Widespread racism, misconduct at California prison: Report
A prison in the US state of California has a “culture of racism” and widespread abuse against inmates that is exacerbated by a code of silence over misconduct among its guards and staff, according to a new report.
Guards at High Desert State Prison, in the town of Susanville, use other prisoners’ possessions to reward inmates who assault each other, discriminate against black and Latino inmates, and routinely engage in unnecessary force, the state’s Office of the Inspector General (OIG) said Wednesday.
There is a "culture of racism and lack of acceptance of ethnic differences" by staff, Inspector General Robert Barton said in his report.
"From the casual use of derogatory racial terms to de facto discrimination, it became apparent to the OIG that there is a serious issue" at the prison, Barton said, referring to the Office of Inspector General. "The institution's leadership appears oblivious to these problems."
Only 18 percent of the prison's inmates are white, the report said, while 74 percent of guards and 89 percent of supervisors were white.
"Blacks were treated very differently," one former inmate said in an interview with Barton's office. "They are on lockdowns a lot longer; they go to the hole (solitary confinement) for the smallest of reasons; and officers messed with their food."
Employees formed close relationships and socialized together and maintained a code of silence about misconduct, the report found.
“The findings in this report are deeply troubling and speak to larger woes in our broken criminal justice system,” said Kevin de León, the Democratic leader of California’s Senate.
"This dangerous staff misconduct has been tolerated for too long," Rebekah Evenson, an attorney representing inmates with the nonprofit Prison Law Office, said in a statement. "The culture of abuse at High Desert endangers prisoners and the prison staff."
While the US represents nearly five percent of the world’s population, it incarcerates about 25 percent of the global prison population, making it the world’s largest jailer, according to the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU).
Imprisonment of America's 2.3 million prisoners costs $24,000 per inmate each year and $5.1 billion in new prison construction.
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