The corruption in California's prison system is revealed
January 16, 2004 8:04 AM


Scandalous! The time has finally come for the California Correctional Peace Officers Association and the $5.3 billion penal system it has so masterfully corrupted.

The revelations come in a new 71-page report by John Hagar, an expert on prisons appointed by U.S. District Judge Thelton Henderson to investigate.



It is apparent that top officials of the Department of Corrections neither understand nor care about the need for fair investigations, nor are they likely to impose discipline in the face of CCPOA (the prison guard union) objections.


The Sacramento Bee said the report "painted a picture of a prison discipline system that covers up for brutal correctional officers but punishes whistle-blowers among the correctional staff."

How did it all unravel? Edward Alameida, the head of the Department of Corrections until a month ago, killed an investigation at Pelican Bay State Prison and then crafted a cover-up after his top deputy Thomas Moore botched the investigation and lied to the federal court. All under enormous pressure from the prison guard union, of course. But that's just a symptom of massive systemic problems caused by the union's stranglehold.

Last month, Hagar recommended an outside agency be tasked with monitoring the prison system:



It will be impossible for the Department of Corrections to ever check itself given the politics and perhaps the incompetence that exist in certain levels of the department


Lest anyone forget, Gray Davis was in bed with the prison guard union and it became a huge issue in the recall election. This is a nice bit of vindication for Arnold -- and Arianna too. Schwarzenegger never took money from the union, so our new governor is in the perfect position to massively overhaul the prison system -- something Gray never would have done.


More from the archive in California, Corruption.

The corruption in California's prison system is revealed (01.16.2004)

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Read the 59 comments and join the discussion.
dhermesc: NEW

So it wasn't the end of California to have a Republican elected governor. Do you honestly believe these revelations would have seen the light of day if Davis had kept his office?

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And now it is 2007 little has been done to correct this crime against humanity .

There was a time in the United States, more specifically two decades ago when there was a greater number of inmates who became rehabilitated for a better word,. Something like 80% success rate.

Today because of the third party Government we now are seeing the projections at 90% failure rate much of this due to the Unions for prison staff . I would like to call it ' more head count ( prisoners ) mean more money. '

The homeless , non violent criminals , the mentally ill , all hardened by those in this system that are hard core criminals . Bottom line the system is now designed to completely fail ....

Many many new forms of a Holocaust today in the mordern world and this in the United States is one of those moments .

Michael J. D.