On Sunday, the Sacramento Bee broke it’s first story in a series detailing its own months-long investigation into prisoner abuse at High Desert’s behavior modification unit. (Part 1) (Part 2) (Part 3)
After more than 30 interviews with inmates, family, staff and experts, plus the review of studies, private memos, and assessments relating to the place, the Sac Bee’s Charles Pillar reported:
The Bee’s sources described strip-searches in a snow-covered exercise yard, as well as guards who assaulted inmates, tried to provoke attacks between inmates, and spread human excrement on cell doors. Prisoners depicted an environment of brutality, corruption and fear.
There was a whole section in the articles on suicides and suicide attempts at High Desert.
The rest of the details may be found here.
There will be more to come—both from the Bee and, down the line, from WLA, in an effort to determine if conditions are truly as bad as some of these reports suggest,
Meanwhile, the Bee reports that state prison officials have launched a “full investigation” that they “broadened” on Tuesday.
NOTE: Veteran investigative reporter Michael Montgomery at KQED has brief story here on the behavioral units in general.
AND NOW A FEW WORDS ABOUT THE DREADED PRISON CELL PHONE PROBLEM…..ABOUT TO BE SOLVED BY PHONE SNIFFING DOGS?
The CDCR says that, since January alone, 2500 cell phones have been confiscated from California prisoners.
(As a matter of fact, I myself am occasionally startled by cell phone calls from correctional institutions made by people who used to phone only collect, but now sound like they’re calling from down the block.)
But now, reports KCRA, prison officials may have a new secret weapon to sniff out (literally) cell phone outlaws inside the state’s correctional facilities.
Here’s a clip from the KCRA story:
Deimos, a K-9 officer, is trained to find drugs. K-9 Nikki is an expert in finding tobacco.
These K-9 officers are taking on a new job to try to sniff out cell phones in prison cells and dorms.
“They know that if they come into a housing unit, they are going to find something one way or another,” said dog trainer Wayne Conrad.
They’re being put to the test at the Richard McGee Correctional Training Center in Galt. At the facility, a mock prison cell has been stocked with electronics.
“It was difficult finding out what substance made the phone unique. Once we discovered it, we were able to train for it,” Conrad said.
Inmates are “demoralized”? They suffer “anxiety and depression”? Say it ain’t so! This is a clarion call to all people of conscience: What can we do to make our violent felons happier?
No one says the place has to be a paradise – but – fair is fair. Lots of these people came from broken homes, no love, etc. So, nobody cares, right? More importantly, they were never taught by example!
Abusive staff is not going to make the world a better place. Just two loser mentalities – those of the convict, those of abusive staff. So – everybody needs to do their part to do the right thing all the way around. Somebody’s got to start the ball rolling, right? I would think the staff should man-up and be part of the solution, not part of the problem.