Pelican Bay State Prison
March 22, 2012
Monterey man appointed warden or Pelican Bay State Prison
Gov. Edmund G. Brown Jr. has announced the appointment of Gregory Lewis, 48, of Monterey, as warden of Pelican Bay State Prison at the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, where he has served as acting warden since 2010.
Lewis served as chief deputy administrator for Salinas Valley State Prison from 2009 to 2010 and for Kern Valley State Prison from 2008 to 2009.
Lewis served in various positions with the Salinas Valley State Prison, including correctional administrator from 2006 to 2008, facility captain from 2004 to 2006, correctional lieutenant from 1998 to 2004 and correctional sergeant from 1996 to 1998.
He also served as a correctional sergeant for the Pelican Bay State Prison from 1994 to 1996 and was correctional officer at the Sierra Conservation Center from 1987 to 1992.
December 21, 2011
Pelican Bay inmate sentenced in guard attack
A Pelican Bay State Prison inmate already serving a life term got another 10 years tacked onto his sentence after he pleaded guilty in a prison guard attack.
Prosecutors say 20-year-old Omar Cardenas and another inmate, Moses Osuna, attacked two guards with handmade weapons in January. A third guard who tried to intervene was also injured....
LINK - SacBee.com
December 19, 2011
“Operation Santa” at Pelican Bay
Christmas came early for some students at Smith River Elementary School on Friday.
Children playing basketball and soccer and frolicking on the jungle gym stopped in their tracks when Santa Claus stepped out of a Pelican Bay State Prison Fire Truck that pulled onto the playground.
They hugged him from all sides and pulled at his beard while cheering....
LINK - Triplicate.com
August 17, 2011
Pelican Bay prison tours counter charges of poor conditions
California prison officials tried to counter inmates' allegations of inhumane living conditions by opening a highly secure unit at Pelican Bay State Prison to reporters Wednesday, days before a legislative hearing into conditions there.
More than 6,000 inmates refused state-issued meals at 13 of the state's 33 adult prisons during a three-week hunger strike that originated at the maximum security prison in Crescent City and peaked over the July 4 weekend. They were protesting the windowless and soundproofed cells where violent inmates and gang leaders are sometimes isolated for 22 1/2 hours a day...
LINK - MercuryNews.com
July 1, 2011
Hunger strike by Pelican Bay, Corcoran SHU inmates
[1]In a letter to the Bay View, SHU prisoner Mutope Duguma (s/n James D. Crawford), who wrote “The Call [2],” published in the Bay View online and in print in June, sheds light on the background leading to the hunger strike at Pelican Bay State Penitentiary that is set to begin July 1.
First and foremost, let me say that it is New Afrikans (Blacks) like yourselves who represent our new Afrikan nation (NAN) with compassion and dedication that is a reflection of the unconditional love and respect that our ancestors demonstrated during their enslavement by our historical enemies (HEs) who unfortunately see us (New Afrikans) as an obsolete people...
LINK - SFBayView.com
June 29, 2011
Hunger strike at Pelican Bay in the news
Built in 1989, Pelican Bay State Prison in Crescent City was California’s first supermax prison, designed to keep the “worst of the worst” criminals under strict security, often in solitary confinement.
On Friday, about 100 of those inmates plan to start a hunger strike to protest what they say are cruel and unusual prison conditions.
They plan to continue the strike until Pelican Bay officials address their five core demands. Those include changing the prison's practices of group punishment and segregating inmates, which prisoners say are meant to coerce "snitching." They also want changes in their food, education and activity programs...
LINK - CaliforniaWatch.org
June 23, 2011
AMAZING: You won’t believe how one guard handles rioting inmates!
EDITOR'S NOTE: Watch this video with your speakers up - the sound makes a BIG difference in the message!
May 18, 2011
CCPOA contract, Pelican Bay in the news
More than 860 correctional officers at Pelican Bay State Prison will have to pay more toward their pensions but take fewer unpaid furlough days under a new contract signed Monday by Gov. Jerry Brown.
Several labor contracts within Senate Bill 151 were approved Monday by the state Assembly on a 54-18 vote and presented to the governor.
The contracts affect more than 50,000 state workers, including prison guards, engineers, administrative law judges and other law enforcement officials...
LINK - Triplicate.com
March 10, 2011
Drinking whiskey with a sergeant at California’s securest prison
We met at a bar in the back of a Mexican restaurant at the edge of town.
I wanted to know about assaults, about verbal abuse, about what it feels like to kiss your kids goodbye every day knowing there’s a very real chance an inmate will rip your throat open with a chunk of cafeteria tray before nightfall.
He told me about accepting death beneath 18 fists and 18 feet, about feeding the man that stabbed your partner, about making love to your wife with a condom for three months because someone with hepatitis shoved feces in your mouth...
LINK - Informant.KALWNews.org
January 11, 2011
Inmates Attack Pelican Bay Officers
CRESCENT CITY, Calif. - Three Pelican Bay State Prison correctional officers were hurt Tuesday when they were attacked by two inmates, the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation said. The officers -- ages 37, 43 and 45 -- were treated at a local hospital for lacerations and puncture wounds and released, the state said. The prison will remain locked down until further notice."
Our foremost concern is for the safety and well-being of our dedicated staff," Warden Gregory Lewis said in a prepared statement. "Our officers' injuries are not life-threatening and we are glad they were discharged from the hospital today. Our thoughts and prayers are with them for a speedy recovery."
The state said the attack occurred about 9:25 a.m. when two inmates rushed the officers with prison-made weapons while being released into the exercise yard. Custody staff members in the immediate area responded and stopped the attack with physical force and batons. Two weapons were recovered...
LINK - KCRA.com
Official Press Statement from CDCR - CDCRToday.blogspot.com
September 22, 2010
CDCR’s 12-hour shift proposal could prevent volunteering
Correctional peace officers at Pelican Bay State Prison are asking for support in protesting shift changes they say will limit their ability to serve as volunteers in the community.
Officers recently requested letters of support from the Del Norte County Board of Supervisors and the Crescent City Council to send to the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR).
Paul Wenning, Pelican Bay chapter president of the California Correctional Peace Officers Association, said CDCR is proposing a switch from 8-hour shifts to 12-hour shifts...
LINK - Triplicate.com
September 15, 2010
County weighs ambulance rate hike
...Sandler said the proposed increases are a result of low Medi-Cal and Medicare reimbursement rates and low reimbursement rates from calls to Pelican Bay State Prison.
The state reimburses ambulance providers at about $125 per Medi-Cal call no matter what the caller’s ailment is. Sandler said the payment is far below the actual cost of response.
Jay Sarina, county administrative officer, said Del Norte Ambulance’s main financial problem is a lack of Medi-Cal and Medicare funding — an issue shared by other companies...
LINK - Triplicate.com
October 8, 2009
Inmate gets 2 more years in stabbing
A former Pelican Bay State Prison inmate who stabbed his cellmate in the neck with a pencil will be incarcerated for an additional two years, a Del Norte County jury has decided.
Robert Soto, who was originally convicted of selling heroin, stabbed his cellmate in 1996.
He was found not guilty due to insanity and was sent to Patton State Hospital, a mental institution in San Bernardino County…
LINK - Triplicate.com
August 18, 2009
Editorial: “Prison no place for indiscriminate penny-pinching”
If you know people who work at Pelican Bay State Prison (and who doesn't in Del Norte County?) be kind to them. They are probably feeling under siege.
There's a tendency to think of the 1,500-plus Pelican Bay workers as the lucky ones around here, pulling in wages and benefits equal to their counterparts in more expensive parts of California. Certainly they earn more than most of the local work force, and we should all be thankful for that because the prison payroll is obviously a big driver of our region's economy.
So we're not saying feel sorry for them. Just be kind to them…
LINK - Triplicate.com
May 22, 2009
142 layoff notices at prison
If Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger makes good on his promise to lay off 5,000 state workers now that a series of budget propositions have failed, 142 employees at Pelican Bay State Prison will be without jobs.
Pelican Bay officials still don't know if and when the notices will actually take affect, but if layoffs do occur it could mean the loss of more than 100 correctional officers.
"At this point we have not had an official word concerning those employees being laid off," said Lt. Ken Thomas, Pelican Bay's public information officer, on Wednesday. "Everybody's talking about it, but we haven't heard anything yet."…
LINK - Triplicate.com
April 8, 2009
2 Pelican Bay officers drown while fishing
Two Crescent City men drowned Monday afternoon when a large wave swept them from the rocks as they were fishing near the Battery Point Lighthouse.
Those men, 36-year-old Troy Kuykendall and Hoyt Walker, 46, were fishing for perch when a rogue wave suddenly hit the jagged rocky point on which the men were standing, pulling Kuykendall into the water, said Del Norte County Sheriff's Cmdr. Tim Athey.
While Walker attempted to reach his friend, another wave slammed against the point and swept him into the water, as well…
LINK - Times-Standard.com
November 26, 2008
Prison Food Temperature A Decision Of Jail Officials, Rules California Court
The First District of Appeal in San Francisco ruled that it is the prerogative of prison officials to determine the food temperature of inmates.
The decision overturned a ruling by the Pelican Bay State Prison in Del Norte County mandating jail officials to ensure inmates receive hot meals.
Two prisoners locked in the security housing of the facility filed a lawsuit over the food service because their breakfast and dinner were just lukewarm even if there is a Corrections Department regulation that stated all prisoners must receive three meals daily, of which two must be served hot…
LINK - AllHeadlineNews.com
November 2, 2008
Retired Correctional Officer wins California Lottery!
A retired correctional peace officer from Crescent City was announced the winner of a $75,000 prize from the California Lottery on Saturday.
Bruce Korsmeyer, who worked at Pelican Bay State Prison and in law enforcement for 27 years, won while playing Fantasy 5, the California Lottery reported in a release…
LINK - Times-Standard.com
CONGRATS TO BRUCE AND HIS FAMILY - HAPPY RETIREMENT!
September 8, 2008
Pelican Bay Correctional Officer Stabbed by Inmate
Pelican Bay State Prison is on lockdown after two maximum security inmates stabbed a prison guard.
Thirty-one-year-old correctional officer Jeremy Kingstrom is recovering from stab wounds to the face and neck, after the Sunday evening attack in the prison yard.
Meanwhile, officials say 19-year-old Joel Campos and 25-year-old Felipe Ruiz are being held in solitary confinement after being charged with attempted murder of an officer…
LINK - MercuryNews.com
July 11, 2008
Pelican Bay prison warden retires
Pelican Bay State Prison's warden officially retired at the end of June, but he will continue working until Dec. 31. Warden Robert Horel said his decision to retire was a financial one. He has been Pelican Bay's warden since 2006.
"The retirement system is at the point where it is more lucrative for me to be retired than to be at work," Horel said in a phone interview Wednesday. "I really didn't want to leave. But this was a way for me to not take the financial hit every month and still run the prison."
When officially appointed as Pelican Bay's warden by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger in 2007—Horel was acting warden before then—his salary was $126,756. He has been a state employee for nearly 38 years…
LINK - The Daily Triplicate
June 7, 2008
Several stabbed, 1 shot in prison riot
A Pelican Bay State Prison riot that broke out in an exercise yard Friday morning was stopped by correctional officers after a number of inmates had been stabbed, and one was shot.
When the pepper spray cleared, eight prisoners were in need of medical attention — one of whom was shot through the shoulder by an officer's Mini-14 .223 caliber rifle. They were taken to an outside hospital and treated. None of the injuries were lethal, prison officials reported.
Authorities estimate about 40 prisoners were involved in the riot, and though it lasted no longer than five minutes, Pelican Bay Lt. Ken Thomas described it as "total chaos." The "staff didn't have any idea this was going to happen," he said. "We had inmates who were being stabbed in the facility." When the skirmish ended, officers found four prisoner-made weapons at the scene…
LINK - Times-Standard.com
June 6, 2008
Eight inmates hospitalized following riot at Pelican Bay State Prison
Following a riot at Pelican Bay State Prison this morning, eight inmates, including one who'd been shot by a correctional officer, were taken to a hospital, a news release said.
A riot reportedly involving about 40 inmates broke out on the Facility B maximum-security general population yard at 10:25 a.m. After verbal orders to stop fighting were ignored, officers used pepper spray, rubber baton rounds and fired two rounds from a Mini-14 .223 rifle to stop the riot, the release said.
One inmate was shot in the shoulder and taken to an outside hospital, but his injuries are not believed to be life threatening. Officers reportedly found four inmate-manufactured weapons at the scene…
LINK - EurekaReporter.com
May 23, 2008
Six Pelican Bay officers awarded Bronze Stars
Six employees at Pelican Bay State Prison were honored last week by the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation for life-saving actions.
The awards were presented by CDCR Secretary James Tilton at a ceremony in Sacramento. Nearly 100 corrections employees received awards that ranged from the Medal of Valor to Unit Citations.
Correctional Sergeants Gregory Gordon and Kathy Ohland, and Correctional Officers Will Baptista, Joseph Ross, Pamela Russell and Donald Thomas were all awarded the Bronze Star medal…
LINK - The Daily Triplicate
April 15, 2008
Court upholds female guard’s harassment award
A federal appeals court has upheld $600,000 in damages to a state prison guard who said she was fired after complaining that she was being harassed by naked male inmates.
The complaints by Deanna Freitag led to an investigation by the state Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation's inspector general, who found in 2000 that maximum-security inmates at Pelican Bay State Prison had regularly subjected female guards to "lewd exhibitionism and exhibitionist masturbation" and that the warden and other officials were doing little to stop it.
Freitag, who had worked at the prison in Del Norte County since 1996, was fired by Pelican Bay officials shortly before those findings were issued. Her bosses accused her of fabricating incidents in the reports she had been filing since September 1998…
LINK - SFGate.com (The San Francisco Chronicle)
