Changes are under way for determining where inmates are housed in California prisons, officials say.
Under the new classification score system, an inmates’ institutional behavior would be a greater determinate of where that inmate is housed. Previously the classification emphasized the amount of time served on a sentence and type of crime the inmate committed.
Inmates who have serious in-custody rule violations or a history of escape would remain in high security prisons under the new system, officials say.
The changes come in a time when California’s prison system is under great scrutiny.
Last year, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that housing prisoners in overcrowded prisons violated their constitutional rights and ordered the state to reduce its prison population.
The state’s response to the court order, called realignment, keeps low-level offenders and minor parole violators in county jails. Previously many were sent to state prisons to serve their sentences.
Officials say realignment will reduce the state prison population. It is also aimed at reducing recidivism by expanding vocational, education and rehabilitation programs.
Archives for August 2012
Sports Ministry Mangles S.Q. Warriors, 111-87
The visiting Sports Ministry basketball team charged ahead and never looked back as they defeated the San Quentin Warriors 111-87. The knockout blow was 18 three-pointers.
Sports Ministry led 67-55 entering the fourth quarter when Warrior Leon Powell made a driving floater. Matt Richardson of the Sports Ministry answered with a foul shot after making a driving layup. Richardson followed by draining a deep three-pointer from the right corner, increasing their lead to 73-57.
The Warriors struck back as Richard “Mujahid” Munns buried a three-pointer. Next came a three-pointer by Charles Lowery of the Sports Ministry, and another Munns three- pointer. The Warriors trimmed their deficit to 76-67 on a put back by Kittrell Blade and a steal and layup by D. Winfrey.
Both teams proceeded to trade baskets.
Tyson Amir of the Sports Ministry knocked down two free throws, Aaron Flowers and Winfrey of the Warriors followed with strong put backs.
Leading 82-72, the Sports ministry scored on a free throw by Rich Branning and a layup by Richardson. After the Warriors scored on a Munns jumper, Richardson of the Sports ministry drained a three-pointer.
Leading 106-87, the Sports Ministry finished the game on two free throws by Richardson and a three-pointer by Dominic Greulich.
The Sports Ministry started the third quarter leading 51-44. After Amir made a free throw, Mark Ivy scored on a strong layup, giving them a 10-point lead. After James Burton of the Warriors scored on a coast-to-coast layup, Ivy returned to answer with a strong but back.
The Warriors followed with an Aaron Flowers layup. After Ivy threw an assist to Kevin Kelly of the sports ministry, Burton of the Warriors scored on a driving layup.
Leading 60-50, the play of the game came from Greulick of the Sports Ministry, who faked a pass to the left that drew the Warriors defense and then slipped an assist pass to Bobby Williams right under the basket.
“I love playing here,” Lowery said after the game July 14. “It’s an eye-opening experience playing basketball here. Coming into the game, we were focused on defense and rebounds. We hit our shots and pulled the win out.”
Lowery sank six three-pointers and scored a team high 20 points. He also played a couple years of college basketball at Arizona University.
Richardson also commented after the game. “I’ve been here three times and I love the fellowship. My goal was to try to get other people involved.” Richardson scored 19 points and played college basketball at Claremont-Mckenna College.
Munns of the Warriors finished with a game high 28 points, including six three-pointers.
One Athlete Gives His Take On Education and Sports
Sports and education are important elements in building character, says Sean Simms, one of San Quentin’s outstanding athletes.
He is starting center of the San Quentin Kings basketball team and middle linebacker for the All Madden flag football team.
“I am a student-athlete,” Simms said in an interview. “I take pride in my education. I see the importance of it. I underestimated it as a youth. I didn’t take heed of the warning of my parents. I now have an appreciation of an education.”
Simms also wishes he had played organized sports growing up in south-central Los Angeles. “If I had a chance to go back, I would try to play organized football. I see the benefit of it socially and physically. I see the potential of an education and a chance of going to a Division II or III college.”
Simms hopes to pass this appreciation of educational excellence to his son. “My son, Evan, has always been my motivation to do well in school,” he said. “Fortunately, Patten College has given me the opportunity to receive a great education and broaden my social skills. I want to show my son, and not just tell him, that through a good education anything is possible, including change.”
The skills Simms has acquired through Patten have improved his athletic performance, as well. “Studying and preparing for school creates a balance that allows me the responsibility to attend practice and perform in games,” he said.
Last year, Simms officiated for the Kings. This is Simms’s first year playing for the team, and he says he likes the camaraderie. “I enjoy the social interaction and learning from Coach Orlando Harris,” he says. “I enjoy being a part of a team with winning results.”
Simms also strives to pass on his appreciation for both education and sports to young men at San Quentin, encouraging them “to first check in and attend school, whether it’s to attain their G.E.D. or attend college, and with their remaining time I try to direct them to the basketball court of the football field,” he said.
Prisoner Recalls Olympic Tryouts
The 2012 Summer Olympic Games conjure up fond memories for San Quentin prisoner Ralph “Red” L. Ligons.
He was a world-class 100-meter sprinter who competed in the Olympic trials in 1972 at Hayward Field in Eugene, Ore. The same venue was used for the Olympic trials this year.
“It brings back memories of competing against guys like Ray Robinson, Eddie Hart and John Taylor,” Ligons said.
The 1972 summer Olympics were held in Munich, Germany. Ligons did not make to the games; however, he continued competing in track until 1975.
Sacramento State University track coach Stan Wright recruited Ligons out of high school. Wright was also the U.S. Olympic coach for the track and field at the 1968 and 1972 Olympics. “Wright became the father figure I had been missing in my life,” Ligons said.
Ligons’ 10.1-second 100-meter record still stands at Sacramento State.
After his competition days, Ligons coached high school and college runners. He said coaching was a dream come true.
“Running taught me discipline, organization, to be a player, and the value of hard work,” Ligons said. “Somewhere along the way, I lost sight of those lessons.”
In 2001, Ligons was convicted of a three-strikes offense. He says his downfall was alcohol abuse and a fast lifestyle.
Ligons says today he’s clean and sober. “I credit the Addiction Recovery Counseling program at San Quentin for helping recognize my triggers in life,” he said in an interview.
“I credit the Addiction Recovery Counseling program at San Quentin for helping me recognize my triggers in life.”
He instructs the San Quentin running group called the 1000-Mile Club. His advice to runners: “Always seek to make yourself better, and believe in yourself.”
Ligons says he values his family more than anything in life, and is happy just watching the games on television.
Tainted Soap Recalled
Prison officials recalled soap produced by the California Prison Industry Authority due to a trace amount of a cancer-causing ingredient.
The July 27 alert prompted collection of all PIA soap in San Quentin housing units. Inmates were issued half-bars of commercial soap pending arrival of new shipments of the PIA product.
“By 7:45 a.m., the officers were breaking bars of Irish Spring, Ivory, and Jergens in half,” said North Block prisoner Steve Cortz. “A few minutes later I heard, ‘Listen up gentleman! If you have any PIA soap, you need to bring it to the desk.’”
In a statement, PIA said the carcinogen was found in its annual review of products. The alert did not specify the known chemical, only that it was a carcinogen.
The PIA announcement said it had not been contacted by anyone reporting health concerns associated with its soap, but discontinued production as a precaution.
Replacement soap production began July 28, the PIA reported. It planned to begin shipping the new bars shortly thereafter.
PIA reported it will reimburse institutions for any unused soap. It said it will also reimburse customers for any additional cost incurred in the procurement of replacement soap from any other vendor.
The Men’s Advisory Council
EXECUTIVE CHAIRMAN EXPLAINS ITS FUNCTION
When California prisoners have a general problem, the first stop is usually with somebody like Sam W. Johnson Sr., executive chairman of the San Quentin Men’s Advisory Council.
MAC’s job is “to advise and communicate with the warden and other staff those matters of common interest and concern to the inmate general population,” Johnson said.
MAC is composed of an elected representative from each of the prison buildings.
“I became a MAC representative because I wanted to help the general population create a better living environment where positive growth can happen,” said Johnson.
He said he wants to be a realistic voice of the general population to the administration; however, “What the general population sometime doesn’t realize is the MAC representative is not an alternative for the inmate grievance process or someone’s personal problem.”
“If the specific problem doesn’t affect the overall population, then the MAC really can’t do anything about it. Furthermore, the administration still has the last say on any concern. All we can do is present the issue or problem to the administration,” Johnson added. “Depending on the significance of the issue, if we’re not satisfied, we can always appeal to Sacramento.”
The living conditions in West Block were partly resolved after appealing to Sacramento by its block chairman, Jamal Lewis. The remaining issues are being reviewed by the San Quentin administration, Lewis said.
“When we all work together we can accomplish anything”
As another example of how MAC can be effective, Johnson said recently the administration discovered a “kite” (note) indicating an approaching clash between African-American and Caucasian inmates.
Johnson and the MAC representatives looked into the truthfulness of the note. After going to each building, talking to individual groups regardless of their race, found the note was a fake. The MAC representatives reported that the note was a fake to the administration. After the administration confirmed the note had no validity, institutional programming was not disrupted.
“When we all work together, we can accomplish anything. Our goal is to live in a productive environment,” Johnson said.
Reflecting on his background, Johnson said when he first arrived in prison, he realized his attitude and his way of thinking was an anchor holding him down, and it was the real reason he ended up in prison.
He said attending the Victim Offender Reconciliation Group at Solano State Prison made him realize he didn’t have to continue thinking and believing in old stereotypes regarding violence and prison culture. However, it wasn’t until he arrived at San Quentin and enrolled in the Victim Offender Education Group that he was able to let go of his old way of thinking and behavioral problems.
He said VOEG changed his life, allowing him to appreciate the importance of community.
“People who come from other institutions are not aware of how many programs are here. If they participate in them, they’ll eventually grow to appreciate all the help that this prison has to offer,” Johnson added.
Johnson said Acting Warden Kevin Chappell and Chief Deputy Warden Rodriguez are making his job easy because they support San Quentin’s many self-help programs and educational opportunities.
West Virginia’s Prison Problem
West Virginia is struggling with chronic prison overcrowding, and leaders are warning they need a workable solution now.
“I do believe we’re literally at the point where we can’t kick the can down the road and defer attention to this matter anymore,” Democratic State Sen. Bill Laird, a former four-term sheriff in West Virginia, told The Associated Press. “There’s a great sense of urgency in my mind. I can’t think of any more important public policy issue facing our Legislature today.”
Hope for action has surfaced in a letter signed by a number of influential West Virginia leaders. The letter said West Virginia has the second-highest growth of corrections spending among the states, and its jails have the fourth-highest percentage of felons, as reported in the AP. It pointed out that the increased prison population has caused around 1,800 convicted felons to serve parts of their sentences in regional jails.
The letter asked the Justice Reinvestment Initiative, a non-governmental organization, to examine and advise them on how to reform the state’s penal system.
The state’s prison population has quadrupled to 6,900 inmates since 1990, according to state officials. Drugs and drug-related crimes are fueling the population behind bars. Experts estimate that at least 80 percent of inmates committed crimes somehow linked to drug or alcohol abuse, and about half of the total population are in for nonviolent offenses.
The JRI has assisted 16 other states reform its penal systems, including Pennsylvania and Ohio. Texas reported savings of more than $443 million since 2007 through Justice Center recommendations, according to the AP.
The Justice Center was not the first organization to study West Virginia’s prison overcrowding dilemma. In 2009, a report by the Governor’s Commission on Prison Overcrowding made a long list of recommendations without resolving the problem. “Political influences have often swayed the debate,” reports the AP.
“The idea behind the Justice Reinvestment Initiative is to remove these political influences from the decision-making process,” according the AP. The Justice Center demands bipartisan and interbranch support for justice reinvestment – putting resources toward policies proven to reduce recidivism.
Voters Split in Death Penalty Poll
An online poll conducted July 30 – Aug 1 shows California voters are in favor of keeping capital punishment as its harshest punishment for murder. However, a poll conducted July 16-17 found support for Proposition 34, which would ban the punishment, was tied with the opposition. The CBRT Pepperdine Initiative Test asked likely California voters: “If the election were today, would you vote yes or no on Proposition 34?”
The most recent poll showed 55.7 percent of voters would keep the death penalty while 35.9 percent would end it; the earlier poll showed 46.7 percent for and 45.5 percent against.
If passed, Death Row prisoners would receive life imprisonment without possibility of parole. Provisions in the law would direct $100 million to law enforcement agencies for investigating homicide and rape cases. Analysts estimate state and county criminal justice savings at about $130 million annually with a one-time cost of $100 million.
August 2012 News Briefs
1. SPRINGFIELD, Ill –Three prison inmates are asking a federal judge to order prison officials to improve the living conditions at the minimum-security Vienna Correctional Center in southern Illinois. The suit says many of the nearly 1,900 Vienna prisoners live in moldy, cockroach- and mouse-infested quarters with insufficient bathroom facilities. It also says some broken windows were boarded up, rather than replaced, according to reports by The Illinoisan.
2. Pennsylvania — Gov. Tom Corbett signed legislation that would send nonviolent, addicted offenders to facilities that would treat their addiction problems at the local level, reports The Patriot News.
3. BOSTON — State legislators passed a bill that, if signed by the governor, would require offenders who commit a third serious felony to face life in prison without the possibility of parole.
4. PRUNTYTOWN, W.Va. — The starting salary for a full-time West Virginia correctional officer is $22,584 — $500 less than Mississippi — and about $800 below the federal poverty level for a family of four, reports the Associated Press.
5. SAN FRANCISCO — The city’s Adult Probation Department reports it processed 3,318 cases last year. Sixty percent of the offenders did not go to jail. In 2010, 54 percent of the offenders went to jail.
6. WASHINGTON — Employers could be guilty of discriminating if they use criminal histories to deny jobs, the Employment Opportunity Commission says. They cannot use arrest records in hiring decisions because “arrests are not proof of criminal conduct.” An employer can exclude applicants with criminal convictions provided it can demonstrate that the exclusion is job-related.
7. AUSTIN, Texas — With 21 of 111 Texas prisons fully air-conditioned, two lawsuits were filed because of heat-related deaths between 2008 and 2011. One suit claims the indoor temperature of a dorm reached a high of 134 degrees during the summer of 2008, according to The New York Times.
8. Alabama — State officials say there are about 26,500 inmates in its prison system, which is designed for only 13,000. The inmate-to-staff ratio is about 11-to-1, more than twice the national average of 5-to-1, according to The Montgomery Advertiser. State officials say they are concerned the overcrowding may lead to more violence.
9. FLORENCE, Arizona — Samuel Villegas Lopez, 49, was executed in June by lethal injection for the rape and murder of a 59-year-old woman in 1987. He was the fourth Arizona inmate executed this year and the 32nd since the state reinstated the death penalty in 1992. Twenty-three people were executed in the United States this year, according to the Death Penalty Information Center.
10. LOS ANGELES — Chief U.S. District Judge Anthony W. Ishii ruled George Souliotes, 72, convicted of setting a fire that killed his tenant and her two children, has shown “actual innocence” and may now challenge his conviction on other grounds. Ishii examined the evidence against Souliotes and concluded the evidence was insufficient to prove he is guilty of the charges.
11. HARTFORD, Conn. — New state legislation would allow the state’s sickest prisoners to be transferred to a nursing home beginning early next year. State officials said the transfers would save millions of dollars in health care costs, according an Associated Press report.
12. BOISE, Idaho — The state’s overcrowding problem has prison officials planning to send 250 male prisoners to a Corrections Corporation of America facility in Colorado, according to The Associated Press. If the prison population keeps growing, plans are to ship an additional 200 inmates out-of-state, the AP report says.
13. BATON ROUGE, La. — State officials are closing the Forcht-Wade Correctional Center in the Caddo Parish community of Keithville and the J. Levy Dabadie Correctional Center at Pineville in Rapides Parish, according to The Associated Press. State officials say the cost-cutting closures are allowed because many prisoners will soon be released.
14. BRIDGEPORT, Conn. — “Children and families are the unintended consequences of the criminal justice system,” says Steve Lanza, executive director of Family ReEntry, which includes the Champions Mentoring Program begun in 2003 to provide support for some of the approximately 3,000 children affected by incarceration in the state.
15. AKRON, Ohio — Dewey Jones was granted a new trial after authorities discovered that the DNA on a rope and knife used to murder a 71-year-old retiree matched another person. Jones was convicted of the murder/robbery in 1995, according to The Associated Press.
16. JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — Gov. Jay Nixon signed legislation that would send nonviolent offenders to treatment facilities instead of prison, according to The Associated Press.
17. CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Prosecutors dropped the case against Andre Davis after DNA showed he was not the person who raped and killed a 3-year-old girl. Hours later, he was released from prison, according to The Associated Press.
18. COLUMBUS, Ohio — State lawmakers approved the first three inmates for a program intended to assist ex-offenders find jobs once released from prison. Inmates with good behavior who have completed vocational programs, earned high school diplomas and performed at least 120 hours of community service are eligible, according to The Associated Press.
19. ST. LOUIS, Mo. — Lonnie Erby served 17 years in prison for the sexual assault of two teenage girls in 1985. DNA cleared him in 2003, and this year another man was convicted for those crimes, according to The Associated Press.
20. LOS ANGELES — County officials are considering sending some prisoners to San Joaquin Valley to ease jail overcrowding, according to The Associated Press. More than 5,000 inmates have been shifted to Los Angeles County jails since the state implemented its state prison population reduction plan. Sheriff’s officials say space will likely run out by Christmas. There are now 18,600 inmates in the jail system, according to the AP report.
21. DALLAS – Texas officials have switched to a single drug for executions, reports The Associated Press. Officials said they would use pentobarbital instead of a three-drug combination.
22. SACRAMENTO—Hollywood producer Scott Budnick has been named California prisons “Volunteer of the Year.” Gov. Jerry Brown said Budnick was selected for his “marked devotion” to helping California inmates get a higher education. Corrections Secretary, Mathew Cate said, “Scott Budnick has gone above and beyond, giving hundreds of young offenders a chance to trade a seemingly hopeless path of crime that landed them in the criminal justice system for a path of opportunity.”
Policies That Can Reduce Sexual Abuse in Prison
Two reports by the U.S. Department of Justice say prison rape can be dramatically reduced by changing attitudes toward those most vulnerable to abuse, and implementing policies and procedures that provide effective victim services.
The Bureau of Justice Statistics reported data on sexual victimization in prisons and jails from October 2008 until December 2009 based on computer-assisted self-interviews of 81,566 inmates, age 18 or older, in 167 state and federal prisons and 286 jails in the United States.
A 2008 survey by the BJS of former prisoners concluded that prison officials could prevent sexual abuse by recognizing common characteristics of inmates who are vulnerable.
Key factors that would help officials implement effective policies:
• Understanding the differences between male and female facilities
• Utilizing professional language in establishing a safe environment
• Recognizing the vulnerability of non-heterosexual inmates and their need for proper treatment, strengthening the integrity of the entire complaint process
• Providing effective victim services
• Equipping staff to respond effectively to inmate sexual victimization
The DOJ’s Review Panel on Prison Rape discovered that an estimated 9.6 percent of former inmates experienced at least one incident of sexual victimization during their last stay in jail, prison, or a post-release community treatment facility. More than three-fourths of the victimization transpired while the inmate was in state prison.
Although the rate of sexual victimization in state prison reported by former inmates (7.5%) was higher than the rate reported by inmates in previous BJS surveys (4.8% in 2008-09), the difference may reflect longer exposure periods (39.4 months and 7.9 months, respectively).
About 3.7 percent of the victims said they were forced or pressured to have nonconsensual sex with another inmate.
About 5.3 percent of former state prisoners reported an incident that involved facility staff. An estimated 1.2 percent of former prisoners reported that they unwillingly had sex or sexual contact with facility staff, and 4.6 percent reported they “willingly” had sex or sexual contact with staff.
Among victims of staff sexual misconduct, 79 percent were males reporting sexual activity with female staff.
The report said female inmates were victimized by other female inmates three times the rate of male inmate-on-inmate victimization.
According to the report, 4.4 percent of prison inmates and 3.1 percent of jail inmates — approximately 88,500 people — experienced sexual victimization within a period of 12 months.
Seventy-two percent of the inmates who were victims of sexual abuse by other inmates said they felt shame or humiliation after getting out of prison, while 56 percent said they felt guilt, according to the BJS report.
National Council on Crime and Delinquency recently launched a web site, for training and technical assistance to eliminate sexual assault in jail, prisons, and other places of confinement for corrections, detention, and law enforcement professionals. www.prearesourcecenter.org