San Quentin News

Written By Inmates - Advancing Social Justice

Veterans’ toy drive is “all about the kids”

by Leave a Comment

Toys collected for the Veterans’ Toy Drive in the SQ visiting room

It was toys and smiles all around as dozens of children came to visit their dads in San Quentin State Prison at Christmas-time.

“It’s all about the kids,” said Tony Burch, vice chair of the veterans group that sponsored the Toys for Tots event in its thirtieth year.

“I just love to see the expressions on the faces of the kids,” said Army veteran Garvin Robinson, long-time secretary and treasurer of the Veterans Group at San Quentin.

Robinson admitted that sometimes he has as much fun as the kids playing with the toys. 

“I can see they got the spirit in them — the joy on their faces shines as bright as on Christmas Day. It reminds me of me when I was a kid,” said Army Vietnam veteran Adam Sinegal. 

Hundreds of toys and smiles of joy greeted the children as they entered the festively decorated San Quentin visiting rooms to visit their inmate family members and friends. 

The toy event is scheduled for the weekends before Christmas and on Christmas Day each year. 

San Quentin Veterans Tony Burch, Adam Sinegal, Stanley Baer, Garvin Robinson and Gary Cooper

Robinson, who has been incarcerated for 33 years and has three sons of his own, said about the toy giveaway, “It fixes me – I can put a smile on a kid’s face. This is the best thing I’ve done in my life.” 

“We treat all kids equally,” said Marine Corps veteran Stanley Baer. “It ain’t the kid’s fault,” he said about the children visiting their incarcerated loved ones. He explained that many of the children come to visit inmates who have been convicted of serious crimes with lengthy, life or even death sentences. “They’re the most grateful because it’s so unexpected.” 

Baer helped a young girl pick out the doll she wanted. After consulting with her mom, the girl embraced the doll with both arms and a beaming smile. Baer commented, “That moment right there – that one genuine moment – made the whole day worthwhile.” 

“Some of these kids are like family to us” 

“Some of these kids are like family to us,” Marine veteran Gary Cooper said, “We’ve seen them grow up over the years.” Cooper said it reminds him of the joy he and his own kids shared when shopping and opening presents during holidays past. 

On their way to the main visiting room, visitors walked by the children’s playroom. Looking in, they were surprised to see tables stacked with hundreds of toys for the visiting children, 

Reactions included: “Oh, look at that, Michael. Wow! Yay! I want that!” 

Each child entered to choose the toy they wanted to take home, but with so many options, which one? The choices included a wide range – from the Millennium Falcon, Kylo Ren’s Tie Silencer, BB-8 and R2-D2, to dolls, play walkers and play mats for toddlers and infants. From basketballs, soccer and footballs to high-tech electronics like the Vtech Alphabet Apple and the Leap Frog learning tablet. 

“I wanna take that!” said one young girl. With parent’s approval, she was given her toy, and with a huge smile said “My Num Noms – Yum!” She then began dancing joyously, repeating, “I got Num Noms!” 

One inmate with his child said, “I used to get so excited,” remembering Christmases from his own childhood. Another said about the game “Operation,” “That game’s been around since when I was a kid.” Other games that have been favorites for generations included Sorry, Monopoly, Connect 4 and Trouble. 

The veterans group’s staff sponsor, Rachael Murray, a CDCR employee, worked with the SQ veterans group to put the event together. “Rachael was instrumental,” said veteran Baer. She drove a van to the Toys for Tots warehouse where it was filled – front to back, floor to ceiling – with the toys she then brought to the prison. 

Murray said she enjoys working with the veterans because they are all team players. She said the toy giveaway “always has been and always will be about being able to bring some joy to the kids … making sure they have something to smile about.” 

VGSQ members Earl Orr and Samuel Gaskins gave out the toys in the other visiting room in San Quentin’s H-Unit. 

The veterans group also does food sale events inside San Quentin to raise funds to donate to the Toys for Tots program — usually several thousand dollars each year, according to VGSQ member Fred Cole. 

This year’s donation was under $2,000 because of a statewide suspension of food sales in prisons, said Cole. He added that VGSQ hopes the sales will be reinstated. 

Dozens of children receive toys each day during the event. One of them was 5-year-old Troy Jackson. He happily picked out a toy with his grandfather, Kenji Jackson, whom he came to visit. 

Ten-year-old Riley and 5-year-old Kai, visiting their “Uncle Nick,” chose Num Noms and slime to take home with them. “I wanted the slime,” said Riley, as Kai described how he would stretch the slime and make noises with it: “You can do this.” 

Kai Kane, Nicola “Uncle Nick” Bucci, Riley Kane and Frank Jernigan picking out toys in the visiting room

Thirteen-year-old Jayla Watts, daughter of Jerome Watts, was happy to get a toy but said that the best thing about Christmas is “spending time with my family.” She continued, “Even though this is a prison, I still enjoy spending this time with my dad and my family in here – it feels like it’s not a prison.” Jayla’s dad, Jerome, said that the visit is the highlight of his holiday season. 

Jerome Watts with daughter Jayla

The grandmother of another visiting child said that she was excited to see all the toys given away because it was completely unexpected. She said in 13 years of visiting her son, “in so many prisons – this is the first time I’ve seen anything like this. It’s a real blessing.” 

Kenji Jackson with grandson Troy Jackson

CDCR issues new regulations for non-violent three-strikes offenders

by Leave a Comment

California set a nationwide trend in sentencing reform when, in 2012, voters passed an initiative that reduced the sentences for non-violent three strikers. The result: thousands of prisoners serving life sentences got out of prison.
Other initiatives in 2014 and 2016 chipped away at the Three Strikes Laws. Thousands more prisoners earned release.
The latest development comes from an appeals court case, re Edwards.
Edwards holds that California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) regulations preventing nonviolent three-strikes prisoners from the benefits of the 2016 initiative, Proposition 57—particularly the opportunity for early parole—violates the text and intent of the proposition.
Edwards orders CDCR to issue new regulations offering early parole to three-strikes prisoners who were convicted of nonviolent crimes. The deadline is January 5, 2019.
“Some things still have to be figured out,” said Michael Romano, the director of the Stanford Law School Three Strikes Project. According to Romano, about 4,000 inmates qualify for early parole consideration under the Edwards ruling.
“This is a big deal because the governor is not appealing the decision,” Romano said.
“It doesn’t help everyone, but it’s moving in the right direction. We will win this thing eventually.”
Romano tells the incarcerated population to continue programming and keep themselves ready for release.
“I really do want to emphasize how important programming is,” Romano said, “For anyone going before the board, the most important thing you can do is program relentlessly and stay out of trouble.”

Mental health bomb-shell report on care inside state prisons

by Leave a Comment

The chief psychiatrist of California’s prison system is accusing state officials of misleading both a federal court and lawyers for prison inmates fighting to improve mental health care inside state prisons, according to court documents.

Dr. Michael Golding sent the 160-page report to the court-appointed federal receiver overseeing reforms inside California prisons. Golding filed the report without his superior’s knowledge.

Dr. Golding’s “lengthy, detailed report” contains “serious allegations” that data reported to the federal court overseeing the medical and mental health care of California prisons “is inaccurate and has been presented in a materially misleading way,” reports The Sacramento Bee.

For example, the Golding report refutes the state’s claim that its psychiatrists have seen patients at an on-time-rate of 96 percent in some cases, where the actual frequency is allegedly only 20 to 30 percent, according to Michael Bien, the lead attorney for the inmates.

The Golding report prevented the signing of a stipulation in which inmates’ attorneys were to agree to reduce the state’s 405 psychiatrist positions by 79 to a total of 326.

“We almost signed it,” Bien told The Bee reporter. Now, that stipulation is “off the table and a hearing is expected in coming weeks on the allegations.”

Corrections officials of the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) declined to address Golding’s accusations.

INMATE MENTAL HEALTH PROGRAMS

About one-third of CDCR inmates participate in an in-prison mental health program, according to the Legislative Analyst’s Office (LAO) report on the 2018-19 California Budget.

California expects to spend around $690 million on various inmate mental health programs in 2018-19 as required under court-approved guidelines, according to the LAO Report. The care given to one-third of the CDCR inmates (more than 40,000) in prison mental health programs is subject to the oversight of a Special Master appointed as part of the Coleman v. Brown case (In 1995, a federal court ruled in the Coleman case that CDCR was not providing constitutionally adequate mental health care.) For example, Enhanced Outpatient Program (EOP) inmates are about 6 percent of the inmate population (approximately 7,500 inmates at current occupancy levels). EOP inmates are those diagnosed with serious mental disorders but do not require inpatient treatment.

Most EOP inmates are housed by CDCR in Intermediate Care Facilities (ICF), where interaction with other inmates is substantially restricted according to the LAO report.

While San Quentin has an EOP dorm of approximately 100 inmates in its H-Unit dormitory yard with another 100 expected in early 2019, the LAO Report did not reference the conversion of these dorms.

Boatwright

Inmates win ethics bowl against college students

by Leave a Comment

The California Correctional Institution (CCI) Mental Health Department sponsored an unusual event once again on Aug. 3. Last year, this group won an ethics bowl against California State University, Bakersfield. This year they focused their talent and energy on prison reform. Rarely are prisoners asked their opinions on what might work in their rehabilitation process, but CCI asked, and the inmates responded by creating a research-based presentation to answer this question. In attendance were Warden Joe Sullivan, Health Care CEO Rhonda Litt-Stoner, Chief of Mental Health Dr. William Walsh as well as other institution staff.
The original question posed to this group of inmates was, “If you were given the position of warden and told to create an effective prison for change, what would you do?”
At first, the concept perplexed some of the inmates, as they had difficulty wrapping their heads around such a broad topic, but then they started considering why they have changed and what has helped some inmates change while others do not change. They eventually divided into several groups of three or four to address different topics. A few of the topics researched were: increasing the mental health programs to include every inmate, addressing addiction more aggressively, changing the sterile environment of our prisons, increasing funds for transition into life after prison as well as more opportunities for correctional officers to train and be a larger part of the rehabilitation program. The inmates spent six months gathering data from the library, getting input from their families as well as from the group leader, Dian Grier, LCSW. They studied foreign prison systems as well as other prison systems within the United States in order to determine what works and what doesn’t.

The presentations were well received by staff. According to Litt-Stoner, “CCI’s Mental Health Department has done it again. It never ceases to amaze me, the raw talent possessed by the inmates and the staff’s ability to draw it out through unconventional methods.  It was obvious that the gentlemen put a lot of research and hard work into their projects, all bringing a different perspective on prison reform. It will take these types of innovative approaches to continue to invoke their innate abilities and to teach them conversation techniques to use when addressing conflicts without resorting to violent means. Kudos to Dian Grier and the entire Debate Team.”
Innovative programs such as this debate team are an integral part of a pilot program at CCI that is being run through the Mental Health Department. These types of unusual groups pique the inmates’ interest and some continue to conduct research for many more years after being a part of these groups. According to Grier, the creator of these programs, when inmates are given a chance to participate in groups that interest them, the benefits are immense. The inmates learn social skills, gain confidence and learn to work with others in a meaningful way. Often issues of race and other types of judgments fall to the wayside as they learn to respect one another and communicate in a way that creates true connection to others
The speech regarding correctional officers was cited as being outstanding. One audience member, Jennifer Peters, commented that this speech, along with others presented, showed how being a part of Grier’s groups and the debate team have helped them learn valuable traits associated with prison reform, such as how to better empathize with others. Peters added, “The hard work put into these speeches was unmistakably a job well done.”
The speeches that touched on reform included ways to keep staff and inmates safer as well as how to increase communication and understanding for both inmates and correctional officers. According to Ryan Metier, author and speaker on “Correctional Officers and Inmate Reform,” his first attempt at his speech consisted of pointing out flaws rather than learning to understand and empathize with the difficult challenges correctional officers face. As he continued to work on the speech, his thinking and his view on correctional officers shifted into finding solutions and common ground—a far more effective approach than engaging in the “blame game” or looking at the problem from one perspective.
Metier states, “Through the guidance of Ms. Grier and insight from other inmates and other correctional officers, I have learned to fully listen to both sides of any issue and can set aside any judgments I may have had. This way I have learned to be truly empathic. Because don’t we all just want to be empathetic and accepted? That’s why I’m so passionate about this topic, because I’m passionate about human kindness”
Mental health group sessions currently include Debate and Speech, Drama and Creative Writing and Speaking. The plan is to continue these group sessions at CCI and continue to be innovative in the approach developed to assist inmates in their rehabilitation and help them develop a path to successful re-entry into society upon release.
By Dian Grier
Contributing Writer
PPI’s “Correctional Control: Incarceration and Supervision by State” is the first report to aggregate data on all types of correctional control nationwide.

New 50-bed mental health facility in Southern California

More inmates taking meds for mental health issues

Officers Being Rewarded For Showing Restraint

Finding Solutions for Community Tragedies

Inmate wins $1,000 scholarship toward BA degree

by Leave a Comment

One of the California Health Care Facility’s inmate trainers for the CHCF puppy program was awarded the Chung-Ahm Scholarship for the 2018 academic year.

It is unusual for an inmate to win a cash scholarship. The $1,000 scholarship will be applied toward inmate Johnson’s tuition. Since being incarcerated, Johnson has received an Associate of Arts (AA) degree in liberal arts and humanities and will claim another AA degree in social and behavior sciences this semester. The scholarship will help pay for tuition for the 2018 fall semester when Johnson will start working towards his Bachelor of Arts degree in business administration with a minor in sociology. Johnson is enrolling in the Prison College Program at Adams State University. PrisonEducation.com recommends this program as a top undergrad program for an incarcerated student.

Art Prison Program

Casey Affleck and LA Love split doubleheader

Largest private prison population

by Leave a Comment

The United States has the world’s largest private prison population, according to a study by The Sentencing Project. The study compares America’s growing private prison industry to government-run prisons and found that increased profiting from incarceration is tied to prison building, inmate population growth, and lower wages for guards, which resulted in decreased institutional safety.
According to the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR), In August 2000, 4,535 inmates were listed as housed at a private Community Correctional Facility or on “private work furlough.” (Another 2,467 were housed at Community Correctional Facilities under public contract).
In August 2016, 8,629 inmates were housed in private facilities. Another 2,020 were housed under public contract.
As of Aug. 22, 2018, 6,231 inmates are housed at private prisons. Another 2,029 inmates are housed at Community Correctional Facilities under public contract.
In addition, in June, all California inmates housed at Tallahatchie County Correctional Facility (TCCF) in Mississippi were transferred from that institution, allowing CDCR to reduce its current out-of-state prison population to 2,014, a 10-year low and 58-percent reduction from August, 2016.Key findings of the study are:
One in 12 of the total U.S. prison population (128,063 people) were incarcerated in private prisons in 2016 — an increase of 47 percent since 2000. From 2000 to 2016, the number of people housed in private prisons increased five times faster than the total prison population.
Privately run immigration detentions held 26,249 people in fiscal year 2017 — a 442 percent increase since 2002. Seventy-three percent of all people in immigration detention in 2017 were held in private prisons.
The largest number of people in private prisons are held in federal prisons, 34,159 — a 120 percent increase since 2000.
Core Civic and GEO Group, the largest private prison corporations, jointly manage more than half of the private prison contracts in the United States. Their combined revenues are $3.5 billion as of 2015.
Private prison firms cut costs by employing mostly non-union and low-skilled workers at lower salaries, with fewer benefits, compared to correctional personnel at state and federal prisons. Corrections officers employed by private corporations earn up to $23,850 less on average in annual salary compared to the public sector.
Decades of research do not show that private prisons save taxpayer dollars.
The greatest numbers of private prisons are found in Florida, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina and Texas. These states also have had the highest number of riots, deaths and “allegations of improper financial influence from the for-profit prison companies,” the study shows.
To accommodate increases in arrests and detention of immigrants, Pres. Donald J. Trump’s 2018 proposed budget to Congress asked for $1.2 billion to add 15,000 more private prison beds for immigration detention. In September 2017, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) requested funds for construction of a new, GEO Group-run, 1,000-bed detention facility South Texas.
The study cites a GEO Group facility in Colorado where thousands of immigrant detainees allegedly were forced to work for $1 a day. A lawsuit against the practice claims that they were paid with “chicken, potato chips, soda or candy.”
In Washington State in 2017, the state’s Attorney General sued GEO Group for allegations that immigrant detainees were mandated to work for $1 a day. The Attorney General argued that the state’s minimum wage was $11 an hour, and that the detainees were being held under “civil charges, not criminal charges,” meaning that that minimum wage must be upheld.
Recommendations and findings:
“Due to the numerous and transparency issues associated with for-profit prisons, states and the federal government should phase out their reliance on these facilities through terminating contracts. To the extent that jurisdictions continue to contract with private prisons, they should adopt policies requiring greater transparency and openness to public inquiry. Currently, the Federal Freedom of Information Act does not apply to private prisons and therefore there is no legal remedy if a private prison refuses to disclose information about its practices.
“In contrast to public prisons, private prisons frequently contract with state governments to confine people out-of-state, with 10,500 people housed this way as of 2013. The practice negatively affects families because it limits opportunities for visitation and strains relationships, which are critical to successful reintegration after incarceration.
“The Department of Homeland Security’s bed quota for immigrant detention requires the agency to maintain no less than 34,000 beds at any given time. Because of this quota, Immigration and Customs Enforcement expanded its contracts with private prison companies to house federal immigrant detainees. It provides an incentive to maintain private prison contracts and keep immigration detention beds full.”

San Quentin News & Wall City Merchandise


https://sanquentinnews.com/private-prison-seek-tough-laws-immigrants/
https://sanquentinnews.com/private-prison-seek-tough-laws-immigrants/
 

San Quentin’s big transition as non-designated facility

by Leave a Comment

San Quentin State Prison’s transition from a General Population (GP) facility to a non-designated programming facility has uncovered old prejudices and uncommon collaborations.

San Quentin back in the day

The inmate response to the new housing designation is as diverse as the prison population.

Most inmates have been indifferent to the inflow of newcomers, while others have been cautious and alert.

Some prisoners transferred out of San Quentin because they did not want to deal with the unknown.

Few inmates, and administrators, could predict what was going to happen when GP inmates and Sensitive Needs Yard (SNY) inmates were united into one community.

“Some people that are here at San Quentin are old-timers, and they have a hard time changing their perspective about people,” said Anthony A., a former gang member, “I think it’s because the past is all they have.”

Most of the new arrivals are former gang members who decided to make a change in their lives’ direction; their decision is also making a difference in the prison.

Although the majority of the population remains race and gang segregated, the newcomers have formed a multicultural group of prisoners.

“What to outsiders looks like sheer depravity is understood to preserve order, and protect the group,” Prison University Project says Jody Lewen of the in the Spring 2018 Newsletter Volume 13, No.1

“Whenever someone shows up off the bus, we try to embrace them because whether people are active or drop-outs from a gang—everyone is uncomfortable when they arrive,” Michael R. said. “I want to give these guys the opportunity I didn’t have when I first came to prison.”

San Quentin offers the same opportunities and programs as before but as a non-designated programming facility, there is zero tolerance for prison politics and gang activity.

“We are creating a system where the inmate is treated as an individual”

“I decided to drop out of the gang because I didn’t want to catch a life sentence,” said Sergio C., a former Bay Area gang member. “My supposed homeboys told me I had to stab somebody and get caught with the knife. I think my life is worth more than those kinds of friends.”

Many of the new arrivals say that in order to prove their loyalty, gang members are expected to do things that could earn them extra prison time, in some cases even a life sentence.

“I thought a lot about what I wanted for myself before I decided to step away from the gang lifestyle,” Michael R. said. “When I talked to my wife and my children, I knew I couldn’t do this prison stuff anymore.”

Michael, Anthony and others are helping steer new arrivals into programs, education, and introspection.

The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) has received some criticism for its shift in housing policies that to outsiders seems arbitrary.

“According to a RAND analysis, every $1 invested in such [inmate] education generates at least $4 in economic return,” reports Fast Company.

Earlier this year, the CDCR outlined its methods to curb prison-gang influence and promote rehabilitation through the implementation of non-designated programming facilities and Restrictive Custody General Population (RCGP) yards.

“These non-designated yards are the long-needed solution to our problems,” Sergio C. said. “Before, I was too busy trying to keep up with yard politics and fighting for our fair share of state property, so I didn’t focus on preparing for release and staying out, I ended up coming back.”

In April, Scott Kernan, Secretary of the CDCR, wrote in the Secretary’s Corner that significant criminal justice reforms that provide incentives for rehabilitation have also given the department an opportunity to expect more from offenders.

“We are creating a system where the inmate is treated as an individual, and with that change we have to expect conformance to behavioral standards just like in the community,” Kernan wrote.

Most of the new arrivals at San Quentin are taking advantage of the available opportunities.

“I’ve never seen a prison like this,” said Mario, a Hispanic from southern California, who decided to stay. “I was planning to leave because of what my homies might think, but then I thought I better get my life in order instead of worrying about what others think.”

Restorative Justice’s role in the #metoo movement

SQ Health Care program sets the bar

Prison death a mystery after year-long investigation

by Leave a Comment

One year and a transparent investigation later, the death of inmate James Leonard Acuna remains undetermined.

Acuna’s decomposing body had been found in a cell he shared with another inmate at Richard J. Donovan Correctional Facility, at least two days after he passed, reported Patch.

“The fact [Acuna] made bad choices and was paying his debt to society doesn’t mean he should have been neglected,” said Sara Leslie, a volunteer for California Prison Focus, an inmates’ rights nonprofit. “We as a society should care because we are a civilized country and it’s expected that we treat all people in a humane manner.”

“SNY [Sensitive Needs Yard] …comprises roughly half the California prison system,” according to Lody Lewn in the Prison University Project Spring 2018 Newsletter Volume 13, No.1

Because Acuna’s body was so decomposed, forensic experts aren’t sure how he died and they listed the cause of death as “undetermined.”

While it’s possible Acuna died of natural causes, an autopsy concluded “homicidal violence cannot be completely excluded,” as the body showed “signs of minor blunt force injury of head and extremities,” Patch reported.

The San Diego County Sheriff’s Department refused to release its report of the investigation, after a request from Patch, making it impossible to determine how extensive the homicide investigators’ probing was.

Patch also reported that, according to a San Diego County Medical Examiner’s report, Acuna’s cellmate told a mental healthcare professional at the prison that he had “murdered his former cellmate to get a cell to himself” while he was in Kern County.

Bardis Vakili, a prisoner rights advocate and senior attorney with the ACLU of San Diego and Imperial Valley, criticized California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) employees for not finding the body sooner.

“In 1935 the Supreme Court declared that a prosecutors job is more than merely winning every case by racking up convictions; it also included seeing that justice is done.” “Pressing Pause on Marijuana Convictions” NYT Opinion July 30, 2018

“Whenever the government takes someone into custody, it bears the responsibility for that individual’s safety,” Vakili said. “However harsh the conditions in prison may be, for a dead body to go unnoticed in a cell for so long that the cause of death can no longer be determined requires a shocking level of carelessness.”

Justicia rota

Justicia rota

CDCR regulations require the physical head-counting of inmates four times a day. Inmates like Acuna, who occupied a cell, must stand at the cell door until counted, said the article.

Dan Vasquez, a thirty-year veteran of CDCR and former warden at two prisons, one being San Quentin, said he found Acuna’s death troubling from a procedural standpoint.

“It was a rule drilled into my head,” Vasquez said, “You had to make sure you saw living, breathing flesh—that’s when you knew the inmate was OK.”

A spokesperson for CDCR told  that appropriate action was taken against some employees. However, she would not disclose the number of employees, their positions, or what specific disciplinary action was being considered, citing employees’ “due process” rights.

Acuna was diagnosed with hepatitis C and suffered from cirrhosis of the liver, souces who asked to remain anonymous told Patch. But Dr. David Bernstein, an internal medicine and gastroenterology specialist and hepatitis B and C researcher, reviewed the autopsy report and doesn’t believe Acuna died from the condition. He said cirrhosis can kill, but there will be bleeding and other symptoms, none of which Acuna’s autopsy indicated.

Another pressing question is why healthcare professionals who should have had daily face-to-face contact with Acuna and should have provided him with medication in person didn’t discover him dead in bed. It is uncertain whether Acuna was supposed to be receiving medication through his cell door or from the “pill window,” noted the article.

While Acuna’s post-mortem toxicology test reported traces of antidepressants Venlafaxine, Amitriptyline, and Nortriptyline—a drug prescribed for headaches and sleep issues—there was no indication of any medication prescribed to treat hepatitis C, reported Patch.

https://sanquentinnews.com/prosecutors-have-great-power-over-criminal-cases/

CBS’ Ted Koppel visits Ear Hustle

San Quentin’s big transition as non-designated facility

Overview of inmate deaths in 2017 in CDCR

NY’s pilot inmate package program not well received

by Leave a Comment

Earlier this year, New York state suspended a pilot program forcing families of inmates to buy from a limited number of  private vendors when sending care packages to their loved ones­­.

New York began its own private care package pilot program at the start of the year at Taconic, Greene, and Green Haven Correctional Facilities. The plan was to extend it to all state facilities, according to a report from The Marshall Project. While the program was in effect, family and friends of inmates could only send care packages from select private vendors—care packages that had been pre-approved and pre-assembled—instead of buying items from stores of their choosing. With this program, New York joined hundreds of other corrections agencies, including California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, that are in the big business of prisoner care packages.

ICE reported “24,476 of the 185,507 inmates in the federal Bureau of Prisons system were not citizens…” THE NEW YORK TIMES Dec. 22, 2017

But, the program was not well received.

“Concerns have been raised by families of inmates regarding the availability and prices of products under this program, concerns we do not take lightly,” said Thomas Mailey, spokesman for the Department of Corrections and Community Supervision, in a press release.

For example, the program was meant to prevent contraband in New York prisons, but The Marshall Project reported that it also severely limited the books available to inmates. Taken together, the five approved vendors offered only 77 books, 24 of which were coloring books.

Those in favor of the suspension said the program restricted inmates’ ability to maintain personal relationships outside prison. “New York State has led the country in many ways in fighting recidivism and reforming the criminal justice system,” said Caroline Hsu, a Prisoners’ Right Project advocate, adding, “I would hate to see us take a step back.”

http://sanquentinnews.com/optionb-org-support-group-overcoming-effects-incarceration/

QUARTERLY PACKAGE UPDATE

New 50-bed mental health facility in Southern California

by Leave a Comment

Pedro Cruz David Clifford Captain Spencer and Rolon Morris are on the job in front of SQ medical center.

Pedro Cruz David Clifford Captain Spencer and Rolon Morris are on the job in front of SQ medical center.

The state’s prison system plans to build a new 50-bed mental health facility in Chino for Southern California inmates.

ICE reported “24,476 of the 185,507 inmates in the federal Bureau of Prisons system were not citizens…” THE NEW YORK TIMES Dec. 22, 2017

Working, drawing and preliminary plans are budgeted in at $3.6 million and will probably be completed at the end of 2019,” Bill Sessa, spokesman for the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR), told the Chino Champion newspaper.

He noted there is a shortage of mental health beds in Southern California.

CDCR is required by law to provide mental health care to inmates, from counseling to medications to crisis beds, Sessa said.

The proposed facility would be located at the California Institution for Men in Chino, the March 31 story said.

The 48,000-square-foot hospital would be built inside the prison and will cost $56.6 million, Sessa said.

There are currently 373 beds for mental health patients in CDCR prisons, Sessa said.

Local opposition has surfaced in the past over such plans.

Find more information at: WWW.CHAMPIONNEWSPAPERS.COM

 

Prison psychiatrist double dips working for CDCR

CO AND COPS MENTAL HEALTH

Translate »