sac area prison docu today on ng channel

[gaels]

today at 4 or 5 pm there is a special on the national geographic channel about calif state prison-sacramento.

i was there while some of the filming was done, and many of my friends are in it. i am pretty sure i was not filmed.

if you watch it, look out for the PSU (psychiatric security unit) (AKA the SHU) Secured Housing Unit. this is my work area. A facitlity, 1 and 2 blocks

.the SHU (or PSU) is where the worst of the worst are housed. it's considered to be the prison within the prison. if you are already an inmate and you do a violent crime against another person, you get a SHU term. the SHU is also considered to be 'the hole" . there are only 2 PSU's in the state of calif.

all the guys are single celled (no cellie) and live in there about 23 hours a day. if they ever leave the cell (showers, therapy, yard time) they are cuffed up. some are also shackled, and some wear a spit mask. even if they go out to yard, they are placed in cages outside. these guys are seriously violent.

if they show it, pay attention to how we give meds. thats the main part of my job. and note the lovely kevlar vests we have to wear ....stylin'


i wont get to see it till later, because i'm working another 17 hour shift today, but we've got tivo set to record :)

gael

[shilo_1]

I think that was one thing that both Brian and I noticed when we moved to CA...all the prisons ! There seem to be so many here !!!
Brian worked on death row for a while when he lived in SC...not pleasant.

I'd be interested to watch, thanks.

[goslugsgo]

Thanks for the heads-up. I taught in juvenile hall for a while and am certainly interested in "corrections."

[ozmonster]

Originally posted by shilo_1
I think that was one thing that both Brian and I noticed when we moved to CA...all the prisons ! There seem to be so many here !!!


You got that right. And we are building more and more. While we continue to cut education and community based socio-economic programs, California's prison budget suffers no substantial cuts.

Failed political schemes employed to scare us into voting, such as this nation's war on drugs and, more recently, three-strikes have led to the sytematic incarceration of vast numbers of citizens in California (and all across the country).

California's prison population grew from 23,264 in 1980 to 160,846 in July 2000. These numbers, IMO, reflect the government oppression that infects every aspect of our society. Why? because these increases aren't due to an increase in the number of rapes, murders, child molests, assaults, kidnaps or any violent act. They are a direct result of a two-decade long 25 fold increase in drug offenders sentenced to prision in California.

California , as of 2002, has the highest rate of drug offender incarcerations in the nation - 134 per 100,000. A rate that exceeds states such as Texas and Louisiana, where compassion and sympathy for law breakers is not highly prized (49 per 100,000 and 106 per 100,000 respectively).

Here's the best part:

In 1976 California had just 19,600 inmates and it spent six times more on higher education than prisons.

Since 1980 California has built 23 prisons and only one new university.

California's prison system is the third largest in the world behind China and the United States as a whole. More people are held in jail in California than in France, Germany, Japan, the Netherlands and Singapore combined. More young black and Latino men are in prison than are attending college here in this fine state. the golden state. :)

And the worst part is when you stop and think about all the victims and the suffering these policies and this incarceration create: ... for the prisoners? He!! no.
















































The victims are we ... the taxpayers of California.

Rob

ps I should have warned not to get me started. :)

[ozmonster]

That should be an interesting look at the inside of a max security prison. Your a brave woman for walking in there everyday, Gael.

Here's a link to some more info:

http://blogs.nationalgeographic.com/channel/blog/2005/03/explorer_maximum.html

[Marc Daniels]

Is this the Folsom prison? When was it renamed?

We have a family friend who is a retired warden from the prison in Carson CIty.

[sagitariuscbc]

"The only public housing built during the last ten years has been jail cells." - Reverend Jesse Jackson, Jr.
In the 132 years between 1852 and 1984, the state of California built twelve prisons. In the eleven year period between 1985 and 1996, the state built sixteen more. By 2001 the Department of Corrections operated 33 prisons. Four house only women and one, the California Rehabilitation Center in Norco, incarcerates male and female offenders.

In 1977, California housed 19,600 inmates. A decade later in 1998, the inmate population had skyrocketed by an astronomical 811 percent to 159,000. By February 2000 that number had jumped to 161,000. California now runs the largest prison system in the Western world. It houses more prisoners than do the countries of France, Germany, the Netherlands, and Singapore combined. California has spent $5.2 billion on new prisons since 1977, yet it still has the most overcrowded system in the United States.

Currently, the state of California incarcerates one out of every eight prisoners in the United States. It is estimated that California will eventually need 30 to 50 new prisons to accomodate the influx of prisoners dictated by mandatory sentencing, stiffer enforcement of parole violations, and the three-strikes law.

Stress generated by packing people as if they were sardines has resulted in scandalous behavior by guards and inmates alike. In 1999 there were riots at Norco (17 inmates injured) and Chino. Guards at Corcoran had to be disciplined for staging gladiator fights. Five employees of the women's prison near Chino resigned in September 1999 amidst sexual misconduct allegations and 40 more officers were said to be involved. Investigators have expanded the probe to the other three women's prisons. At least one incident has been referred to the San Bernardino County district attorney's office for possible criminal prosecution. According to Kati Corsaut, a spokesperson for the Department of Corrections, "We are focusing the investigation on the staff." Investigators from Internal Affairs have documented 78 cases of misconduct by guards. In February 2000, a retired correctional officer and another officer on paid administrative leave from the California Institution for Women were arraigned on one count each of engaging in sexual activity with a confined consenting adult, which is a misdemeanor under California law.

On December 20, 2001, fighting broke out in the recreation yard at Lancaster State Prison, which is located in the Mojave Desert approximately 40 miles north of Los Angeles. Startled guards used pepper spray, tear gas, and wooden bullets on the prisoners in a brutal blood bath that injured 300 (some were medivaced by helicopter). Although designed to incarcerate 2,200 prisoners, Lancaster State Prison has been made to stuff more than 4,000 in its minimum and maximum security wings.

The state's worst prison riot in more than a decade began in the morning of Wednesday, February 23, 2001, a dark overcast day, after guards at Pelican Bay State Prison had frisked more than 200 maximum-security inmates and sent them outside for routine exercise in the recreation yard. They had been outside less than an hour when one group of inmates converged on another, and the three-acre yard erupted in a rolling series of vicious battles - pitting black inmates against whites and Latinos. Guards shot 13 inmates, killing one. An additional 35 inmates were treated for less serious injuries - primarily slashing and stabbing wounds inflicted with approximately 50 homemade weapons smuggled into the yard in apparent preparation for the fight. The dead prisoner was the 56th inmate to be killed by gunfire in California state prisons in the past 30 years.

Privately operated prisons under contract with the state of California to house non-violent minimum/medium security felons have not fared any better. On October 16, 2001, eight inmates and two guards were injured in a melee involving 135 black and Latino inmates at the Victor Valley Medium Community Correctional Facility in Adelanto. While at lunch, a fight broke out over what Russ Heimerich, a spokesman for the California Department of Corrections, termed "an issue of disrespect." A female sergeant employed by Maranatha Private Corrections, which operates the men's facility for the state, was struck in the head with a microwave oven, requiring 14 stitches to close the wound. A second guard, also female, received a blow to the face. In March 2000 more than 100 inmates had to be moved from the private Victor Valley prison to state facilities following a racially fueled insurrection.


SOURCES:

Coronado, Michael, Press-Enterprise, Riverside, California, Aug 10 2001, B4
Dyer, Joel, The Perpetual Prisoner Machine, Westview Press, 2000
Ismael, Katie E., Press-Enterprise, Riverside, California, Oct 17 2001, B4b
http://www.fdungan.com/map1.jpg

[gaels]

well, i'm kinda bummed that they didnt show much of A facility, which is where i work. but it was neat to see a show on csp-sac. there are a lot of nice things about the prison, such as our psych services programs, that could have been highlighted, rather than the riots and fights.

there was a small riot yesterday too. about 40 dudes got into it during a baseball game of crips vs bloods. who in their right mind allowed the game to happen? what a set-up

marc, csp-sac is situated on the same grounds as folsom. it was built in the late 80's. for a long time is was called new folsom. but folsom is only a level 2, where csp-sac is level 4 (maximum security)

this is a link to the prisons website http://www.corr.ca.gov/InstitutionsDiv/INSTDIV/facilities/fac_prison_SAC.asp

it's a weird job. but believe it or not i feel safe there. it's very secure. where as in the past when i've worked at psych hospitals, i've been in some very dangerous situations. at least in prison i have cops to do the takedowns :)
gael

[Undergrad]

Wow! Those numbers are astronomical! I had no idea there were so many inmates and prisons in this state. How many of these prisons are federally funded?

Gaels,
With a job like that, I can understand why you would need a "reset" button like burning man.

[gaels]

thanks undergrad. burning man is my salvation :)

all the prisons listed in shawn's post are state prisons. i dont think they are federally funded at all, but i really dont know.

federal prisons are an entirely different thing. i dont know if we even have any in calif, but if we do, it would significantly add to the total numer of inmates housed in correctional facilities in this state.

gael

[sagitariuscbc]

this is what i have as far as federal prisons.
info from writeaprisoner.com
California Federal Prisons:

FPC Boron
P.O. Box 500
Boron, California 93596
619-762-6230
Fax: 619-762-5719



FCI Dublin
8th Street - Camp Parks
Dublin, California 94568
510-833-7500
Fax: 510-833-7599



USP Lompoc
3901 Klein Boulevard
Lompoc, California 93436
805-735-2771
Fax: 805-737-0295



FCI Lompoc
3600 Guard Road
Lompoc, California 93436
805-736-4154
Fax: 805-736-7163



MDC Los Angeles
535 N. Alameda Street
Los Angeles, California 90012
213-485-0439
Fax: 213-626-5801



MCC San Diego
808 Union Street
San Diego, California 92101-6078
619-232-4311
Fax: 619-595-0390



FCI Terminal Island
1299 Seaside Avenue
Terminal Island, California 90731
310-831-8961
Fax: 310-732-5335

[gaels]

wow!

any idea how many inmates that adds to the count? amazing.

[Jus Reefin]

I caught the tail end of it and it was good. I did watch the entire show on Alcatraz, very interesting to hear the behind the scenes info.

[ozmonster]

all those numbers are for California state prisons only. Federal prisons, and there are a ton across the US and many in Cali, have the some of the same problems but it is considered a seperate systems.

Prisoners in federal prisons located in California will incarcerate individuals from all across the US. Probably the two most violent are Levinworth and Sing Sing.

California incarcerates its citizens at a rate which puts us third in the world. That means the only other government entity that incarcerates at higher rates is China (known for there tremendous concern for freedom and civil rights;)) and the US. When we talk about the US, we are talking about the federal system.

Don't forget why this happened? We let it happen? We, as voters, buy into these tough on crime platforms. We buy in to this media frenzy every night on the news where they sensationalize crime and convince us that we are not safe.

Fact is, we are safer than we have been in a half of century. Violent crime rates are at all time lows in this state and this country and yet prison rates are at all time highs. Something is very wrong here.

Behind this voter ignorance, is a tremendously powerful law enforcement lobby that works to insure this tough on crime stance.

so we have the following forces all working to feed the beast:
1) politicians employing fear tactics to get elected,
2) news media supporting this environment of fear, and
3) ignorant voters buying into the fear.

sound familiar?

Rob

[sagitariuscbc]

this topic reminds me of a song.

Prison Song

They're trying to build a prison,
They're trying to build a prison,

Following the rights movements
You clamped on with your iron fists,
Drugs became conveniently
Available for all the kids,
Following the rights movements
You clamped on with your iron fists,
Drugs became conveniently
Available for all the kids,

I buy my crack, my smack, my *****
right here in Hollywood.

Nearly 2 million Americans are incarcerated
In the prison system, prison system,
Prison system of the U.S.

They're trying to build a prison,
They're trying to build a prison,
They're trying to build a prison, (for you and me to live in)
Another prison system,
Another prison system,
Another prison system. (for you and me to live in)

Minor drug offenders fill your prisons
You don't even flinch
All our taxes paying for your wars
Against the new non-rich,
Minor drug offenders fill your prisons
You don't even flinch
All our taxes paying for your wars
Against the new non-rich,

I buy my crack, my smack, my *****
right here in Hollywood.

The percentage of Americans in the prison system
Prison system, has doubled since 1985,

They're trying to build a prison,
They're trying to build a prison,
They're trying to build a prison, (for you and me to live in)
Another prison system,
Another prison system,
Another prison system. (for you and me to live in)
For you and I, for you and I , for you and I.

They're trying to build a prison,
They're trying to build a prison,
They're trying to build a prison,
For you and me,
Oh baby, you and me.

All research and successful drug policy show
That treatment should be increased,
And law enforcement decreased,
While abolishing mandatory minimum sentences,
All research and successful drug policy show
That treatment should be increased,
And law enforcement decreased,
While abolishing mandatory minimum sentences.

Utilizing drugs to pay for secret wars around the world,
Drugs are now your global policy,
Now you police the globe,

I buy my crack, my smack, my *****
right here in Hollywood.

Drug money is used to rig elections,
And train brutal corporate sponsored
Dictators around the world.

They're trying to build a prison,
They're trying to build a prison,
They're trying to build a prison, (for you and me to live in)
Another prison system,
Another prison system,
Another prison system. (for you and me to live in)
For you and I, for you and I , for you and I.
They're trying to build a prison,
They're trying to build a prison,
They're trying to build a prison,
For you and me,
Oh baby, you and me.
http://www.systemofadown.com/photos/slides/systempress1.jpg

[GreshamH]

Originally posted by ozmonster

3) ignorant voters buying into the fear.


What color is the threat level today :eek2: ? I need to know what to wear. Either my bullet proof vest, or my bio-chem suit, hmmm. Anyone got any duct tape?

They're even confusing tourists with terrorists now ;)

[thereefgeek]

Hey, I didn't know you were into System of a Down. This is starting to look like one of those "Lounge" threads. Sierra?

[Undergrad]

this topic reminds me of a song.

Prison Song

My thoughts exactly.

[shilo_1]

LMAO



Originally posted by thereefgeek
Hey, I didn't know you were into System of a Down. This is starting to look like one of those "Lounge" threads. Sierra?

[Jus Reefin]

Originally posted by thereefgeek
Hey, I didn't know you were into System of a Down. This is starting to look like one of those "Lounge" threads. Sierra?

LOL the lounge Queen..............don't tell her I said that J/K

[wombat2]

Preach on boys. Fight the power!
If you guys like threads like this...

http://reefs.org/phpBB2/viewforum.php?f=25

[fatsuki]

Originally posted by wombat2
Preach on boys. Fight the power!

LMAO

Isn't this was a reef club forum?