures (CPR).
A very well respected Sergeant without delay pulled out his Micro Shield and began giving life saving breaths to the non breathing inmate. During CPR the inmate ejected bodily fluids and the fluids went right through the Micro Shield. The Sergeant immediately ingested the fluids.
The Sergeant was immediately sent out to the outside Hospital for medical treatment.
The Staff at CIW are sending thoughts and prayers to Sergeant "V" and his family. God Bless you Brother for not hesitating to do the right thing, only to put your own life in danger. We are praying that all tests are negative.
Also thanks to the 3/W staff for their quick actions, and to the Watch Commander for getting the Sergeant out ASAP!
Have a Safe 8
Golden opportunity: Program provides purpose to inmates at prison medical facility
STOCKTON - Jay White had an infectious smile on his face. You might say he was feeling golden.The color of his smock designated him a caretaker of the sick, a job he says gives him purpose and brightens his days behind institution walls.
"It makes me feel like less of a burden," White said. "And it makes me feel like I'm a part of something good."
As part of the "Gold Coat" program at the newly built prison medical facility in Stockton, White's duty is to assist debilitated prisoners with everyday activities, such as pushing wheelchairs and filling out paperwork.
The California Health Care Facility is the largest prison medical center in the nation, built to house the state's sickest and terminally ill inmates in response to a federal court order that mandates the prison system provide a constitutional level of health care.
Admissions to the institution were recently halted by a court-appointed medical receiver following reports of inadequate conditions.
But while prison officials work out the problems, the facility is moving forward with launching programs for those currently on the grounds.
About a week ago, the prison system's Golden Coat program was expanded into Stockton to provide assistance to prisoners in need and employment opportunities to those more able.
Through the program, the facility employs 42 inmates who have medical conditions that still allow them to work.
Other state institutions have on average about 15 inmates wearing golden smocks, but given the unique need of the Stockton facility, it is expected to eventually employ nearly 100 in the program.
"We will probably have the most in the state," said Associate Warden Ernie Facio, who also is the Americans with Disabilities Act coordinator. "We have a higher level of guys who are older, and their medical conditions don't allow them to be as mobile as before."
The facility currently houses about 1,345 inmates, but that figure is expected to increase to 1,700 after admissions resume and more inmate patients are transferred there.
Wednesday, March 19, 2014
Corrections officer accidentally shoots self at practice range
KOMO — TUKWILA, Wash. - A state Department of Corrections officer accidentally shot himself in the leg Wednesday morning at a police shooting range in Tukwila, officials said.
The officer was among a group of community corrections officers who were doing their twice-annual firearms requalification at the Seattle Police Athletic Association shooting range, said DOC spokeswoman Norah West.
Somehow he accidentally discharged his firearm, shooting himself in the leg. He was taken to Harborview Medical Center, where he is listed in stable condition.
West said the officer is experienced and had previously requalified without incident.
The Department of Corrections is investigating the incident.
The officer was among a group of community corrections officers who were doing their twice-annual firearms requalification at the Seattle Police Athletic Association shooting range, said DOC spokeswoman Norah West.
Somehow he accidentally discharged his firearm, shooting himself in the leg. He was taken to Harborview Medical Center, where he is listed in stable condition.
West said the officer is experienced and had previously requalified without incident.
The Department of Corrections is investigating the incident.
Tuesday, March 18, 2014
Inmate beaten, 2 guards at SVSP slightly injured breaking up assault
AP — Two correctional officers at a central coast prison are being treated for minor injuries suffered while breaking up an inmate assault.
The state corrections department said the attack at Salinas Valley State Prison sent both officers and the inmate victim to area hospitals on Tuesday.
Corrections officials say two inmates, identified as 35-year-old Jesus Ruiz and 22-year-old Manden Torres, attacked the victim with weapons they had fashioned themselves. The victim was sent to the hospital with cuts to the chest and head.
Both suspects are serving life sentences for murder from Tulare County.
Officers used pepper spray to break up the attack at the prison, which is 130 miles southeast of San Francisco. One had scratches on his arm, while the other was cut on her chin.
The state corrections department said the attack at Salinas Valley State Prison sent both officers and the inmate victim to area hospitals on Tuesday.
Corrections officials say two inmates, identified as 35-year-old Jesus Ruiz and 22-year-old Manden Torres, attacked the victim with weapons they had fashioned themselves. The victim was sent to the hospital with cuts to the chest and head.
Both suspects are serving life sentences for murder from Tulare County.
Officers used pepper spray to break up the attack at the prison, which is 130 miles southeast of San Francisco. One had scratches on his arm, while the other was cut on her chin.
Monday, March 17, 2014
DVI, HDSP and CCC offer help to Special Olympics
Inside CDCR — Representatives from Deuel Vocational Institution (DVI), High Desert State Prison
(HDSP), and the California Correctional Center (CCC) recently attended the 2014 Special Olympics Kick-Off Conference
Sgt. Sabrina Harris and Community Projects Manager (CPM) Martina Virrey from DVI, CPM Andy Beck from HDSP, and Lt. Gregory Crowe from CCC represented the CDCR at the law enforcement torch run kick-off conference in Livermore, CA, last month.
The mission of the Special Olympics of Northern California is to provide athletic opportunities to children and adults with intellectual disabilities, instilling the confidence they need to succeed in life.
Several CDCR institutions and many CDCR staff members have a history of supporting the Special Olympics.
Friday, March 14, 2014
Can a New Twist on a Native American Tradition Help Solve America's Prison Crisis? (Pilot Program at Salinas Valley State Prison)
(Watch the video http://vimeo.com/84528751 )
Built in 1996, SVSP has long ranked among California’s most violent penitentiaries. Gangs control many aspects of prison life, enforcing racial segregation in most yards; wars erupt periodically among the factions. Beatings and stabbings are a daily occurrence, as prisoners punish members of their own group for violations of protocol or perceived acts of disrespect. Inmates attack guards as well, often with cupfuls of urine and feces, and guards use batons or pepper spray to subdue unruly inmates.
Yet on a Saturday morning in October, an experiment in empathy is getting under way. A dozen blue-uniformed inmates drift into a classroom off A Yard, decorated with maps, alphabet letters, and a poster of a surfer at sunset. After exchanging handshakes, shoulder bumps, and murmured greetings, they sit in a ring on battered steel chairs, clustering like segments on a demographic pie chart: six Native Americans on one side, four African Americans on the other, with a guy from Honduras and a preop transsexual (who identifies as Mexican, Apache, and female) seated alone between the groups. The only whites in the gathering, besides myself, are a couple of trainers—one dark and stout, the other fair and lanky—who’ve come to teach a two-day workshop in a communication technique known as Council.
Read More: TakePart.com
Thursday, March 13, 2014
State sees surge of second-strike inmates
Staff and wire reports — Tulare County is among several counties that are confounding the state’s court-ordered efforts to sharply reduce its inmate population by sending state prisons far more convicts than anticipated, including a record number of people with second felony convictions.
The surge in offenders requiring state prison sentences is undermining a nearly 3-year-old law pushed by Gov. Jerry Brown. The legislation restructured California’s criminal justice system to keep lower-level felons in county jails while reserving state prison cells for serious, violent and sexual offenders.
The law initially reduced the state prison population by 25,000 inmates and brought it close to the level demanded by a special panel of three federal judges who ruled that a reduction in crowding was the best way to improve treatment of inmates.
But the inmate population is rising again, led by a record increase in the number of second felony convictions for those who already had a prior conviction for a serious crime.
Lloyd Hicks, Tulare County’s presiding judge, says local law enforcement are in no way trying to sabotage the state’s realignment law and says a variety of factors may be resulting in the increase of second-strikers being sent to prison. continue reading...
The surge in offenders requiring state prison sentences is undermining a nearly 3-year-old law pushed by Gov. Jerry Brown. The legislation restructured California’s criminal justice system to keep lower-level felons in county jails while reserving state prison cells for serious, violent and sexual offenders.
The law initially reduced the state prison population by 25,000 inmates and brought it close to the level demanded by a special panel of three federal judges who ruled that a reduction in crowding was the best way to improve treatment of inmates.
But the inmate population is rising again, led by a record increase in the number of second felony convictions for those who already had a prior conviction for a serious crime.
Lloyd Hicks, Tulare County’s presiding judge, says local law enforcement are in no way trying to sabotage the state’s realignment law and says a variety of factors may be resulting in the increase of second-strikers being sent to prison. continue reading...
Tuesday, March 11, 2014
Seven inmates hurt in Calipatria prison riot
LA Times — About 200 prisoners were involved in a riot Tuesday at Calapatria State Prison that injured seven inmates, officials of the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation said.
The disturbance at the Imperial County prison began about 10:15 a.m. in the maximum-security Level IL yard at Facility B.
Guards from other parts of the prison rushed to the scene and fired warning shots, rounds of pepper spray and foam-tipped rubber bullets. They quelled the disturbance in about eight minutes, prison spokesman Lt. Everardo Silva said.
After the riot, officers found several inmate-manufactured weapons from the area, he said.
Seven inmates had injuries, none life-threatening. Six were taken to an area hospital for treatment. Most of their injuries were the result of fighting, although one prisoner required stitches for an injury from a rubber round. All have been returned to the prison.
No employees were injured in the melee.
The cause of the riot is under investigation, and inmate movement has been restricted.
Officials said Calipatria State Prison opened in 1992 and houses about 3,800 inmates, 1,700 of whom are serving life and 594 are serving life without the possibility of parole.
The prison employs 1,280 workers.
The disturbance at the Imperial County prison began about 10:15 a.m. in the maximum-security Level IL yard at Facility B.
Guards from other parts of the prison rushed to the scene and fired warning shots, rounds of pepper spray and foam-tipped rubber bullets. They quelled the disturbance in about eight minutes, prison spokesman Lt. Everardo Silva said.
After the riot, officers found several inmate-manufactured weapons from the area, he said.
Seven inmates had injuries, none life-threatening. Six were taken to an area hospital for treatment. Most of their injuries were the result of fighting, although one prisoner required stitches for an injury from a rubber round. All have been returned to the prison.
No employees were injured in the melee.
The cause of the riot is under investigation, and inmate movement has been restricted.
Officials said Calipatria State Prison opened in 1992 and houses about 3,800 inmates, 1,700 of whom are serving life and 594 are serving life without the possibility of parole.
The prison employs 1,280 workers.
CDCR Parole Agent killed in Bakersfield crash
Inside CDCR — CDCR Parole Agent I David Aggio was killed Sunday in a crash in Bakersfield after being hit by a suspected impaired driver, police told a local newspaper.
Agent Aggio, who worked in the Eureka Parole Unit, was killed instantly in the 11:50 a.m. crash police said. He wife suffered minor injuries in the accident.
“I want to express my deepest condolences to Agent Aggio’s family, friends, and colleagues,” CDCR Secretary Jeff Beard said. “He was a dedicated public servant committed to protecting and improving the safety of our communities. His tragic death is a huge loss to the entire CDCR family.
The 22-year-old driver of the vehicle that hit and killed Agent Aggio may have been under the influence of drugs, police said.
Agent Aggio was in Bakersfield because his wife temporarily has a job in the area, the newspaper reported.
Two people in a vehicle also hit by the 22-year-old driver also suffered minor injuries.
Agent Aggio, who worked in the Eureka Parole Unit, was killed instantly in the 11:50 a.m. crash police said. He wife suffered minor injuries in the accident.
“I want to express my deepest condolences to Agent Aggio’s family, friends, and colleagues,” CDCR Secretary Jeff Beard said. “He was a dedicated public servant committed to protecting and improving the safety of our communities. His tragic death is a huge loss to the entire CDCR family.
The 22-year-old driver of the vehicle that hit and killed Agent Aggio may have been under the influence of drugs, police said.
Agent Aggio was in Bakersfield because his wife temporarily has a job in the area, the newspaper reported.
Two people in a vehicle also hit by the 22-year-old driver also suffered minor injuries.
PD: Prison guard leaves gun in University of Oklahoma Children's Hospital restroom
KJRH — Investigators say a prison guard left a loaded gun in a University of Oklahoma Children’s Hospital restroom.
Police say the unnamed guard was escorting a pregnant inmate to the hospital from the Mabel Bassett Correctional Center on Feb. 26.
The guard used the women's restroom while waiting for the prisoner to be released after giving labor so she could take her back to prison.
The loaded 9mm Glock was found later on the bathroom floor.
“We were fortunate that a responsible adult found the weapon,” Albertson said. “An officer took that gun belt in custody and brought it back to our station, did some further investigation and found out it belonged to a Department of Corrections employee.”
The bathroom is accessible to the public, including children, according to police.
Chief James Albertson of the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center Police Department said a report on the incident was filed with the District Attorney, but he declined to file charges and instead referred the matter to the Department of Corrections.
The weapon was returned to the Department of Corrections.
Police say the unnamed guard was escorting a pregnant inmate to the hospital from the Mabel Bassett Correctional Center on Feb. 26.
The guard used the women's restroom while waiting for the prisoner to be released after giving labor so she could take her back to prison.
The loaded 9mm Glock was found later on the bathroom floor.
“We were fortunate that a responsible adult found the weapon,” Albertson said. “An officer took that gun belt in custody and brought it back to our station, did some further investigation and found out it belonged to a Department of Corrections employee.”
The bathroom is accessible to the public, including children, according to police.
Chief James Albertson of the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center Police Department said a report on the incident was filed with the District Attorney, but he declined to file charges and instead referred the matter to the Department of Corrections.
The weapon was returned to the Department of Corrections.
Calif. prison numbers sliding up
AP — California counties are confounding the state's court-ordered efforts to sharply reduce its inmate population by sending state prisons far more convicts than anticipated, including a record number of people with second felony convictions.
The surge in offenders requiring state prison sentences is undermining a nearly 3-year-old law pushed by Gov. Jerry Brown. The legislation restructured California's criminal justice system to keep lower-level felons in county jails while reserving state prison cells for serious, violent and sexual offenders.
The law initially reduced the state prison population by 25,000 inmates and brought it close to the level demanded by a special panel of three federal judges who ruled that a reduction in crowding was the best way to improve treatment of inmates.
But the inmate population is rising again, led by a record increase in the number of second felony convictions for those who already had a prior conviction for a serious crime.
Counties, where prosecutors have discretion in filing such charges, sent nearly 5,500 people with second felony convictions to state prisons during the 2013-14 fiscal year, a 33 percent increase over the previous year and the most since California enacted the nation's first three-strikes law in 1994 that required life sentences for offenders convicted of three felonies.
The number climbs to 6,044 two-strike offenders last year if parole violators returned to prison with new second-strike sentences are included, a 20 percent increase.
The trend is complicating the state's mandate to meet a prison population cap by February 2016. Last month, the federal judges reluctantly gave Brown's administration two additional years to comply by taking steps that include earlier releases for some inmates sentenced on a second strike.
Partly as a result of the increase in second-strike offenders, the prison population of 133,000 inmates last June is projected to grow to 143,000 by June 2019, despite all the steps the state is taking to comply with the federal court order and reduce the population to about 112,000 inmates. continue reading...
The surge in offenders requiring state prison sentences is undermining a nearly 3-year-old law pushed by Gov. Jerry Brown. The legislation restructured California's criminal justice system to keep lower-level felons in county jails while reserving state prison cells for serious, violent and sexual offenders.
The law initially reduced the state prison population by 25,000 inmates and brought it close to the level demanded by a special panel of three federal judges who ruled that a reduction in crowding was the best way to improve treatment of inmates.
But the inmate population is rising again, led by a record increase in the number of second felony convictions for those who already had a prior conviction for a serious crime.
Counties, where prosecutors have discretion in filing such charges, sent nearly 5,500 people with second felony convictions to state prisons during the 2013-14 fiscal year, a 33 percent increase over the previous year and the most since California enacted the nation's first three-strikes law in 1994 that required life sentences for offenders convicted of three felonies.
The number climbs to 6,044 two-strike offenders last year if parole violators returned to prison with new second-strike sentences are included, a 20 percent increase.
The trend is complicating the state's mandate to meet a prison population cap by February 2016. Last month, the federal judges reluctantly gave Brown's administration two additional years to comply by taking steps that include earlier releases for some inmates sentenced on a second strike.
Partly as a result of the increase in second-strike offenders, the prison population of 133,000 inmates last June is projected to grow to 143,000 by June 2019, despite all the steps the state is taking to comply with the federal court order and reduce the population to about 112,000 inmates. continue reading...
Friday, March 7, 2014
Salinas Valley prison inmate shot during assault
Herald Staff Writer — An inmate was shot in the hand Friday morning when a correctional officer tried to stop him from beating an unconscious man at Salinas Valley State Prison in Soledad, officials said.
Prison spokesman Lt. Darren Chamberlain said the officer, who has not been named, fired a warning shot first and then used potentially lethal force to try to stop two inmates from killing another man.
The incident took place around 10 a.m. in the recreation yard of the prison's maximum-security C facility.
Jose Espinoza, 41, was taken by helicopter to a local hospital to be treated for what appeared to be a non-life-threatening injury.
Chamberlain said Espinoza and Salvador Pineda, 28, of Riverside County, were in the yard beating a fellow inmate who fell unconscious and was unable to defend himself.
A correctional officer saw the beating and ordered Espinoza and Pineda to stop, Chamberlain said. When they kept going, the officer fired a warning shot from his Ruger mini-14 firearm.
"He elected to do a warning shot in a corner of the yard where it wouldn't hurt anyone," Chamberlain said.
They didn't stop, and the officer believed the unconscious inmate's life was in danger, and officer fired a second shot, striking Espinoza's hand with a .223-caliber round.
"Obviously, I'm sure that hurt," Chamberlain said. "This time, the attackers complied."
Chamberlain said he estimates the officer was around 50 to 75 yards away when he fired.
Officers rarely fire shots in the prison, he said, but are authorized to do so under certain conditions, such as when there is a "likelihood of death."
"In this case the inmate was knocked unconscious and was unable to defend himself," he said.
The officer has been assigned to work in another part of the prison while the shooting is reviewed, he said, and the state Inspector General's Office was notified Friday. continue reading...
Prison spokesman Lt. Darren Chamberlain said the officer, who has not been named, fired a warning shot first and then used potentially lethal force to try to stop two inmates from killing another man.
The incident took place around 10 a.m. in the recreation yard of the prison's maximum-security C facility.
Jose Espinoza, 41, was taken by helicopter to a local hospital to be treated for what appeared to be a non-life-threatening injury.
Chamberlain said Espinoza and Salvador Pineda, 28, of Riverside County, were in the yard beating a fellow inmate who fell unconscious and was unable to defend himself.
A correctional officer saw the beating and ordered Espinoza and Pineda to stop, Chamberlain said. When they kept going, the officer fired a warning shot from his Ruger mini-14 firearm.
"He elected to do a warning shot in a corner of the yard where it wouldn't hurt anyone," Chamberlain said.
They didn't stop, and the officer believed the unconscious inmate's life was in danger, and officer fired a second shot, striking Espinoza's hand with a .223-caliber round.
"Obviously, I'm sure that hurt," Chamberlain said. "This time, the attackers complied."
Chamberlain said he estimates the officer was around 50 to 75 yards away when he fired.
Officers rarely fire shots in the prison, he said, but are authorized to do so under certain conditions, such as when there is a "likelihood of death."
"In this case the inmate was knocked unconscious and was unable to defend himself," he said.
The officer has been assigned to work in another part of the prison while the shooting is reviewed, he said, and the state Inspector General's Office was notified Friday. continue reading...
FBI investigates company for allegedly turning prison into "Gladiator School"
AP — The FBI has launched a criminal investigation into private prison company Corrections Corporation
of America which ran what Idaho inmates called "Gladiator School" because of a violent reputation they say understaffing helped create.
The Nashville, Tenn.-based CCA has operated Idaho's largest prison for more than a decade, but last year, CCA officials acknowledged it had understaffed the Idaho Correctional Center by thousands of hours in violation of the state contract. CCA also said employees falsified reports to cover up the vacancies. The announcement came after an Associated Press investigation showed CCA sometimes listed guards as working 48 hours straight to meet minimum staffing requirements.
The Idaho State Police was asked to investigate the company last year but didn't, until amid increasing political pressure, the governor ordered the agency to do so last month. Democratic state lawmakers asked the FBI to take up the case last month.
Idaho Department of Correction spokesman Jeff Ray confirmed Friday that the FBI met with department director Brent Reinke on Thursday to inform him about the investigation. Idaho State Police spokeswoman Teresa Baker said her agency was no longer involved with the investigation and the FBI has taken it over entirely.
""They (the FBI) have other cases that are tied to this one so it worked out better for them to handle it from here," Baker said.
CCA spokesman Steve Owen could not be immediately reached, but Owen has previously said that his company would continue to cooperate with any investigation. continue reading...
The Nashville, Tenn.-based CCA has operated Idaho's largest prison for more than a decade, but last year, CCA officials acknowledged it had understaffed the Idaho Correctional Center by thousands of hours in violation of the state contract. CCA also said employees falsified reports to cover up the vacancies. The announcement came after an Associated Press investigation showed CCA sometimes listed guards as working 48 hours straight to meet minimum staffing requirements.
The Idaho State Police was asked to investigate the company last year but didn't, until amid increasing political pressure, the governor ordered the agency to do so last month. Democratic state lawmakers asked the FBI to take up the case last month.
Idaho Department of Correction spokesman Jeff Ray confirmed Friday that the FBI met with department director Brent Reinke on Thursday to inform him about the investigation. Idaho State Police spokeswoman Teresa Baker said her agency was no longer involved with the investigation and the FBI has taken it over entirely.
""They (the FBI) have other cases that are tied to this one so it worked out better for them to handle it from here," Baker said.
CCA spokesman Steve Owen could not be immediately reached, but Owen has previously said that his company would continue to cooperate with any investigation. continue reading...
Officer charged in drug investigation at Taft Correctional Institution
KERO 23 — The affidavit shows investigators learned of the alleged smuggling conspiracy after a federal inmate in November informed officials at the Taft Federal Facility and was later passed on to the FBI and the Department of Justice.
A drug smuggling conspiracy led investigators to the Taft Correctional Institution where an inmate says cell phones in addition to several types of illegal narcotics were being brought in by correctional officer, Ramon Cano.
The affidavit obtained by 23ABC shows Cano selling methamphetamine and cocaine, along with syringes to inmates.
Investigators say inmates would arrange to have people outside of the jail meet with Cano to deliver the drugs for an undisclosed amount of money. 23ABC attempted to talk with Cano about the arrest, but loved ones say he was not available.
Investigators with the Taft Correctional Institution say the drug smuggling operation was consistent with a recent increase in the inmates testing positive for meth, heroin and other controlled substances.
The FBI organized an operation using undercover agents who posed as distributors. Last week, they met with Cano who accepted 28 grams of meth and 28 grams of heroin along with $4,000 in cash. continue reading...
Tuesday, March 4, 2014
CCPOA ENDORSES RE-ELECTION OF ATTORNEY GENERAL KAMALA HARRIS
KamalaHarris.org — The California Correctional Peace Officers Association (CCPOA) has endorsed the re-election of California Attorney General Kamala D. Harris.
CCPOA represents the more than 30,000 correctional peace officers working inside California’s prisons and youth facilities, and the state’s parole agents who supervise inmates after their release.
“Attorney General Kamala Harris has been a highly effective chief law enforcement official for our state and we are proud to endorse her re-election,” said Mike Jimenez, state president of CCPOA. “She has been a true partner for California law enforcement, particularly with her efforts to fight transnational gangs that traffic drugs, guns and people into California. At the same time, she has championed a ‘smart on crime’ approach to combat the revolving door that cycles offenders in and out of prison. California’s correctional officers have an ally in Attorney General Harris and we look forward to working with her for a second term.”
“I am grateful to have the support of the men and women of CCPOA,” said Attorney General Harris. “As a career prosecutor, I appreciate the knowledge and insight that the officers on the front lines bring to making our state safer.”
On January 3, 2011, Kamala D. Harris was sworn in as the 32nd Attorney General of the State of California. She is the first woman, the first African American, and the first South Asian to hold the office in the history of California. A career prosecutor, Attorney General Harris served two terms as District Attorney of San Francisco. Defeating a two-term incumbent, she was first elected DA in 2003, and was overwhelmingly elected to a second term in November 2007.
Attorney General Harris began her career in the Alameda County District Attorney’s Office, where she specialized in prosecuting child sexual assault cases. In 1998, she joined the San Francisco District Attorney’s Office, where she led the Career Criminal Unit. She also served as the head of the San Francisco City Attorney’s Division on Children and Families.
CCPOA represents the more than 30,000 correctional peace officers working inside California’s prisons and youth facilities, and the state’s parole agents who supervise inmates after their release.
“Attorney General Kamala Harris has been a highly effective chief law enforcement official for our state and we are proud to endorse her re-election,” said Mike Jimenez, state president of CCPOA. “She has been a true partner for California law enforcement, particularly with her efforts to fight transnational gangs that traffic drugs, guns and people into California. At the same time, she has championed a ‘smart on crime’ approach to combat the revolving door that cycles offenders in and out of prison. California’s correctional officers have an ally in Attorney General Harris and we look forward to working with her for a second term.”
“I am grateful to have the support of the men and women of CCPOA,” said Attorney General Harris. “As a career prosecutor, I appreciate the knowledge and insight that the officers on the front lines bring to making our state safer.”
On January 3, 2011, Kamala D. Harris was sworn in as the 32nd Attorney General of the State of California. She is the first woman, the first African American, and the first South Asian to hold the office in the history of California. A career prosecutor, Attorney General Harris served two terms as District Attorney of San Francisco. Defeating a two-term incumbent, she was first elected DA in 2003, and was overwhelmingly elected to a second term in November 2007.
Attorney General Harris began her career in the Alameda County District Attorney’s Office, where she specialized in prosecuting child sexual assault cases. In 1998, she joined the San Francisco District Attorney’s Office, where she led the Career Criminal Unit. She also served as the head of the San Francisco City Attorney’s Division on Children and Families.
Six women visiting prison arrested over weekend
Imperial Valley Press — Six women visiting Calipatria State Prison this weekend were arrested in four separate incidents after allegedly trying to bring narcotics and other contraband into the prison, including two women who had a child with them when prison staff found a marijuana cigarette in their vehicle.
Hundreds of people visit the level 4, maximum security prison on any given weekend, and usually no more than one or two visitors are arrested for trying to smuggle narcotics in over an average weekend.
In the first incident, Annette Fanoimoana, 29, of Los Angeles arrived on Friday for a scheduled two-day family visit with her husband, inmate Carlton Fanoimoana, who is serving time for carjacking, said Lt. Everardo Silva, administrative assistant public information officer.
During family visits, visitors can stay overnight with an inmate in a mini-apartment on prison grounds, and inmates must qualify for the privilege.
Prison visiting staff noticed that Fanoimoana was trying to hide something in her blouse and appeared nervous when questioned. When asked if she had any contraband on her, she admitted that she did and consented to a search.
She then relinquished three containers of alcohol, tobacco, DVDs and one bindle containing 92.3 grams of heroin with an estimated prison value of $23,075.
Fanoimoana told staff she drove onto prison grounds with Tiayesh Blackwell, 38, of Los Angeles who was also scheduled for family visit with her husband, inmate Gary Daniels, who has been convicted of kidnapping with use of a firearm, Silva said.
Blackwell consented to a search and during it, she relinquished tobacco, DVDs and a bindle containing 57.1 grams of marijuana with an estimated prison value of $14,275. continue reading...
Hundreds of people visit the level 4, maximum security prison on any given weekend, and usually no more than one or two visitors are arrested for trying to smuggle narcotics in over an average weekend.
In the first incident, Annette Fanoimoana, 29, of Los Angeles arrived on Friday for a scheduled two-day family visit with her husband, inmate Carlton Fanoimoana, who is serving time for carjacking, said Lt. Everardo Silva, administrative assistant public information officer.
During family visits, visitors can stay overnight with an inmate in a mini-apartment on prison grounds, and inmates must qualify for the privilege.
Prison visiting staff noticed that Fanoimoana was trying to hide something in her blouse and appeared nervous when questioned. When asked if she had any contraband on her, she admitted that she did and consented to a search.
She then relinquished three containers of alcohol, tobacco, DVDs and one bindle containing 92.3 grams of heroin with an estimated prison value of $23,075.
Fanoimoana told staff she drove onto prison grounds with Tiayesh Blackwell, 38, of Los Angeles who was also scheduled for family visit with her husband, inmate Gary Daniels, who has been convicted of kidnapping with use of a firearm, Silva said.
Blackwell consented to a search and during it, she relinquished tobacco, DVDs and a bindle containing 57.1 grams of marijuana with an estimated prison value of $14,275. continue reading...
Monday, March 3, 2014
California 'lifers' now leaving prisons at record pace
 |
| File Pictures of White Gang Members in SQ |
SAN FRANCISCO — Nearly 1,400 lifers in California’s prisons have been released over the past three years in a sharp turnaround in a state where murderers and others sentenced to life with the possibility of parole almost never got out.
Since taking office three years ago, Democratic Gov. Jerry Brown has affirmed 82 percent of parole board decisions, resulting in a record number of inmates with life sentences going free.
Brown’s predecessor, Republican Arnold Schwarzenegger, authorized the release of 557 lifers during his six-year term, sustaining the board at a 27 percent clip. Before that, Democratic Gov. Gray Davis over three years approved the release of two.
This shift in releases under Brown comes as the state grapples with court orders to ease a decadeslong prison crowding crisis that has seen triple-bunking, gyms turned into dorms and inmates shipped out-of-state.
Crime victims and their advocates have said the releases are an injustice to victims and that parolees could pose a danger to the public. More than 80 percent of lifers are in prison for murder; the remaining are mostly rapists and kidnappers.
“This is playing Russian roulette with public safety,” said Christine Ward, executive director of the Crime Victims Action Alliance.
The governor’s office said the overcrowding crisis plays no role in the parole decisions. Rather, the governor’s office said, each case is addressed individually and Brown is bound by court orders that require state officials to ease the stringent parole requirements that have dramatically increased the time murderers spend in prison.
Today, an inmate convicted of first-degree murder can expect to serve an average of 27 years — almost twice what it was two decades ago before California became the fourth state to give governors the politically fraught final decision on lifer paroles.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)