Posts Tagged ‘California’
Gang Violence in California Prison Leaves Some Injured
A total of 193 inmates were involved in gang violence at the Avenal State Prison in California. The fighting was so severe that 11 inmates are still hospitalized a day later. The violence has been attributed to a rivalry between two Latino gangs.
Read more about the violence here…
Posted by hcdmedia
The World of the Forgotten
My house is one of heartache
A place of steel and stone
A barren cell, a home in hell
And here I stand, alone
And when I rage and pace my cage
That no man wants to own
My body aches with frozen stakes
That chill me to the bone
I hear them sling their giant keys
And crank the iron locks
The scrape of feet upon concrete
The guards patrol the blocks
Convicts’ knives take human lives
No jungle holds more danger
And each new day that comes my way
Each man remains a stranger
I watch my back ’cause there’s a lack
Of men who can be trusted
And through the haze there comes a rage
Toward the rat that got me busted.
They came today and took away
The man that lived next door
To end his strife, he took his life
He couldn’t take no more.
It’s quiet here upon the tier
Since Death has claimed a brother
Now each of us are wondering:
Who might be another?
-Brian Johnsen #300937, 1115 H. St., Modesto, CA 95354
You can read more prison poetry online.
Posted by hcdmedia
Governor’s Plan Seeks More Time
Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger delivered to California federal judges a road map to reduce the California prison population. According to his plan, the state would reduce the inmate population by 40,000 over the course of five years. This plan is in direct contradiction to the plan asked for by the judges that calls for this reduction of the prison population in two years.
Read more about the governor’s plan here…
Posted by hcdmedia
Less Than a Week for California
California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has until the end of the week – September 18th – to come up with a plan to reduce its prison population by 40,000 inmates. Governor Schwarzenegger and other officials have tried without success to delay this order while the state files an appeal, but they have met resistance and are expected to bring forward a plan.
Posted by hcdmedia
The Recession Behind Bars
Inmate Kenneth Hartman writes on Op Ed article in the New York Times about the recession’s effects on prisons and prisoners. He writes:
Prison is a world reflected in a looking glass…
Kenneth E. Hartman, the author of the forthcoming Mother California: A Story of Redemption Behind Bars, was sentenced in 1980 to life without parole for murder.
Posted by hcdmedia
Schwarzenegger Prepared to go to Supreme Court
California has been given until September 18th to come up with a plan reduce its number of inmates by 40,000 in the next two years. Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has requested more time and claims he will appeal to the United States’ Supreme Court if the panel of federal judges do not grant his request.
Read more about California’s overcrowding crisis here.
Posted by hcdmedia
Third World Voices
To America and Your Comrades,
Yes I am dying!
For the same causes and ills that
My ancestors
My grandparents
My parents
My brothers
My sisters
My children
My friends Have died!
So that you could have the
luxury of mustard on your hotdog!
-Allen B. Williams, C-09851 P.O. Box 7500, PBSP
Crescent City, CA 95531
You can read more prison poetry online.
Posted by hcdmedia
California Approves Bill to Reduce Prison Costs
On Monday California State Assembly approved a bill to reduce by 17,000 by next June. This bill is already a stripped down version of the original bill which called for larger reduction of 27,000 inmates. The approved bill would save the state $300 million this year and is part of an attempt to reduce prison spending in a state facing major economic collapse. Some Republican legislators who oppose the bill say it will endanger public safety.
Read more about the approved bill in this San Francisco Chronicle article.
Posted by hcdmedia
California to Close Largest Juvenile Prison
The State of California is closing the Herman G. Stark Youth Correctional Facility in Chino and converting it into an adult prison. This is a plan to reduce the cost of juvenile incarceration. Attorney General Jerry Brown and Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger have plans to appeal this court order.
Read more about the closing of this facility here.
Posted by hcdmedia
California Prison Crisis
There is no clear-cut answer to solving California’s prison crisis. The state is dealing with economic collapse and the prison system had grown to be a massive burden on tax-payers. Is the answer to release thousands of prisoners in California? Read this editorial from the San Francisco Chronicle to find out more.
Posted by hcdmedia