SACRAMENTO, Calif. – Guards at an isolated state prison have created a “culture of racism,” engage in alarming use of force against inmates and have a code of silence encouraged by the union that represents most corrections officers, the California inspector general said Wednesday.
The scathing report calls for management and other changes at High Desert State Prison in the northeast corner of the state.
More broadly, the report finds rising violence statewide in special housing units designed to protect vulnerable inmates, including sex offenders, gang dropouts and prisoners with physical disabilities. Full Article
The victimized individuals need REAL action, not just pit-a-pat spewed out by the press for a few days that go away. In addition, I don’t believe the ACLU, normally the lead agent in such cases, would have the depth, nor framkly the credibility, that Janice and Chance have established. That credibility in a court victory from a substantial lawsuit would ensure that inmates would be far less likely to be abused, at least in such an obvious, depraved manner.
That’s why this is definitely a legal opportunity for CA RSOL. The abuses are beyond reprehensible, and frankly actionable, quite easily in fact. It’s tailor-made for Federal court litigation, and the constitutional violations are undeniable. If action by CA RSOL or by any like-minded legal organization is not performed, then accountability for this atrocity will fall by the wayside.