Department of Corrections, guards, named as accomplices in death of Chino Correctional officer

SACRAMENTO, CALIF. A correctional officer at the California Institution for Men in Chino was stabbed to death Monday. Prison reform advocates claim it was an entirely preventable confrontation which was fueled by incompetence, special interest influence, and willful disregard for inmates and guards safety.

Sources from inside the prison have identified the fallen officer as a whistleblower and believe the weapon was provided, and the attack orchestrated, by other correctional officers. The reception area, where the inmate was housed, is repeatedly searched and inmates belongings are in storage while undergoing placement. Guards remain the only traffic in and out of the institution which does not undergo any search.

The department failed to do its job. According to Corrections spokeswoman Terry Thornton, funding for stab proof protective vests was made available last year—enough to purchase vests for all of the state's 31,000 corrections officers—but the department has failed to fill the order.

"It makes no sense. When faced with few resources, it is the job of leadership to prioritize where those resources are most needed,' says Matt Gray, Director of the Voters Corrections Reform Coalition. "What happened at Chino is like having 90 parachutes for 100 paratroopers, but then making everyone jump without one just to be fair. Guards in the tower, on the cat walks, and in control booths do not need the vests as much as those guards in reception, on the yard, in the chow hall, or in housing units.'

If there is a shortage of vests, then why not share? With 31,000 guards, and three work shifts, fewer than 11,000 vests could equip every on-duty guard with a stab proof vest. "I would rather wear someone else's sweaty vest than feel the hot burn of a homemade knife through my chest,' continued Gray, "but this really isn't about the vests, it is about mismanagement and the guards getting what they asked for in their greedy bargaining contract.'

But the lack of vests is a mere symptom of a larger problem. Constantly moving inmates causes unnecessary turmoil and dangerous situations. "If a guard gets mad at you, then you get moved. That's how the game is played,' says Gray. "It is an oppressive practice which fuels anger and increases tension.' If you are worth more somewhere else, then you also get moved. "CDC and the guards have created this problem by needlessly transferring inmates.' While the department cries budget shortfalls, they continue to initiate unnecessary transfers en masse. Mule Creek State Prison is now moving an entire yard (about 1,000 inmates) to other prisons to so the Warden can receive EOPS mentally ill inmates worth more federal dollars—to make-up for salary increases, overtime, and sick-leave costs caused by guards.

Prison administrators also bear some responsibility. Apparently prompted by the guards need to maintain high levels of overtime pay, prison administrators no longer attempt to isolate violent prison gangs from each other and have instead spread them throughout the prisons. Fights frequently break out between the gangs, or gang members stab or assault non-gang members, and the prison then goes on lockdown status. Warfare and violence breaks out each time the lockdown is lifted, and a new lockdown is initiated. Prison guards get overtime pay during such lockdowns. As a result of this practice, virtually all prisons exist in a reign of violence and terror, creating clearly unconstitutional conditions. Thus, if a prison guard gets assaulted by a violent inmate, who may also be a gang member, the fault for that assault must also be borne by the officials who create the dangerous conditions.

The department, in identifying the suspected stabber, and has also announced that he had medical and mental conditions which made it difficult to place him. As a result, the department and guards violated the 90-day reception holding guidelines. The department also violated the inmate's right to medical privacy by volunteering to the media the existence of any mental health condition.

Voters Corrections Reform Coalition is a unification project to build partnerships, reform Corrections to live up to its name, and improve public safety in spite of special interest. Online at: www.CorrectionsReform.com, or mail to: P.O. Box 255456, Sacramento, CA 95865