Tehachapi State Prison inmates may soon find themselves under new security cameras, according to a Tehachapi News article.
“By knowing they (inmates) are on camera, they will generally be less likely to do something inappropriate” stated Lt. Brian Parriott.
Due to an inspection of the prison, a Kern County Grand Jury recommended that California Correctional Institution (CCI) in Tehachapi repair the roads leading to the facility and also recommended upgrading issues with fire suppression and security cameras in all visiting areas.
“We knew that these things needed to be fixed and have been working to fix them, but money is always the issue,” Lt. Brian Parriott said. He added that cameras are already used in some of the visiting rooms to help monitor inmates. Installing new ones is an extra measure.
The cameras throughout the institution, except facility B’s visiting area, record in loops and are kept for 48 hours, except facility D, which is kept for 20 days.
Other noted upgrades were the construction of new medical clinics and examination rooms. “Currently the prison has been able to conserve water by decreasing usage by 38 percent,” the grand jury noted.
Tehachapi was built in the 1920s and ’30s, then added on to in the ’60s. The requirements have obviously changed in the years since, Lt. Parriott said.
The grand jury finished with the statement that “in spite of its age, the prison remains a very functional institution.”
–Harry C. Goodall Jr.
