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Daily Corrections Clips

November 29, 2012, 9:33 am
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REALIGNMENT
 
For California Prison Realignment Hype, Scary Tales Deserve Skepticism
Mike Males and Barry Krisberg, San Diego Free Press
 
Over the last 30 years, California has created an oversized, overcrowded prison system entailing billions of dollars in taxpayer expense, endless safety and health crises, a dismal record of rehabilitation, and increasingly proscriptive court orders to regulate almost all aspects of prison operations.
 
Realignment hasn’t led to massive jail overcrowding; crime impacts unclear.
Arvin Temkar, Monterey County Weekly

The county jail has managed to avert serious overcrowding by allowing some low-level arrestees off without bail, sending some offenders to substance abuse programs, and implementing other population reduction measures.


CALIFORNIA PRISONS
 
Woman tried to sneak drugs into prison in her underwear, officials say
Los Angeles Times
 
A woman was arrested after officers at the California State Prison in Lancaster said they caught her attempting to smuggle marijuana and tobacco into the facility in her skirt and underwear.
 
San Quentin inmate wage deductions garner $36,000 for local groups
Marin Independent Journal
 
SAN QUENTIN - Five community groups will receive more than $7,200 each in a ceremony at San Quentin State Prison.

CALIFORNIA PAROLE
 
Parole denied to 1 of 3 Chowchilla 'busnappers'
Associated Press
 
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — One of three men convicted in the infamous kidnapping of a school bus full of California Central Valley school students has been denied parole.
 
Parolee in sledgehammer wife killing back in prison
Michelle Durand, The Daily Journal
 
A San Mateo County prison inmate granted parole after serving 20 years for fatally beating his wife with a sledgehammer was back before the parole board this week for the first time since having his release revoked for drinking alcohol and pushing a female friend.


CDCR RELATED
 
More Children Growing Up With Parents Behind Bars
Christina Costantini, ABC Univision

The number of children with parents behind bars in the United States is growing. And a Latino child is more than twice as likely to have an incarcerated parent as a white child.
 
'Most Wanted,' but not by parole officials
California dropped a warrant for alleged killer and drug cartel associate Jose Luis Saenz as he was being sought by the FBI.
Paige St. John, Los Angeles Times
 
SACRAMENTO — Jose Luis Saenz had been on the FBI's 10 Most Wanted list since 2009, with a $100,000 bounty and his face in post offices across the United States before he was captured last week.
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Daily Corrections Clips

November 30, 2012, 11:28 am
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California Inmates
3-striker to be released under Prop. 36
Misha DiBono, Fox 5 San Diego

SAN DIEGO – Tens of thousands of California inmates serving 25 years to life under the 1994 Three Strikes Law may never walk out of the prison gates, but under the new voter passed amendment Proposition 36, hundreds of inmates, like Sergio Ayala, may be set free.

“This is a guy who had a drug problem and was stealing to pay for drugs,” said attorney Justin Brooks of the California Western School of Law. Brooks had been working to get Ayala’s case reviewed for more than a year.  Ayala was sentenced to 25 years to life in 1995 after being convicted for stealing a leaf blower worth about $150. It was his third strike.  He was a heroin addict and had two prior none-violent burglary convictions.

“Today, the judge ordered Mr. Ayala to be released from prison after serving 17 years for theft of a leave blower – a $150.00 leaf blower,” he said. “This is exactly what Prop. 36 was designed to do. It was to get non-violent non-serial offenders out of our system.”

Under Prop 36 those convicted under the Three Strikes Law may apply to have their cases re-evaluated and then re-sentenced by a judge. But it’s not a blanket pardon. Every case will be looked at individually through the district attorney’s office.

“We estimate there are about 325 cases that are statutorily eligible for re-sentencing,” said Deputy State Attorney General Gary Schons. “We will oppose their release if we believe they pose a risk or danger to the community.”

“If one of these guy re-offends, gets re-sentenced under Prop 36, there’s going to be people who say it’s a mistake, “ Brooks said. “But we are going to save millions of dollars and that money can be reallocated to policing and to keeping more serious criminals in prison.”

For Ayala, now drug free for 17 years, Prop 36 is a chance to start over.

“This is a guy who had given up hope that he was ever coming home. It was one of the best things that I have ever been able to do as an attorney,” Brooks said.

Ayala remained at San Quentin Prison Thursday night. He is expected to be released in five days and will most likely be deported to his hometown in Tijuana.

Prison inmate is charged with 1991 murder of 16-year-old girl at Compton thrift shop
The Associated Press


COMPTON, California — A man who was serving prison time in Washington state has been charged with killing a 16-year-old girl in Southern California more than two decades ago.

City News Service says 63-year-old James A. Boyd was extradited to Los Angeles earlier this week and remains jailed without bail. He's facing a December arraignment on suspicion of committing murder during a rape.

Prosecutors haven't decided whether to seek the death penalty.

Boyd is charged in connection with the October 1991 killing of Melissa Alcantar. Her bound body was found in the locked bathroom of a Compton thrift shop where she worked.

Authorities say the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department took over the case from Compton police in 2000 and developed new evidence that led to Boyd.

California prison manuals change with the sexual times
Paige St. John, Los Angeles Times

California prison officials are revising official procedures and even prison garb to get up to date with changing mental and medical treatment of inmates who identify with one sex and their bodies, another.

The state issued part of an updated operations manual this week that directs employees to stop using the prior official term, "effeminate homosexual." Those inmates are now to be called "transgendered," in keeping with current nomenclature used by the medical and mental health fields.

Services for transgender inmates also are being expanded, and a provision for clothing accommodations has been added. Transgender inmates, if they ask, can receive a state-issued bra or boxer shorts.

California already pays for hormone treatment for transgender inmates already taking the drugs when incarcerated.

The challenge of where and how to house transgender inmates has been an issue in California prisons. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger in 2009 vetoed a bill that would have required corrections officials to consider an inmate's sexual identity when deciding where to put him.

A transgender inmate at the men's prison in Vacaville last year lost her lawsuit demanding that California pay for sex-change surgery for those who request it.

CDCR Related
Fake Immigration Lawyer Gets 5-Year Prison Sentence
Mark Hansen, American Bar Association Journal

A California man who falsely passed himself off as an immigration lawyer has been sentenced to five years in prison.

Rey Martin Lespier, 45, pleaded no contest Wednesday to four counts of theft by false pretense in Merced County, Calif., the Merced Sun-Star reports.

Lespier, who is not a licensed attorney, opened offices in two cities under the name

"American Legal Incorporated." He advertised on Spanish-speaking radio stations that he could help immigrants with their legal problems, demanding large sums of money from prospective "clients" upfront, according to prosecutors.

In one particularly egregious case, Lespier took $8,000 from a couple who went to him for help getting green cards, said deputy district attorney Walter Wall, who prosecuted the defendant. Lespier also videotaped the couple's child, who has Down's syndrome, telling them that it would help them in their cause with immigration officials.

Deputy public defender Chris Loethen, who represented Lespier, could not be reached for comment by the Sun-Star.

L.A. County seeing high-risk offenders entering its probation system
One year into California's prison realignment program, the county is seeing an unexpected number of high-risk offenders coming under its supervision.
Abby Sewell, Los Angeles Times

One year into California's state prison realignment program, Los Angeles County is seeing an unexpected number of high-risk offenders coming into its probation system, including some with a history of severe mental illness.

It remains unclear whether realignment — which shifted responsibility for some nonviolent offenders from prisons to county jails and from state parole to county probation — is having an effect on crime rates. But a report by a county advisory body found that a majority of state prison inmates who have been released to county probation are at a high risk of reoffending.

In the first year of the new system, which took effect in October 2011, 11,136 offenders were released from state prison to Los Angeles County probation. Of those who reported to probation for assessment, 59% were classed as high risk, 40% as medium risk and only 1% as low risk.

The department uses probationers' criminal history and other factors to determine the risk that they will commit new crimes and the resources required to supervise them.
Deputy Chief Reaver Bingham said the department originally projected that 50% of the offenders coming out of state prison would fall into the high-risk category.

And a handful of people previously classified as mentally disordered offenders — people considered dangerous because of mental illness — were downgraded or "decertified" while in state hospitals, making them eligible for county supervision, according to the report issued Thursday by the Countywide Criminal Justice Coordination Committee.

County officials said that runs contrary to the spirit of realignment, which was pitched as a money-saving measure for the state that would transfer low-level offenders to less costly county supervision. The committee's report said the decertified mentally disordered offenders "present high public safety risk, present significant placement issues, and consume high levels of resources."

Jeffrey Callison, a spokesman with the state corrections department, said the courts, not the department, determine who is decertified and that under the current law, people not classified as mentally disordered who are eligible for realignment are required to go to county supervision.

"It's not for me to say that a given county does or doesn't have the resources to supervise a person who has been decertified," he said.

The committee's report recommended that the county seek legislation to shift back to the
state responsibility for probationers formerly designated as mentally disordered offenders as well as "medically fragile" people and prisoners serving long sentences in county jail.
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Daily Corrections Clips

December 3, 2012, 9:58 am
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CALIFORNIA PRISONS
 
Running a Marathon Behind Bars
Judy Campbell, The California Report
 
On a recent Sunday morning in November, 21 runners strapped on their shoes, took a final stretch and set out to run a marathon, 26.2 miles under the clear blue Marin County sky. Distance running is a natural for the pretty trails of Marin County, but these runners were confined to the yard of San Quentin State Prison.

CALIFORNIA INMATES

Prisoners get 25 years for $8M bank fraud
California inmates ran operation from inside, prosecutors say
Jason Hanna, CNN

(CNN) —Two California prison inmates who authorities say directed members of their respective groups -- a street gang and a transnational organized crime syndicate -- to help them steal $8 million from people's bank accounts were sentenced Wednesday to 25 years in prison.

CALIFORNIA PAROLE
 
Parolee and Juvenile Busted for Stealing Liquor from Lucky
The suspect and his juvenile side-kick were located by sheriff's deputies in Redwood City where they admitted to stealing bottles of alcohol from the Lucky in San Carlos.
Joan S. Dentler, San Carlos Patch
 
According to the San Mateo County Sheriff's Office, on Friday, Nov. 30 at approximately 6:45 p.m., two people walked into liquor department of the Lucky Supermarket located at 1133 Industrial Road in San Carlos, and proceeded to stuff alcohol bottles into the pockets of the trench coat of the adult suspect whole the juvenile suspect stood watch.

REALIGNMENT
 
Valley counties seek more prison funds
Kurtis Alexander, The Fresno Bee

Fresno County is planning to lodge a complaint with the governor over the prison overhaul that has packed thousands of state prisoners into local jails.

CDCR RELATED
 
Appriss and California work to enhance criminal investigations
Near real-time booking data benefits law enforcement
The Sacramento Bee
 
LOUISVILLE, Ky., Dec. 3, 2012 -- /PRNewswire/ -- Appriss Inc. and the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) are pleased to announce that the CDCR is implementing JusticeXchange, the Appriss program that allows criminal justice professionals to search a near real-time database to find wanted persons who are jailed elsewhere.
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Daily Corrections Clips

December 4, 2012, 10:29 am
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CALIFORNIA INMATES

Kenneth Corley, released under Proposition 36, thanks lawyers
Corley first released under modified 3 strikes law 

SAN DIEGO - The first nonviolent offender released under Proposition 36 visited the California Western School of Law Friday to thank lawyers and the school's staff for their help with his release.

‘I’M GOING TO MAKE IT,’ SAYS RELEASED 3-STRIKES PRISONER
Convict, whose last offense wasn’t a serious crime, first to be resentenced under Prop. 36

SAN DIEGO — At the age of 45, Kenneth Corley was sent to prison for 25 years to life for drug possession. It was his third strike, and he was out of chances.
“In the back of my mind, I always thought one day I would get out,” Corley said.


CALIFORNIA PRISONS

California Medical Facility celebrates World AIDS Day
Catherine Bowen, Daily Democrat

Education is key. 

That was the message sent to a packed gymnasium where a colorful quilt bearing the names of those who have fallen victim to AIDS was proudly displayed Friday morning at Vacaville's California Medical Facility in honor of the 24th annual World AIDS Day. 

Taking a close look at the state's correctional system
James Austin, Capitol Weekly

After decades of prison planning work in California and around the country, I’ve seen two prevailing assumptions about crime and punishment begin to finally begin to crack after years of real-world testing.

CDCR RELATED
 
Ammiano to Introduce Sweeping Prison Reform Legislation
Dan Aiello, California Progress Report

In the wake of California's election last month where voters passed two propositions aimed at reducing the number of inmates in California's overcrowded prison system, the State Assembly's Safety Committee Chair says he will introduce major prison reform this session targeting a correctional system failure rate that persists as the highest recidivism rate in the nation.

Authorities turn to DNA of John Wayne Gacy, other executed inmates to help solve coldest cases
Don Babwin, Associated Press

CHICAGO — Detectives have long wondered what secrets serial killer John Wayne Gacy and other condemned murderers took to the grave when they were executed — particularly whether they had other unknown victims.
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Daily Corrections Clips

December 5, 2012, 9:20 am
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CDCR NEWS
 
SunEdison Helps California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation Reduce Electricity Costs
Solar Initiative Saves Taxpayers $45 Million in Utility Bills
SunEdison

BELMONT, Calif., Dec. 5, 2012 -- /PRNewswire/ -- SunEdison, a leading worldwide solar energy services provider and a subsidiary of MEMC Electronic Materials (NYSE: WFR), applauds the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) for its "Going Green" sustainability initiative, which is expected to save the state's taxpayers more than $45 million.

CDCR RELATED
 
Former football star gets 234 years in prison for Natomas crimes
Andy Furillo, The Sacramento Bee

Keith Jerome Wright had money and education. He could play football at the highest level. He grew up in a stable home. He got married and had a son who looked up to him as a hero.

CALIFORNIA PAROLE

State Senator looks to clamp down on parole violators
Sen. Ted Lieu to introduce legislation
Mike Luery, KCRA.com

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (KCRA) — After seeing a KCRA 3 investigation documenting how hundreds of parole violators are failing to wear their GPS tracking devices, State Sen. Ted Lieu has decided to introduce legislation addressing the problem.
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Daily Corrections Clips

December 6, 2012, 9:17 am
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CDCR RELATED

Nonprofit puts ex-cons to work by hiring them
Jonathan Horn, North County Times

Michael Craig works full-time on the maintenance crew at a mall in Clairemont. It wasn’t too long ago that he was serving 25-years-to-life under the three-strikes law for possession of stolen property.

Vital Signs
Bobby White, Wall Street Journal

Of the 726 prisoners now sitting on death row in California state prisons, 111, or 15%, were sentenced for crimes they were convicted of committing in Bay Area counties, according to the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.

OPINION

Education is essential to prison reform
Elena Kadvany, Daily Trojan

In 1989, five 14-to 15-year-old boys, four black and one Hispanic, were convicted of a crime they did not commit. They spent between five and  11 years in juvenile delinquent centers and prisons in New York. Though the boys were victims of institutional racism and a flawed justice system that robbed them of a significant portion of their youth, none of them wasted their time behind bars. Though their imprisonment interrupted their high school careers, each one of them took and passed the General Education Development Test while incarcerated.


REALIGNMENT

Contra Costa at odds over prisoner realignment money
Lisa Vorderbrueggen, Contra Costa Times

More than a year after California shifted oversight of nonviolent felons to counties, Contra Costa is still battling over how best to spend the $19 million that came with its new charges.
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Daily Corrections Clips

December 7, 2012, 10:21 am
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CALIFORNIA INMATES

APNewsBreak: 29 charged in Calif gang indictment
Greg Risling, Associated Press

LOS ANGELES (AP) - While behind bars for three decades, a convicted murderer and member of the Mexican Mafia controlled a network of Los Angeles street gangs that sold drugs, committed killings and robbed students at the University of Southern California, authorities said in an indictment unsealed Thursday.

San Quentin Inmates Create Freedom Within Prison Walls
Prisoners are transforming themselves through arts, sports and education, according to volunteers.
Derek Wilson, Pinole-Hercules Patch

The inmates at San Quentin State Prison are locked behind bars, but they still manage to find moments of freedom.

Non-Violence Program Helps San Quentin Inmates Find Redemption
The Insight Out program helps hardened convicts - including murderers- transition to roles of spiritual and emotional leadership and break the cycle of violence. Linda Yee reports.

Link to Video:  http://sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com/video/8004007-non-violence-program-helps-san-quentin-inmates-find-redemption/

REALIGNMENT

Rural counties seek bigger share of prison money
Los Angeles Times

Lawmakers from 13 rural Central California counties are asking Gov. Jerry Brown to cut them a bigger slice of the prison realignment pie.

CDCR RELATED
Ka Pasasouk, Suspect In Northridge Murders, Lucked Out Of Prison Time, Had Psych Eval
Dennis Romero, LA Weekly

Ka Pasasouk, the man police allege pulled the trigger in last weekend's horrific Northridge quadruple homicide, was released from prison and placed into the hands of local probation officials even though state corrections authorities were concerned enough about his behavior behind bars to subject him to a psych evaluation last year, the Weekly has learned.

Death sentence in Davis' 'sweetheart' murders
Robin Rominger, Daily Democrat

A Sacramento Superior Court jury recommended the death penalty for Richard Joseph Hirschfield today, with the jury returning its verdict to a packed courtroom after only 2.5 hours of deliberation.
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Daily Corrections Clips

December 10, 2012, 9:01 am
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REALIGNMENT

Sheriff's Department getting more space
Modesto Bee

With his department collecting state money both for people and new facilities, and with the Democrats firmly in control in Sacramento, Christianson is now more pragmatic about realignment. He says the goal must be to make it work effectively, not to try to make it go away. We agree.

Contra Costa breaks felon realignment funding logjam
Lisa Vorderbrueggen, Contra Costa Times

MARTINEZ -- The six-month stalemate among Contra Costa's top law enforcement, health and court leaders broke Friday as the fractured group passed portions of its budget for managing felons shifted from the state into county custody in October 2011.

CALIFORNIA PRISONS

State studies plan for growth at CIM

California Institution for Men in Chino is one of five state prison facilities under consideration as possible locations for three new housing facilities of up to 792 beds each, a spokeswoman for the Department of Corrections said Wednesday.

CALIFORNIA INMATES

High price of solitary confinement
Sarah Shourd, San Francisco Chronicle

Over the last several decades, we've witnessed a dramatic increase in the use of solitary confinement in this country. At the same time, numerous groups and citizens have been working to outlaw it. Opponents argue that prolonged isolation is inhumane, costly and ultimately ineffective, while prison officials argue it is necessary to secure the prison and its general prison population from violent inmates

CDCR RELATED

Feds: Mexican Mafia-Controlled Street Gang Robbed USC Students & Extorted Vendors
Laist

A Mexican Mafia kingpin ran a dozen or so street gangs in South Los Angeles through his daughter and son-in-law, according to three federal grand jury indictments.

Mexican Mafia, Harypys Gangs In South LA Targeted In Racketeering Arrest Sweep
Greg Risling, Huffington Post

LOS ANGELES — While behind bars for three decades, a convicted murderer and member of the Mexican Mafia controlled a network of Los Angeles street gangs that sold drugs, committed killings and robbed students at the University of Southern California, authorities said in an indictment unsealed Thursday.

Alleged Baby Killer Coming Back To Ohio
Fayette Advocate

The suspect in the death of a 10-month-old boy waived his right to challenge extradition to Ohio on Friday.
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Daily Corrections Clips

December 11, 2012, 9:51 am
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REALIGNMENT

Don't blame realignment
Councilman Englander is wrong: The new law isn't responsible for four deaths in Northridge.
Los Angeles Times

The fact that one of the suspected killers of four people in a Northridge home was "out on the street and not behind bars," City Councilman Mitchell Englander said last week, "underscores the dangers posed by realignment."

LA District Attorneys admit fault in Northridge suspect case
Erika Aguilar, KPCC

The Los Angeles County District Attorney's office says its prosecutors made a mistake when they told a judge in September that a man was eligible for a drug rehab program instead of prison time. That man is now the lead suspect in a four murders that happened last week in Northridge.

OPINIONS

Editorial: County is still playing catchup on realignment
Redding.com

The good news from the latest monthly update to the Shasta County supervisors on progress in adjusting to the prison "realignment": Since Sheriff Tom Bosenko opened the third floor of the jail this July, far fewer criminal defendants are dodging their arraignments.

Viewpoints: Don't build more jails – fix inmate recidivism
Mike Jimenez and Timothy Silard, The Sacramento Bee

In polls and with their votes, Californians are sending a strong message that they are ready for the state to move in a new direction when it comes to public safety.

With realignment, local law enforcement has an unrivaled opportunity to lead us in this new direction, but the jury is still out on whether local officials will take up this challenge by adopting strategies that will make neighborhoods safer while maximizing scarce resources.

CALIFORNIA INMATES

Danny Roman: The Latino godfather
Tony Castro, VXXI News

In California there are many who believe that the most powerful Latino in the state isn’t one of the Golden State’s politicians nor any influential, behind-the-scenes powerbroker.

CALIFORNIA PAROLE

Parolee arrested on suspicion of burglary near downtown Palo Alto
Jason Green, The Daily News

Palo Alto police are crediting an alert resident for the arrest of a 49-year-old parolee on suspicion of residential burglary and a handful of other crimes near downtown over the weekend.
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Daily Corrections Clips

December 12, 2012, 9:37 am
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CALIFORNIA PRISONS

Authorities quell riot at Calipatria State Prison
Monte Morin, Los Angeles Times

Prison guards used foam-tipped bullets and pepper spray to quell a riot that broke out when a prisoner began stabbing a group of fellow inmates on the exercise yard, the California Department of Corrections said Tuesday.

CALIFORNIA PAROLE

Last woman convicted in Missy Avila murder released from prison on Monday
Dana Bartholomew, dailynews.com

Laura Ann Doyle, one of two San Fernando Valley women convicted of murdering their childhood best friend, was released Monday from prison.

CDCR RELATED

State auditor knocks hours claimed by Soledad prison nurse
Report: One was paid improperly, other OK'd it
Virginia Hennessey, The Herald

A state auditor's report issued Tuesday concluded two nurse supervisors at a Soledad prison falsely claimed or approved nearly $10,000 in unearned pay over a four-month period in 2010.
 
California Psychiatrists Paid $400,000 Shows Bidding War
Freeman Klopott, Rodney Yap & Terrence Dopp, Bloomberg
 
Mohammad Safi, a graduate of a medical school in Afghanistan, began working as a psychiatrist at a California mental hospital in 2006, making $90,682 in his first six months. Last year, he took home $822,302, all of it paid by taxpayers.

REALIGNMENT

L.A. County urges curbs on state prisoner transfers to counties
The supervisors want to keep inmates with serious criminal histories under state supervision. The action was prompted by a multiple murder case in Northridge.
Abby Sewell, Los Angeles Times

A multiple homicide outside a Northridge boardinghouse has prompted Los Angeles County supervisors to call for legislation that would prevent state prisoners with a serious criminal history from being released to county supervision.
 
L.A. County Supervisors demand realignment changes after quadruple homicide in Northridge
Christina Villacorte, Daily News
 
Saying it might have preempted the recent quadruple murders in Northridge, the Board of Supervisors demanded changes Tuesday to Gov. Jerry Brown's public safety realignment law so violent criminals released from state prison are monitored by armed parole officers, instead of merely being placed on probation.
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Daily Corrections Clips

December 13, 2012, 9:01 am
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CDCR NEWS

Warden is appointed at California Men's Colony
AnnMarie Cornejo, The Tribune

Elvin Valenzuela, 51, of Visalia has been appointed warden at the California Men’s Colony, California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation by Gov. Jerry Brown.

REALIGNMENT

Supervisors ask for more prisoner money
Kings joins other Valley counties with overcrowded jails in asking for state funds
Seth Nidever, The Sentinel

HANFORD — Kings County supervisors Tuesday unanimously passed a resolution asking for more state funding to ease jail overcrowding.

CDCR RELATED

California prison health care receiver issues lay-off notices
California Correctional Health Care Services has issued lay off warnings to 2,200 of its employees with a goal of axing 829 positions early next year.Jon Ortiz, The Sacramento Bee

The cuts will touch nearly 60 job classifications around the state, from doctors to custodians and impact 38 jobs in Sacramento County. The statewide cuts take effect Mar. 31, 2013.
 
OCDA obtains injunction against multi-generational Stanton gang
Orange County Breeze

The following information was released by the Orange County District Attorney (OCDA).

Members of a violent Stanton criminal street gang have been permanently enjoined from terrorizing the community and acting as a public nuisance, marking the 11th injunction to be brought against Orange County gangs. This multi-generational gang is one of the oldest in Orange County, dating back to the early 1950s.
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Daily Corrections Clips

December 14, 2012, 10:23 am
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 CALIFORNIA INMATES

Defendant slashes lawyer in courtroom
Dana Littlefield and Greg Moran, U~T SanDiego

SAN DIEGO — A defendant in a San Diego criminal trial used a razor blade Thursday to slash his defense lawyer in the face in front of jurors and more than a dozen Grossmont High School students who were there on a field trip.
 
To read more on this issue follow this link: 

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2012/12/attorney-attacked-in-court.html


CALIFORNIA PAROLE

Sixteen arrested in Palm Springs sweep
Colin Atagi, The Desert Sun
 
PALM SPRINGS — Sixteen people were arrested Thursday morning during a citywide sweep through Palm Springs.

CDCR RELATED

Galt holds community toy drive
Maggie Creamer, Lodi News-Sentinel
 
Galt police, firefighters, schools, churches and businesses are asking residents to buy toys this Christmas for needy children in the community.

Truck driver airlifted after crash closed Highway 20 near Colusa County line
Berenice Quirino, Lake County Record-Bee
 
LAKE COUNTY -- A big-rig truck turned over, causing lumber to spill onto the road and blocked both lanes of Highway 20 near the Colusa County line early Thursday afternoon. The truck was heading westbound toward Clearlake and turned over making a right-hand turn on a curve at about 11:30 a.m., according to California Highway Patrol Officer (CHP) Rob Hearn.

Will Florida Follow in California’s Path?
Correctional News
 
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Some counties in Florida are worried about a current proposal on the table that could shift about 5,600 inmates from state prisons to county jails.

Report: lost inmate property costs Ohio taxpayers
Andrew Welsh-Huggins, Associated Press
 
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) -- Inmate property that is lost, stolen or destroyed costs Ohio taxpayers more than $150,000 a year in claims reimbursement and diverted staff time, according to a new report that also says the cost is growing.
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Daily Corrections Clips

December 17, 2012, 9:08 am
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CDCR RELATED

Prison Population Declined In 26 States During 2011
Market Watch, Wall Street Journal

WASHINGTON, Dec. 17, 2012 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ -- Twenty-six state departments of corrections reported decreases in their prison population during 2011, the Justice Department's Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) reported today. California reported the largest decline (down 15,493), while New Jersey, New York, Michigan, Florida, and Texas each had population decreases of more than 1,000 prisoners in 2011.

Sex Offenders Say California Law Infringes Free Speech
Karen Gullo, Bloomberg

California sex offenders shouldn’t have to turn over their Twitter, Facebook or e-mail account information to police because they have a right to anonymous online speech, privacy advocates are set to tell a judge.

CALIFORNIA INMATES

'Dating Game Killer' confesses to two more slays
Laura Italiano, New York Post

He killed the heiress. And he killed the flight attendant, too.
Serial sex killer Rodney Alcala took a surprise guilty plea in Manhattan this afternoon to taking the life of two women, both age 23, from 1971 and 1977.

CALIFORNIA PAROLE

Probationers arrested
Highland Community News

On December 12, 2012, Probation Officers from the Victorville Office made a routine home contact at the residence of Salvador Garcia, a 25 year old probationer, in the 13000 block of Burning Tree Drive, Victorville. Garcia was placed on supervised probation following a conviction of Assault with a Firearm upon a Person. At the time he was placed on probation, he was already on California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) Parole for an armed robbery that occurred prior to his probation grant. He remains on Parole and was being actively supervised by state parole agents with recent parole contact
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Daily Corrections Clips

December 18, 2012, 9:30 am
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CALIFORNIA PAROLE

Parolee day center issue to come before Vallejo City Council
Jessica A. York, Times-Herald

While no details were provided by Friday, the Vallejo City Council is scheduled to take up a discussion on a proposed Solano County Day Reporting Center for Vallejo.
 
California: Criminals Avoiding GPS Monitoring Pose Threat
Rocky Mountain Tracking
 
After a local Sacramento news station investigated instances where parolees either tampered with their GPS monitoring devices or refused to wear them altogether, Senator Ted Lieu has launched a campaign to craft legislation making it a felony to do so.

CALIFORNIA INMATES

Man Accused Of Killing Baby Is Back In Pickaway County
10TV.com

CIRCLEVILLE, Ohio - The man accused of shaking a Pickaway County baby to death is back in Ohio this morning.
 
Inmate admits to smuggling drugs
Harden:  He faces up to a 12 year sentence in fire camp incident
Anthony Skeens, The Triplicate
 
A Pelican Bay State Prison inmate has accepted a plea deal on the eve of his trial for charges related to trying to smuggle drugs into a prison fire camp.

CDCR RELATED
 
Executions, death sentences remain steady over past year
Bill Mears, CNN

Washington (CNN) -- Executions and death sentences remained steady over the past year, but the number of states carrying out capital punishment continues to drop, according to a study released Tuesday.
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Daily Corrections Clips

December 19, 2012, 11:14 am
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CDCR NEWS

California picks retiree to head prisons system
Don Thompson, Associate Press

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) - Gov. Jerry Brown has picked a retired corrections chief from Pennsylvania to head California's prison system as it transitions to a smaller institution with more violent prisoners.

To read more on this issue follow these links:

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/california-politics/2012/12/gov-brown-appoints-new-leader-for-californias-troubled-prison-system.html

http://blogs.sacbee.com/capitolalertlatest/2012/12/jerry-brown-taps-former-pennsylvania-prison-chief-to-lead-california-prison.html

NORCO: California Rehabilitation Center employees give to children
corrections.com

Employees at the California Rehabilitation Center, one of 33 adult institutions in California, are sending season greetings and toys to many of Riverside County children.

California Prisons Go Solar as Part of Green Initiative
Correctional News

DELANO, Calif. — The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) recently announced that solar energy installations at four of its prisons are now operating at full capacity. The department began installing large solar arrays at its facilities in 2006, working with international utility company Sun Edison, based in Belmont, Calif.

CALIFORNIA INMATES

California inmates welcome gift of guitars
A nonprofit created by Wayne Kramer, former frontman for MC5 and a former inmate himself, donates 14 Fender acoustic guitars to the California Rehabilitation Center in Norco to help with rehab efforts.
Louis Sahagun, Los Angeles Times

Guitarist Wayne Kramer's loud, fast and stripped-down rock 'n' roll paved the way for the Ramones, the Sex Pistols and the Clash — before he was sentenced to four years in prison for dealing drugs.

Kids receive bikes restored by inmates

SAN DIEGO – About 125 bicycles refurbished by inmates at the Richard J. Donovan Correctional Facility were given away Tuesday at the Salvation Army Kroc Center.

Bay Area's First Prop. 36 Hearing Held in CoCo County
California voters made it possible for certain inmates to get an early release from prison 

The Pena family is gearing up for the best Christmas in years.
That's because 44-year-old Manuel Pena of Richmond will be home for the holidays, after spending 18 years in prison for stealing a pair of tennis shoes and a wallet. His prior crimes had been for robberies in the late 1980s.

Prosecutors' opposition could limit release of third-strike inmates
Michael Montgomery, California Watch

State inmates serving life terms are starting to file resentencing petitions with local judges following the passage of Proposition 36, the ballot measure that overhauls California's controversial three strikes law. But opposition from local prosecutors and other factors could limit the number of qualifying inmates who actually get released.
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Daily Corrections Clips

December 20, 2012, 9:21 am
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CDCR NEWS

California picks retiree to head prisons system
Don Thompson, Associate Press

SACRAMENTO — Gov. Jerry Brown on Wednesday appointed a retired corrections chief from Pennsylvania to head California's prison system as it transitions to a smaller institution with more violent prisoners.

CALIFORNIA PAROLE

Operation Grinch: Multi-Agency Effort Hunts Down Parolees At Large
CBS

SACRAMENTO (CBS13) – Running from the law, parolees are being hunted down by federal, state, and local agents in Sacramento County. The objective is to get sometimes extremely dangerous parolees off the streets.

Amarillo Crime Stoppers tip leads authorities to nab sex offender
Mollie Bryant, Amarillo Globe-News

A tip from Amarillo Crime Stoppers led to the arrest of Aaron Jones, a man wanted for failure to register as a sex offender.

CDCR RELATED

Woodland gangsters headed to prison for attempted murder
Cathy Locke, The Sacramento Bee

Three gang members have been sentenced in a 2011 case of attempted murder in Woodland.
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Daily Corrections Clips

December 21, 2012, 10:14 am
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CDCR NEWS

New CA prisons chief described as nerdy, politically savvy
Rina Palta, KPCC

Jeffrey Beard is Governor Brown's nominee to become the next Secretary of the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.

CALIFORNIA PAROLE
 
Officers arrest 12 parole violators in Sacramento during "Operation Grinch"
News 10, KXTV

SACRAMENTO, CA - A team of local officers arrested 12 parole violators Wednesday during "Operation Grinch."

CDCR RELATED

Prison Population Falls in 26 States
Robert Longley, About.com

Led by California, 26 U.S. states reported decreases in their prison populations during 2011, according to the Justice Department's Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS).


Northridge shooting victim’s family angry suspect wasn't in prison
Frank Shyong, Los Angeles Times

The relatives of one of four people shot and killed outside a Northridge boarding house earlier this month criticized a judge for allowing the suspect in the case to receive drug treatment instead of prison time.

REALIGNMENT

Monterey County lags state in realignment sentencing reform
Julia Reynolds, Monterey Herald

One year into the state's realignment of prisoners, new data show that Monterey County lags far behind the rest of California in adopting sentencing reforms that could lower recidivism rates and ease overcrowding in the county jail.
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Daily Corrections Clips

December 24, 2012, 9:51 am
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CALIFORNIA PRISONS
 
California prisons revamp isolation cells policy
Paul Elias, Associated Press
 
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) -- Prison officials tossed convicted killer Todd Ashker into California's notorious Security Housing Unit 25 years ago after "validating" him as a member of the Aryan Brotherhood gang.

Solitary-confinement inmates threaten new hunger strike
Paige St. John, Los Angeles Times

It took more than a month to make their message public, but self-declared inmate leaders within California's toughest prison wing are threatening renewed protests over the state's inmate isolation policies.

REALIGNMENT
 
Realignment's unintended consequence: No supervision, rehabilitation for criminals
Christina Villacorte, Daily Democrat

The first wave of felons sent to county jails instead of state prisons under Gov. Jerry Brown's public safety realignment plan are back on the streets after serving their sentences, and local law enforcement officials are worried they will trigger a spike in crime.
 
CALIFORNIA INMATES
 
Officials find escaped inmate after 6 hours
Inmate escaped from North Kern State Prison
23ABC News

DELANO,Calif. - An escaped inmate has been apprehended.
On Saturday, the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation said an inmate escaped from North Kern State Prison in Delano.
 
CALIFORNIA PAROLE

Gene McClendon still seeks justice for slain brother
Brian Charles, Pasadena Star-News

PASADENA - On Dec. 11, the 27th anniversary of his brother's brutal execution murder, Gene McClendon called Corcoran State Prison.
 
CDCR RELATED

Governors fail to curb state workers' pay
Mark Niquette, Michael B. Marois and Rodney Yap, San Francisco Chronicle

Nine years ago, Gray Davis became the first U.S. governor in 82 years to be recalled by voters. California's 20 million taxpayers still bear the cost of his four years and 10 months on the job.

Judge oversees courts for the down, but not out
Linda Deutsch, Associated Press

LOS ANGELES (AP) — A visitor walking through the doors of Judge Michael Tynan's courtroom might mistake it for a church of repentant sinners seeking salvation from a man in a black robe.
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Daily Corrections Clips

December 26, 2012, 8:37 am
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CALIFORNIA INMATES

‘Three-strikes' releases loom
Andy Furillo, The Sacramento Bee

An undetermined number of state prisoners from Sacramento are likely to gain their freedom from the life terms they've been serving, thanks to a softening of California's "three-strikes" law.

CDCR RELATED
 
Gov. Jerry Brown issues 79 pardons
Among those receiving pardons are Leonard Wilson-Banks, who served time for robbery in Alameda County. He's now a prison chaplain in Arkansas.
Paige St. John, Los Angeles Times

Prison chaplain Leonard Wilson-Banks often tells the inmates he counsels to heed his life and the successes he accomplished after serving time behind bars.


REALIGNMENT

Chief Kermode: prison realignment a complicated issue with local impact
Ed Gordon, Tehachapi News

Tehachapi Police Chief Jeff Kermode made a presentation to the City Council at its Dec. 3 meeting on how Assembly Bill 109, prison realignment, is affecting the city.
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Daily Corrections Clips

December 27, 2012, 9:06 am
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CDCR NEWS

New California Prisons Chief Called 'Tough, Fair, Reform Minded'
Jeffrey Beard, the former head of Pennsylvania's prisons, favors shorter sentences and community treatment.
Chris Levister, Blackvoicenews.com

In May 2011 when the Supreme Court ruled conditions in California’s overcrowded prisons were so bad that they violated the Eighth Amendment’s ban on cruel and unusual punishment, Pennsylvania’s corrections chief Jerry Beard was on the case, literally.

CALIFORNIA INMATES

Cameron Park Rotary delivers 51 bikes to youth
Dawn Hodson, Mountain Democrat

Continuing a tradition that’s in its fourth year, the Cameron Park Rotary Club delivered 51 bikes to local youngsters last week, just in time for Christmas.

Santa Barbara County’s ‘Three-Strikes’ Offenders Seek Resentencing Under Prop. 36
Reform measure approved by California voters in November could reduce prison time for some nonviolent offenders
Giana Magnoli, Noozhawk

With changes to California’s “three strikes” law approved by voters in November, the state prison system has identified 27 inmates who could be eligible for resentencing in Santa Barbara County.

Teen killer spends 52 years in jail, so far
Larry Wellborn, Orange County Register

"What you have done puts you beyond the point where you should expect to receive any sympathy," an Orange County judge lectured the teenage killer in June 1960.

Prisoner’s pot adds two years
The Trinity Journal

A prisoner caught with marijuana at the Trinity River Conservation Camp was sentenced Dec. 18 by Judge James Woodward to two years in the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.

CDCR RELATED

Looking back at 2012's Californians to watch
Torey Van Oot, The Sacramento Bee

Six people made The Bee's 2012 Californians to Watch list a year ago. Before we embark on our 2013 list on Wednesday, it's time to look back at how things went for those we spotlighted last year.

REDLANDS: Jennie Hernandez to Head Step by Step
Penny E. Schwartz, The Press Enterprise

Jennie Hernandez knows how it feels to be down and out with nowhere to turn. That's why she is looking forward to helping others in a similar situation as the new executive director of Step by Step.

CALIFORNIA PRISONS

Chino prison inmate population seeing a 40-percent decline
Beatriz Valenzuela, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin

More than a year into the court-ordered realignment of the California prison system, the inmate population numbers have dipped to its lowest level in 17 years.

Even the 'graybar hotels' get reviewed on Yelp
Few people are interested in sampling these all-expenses-paid accommodations, but those who have done so have plenty to say.
Chris Megerian, Los Angeles Times

SACRAMENTO — Ruben Switzer wasn't happy with his accommodations at a well-known Los Angeles establishment, so he went online to vent.

CALIFORNIA PAROLE

Parolee leads Paso Robles police on chase
calcoastnews.com

A man sought by California parole officers led Paso Robles police on a chase Wednesday afternoon that ended in his arrest.
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