Realignment
Beatriz E. Valenzuela, Contra Costa Times
With the state being only a few days away from the one-year mark
of implementing Assembly Bill 109, or California's Prison Realignment Plan,
officials say a lot of misinformation is still circulating about the plan aimed
at reducing the state's prison population and shifting monitoring and housing
responsibility of some offenders to local agencies.
"There are those who think it's early release and it
isn't," Michelle Scray, chief probation officer for the San Bernardino
County Probation Department, said at a recent event in San Bernardino.
Linda Williams, The Willits News
The Mendocino County Board of
Supervisor affirmed the 2012-2013 fiscal year budget aspects of the state's
shifting of prisoners from state custody to jail this week. So far the state
has honored its commitment to pay the county for its increased costs due to the
shift which began in October 2011.
CDCR Related
Andrew Knittle, NewsOK.com
Even
though they are relatively few in number, the California-based Sureno gang is
the most powerful group operating in Oklahoma prisons today, a state Corrections
Department intelligence officer told The Oklahoman.
Parole
, FOX40 News
Megan's
Law was designed to help parents better protect their children. The website
allows people to search for sex offenders in the communities, but there are a
group of sex offenders that could be near your home and you would never know
it.
FULL VERSION
Realignment
Beatriz E. Valenzuela, Contra Costa Times
With the state being only a few days away from the one-year mark
of implementing Assembly Bill 109, or California's Prison Realignment Plan,
officials say a lot of misinformation is still circulating about the plan aimed
at reducing the state's prison population and shifting monitoring and housing
responsibility of some offenders to local agencies.
"There are those who think it's early release and it
isn't," Michelle Scray, chief probation officer for the San Bernardino
County Probation Department, said at a recent event in San Bernardino.
AB 109 went into effect Oct. 1, 2011, as a way for
California to comply with a U.S. Supreme Court decision requiring the state to
lower its prison population by 30,000.
Under AB 109, state prisoners up for parole as of Oct. 1 of
last year could be eligible for post-release community supervision, or PRCS,
probation.
"These are people who were going to be released anyway.
The question was who was going to monitor them," Scray said.
To qualify, the inmate had to have been convicted of a
"triple-non," or non-serious, non-violent, non-sexual offense.
The bill also made provisions for those convicted of
non-violent crimes to serve their terms in county facilities instead of state
prisons.
Currently, the prison population has
been reduced through AB 109 to about 151 percent of capacity, according to
Terri McDonald, undersecretary of operations for the California Department of
Corrections and Rehabilitation.
Officials have until June 2014 to reduce the total prison
population to 137.5 percent of capacity.
However, several local law enforcement officials, including
San Bernardino County sheriff's SMASH gang deputies, are concerned with what
they see as loopholes that they say have allowed high-risk offenders back on
the streets under local supervision. The most glaring has to do with an
inmate's criminal background.
Under the Realignment Plan, only an inmate's current
conviction is taken into account when being placed on community supervision,
not their entire criminal history.
In a recent case out of Redlands, a convicted murderer was
placed on probation through AB 109 because his most recent conviction was for
taking a vehicle without the owner's permission. He was arrested by Redlands
police on suspicion of kidnapping and robbery after he allegedly forced a man
at gunpoint to take money out of his bank account.
Redlands Police Chief Mark Garcia says the arrest highlights
the burden that AB 109 places on local law enforcement.
Undersheriff Robert Fonzi recently said local jails are
housing inmates through AB 109 who were not supposed to kept at the local
level.
"We have one person who's supposed to be serving 18
years," Fonzi said. "Our facilities are not designed to hold someone
for that length of time."
Prisoner realignment was eventually chosen as the way to
reduce the prison population after two other proposals were rejected, including
the early release of state prisoners.
While not perfect, said Scray, AB 109 was the best of the
choices available.
Linda Williams, The Willits News
The Mendocino County Board of
Supervisor affirmed the 2012-2013 fiscal year budget aspects of the state's
shifting of prisoners from state custody to jail this week. So far the state
has honored its commitment to pay the county for its increased costs due to the
shift which began in October 2011.
No inmates from the state prisons are being directly transferred
to county jail. Instead, anyone sentenced since October 2011 for a nonviolent
crime, with few exceptions, will serve their prison time in county jail rather
than state prison.
Of the 88 inmates sentenced in Mendocino County to local
"prison" the longest term has been a nominal 60 months. The
legislature also changed the amount of time such inmates spend in prison to
only half the nominal sentence.
The average daily population at the Mendocino County Jail was 206
when the new regime began. Within the first four months of the program, the
jail population rose quickly to 250 but has leveled off since to between 250
and 260 inmates. This level is similar to the jail population between 2004 and
2010, prior to the implementation of more generous credits for time served.
The state will continue to
oversee all those sentenced prior to the October deadline and any criminals
sentenced for violent times.
On the state level, the prison population dropped by 16.7 percent
since October 1, 2011 to 133,540 inmates. The number of parolees supervised by
the state in the same period has dropped 41 percent to 74,467.
To date the county has received
$495,332 from the state for its increased expenses since October 2011. This has
allowed the hiring of four new probation officers, three corrections deputies
and a part time health and human services worker. This has also funded the
startup of the new Day Reporting Center for Ukiah area probationers.
Workers were hired incrementally as the local workload increased.
The overall revenues for 2012-2013 are budgeted about $2.1 million.
In July 2013 the next step in the realignment process takes affect
when all state prison parolees-including violent offenders, being released in
Mendocino County will have any parole violations or new offenses handled in
local court. This is expected to bring higher security concerns at the jail and
in the courthouse. It will likely require hiring in both the District
Attorney's Office and the Public Defender's Office, as well.
CDCR Related
Andrew Knittle, NewsOK.com
Even
though they are relatively few in number, the California-based Sureno gang is
the most powerful group operating in Oklahoma prisons today, a state Corrections
Department intelligence officer told The Oklahoman.
Melissa Townsend, an intelligence officer with the Corrections Department, said the Hispanic gang has a firm grip on the flow of contraband into the state's prisons.
Melissa Townsend, an intelligence officer with the Corrections Department, said the Hispanic gang has a firm grip on the flow of contraband into the state's prisons.
“It
doesn't have anything to do with numbers,” Townsend said. “Power comes from
control of contraband and whoever's in control at that moment. And right now,
it's the Hispanics.”
Typical
contraband items are drugs and cellphones, but can include anything not allowed
on the inside by prison officials.
Townsend
said another reason the Surenos have become as powerful as they have — at least
in Oklahoma — is continuity and organization.
“They
have a very strong connection to their members on the street,” she said, “which
is another thing that makes them as powerful as they are.
“Some
prison gangs are just prison gangs ... they don't have any connection, really,
to the streets.”
And
the Sureno prison gang has become powerful in Oklahoma, despite the fact that
Hispanics make up only 7.5 percent of the prison system population, according
to the department's latest annual report.
Whites
(53.6 percent) make up the largest segment of the population, followed by
blacks (29.3 percent) and American Indians (9 percent).
Townsend
said the Surenos are associated with the Mexican Mafia — which is an extremely
exclusive criminal enterprise with very few actual members — and that the gang
is essentially an umbrella organization with smaller factions operating
underneath it.
“Surenos
are basically foot soldiers,” she said. “And they belong to all kinds of
different sets ... and some Sureno sets don't get along.”
Rise to power
The
Surenos' rise to power in Oklahoma has been evident in recent years as Hispanic
gang members have been involved in some highly publicized jailhouse brawls over
the past three years.
In
November 2009, fights between the Surenos and American Indians broke out at
three prisons after prosecutors announced that murder charges would be filed
against David Allen Tyner, an American Indian who pleaded guilty in May to
killing a Hispanic man and five others in southwest Oklahoma City.
The fights at prisons in Granite, Hominy and Cushing, which authorities believe were coordinated, sent six inmates to the hospital with stab wounds.
Shortly
after those fights, two American Indian gang members reportedly attacked two
Hispanic gang members at a private prison in Lawton. Both of the attack victims
were hospitalized with hatchet wounds.
In
September 2010, a large fight involving the Surenos and the Indian Brotherhood,
an American Indian gang, broke out in Hominy, sending another two inmates to
the hospital for treatment.
Authorities
said the brawls started in different housing units at the same time, leading
them to believe the fights were coordinated as well.
Last
year, Sureno gang members were involved in a brawl with white inmates at
prisons in Lawton, Hominy and Granite.
Prison
officials said the Aug. 22, 2011, fights started first in Granite, just before
noon.
A
few hours later, similar brawls erupted in Lawton and Hominy, sending more than
a dozen inmates to the hospital with stab wounds.
Right
now, however, there is a kind of peace inside Oklahoma's prisons.
“We
don't really have a war right now, fortunately,” Townsend said. “But there's
probably something brewing that we don't know about.”
‘Fluid situation'
Jerry
Massie, spokesman for the Corrections Department, acknowledged that the Sureno
gang is among the most powerful in the state's prison system, but said
bestowing a “most powerful” title is not as simple as it seems.
“Most
powerful ... is going to change by facility to facility,” Massie said. “It's
going to depend on the numbers at each facility. It's going to go back and
forth. It's a fluid situation.”
Massie
said prison gangs fighting for power often battle themselves in addition to
their enemies.
“A
lot depends on whether they are getting along within their own group ... that
will change from time to time,” he said. “And it also depends on leadership ...
whether they have a strong leadership in place can be a big factor.”
Tracey Kaplan, San Jose Mercury News
For a Santa
Clara County contract employee, Steeda McGruder doesn't exactly have a pristine
résumé:
Age: 29
Occupation: Drug dealer/user, thief
Work history: In and out of custody for past 17 years
Attitude during last jail stint: Angry, suicidal, high-risk (allowed
out of maximum-security cell only every 48 hours to shower)
So why has the probation department eagerly put her on its payroll
at $400 a week?
Because officials believe her criminal record, powerful rap and
magnetic personality make McGruder the ideal person to run a support group for
recently released repeat female offenders called "Sisters That Been
There.''
"She's got street cred,'' said Sean Rooney, a supervising
probation officer who hired McGruder to officially run "Sisters" --
the program she created.
The 16-week group offers newly released women a nonjudgmental
place to discuss their problems. Through guided visualizations, art therapy and
often blunt, heartfelt sharing, these street-hardened addicts examine how they
got stuck in the "Land of Lost Dreams,'' as McGruder calls the criminal
lifestyle. She want to show them how to escape to the "Land of
Celebration.''
Hokey
as it sounds, McGruder envisions Sisters as a lifeline to a small but growing
group of felons who want to successfully negotiate the many tribulations of
being on probation. McGruder, an African-American woman with long streaked
hair, warm brown eyes and a
broad smile, penetrates the defenses of even the toughest ex-cons.
She's
been steeped in the depths of street life, and her gritty presentations are
peppered with details familiar to inmates -- from memories of degrading strip
searches, to the acrid odor of jail disinfectant, to the emotional pain
produced by contemptuous jail guards.
"I
have a way with these people,'' McGruder said. "It's a gift and I don't
want to waste it.''
Staying straight
After
11 years behind bars, support group member Cindy Cortez, 55, was determined to
stay straight. But she needed everything, from clothes to wear on job
interviews to a glaucoma test.
With
McGruder's help, she landed a job at a crafts store called Hobby Lobby in
Morgan Hill and is enrolled at Gavilan College, where she is learning medical
billing and coding.
"Steeda
is the best thing that happened to me since I got out last year,'' Cortez said.
The
idea for the Sisters group came to McGruder while she was at her lowest point
in jail last year, after she'd slit her wrists. McGruder's life had always been
difficult. Her mother was a heroin addict, and McGruder spent her adolescence
in and out of foster care, juvenile hall and group homes. She knew she was
capable of more, but had no idea how to change. Finally, her determination
crystallized when she was in lockup and happened to read a self-help book
entitled, "Where Have All the Smart Women Gone?'' by Alice Rowe.
"I
was up all night crying with tears of joy and excitement,'' she said. "I
thought, 'Oh my gosh, the smart women are here, their intelligence just never
got embraced.''
McGruder's
Sisters concept dovetailed perfectly with the probation department's new
mandate under realignment, California's recent overhaul of its criminal justice
system.
In
October, responsibility for imprisoning and rehabilitating nonviolent offenders
shifted from the state to counties. The idea was to reduce prison costs and
overcrowding, and encourage counties to try less expensive alternatives than
jail. The search was on for truly effective programs.
When
local officials heard McGruder speak about her fledgling support group at a community
forum about the realignment plan, they jumped at the chance to work with the
charismatic woman. At the time, McGruder was offering classes at Silicon Valley
De-Bug, an ethnic media outlet and collective in San Jose that runs a free
legal clinic every Sunday.
At
first, she operated the group for the probation department for free. But
officials were so impressed that they urged her to submit a formal proposal.
She can relate
Support
groups like Sisters are unlikely to solve California's persistent problem with
thousands of repeat, low-level offenders. So far, only about 20 women have
attended the sessions, which take place on the second floor of probation
department headquarters on First Street in San Jose. But word of the group is
spreading among probation officers and more women will be encouraged to join.
Even
the best support group can't convince stubborn repeat offenders to give up the
criminal lifestyle unless they want to. But for women who have truly decided to
change and need a helping hand, Sisters already is making a difference.
McGruder
acts as an intermediary between the women and their probation officers when
problems arise, such as a missed appointment, or when the group leader senses a
woman isn't making progress. Probation officials say paying her is more
cost-effective than throwing the women back behind bars.
"It
gives the women a voice," Rooney said, "an outside advocate so they
don't turn and hide when things go wrong."
Lilla
Perez agrees. The 38-year-old got out of jail late last year after serving time
for meth possession with intent to sell. She now works as a roofer. Determined
to stay clean and sober for the sake of her six children, she credits McGruder
with offering her essential support.
"You
need more probation officers who've been criminals like Steeda so they can
relate,'' Perez said. "I wouldn't be where I'm at right now without her.''
realignment by the numbers
In October of 2011, responsibility for
imprisoning and rehabilitating low-level nonviolent offenders in California
shifted from the state to counties. Here’s a snapshot of how offenders involved
in the realignment are doing under the supervision of Santa Clara County
probation officers from Oct. 1, 2011, through July 31. The group includes those
released from prison and a smaller group released from county jail.
1,044: Number of offenders released from custody
4 percent: Percentage whose supervision has been revoked
9.6 percent: Percentage rearrested on suspicion of committing new crimes
3 percent*: Percentage who have been “flash-incarcerated’’ for up to 10 days for violating the conditions of their post-release supervision
4 percent: Percentage whose supervision has been revoked
9.6 percent: Percentage rearrested on suspicion of committing new crimes
3 percent*: Percentage who have been “flash-incarcerated’’ for up to 10 days for violating the conditions of their post-release supervision
* Applies only to 947 offenders released from state prison
Parole
, FOX40 News
Megan's
Law was designed to help parents better protect their children. The website
allows people to search for sex offenders in the communities, but there are a
group of sex offenders that could be near your home and you would never know
it.
They
are the offenders that are released from prison that have nowhere to go. The
California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation says if an offender
gets paroled, and has nowhere to go, they allow them to be homeless.
Homeless people have no address and move from place to place. They sleep under bridges, in bushes and overpasses -- and other than a tracking device on their ankle nobody, knows where they are.
Parents can't protect their kids from these people because they don't know they are there. It's a problem that's growing in size every day.
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