Page 5 - ARUBA TODAY

A5
U.S. NEWS Wednesday 25 september 2019
APNewsBreak: California halts prison gang peacemaking effort

By DON THOMPSON ranging from small fights to groups," Spillane said. Central Valley agricultural keep half the prison popu-
Associated Press full-scale riots, according to Early attempts by prison heartland, the most recent lation on lockdown forev-
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) data prepared for the AP officials involved a few one involving 182 inmates. er?"
— California prison offi- Problems began a year
cials have halted an effort ago at Corcoran State
aimed at forcing warring Prison in the Central Valley
prison gangs to get along when prison officials tried to
with each other after the introduce five members of
inmates wound up brawl- the Bulldogs and six mem-
ing and even rioting when bers of another gang to
placed together in prison one another in a prison rec-
recreation yards, officials reation yard. They immedi-
told The Associated Press. ately began fighting.
The effort started a year "Bulldogs basically have
ago with officials gradually an attack-on-sight ethos,"
allowing prisoners from dif- said prisoner rights attor-
ferent gangs into exercise ney Charles Carbone, who
yards to try to get them is representing an inmate
to make peace. This per- injured in a Nov. 30, 2018
mitted officials to reduce brawl at Pleasant Valley
harsh restrictions that kept State Prison.
gang members locked up Officials tried to force
in cells for lengthy periods "peace talks" between five
without access to rehabili- Bulldogs and five members
tation programs that could of another gang, sepa-
allow them to shorten their rating them with a fence
sentences. but without keeping them
But the greater liberty gen- handcuffed, Carbone said.
erated the same result at "When the talks immediate-
several state prisons: Gang ly fell apart, inmates started
members brawled in what attacking each other" after
critics labeled "gladiator In this Jan. 14, 2009 file photo inmates use the recreation yard at Corcoran State Prison in Corcoran, they were allowed back
fights" that they allege pris- Calif. through the fence and
on officials deliberately set Associated Press ordered to return to their
up to get the inmates to cells, he said.
fight. by the inspector general's inmates each from the Three inmates were treat- Carbone said his client,
The brawls led officials to office. Bulldogs and competing ed at outside hospitals for an alleged member of the
stop the practice of trying The Fresno Bulldogs, a street gangs, but the fights re- puncture wounds after Surenos gang, was hit in
to get the gang inmates gang with more than 6,000 cently escalated into full- guards using pepper spray the head as guards broke
to interact with each other loosely affiliated members scale riots. broke it up. up the brawl and suffered
in the prisons, Shaun Spill- in the city of Fresno, en- The most recent brawl hap- Prisoner advocate Rich- facial injuries that left him
ane, a spokesman for the gages in human trafficking, pened Aug. 14 at the Cor- ard Edmond-Vargas, who with permanently impaired
corrections department's drug drug dealing, robbery rectional Training Facility in co-founded the criminal vision and cognitive issues.
inspector general, told the and other crimes, said Lt. Soledad, south of San Fran- justice reform group Initi- "He's having problems with
AP in an interview. Steve Card of the Fresno cisco, when 200 inmates ate Justice three years ago thinking clearly and memo-
Prison officials "are kind of police gang task force. rioted. while serving prison time for ry and those sorts of things,"
at the point where they re- They took the name and Eight inmates were treat- robbery, blamed correc- Carbone said of his client,
alize this isn't working. Rath- mascot of California State ed at outside hospitals for tions officials for putting the serving a 10-year sentence
er than getting the same University, Fresno, and wear puncture wounds, cuts gangs in situations where for robbery. "The judge
result, they're putting their the college's trademark and bruises and 50 inmates brawls were inevitable. never sentenced them to
heads together and trying red clothing. Members are were treated by prison "They actively put folks in permanent injuries and ir-
to come up with a new ap- loosely affiliated on the medical staff for what of- this situation where they reparable harm."
proach," Spillane said. streets but their member- ficials described as minor would have to fight and Officials have tried inter-
The program is on hold so ship solidifies in prison, Card injuries. they know the culture of mittently ever since to in-
officials "can explore op- said. "That was part of their ef- prison is that you have to tegrate the gangs and
tions to find a resolution "In the prison system the forts to see if the two gangs fight," Edmond-Vargas invited the inspector gen-
to this and safely house Bulldogs do not get along could co-exist," Spillane said. eral's staff to observe most
these individuals," said Terry with anybody," he said. said. But he said the change attempts since April.
Thornton, spokeswoman California prison officials Officials were forced to fire in tactics from a previous They had some success re-
for the corrections depart- tried 45 times to put gang nine warning shots to break policy in which rival gang introducing smaller groups,
ment. members in the same yards up the fight and they also members were kept sepa- Spillane said, including sev-
She denied that officials set with other inmates, with used pepper spray and rate is disrupting prison eral uneventful attempts at
up inmates up to fight. violence erupting 27 times, other non-lethal weapons. life and affecting those the prison in Soledad in the
"I don't know why they fight. the data from the inspector Members of one of the caught up in the violence weeks before the August
We just expect our people general's office showed. two gangs refused to obey against their will or who riot.
to engage in positive be- The inmates also rioted orders to lie down on the can't participate in rehabil- Spillane said the inspector
havior, engage in positive three times last fall before ground until guards from itation programs that could general's office has field-
programs," she said. prison officials began trying other housing units at the shorten their sentences. ed numerous complaints,
At the heart of the problem to get them to co-exist. prison and another prison "The fact of the matter is including from state law-
is the Fresno Bulldogs prison "Every threat group is hav- arrived. they do have a conflict makers who represent the
gang that has participated ing issues with the Bulldogs, In July, there were two riots on their hands," Edmond- problem prisons, and plans
in 32 battles with other pris- or vice versa. These are all in July at Pleasant Valley Vargas said. "What's that to issue a report in coming
on gangs over the last year, Bulldogs vs. other threat State Prison in California's mean, they're going to months.q