February 2010 News
February 28, 2010
Protesters gather in front of CCA immigration prisons
Around 50 people, mostly from area Catholic Churches, assembled in front of the North Georgia Detention Center On Main Street at noon Thursday to call for fair treatment and human rights for inmates they say don’t belong inside the walls.
The chill of February did not discourage them from gathering with signs advocating dignity and fairness according to P.J. Edwards, with Georgia Detention Watch, who wishes the immigration detention facilities would go away.
“The vast majority of these detainees aren’t criminals, they aren’t a threat to society, and this level of detention isn't really unnecessary,” Edwards said. “There are alternatives like parole and community based ‘checking in’ that are shown to be effective and much less expensive...”
LINK - AccessNorthGA.com
February 25, 2010
BREAKING NEWS: Fresno County deputy dies after Minkler shooting
Fresno County Coroner David Hadden confirmed his office had received the body of the slain sheriff's deputy.
The deputy's body, in a coroner's truck, was escorted by law enforcement vehicles in front and behind the truck, their light bars flashing.
Hadden, his voice cracking, said he and his staff were saddened because they had worked frequently with the slain detective.
"He was a really nice guy," Hadden said. "My whole staff is incredibly emotionally upset..."
LINK - FresnoBee.com
February 25, 2010
Poizner: Union power needs to be curbed ‘once and for all’
GOP gubernatorial candidate Steve Poizner spoke at the Yolo County Lincoln Day dinner on Tuesday, promoting "four major reforms" that he says "are the basis of my whole campaign."
Three of the four: Fix the water crisis, cut taxes and stop illegal immigration. The other?
"What we need to do is curb public employee union power once and for all. Now, the fact is public employee unions, public employee unions are a small percentage of the population and they have the lion's share of the political power. It's a fact...
LINK - SacBee.com
February 25, 2010
Racial de-seg at Folsom prison
When news swept through Folsom State Prison that a new statewide policy was looking to break down racial barriers in individual prison cells, the response wasn’t exactly welcoming.
“Initially there was a lot of apprehension,” acknowledged Lt. Anthony Gentile, spokesman for the prison. “We were all a little skeptical” about the policy.
But since officially introducing the new prison cell integration policy on Feb. 1, the prison hasn’t experienced any significant problems, Gentile said.
So what went right?...
LINK - FolsomTelegraph.com
February 25, 2010
Gov says he “vastly overstated” criminal alien commutations from 8,500 to just 850?
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's administration said Tuesday that the governor will not commute the sentences of thousands of illegal immigrant inmates even though majority Democrats sent him a budget bill this week that assumes he will do so.
As part of a special session on the state budget, the Legislature on Monday sent Schwarzenegger bills that Democrats said would solve roughly $2.3 billion of the state's $19.9 billion budget deficit.
One proposed reduction was $182 million in the next fiscal year based on Schwarzenegger commuting the sentences of illegal immigrant inmates and handing them to federal officials for deportation...
LINK - SacBee.com
February 25, 2010
California prison health care cuts—a closer look
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and legislative Democrats are backing an $811 million cut to prison medical costs in 2010-11, contained in a bill the Legislature sent the governor Monday. Democrats have included that cut as part of their $5 billion budget solution.
The $811 million cut wasn't based on California's needs or sophisticated analysis. It comes from applying New York's per-inmate cost of $5,757 to California's prison population, which the governor considers more appropriate than California's current cost of about $11,000 per inmate.
But the cut is not as severe as it might first seem. Schwarzenegger in his budget also proposed increasing the prison medical budget by $519.1 million this fiscal year and adding $532.2 million in 2010-11, a total of $1.05 billion from now until June 2011...
LINK - SacBee.com
February 25, 2010
Schwarzenegger, Whitman back away from ballot measure to cut pension costs
Despite their full-throated support for cutting public employee pension costs, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and the leading GOP candidate to replace him, Meg Whitman, have backed away from supporting a ballot measure that would do just that.
Their decisions, part of the complex calculus of California politics, are the death knell for the initiative drafted the California Foundation for Fiscal Responsibility. The Citrus Heights-based group had courted both the governor and the former eBay CEO.
"The governor felt he'd be a hindrance to us," said Marcia Fritz, president of the Citrus Heights-based foundation. "Meg is not supporting us. That's pretty much it."
The foundation qualified the measure for signature collection late last year, thinking Schwarzenegger or Whitman would lend a hand, maybe even write a few checks...
LINK - SacBee.com
February 25, 2010
Woman convicted as accessory in correctional officer killing
Sacramento prosecutors have obtained their first conviction in the October 2008 shooting death of a California correctional officer in the garage of his south area home.
Allyssa Vue, 37, the sister of former sheriff's deputy Chu Vue, who is the principal defendant in the slaying of Steve Lo, pleaded no contest Friday to acting as an accessory in the case.
She was sentenced to 90 days on the sheriff's work project and five years of probation, according to Sacramento County Superior Court records...
LINK - SacBee.com
February 24, 2010
Sister pleads no contest in Lo murder plot case
The sister of a former Sacramento County sheriff's deputy charged with plotting a murder has pleaded no contest to being an accessory.
Prosecutors say Allyssa Vue rented a motel room for two of her brothers, who are charged in the fatal shooting of state correctional officer Steve Lo.
Vue's brother, Chu Vue, is the principal defendant, accused of ordering Lo's killing because Lo was having an affair with his wife. Authorities say Chu Vue had his brothers, Gary Vue and Chong Vue, carry out the October 2008 murder...
LINK - MercuryNews.com
February 24, 2010
Women Call Private Prison Guards Predators
Two former inmates of a Corrections Corporation of America prison say CCA employees preyed on them sexually and banished them to solitary lockdown when they complained. One woman claims a CCA guard paid her "sugar daddy" on the outside, then demanded, and received, sex in prison.
Jessica Rubio and Serbennia Chase filed separate, $20 million federal lawsuits against the private prison contractor, alleging civil rights violations at the company's Correctional Treatment Facility (CTF) at the District of Columbia Jail.
Rubio, who was arrested and sentenced in 2008 for sexual solicitation, says CTF employee "Sgt. Powell" paid her for sex four times when he should have been helping her "turn her life around..."
LINK - CourtHouseNews.com
February 23, 2010
“Non-revocable” parolee arrested for molesting 6-yr old girl?
Monterey County Sheriff's deputies arrested Friday night a Salinas man on charges of child molestation and false imprisonment.
Deputies responded to a home on Potter Road around 6:45 p.m.; deputies say their investigation determined Javier Ramirez Venegas, 50, of Salinas, molested a 6-year old girl and held her against her will. Deputies add two other girls were nearby when the alleged attack took place; their ages were left as confidential.
Deputies say Venegas is an active parolee; he is listed as eligible for non-revocable parole....
LINK - KIONRightNow.com
February 23, 2010
Parolee crashes after brief pursuit
A parolee took police on a short pursuit before she crashed into a car waiting at a red light Saturday night, authorities said.
Ciera Stoelting, 21, of Santa Ana, was injured in the crash and taken to a hospital, where she was booked on suspicion of evading arrest, possession of narcotics and parole violation, police Cmdr. Steve Colon said.
The extent of her injuries isn't clear, but they apparently were not life-threatening. The people in the other car waiting for a red light at Bristol and 17th streets were not injured, nor were any officers, police said...
LINK - OCRegister.com
February 23, 2010
Alameda County Judge to issue furlough judgments soon?
The Alameda Superior Court judge who ruled against Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger in three union-backed furlough lawsuits said this morning that he will issue final decisions in those cases within one week.
Judge Frank Roesch made that commitment in his Oakland court room to attorneys representing Schwarzenegger, SEIU Local 1000, the Union of American Physicians and Dentists and California Attorneys, Administrative Law Judges and Hearing Officers in State Employment. The group convened to debate how to apply the judge's December decisions that some aspects of Schwarzenegger's furlough order violate the law. (Click here for more about those decisions.)
A fourth furlough case that Roesch ruled on involving members of California Correctional Peace Officers' Association, was not part of today's proceedings...
LINK - SacBee.com
February 22, 2010
First Watch: February 22, 2010
A new CCPOA First Watch video has been posted at CCPOA.TV for February 22, 2010. Please CLICK HERE to view today's video update and for our archive of past video updates.
February 22, 2010
Parolee caught shoplifting at Walmart
A Napa man was taken to jail late Saturday morning after allegedly stealing a large amount of video games from Wal-Mart.
At 11 a.m., the Napa Police Department received a call that Wal-Mart security staff were fighting with James Michael Drake, 31, of Napa, after they had observed him stealing the videogames, according to police.
While officers were on their way to the store, Wal-Mart staff advised them that they had Drake in custody. Officers arrived at the store and found Drake in possession of video games and other items. Police discovered that Drake was on probation and was also a parolee with a prior theft conviction. Drake was arrested on suspicion of robbery and violation of probation...
LINK - NapaValleyRegister.com
February 21, 2010
A history of housing youth at Stark facility comes to a close
It was supposed to have happened later rather than sooner, but the Heman G. Stark Youth Correctional Facility will formally close by the end of the month.
And just as quickly, the state Department of Corrections begins a multi-million dollar project to transform the youth prison into a part of the adult California Institution of Men and expand its inmate housing operation in the Chino Valley.
A prison riot in August damaged facilities at the nearby California Institution for Men adult prison, speeding up Stark's closure and conversion.
An official closing ceremony will be at Stark on Monday...
LINK - SBSun.com
February 20, 2010
Early releases from county jails in California likely to continue
With the number of inmates released early from county jails across the state surpassing 2,000, there are growing signs that the controversial program will continue unabated.
On Thursday, an Orange County judge rejected a request by the Orange County sheriff's deputies union to immediately halt the early releases from that county's jail, saying that decision should be in the hands of Sheriff Sandra Hutchens.
Beginning Jan. 25, counties started releasing inmates before their terms expired, responding to a new state law designed to reduce the state prison population...
LINK - LATimes.com
February 19, 2010
Red Bluff man arrested in Redding shooting
A paroled Red Bluff man shot a Weed resident in a Wendy's parking lot Saturday in what he says was an act of self-defense.
Joseph Victor Davis, 26, told police he was beaten with a flashlight around 7 a.m. on Saturday, and fired at his attackers, according to a press release from the Redding Police Department.
An investigation by the department revealed Brady Kristopher Gentry, 23, Weed, was at the Wendy's parking lot at the same time and underwent treatment at Mercy Medical Center for two gunshot wounds. His condition has since been upgraded to fair...
LINK - RedBluffDailyNews.com
February 19, 2010
Hawaii inmate killed in Arizona prison
Authorities have started an investigation into the killing yesterday of a Hawaii inmate at Saguaro Correctional Center in Arizona, where about 1,900 Hawaii inmates are currently housed.
Clayton Frank, state Department of Public Safety director, identified the inmate who was killed as Bronson Nunuha, 26. He was incarcerated on three counts of burglary in the second degree, and was going to be maxing out on his sentence on Oct. 31, 2010, Frank said.
Frank said Nunuha had been at the facility for about four years...
LINK - HonoluluAdvertiser.com
February 18, 2010
Parolee Missing; Victim In ‘Running Mode’
A domestic violence victim said she's living in fear after the man who attacked her has slipped under law enforcement's radar.
The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation ordered Richard Pendergrass to stay at a treatment facility in Woodland when he was released from prison.
But on Sunday, Pendergrass left and neither parole officers nor police have been able to find him...
LINK - KCRA.com
February 18, 2010
CA Atty Gen issues legal opinion on Gov’s early release program
Riverside and San Bernardino counties have dropped their 3-week-old policy of applying retroactively a new jail-time reduction law. The interpretation had resulted in the early release of 805 inmates between the two counties.
Officials in both counties said they would not attempt to recall any of those released, citing the handful of remaining days in most cases, and the cost.
The turnabout came Tuesday after a bulletin from state Attorney General Jerry Brown’s office said the law, which took effect Jan. 25, should only be applied to those sentenced after that date…
LINK - PE.com
February 15, 2010
Calif. early release program draws fire
A debate about public safety is raging as cash-strapped California plans early releases for more than 6,000 prison inmates in 2010 to save money, observers say.
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's administration says legislation creating the early releases will make the state safer, while law enforcement and victims' rights groups claim the upcoming offender population shift from inside to out is a high-risk move, the Sacramento (Calif.) Bee reported Monday.
Changes in parole practices will safeguard the public, state officials said….
LINK - UPI.com
February 12, 2010
Supervisor Pay Parity Case Update
Attached is the ruling issued yesterday regarding "pay parity" for supervisors. We are in the process of discussing our legal options regarding this decision and will forward any further information as it becomes available...
February 12, 2010
Early county inmate releases illegal, says Sac judge
The Sacramento County Sheriff's Department announced Wednesday that it has stopped allowing inmates to get out of jail early for good behavior.
Sheriff's spokesman Sgt. Tim Curran said the decision came in response to a judge's finding earlier Wednesday that a government code section on the books since 1976 that allows local jurisdictions to grants the "good-time" credits "does not apply to County Jail inmates."
"If you're sentenced to do six months, you have to do six months," Curran said….
LINK - SacBee.com
February 11, 2010
Parolee attacks 71 year-old woman with knife, belt and fist
A 47-year-old parolee landed in jail Wednesday morning, accused of attacking an elderly female acquaintance in her Vista home, the San Diego County Sheriff's Department said.
The 71-year-old victim called deputies about noon on Tuesday to report that Carey Lynn Barton —- whom the victim knew —- had come into her home, Sheriff's Sgt. Art Wager said in a news release.
The victim said Barton held a knife to her throat, punched her in the face, tried to strangle her with a belt, and demanded property, the sergeant said…
LINK - NCTimes.com
February 9, 2010
Sacramento County Deputy Sheriffs Assn files lawsuit over early inmate releases
A hearing on a temporary restraining order that would stop Sacramento County from releasing non-violent inmates early has been postponed until Wednesday.
A judge continued the proceedings on Tuesday because he hadn't received all the paperwork yet.
Last Friday, the Sacramento County Deputy Sheriff's Association filed a lawsuit to stop Sacramento and other counties from releasing non-violent prisoners early under a new state law. They contend the law applies only to inmates in state prisons, and the Sacramento County is violating the law through the early releases…
LINK - News10.net
February 9, 2010
Gov’s early inmate release plan causing trouble in Orange County
Orange County Sheriff officials are continuing to release jail inmates early under a new law even while lawmakers and law enforcement officials around the state scramble to block or modify the law.
Both Republican and Democratic lawmakers in Sacramento have called for repealing and modifying parts of the law – including an assemblyman who helped author the law.Meanwhile, the Sacramento County Deputy Sheriffs' Association filed a lawsuit trying to get a state order to block the early release of inmates in county jails.
In Orange County, officials were among nearly 20 counties in the state that decided to apply the law retroactively, releasing the first inmates the same day the law went into effect. About the same number of counties have decided that the law does not apply retroactively. Others are assessing the law's impact…
LINK - OCRegister.com
February 9, 2010
Valley Fever cases up in Coalinga, but last week they were down?
The number of inmates at Pleasant Valley State Prison in Coalinga who have been infected by Valley fever has increased in the last year, contrary to a recent Fresno County grand jury report.
In 2008, 159 cases were diagnosed, according to the Fresno County Public Health Department. Last year, the number of cases nearly doubled, rising to 311.
In its Jan. 25 report, the grand jury stated that the number of monthly cases had dropped by more than half. "Statistics show a definite drop in cases and the grand jury believes that the medical staff should be commended," the report said. The report didn't indicate the source of the statistics or the time frame in which the change had occurred. A spokeswoman for Fresno County Superior Court, which oversees the grand jury, said the grand jury's policy is not to comment on reports…
LINK - FresnoBee.com
February 9, 2010
Parolee at large, sex offender sought
Merced County's Most Wanted: Elias Catano
The Merced County Sheriff's Department is looking for Elias Catano, a parolee at large and a sex offender out of compliance with his registration requirements.
Catano, 47, is six feet tall, about 190 pounds, and has black hair and brown eyes. He has a large tattoo on his chest, and an eagle on the back of his neck. The sheriff's department says that Catano is a drop out of a criminal street gang, and may still associate with gang members.
He was last seen in Gustine and Merced.
Information about Catano may be given to the Merced County Sheriff's Department at (209) 385-7616.
LINK - MercedSunStar.com
February 9, 2010
Parolee who stabbed 14 yr girl in bakery goes to trial
The trial of a parolee accused of stabbing a 14-year-old girl at a San Francisco bakery in 2007 gets under way Tuesday in San Francisco Superior Court.
Scott Thomas, now 29, is charged with two counts of attempted murder, one count of aggravated mayhem and one count of assault with a deadly weapon. He has pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity.
According to police and prosecutors, Thomas, originally from Van Nuys, had been released from San Quentin State Prison the day before the May 19, 2007, stabbing at Creighton's Bakery, near Twin Peaks…
LINK - SFExaminer.com
February 9, 2010
Seaside police seek parolee for allegedly hitting patrol unit
Seaside police are searching for a parolee who allegedly struck a police car with his vehicle Monday.
Acting Deputy Police Chief Judy Stradan said officers tried to stop Stanley Ray Edwards, 26, about 2:30p.m.
Stradan said Edwards kept going and his vehicle scraped the side of a patrol car at Darwin Street and Broadway Avenue, as he squeezed his car between the cruiser and the curb. Edwards was driving a brown 2000 four-door Cadillac, Stradan said…
LINK - MontereyHerald.com
February 8, 2010
Parolee, sex-offender sawed off gps bracelet
A parolee who sawed off his ankle bracelet while riding in the back of a commuter bus was taken into custody the following day and remains jailed without bail, Burbank police reported today.
Another passenger found the ankle device after Jonathan Schwartz got off the bus last Friday, said Sgt. Robert Quesada of the Burbank Police Department.
The bracelet, which was taken to the Burbank police station, showed obvious signs of being cut with a sharp tool, the sergeant said….
LINK - SCPR.org
February 8, 2010
Parolee, gang member convicted of murdering 4-yr old boy
A parolee and documented gang member was convicted Monday of murder in the 2009 slaying of a 4-year-old boy in Echo Park, authorities said.
Howard Astorga, 26, was convicted by a Los Angeles County Superior Court jury of one count each of first degree murder and shooting at an unoccupied motor vehicle, the Los Angeles County district attorney's office said.
Jurors also found that Astorga carried out the crime to benefit the Diamond Street gang, according to authorities…
LINK - LATimes.com
February 8, 2010
Parolee fires gun in motel, returns to jail
A 26-year-old parolee is back in custody along with his 22-year-old female companion after one of them fired a gun in a motel room, Porterville police said.
Police went to the motel in the 900 block of West Morton Avenue about 2:30 a.m. Saturday after the gunfire was reported. The two suspects, both from the Santa Barbara area, were ordered outside. Officers found five loaded firearms — including an AK-47 assault rifle — and 500 rounds of ammunition.
No one was injured. In addition to weapons charges, both were booked on charges of being under the influence of drugs…
LINK - FresnoBee.com
February 7, 2010
Parolee flees police, kills two in subsequent accident
A 26-year-old parolee who led police on a short chase that caused the deaths of a San Bernardino man and a Yucaipa teen on Saturday was in jail Sunday facing multiple felony charges.
A short pursuit ended in Montclair where the suspect's car collided with a Ford Countour driven by Jose Gilbert Garcia, 42, of San Bernardino, at the intersection of Central Avenue and Orchard Street. Garcia was with his 16-year-old nephew Luis Alberto Garcia of Yucaipa at the time of the collision.
The suspect's vehicle was traveling west on Orchard Street when he entered the intersection and struck Garcia's Contour…
LINK - ContraCostaTimes.com
February 6, 2010
Former CDCR head Jeanne Woodford speaks about early release, inmate population reduction
SHERIFFS AROUND California, including in Contra Costa County, are raising legitimate concerns about efforts to reduce the state prison and jail populations. Any significant population reduction, they worry, will push counties to the brink financially and threaten public safety. I share their apprehension.
There can be no doubt that the prison population must be reduced. California simply cannot afford, nor does public safety require, locking up 170,000 people in state prisons on any given day (500 percent more than in 1980).
A federal three-judge panel has come to that conclusion. And several states, including New York, have experienced even greater falls in their crime rates than has California, while simultaneously reducing their prison populations…
LINK - ContraCostaTimes.com
February 5, 2010
NOT eliminated, but SCAAP funding for prisons reduced by $70 million
The $90 million California is expected to receive from the federal government this year for jailing illegal immigrants convicted of crimes is far short of the state's roughly $1 billion annual cost, officials said.
"The federal government has sole control over the nation's borders. The states do not," said H.D. Palmer, a spokesman for the state's finance department. "The incarceration costs associated are borne disproportionally by states like California."
Los Angeles County officials have not projected how much in reimbursement funds they could receive this year.
But in 2009, the county received $15.4 million in federal money, officials said. That is a fraction of the $100 million it spends on average to jail illegal immigrants…
LINK - LATimes.com
February 5, 2010
Valley legislators oppose early release, Stockton-area prison hospitals
California's leaders continue to struggle with what to do about the state's 33 overcrowded prison facilities and bulging county jails.
This week, Sacramento County authorities released hundreds of low-level inmates early in response to legislation last year designed to reduce the state's prison and jail populations. There has been no similar release of jail inmates in San Joaquin County.
On Jan. 25, a new law took effect that requires county jails to release nonviolent, misdemeanor offenders on "good behavior" after serving half their sentences.
One of the inmates released early in Sacramento County was arrested 12 hours later on an attempted-rape charge…
LINK - RecordNet.com
February 5, 2010
Early inmate release returns spousal abusers, prostitutes, car theives & drug offenders to comm
A new state law allowing for the early release of inmates includes those who have been convicted of crimes ranging from misdemeanor spousal abuse, vehicle theft, and felony assault with force likely to produce great bodily harm.
Inmates doing time for misdemeanor assault and battery, prostitution or embezzlement also stand to benefit under the new law – in addition to lower-level drug and DUI offenders.
The new law, which went into effect Jan. 25 and has resulted in the early release of nearly 300 inmates in Orange County, applies only to "low-risk" offenders, but the category is broad…
LINK - OCRegister.com
February 5, 2010
Our View: Feeling safe about prisoners’ early release
It's not just Californians - or even Californians with a weather eye on our state's budget mess - who are bothered by the fact that we spend too much to lock up too many in our prisons.
And it's not just progressives who worry about the side-effects of locking up hundreds of thousands with very little effort made to "rehabilitate" them.
It's no less a personage than Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy. While he's sometimes seen as aligned with a moderate wing on the high court, it was Kennedy, after all, who wrote the recent ruling allowing big business to go back to contributing cash in big ways to political campaigns. So he's no Tom Hayden…
LINK - PasadenaNews.com
February 5, 2010
Assemblyman Hagman calls for freeze of inmate releases
Last week, the state began implementing the worst law in 2009 that aims to cut the state's prison population by about 6,500 inmates over the next year. This law was part of the 2009 budget package that I strongly opposed, yet it passed through with a Democratic majority and was unfortunately approved by the governor. The stated goal of this plan was to reduce overcrowding and save money in the Corrections budget.
Since this plan was first introduced, I have had no doubt that this new policy would jeopardize our public safety. Unfortunately, this has already proven to be too true.
On Tuesday, February 3rd, the Sacramento County Sheriff's Department released hundreds of prisoners earlier than scheduled in order to comply with the new standards. The inmates were classified as "non-violent" offenders, some of whom had even earned "good behavior credits." Less than 24 hours later, one of these inmates, Kevin Eugene Peterson, was arrested on suspicion of rape, sexual battery, false imprisonment and violating the terms of his probation…
LINK - ChinoHills.com
February 4, 2010
5th Annual CIM Memorial Run/Walk
Flyer posted for the fifth annual CIM Memorial 5k Run/Walk on Saturday, April 10th in honor of peace officers killed in the line of duty. Registration begins at 7am with a dedication ceremony at 9am and the Run/Walk starting at 10:30. Check flyer for more information on other activities, registration and more...
February 4, 2010
Federal Receiver J. Clark Kelso on prisons, privatization
J. Clark Kelso has a long history as a "fix-it" man in state government. In his latest assignment, as the federal receiver in charge of prison health care, he's been tasked with fixing a system so dysfunctional it's become a national symbol of what's wrong with corrections.
But the McGeorge Law School professor also has a long academic career under his belt. And it is in his role as a legal expert that we can find clues to his performance as a powerful prison overseer.
In his many years of writings for academic journals and also opining on legislation, a portrait emerges of a man with clear ideas about how we got into our current mess — and how we might get out of it. He has also shown a willingness to offer opinions that put him at odds with some of the most powerful institutions in the state, including judges, the Department of Corrections and the powerful state prison guards' union…
LINK - Capitolweekly.net
February 4, 2010
US Supreme Court Justice Kennedy on Calif prisons and CCPOA
U.S. Supreme Court Justice Anthony M. Kennedy criticized California sentencing policies and crowded prisons Wednesday night, calling the influence that unionized prison guards had in passing the three-strikes law "sick."
In an otherwise courtly and humorous address to the Los Angeles legal community, Kennedy expressed obvious dismay over the state of corrections and rehabilitation in the country. He said U.S. sentences are eight times longer than those issued by European courts.
"California now has 185,000 people in prison at $32,500 a year" each, he said. He then urged voters and officials to compare that expense to what taxpayers spend per pupil in elementary schools….
LINK - LATimes.com
February 4, 2010
“Wanted” parolee arrested during attempted home burglary
Porterville resident, William McGuire, 24, was reportedly attempting to break into a residence in the 400 block of N. El Granito St. when he was stopped by authorities, a press release from the Porterville Police Department states.
At about 9:18 p.m. Sunday, PPD officers arrived in the area in response to a report of a suspicious subject. When they arrived, they spotted McGuire attempting to "gain access" into a residence, the PPD reports.
The officers detained McGuire, who initially lied about his name and was found to be a wanted parolee. He was subsequently booked into the custody of the Tulare County Sheriff's Department on suspicion of attempted burglary, false impersonation and a parole violation…
LINK - RecorderOnline.com
February 4, 2010
Early inmate release in the O.C. - almost 300 in first week!
County officials have released nearly 300 inmates early under a new state law that reduces the amount of time inmates serve behind bars, officials said.
Passed by the legislature in September, the law – which caught some local officials off guard – allows "low-risk" inmates to earn credits for good behavior and completing other programs to reduce their sentences. In state prisons, the inmates may earn up to six weeks for each year served, saving the state about half a billion dollars, officials said.
In county jails, said Deputy County Council Nicole Sims, the law allows inmates to have their sentences cut by up to half….
LINK - OCRegister.com
February 4, 2010
CCPOA Blueprint for Success
State Board Memo from Chuck Alexander: "Attached is a copy of the "New Directions" document that we have begun distributing to members of the Legislature and media. Also, beginning Sunday January 10, we begin airing a TV and radio spot, specifically in the Sacramento region, regarding CCPOA's willingness to assist in reforming the CDCR. The spot will be available on our web page within the next few days..."
View the full New Directions document in the Issues section.
February 3, 2010
SATF Officer stabbed in head by inmate
A correctional officer was stabbed by an inmate Tuesday at the state prison at Corcoran.
The female guard was stabbed in the head with a makeshift weapon in a housing unit at the Substance Abuse Treatment Facility, according to prison public information officer Michele Kane.
The unidentified officer was treated at a hospital and released. There were no other injuries, Kane said.
Prison officials hadn't determined a reason for the attack as of Tuesday night. The prison was placed on lockdown while the investigation got underway…
LINK - BakersfieldNOW.com
February 3, 2010
Gov’s early release inmate arrested for rape 12 hours after early release?
One of the inmates the Sacramento County Sheriff's Department released early as part of an effort to reduce the state's prison population was arrested Tuesday on suspicion of attempted rape, less than 24 hours after getting out of jail, The Bee has learned.
Kevin Eugene Peterson got out of jail Monday night after serving about two months on a four-month sentence for violating probation on a prior felony conviction. Peterson was arrested 12 hours later, around 12:30 p.m. Tuesday, on suspicion of an attempted rape involving a female counselor at the 1300 block of North C Street, a Sacramento Police Department spokesman said. He was booked into the Sacramento County jail at 3:21 p.m. Tuesday on suspicion of attempted rape, sexual battery, false imprisonment and violating the terms of his probation.
"Our greatest fear has occurred almost immediately after the early release of these inmates," said Christine Ward of the Crime Victims Action Alliance. "We are certain that we will see more of this as more inmates are released from jails and prisons."…
LINK - SacBee.com
February 3, 2010
Parolee cuts woman’s hand with knife while stealing her purse
La Mesa police are asking for the public's help in finding a parolee accused of cutting a woman's hand with a knife while stealing her handbag in a Wal-Mart parking lot.
The woman was walking to her vehicle in the 5500 block of Grossmont Center Drive around 10:45 p.m. on Jan. 21 when a green, older model Chevy or Ford pickup truck pulled in front of her, according to the La Mesa police.
A passenger in the truck got out and tried to cut the woman's purse strap with a knife, police said, adding that during the struggle, the woman suffered a deep cut to her hand from the purse snatcher's knife…
LINK - 10News.com
February 3, 2010
CDCR promises better inmate rehab services but cuts $250 million from programs?
CDCR stands for California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, but after $250 million in cuts to the rehabilitation programs, some believe it should just be called CDC.
Douglas Jockinsen, a correctional facility teacher who could be laid off March 1 said, "There is no 'R' in CDCR. And the programs that are left are a shadow of their former selves. They are the only programs that have shown to cut recidivism, people coming back to prison."
CDCR's Web site says "Inmates who learn to read and write and those who gain a skill are far more likely to succeed upon release. Those who do not are more likely to re-offend and end up back in prison."
With the hundreds of teacher cuts, CDCR will also have a new model when it comes to education — model they admit is not ideal….
LINK - Turnto23.com
February 3, 2010
Parolee tased, arrested for assaulting girlfrind, threatening to kill her and family
A parolee – accused of assaulting his girlfriend –was tracked by GPS through two cities and arrested at a Laguna Hills El Torito, officials said.
According to police reports, Ronnie Ray Osorio, 22, of Santa Ana was being tracked by his parole officer on an ankle bracelet Tuesday after going to his girlfriend's home in Lake Forest on Monday night. There he is suspected of assaulting her and threatening to kill her and her family said Lt. Steve Doan, chief of police services for Laguna Hills.
"He returned to her house again on Tuesday and she refused to let him in," Doan said…
LINK - OCRegister.com
February 3, 2010
Ventura County forced to released over 100 inmates so far under Gov’s early release legislation
Ventura County jail officials have begun releasing many inmates earlier than previously expected, to comply with a new state law that gives nonviolent offenders more time credits for good behavior.
Since the law took effect Jan. 25, the Ventura County Sheriff's Department has released 188 inmates early under its provisions, sheriff's officials said Wednesday. That figure represents almost 13 percent of the average total inmate population in county jails. Of the 188, 113 were released on the first day the law took effect.
The law also led to the early release of 22 people in the Ventura County Probation Agency's Work Furlough program, said Chief Probation Officer Karen Staples. The program allows certain inmates to work during the day and return to custody at night…
LINK - VCStar.com
February 2, 2010
That didn’t take long - early released parolee returns to jail for new crime
The Sonora Police Department has arrested a man who was one of the first to be released early as part of the state's recent cost cutting measures. Tuesday morning at 11:41am, Jimmy Lloyd Lindsey of Sonora was arrested for DUI in the 1100 block of Mono Way.
Lindsey now has five D.U.I. offenses dating back to 2005. Following Lindsey's arrest he was transported to Tuolumne County Jail and booked for driving under the influence and driving with a suspended license.
The new NRP program is a non-supervised version of parole, where the parolee does not report to a parole agent and cannot have a parole hold placed on them for violating the law….
LINK - MyMotherLode.com
February 1, 2010
Editorial: Gov’s Mexican prison idea a joke?
Governor, tell us you're joking about building state prisons in Mexico.
More absurd ideas may have arisen out of the Capitol in recent history, but none quite so impossibly impractical has made it out the mouth of a governor not nicknamed Moonbeam.
First, the context. This wasn't something Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger muttered in the gym locker room, though for all we know that's where the idea originated. (The governor's office remains coy about exactly who came up with this notion of sending thousands of undocumented inmates to specially built prisons south of the border.)
This was a straight-faced statement at the Sacramento Press Club, where the governor knew he was on the record…
LINK - FresnoBee.com
February 1, 2010
Sides Meet, Talk Prisons in Stockton
In remarks at a public forum Saturday morning about prison facilities planned for Stockton, County Supervisor Steve Bestolarides noted that, in a deviation from historical precedent, the city and the county were on the same side of a lawsuit.
"I've brought the community together," joked J. Clark Kelso, the prison health care receiver whose efforts to bring a facility to Stockton have been criticized by local business and political leaders for a lack of transparency and local outreach.
The forum, sponsored by the League of Women Voters, started early Saturday morning in a banquet room at Valley Brew, a brewpub off the Miracle Mile. Bestolarides, Mayor Ann Johnston and Chamber of Commerce CEO Douglass Wilhoit were there to represent local interests. Kelso, former state Sen. Mike Machado, and California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation Chief of Staff Brett Morgan were there to make the case for the facilities…
LINK - Recordnet.com
