Crime

Legislators Call for Reform of Solitary Confinement Conditions

Published

10 years ago

February 14, 2014

A hearing was held Tuesday by legislators to push for sweeping reform in conditions faced by thousands of prisoners in solitary confinement at Pelican Bay and other state prisons, where they are often locked in the “hole” for decades in cells without a window, deprived of human contact, phone calls and even photos of loved ones.

The joint hearing called by San Francisco Assemblyman Tom Ammiano and Senator Loni Hancock was the second held in the wake of a hunger strike last year by over 30,000 California state prisoners – the third in two years – demanding an end to inhumane treatment, which they say constitutes torture under international law.

The two legislators and others criticized the reforms proposed by the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR), which operates the state prisons, saying they do not go far enough to change the practices of placing prisoners for indefinite terms in Security Housing Unit (SHUs), which many feel should be abolished.

“Last year’s hunger strike again brought home the message that we need to do

Senator Loni Hancock

something about the SHU,” said Ammiano. “Moves by corrections show that they recognize the pressures for change. We want to look at whether those new regulations represent true progress.”

“There is no questions that these policies must be reformed,” said Hancock. “While I understand the CDCR is in the process of changing its SHU policy, my initial reading of the new policy left many questions unanswered.”

“We are working towards meaningful change, and at the end of the day we want to get it right,” she said.

Oakland civil rights attorney Anne Weils, who spoke at the hearing, read a statement by four Pelican prisoners who “called for the last hunger strike and starved to the end.” She said the prisoners were not allowed to attend, give testimony, listen or watch the hearing.

“We are prisoners at Pelican Bay State Prison who have all lived for over 15 years locked 23 hours a day in small windowless cells, without ever being able to hug or touch our families … with no programs or chance of parole,” the statement said.

“California keeps us in these torturous conditions not because of any violence we have committed but because it believes we are affiliated with a gang, often based on artwork or photos we possess, tattoos we have, literature we read, who we talk to, or anonymous informants’ statements that we have no way of challenging.”

“We are put in Pelican Bay not for any specific term of months, or years for misconduct we have committed, but indefinitely, which in practice means forever – unless we become informants.”

“So this is our banned testimony. CDCR claims to have now instituted a reform program. It is a sham,” said the statement signed by Sitawa Jamaa, Todd Askher, Arturo Castellanos and Antonio Guillen.

Craig Haney, a psychology professor at UC Santa Cruz, speaking at the hearing, said that California’s wide use of definite solitary confinement, “makes it a outlier in respect to other states, (while) the U.S. is an outlier in respect to other countries.

“It is shocking and unprecedented by international standards,” Haney said. “We should debate whether long-term solitary confinement [is] torture.”

Prison officials maintain that secure housing units help thwart dangerous prison gangs and protect general prison populations from more violent inmates. During Tuesday’s hearing, officials who oversee the process pointed to progress in opening a pathway out of solitary.

“I think we all agree it is far too easy to get in and too hard to get out, and that the stays in this environment were certainly too long,” said Martin Hoshino, undersecretary of operations for the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.

Dozens of speakers – many teenaged sons and daughters and wives of inmates in solitary – lined up to briefly describe the impact on solitary confinement on their lives.

An 18-year-old young man said he and other worried about the psychological damage caused by locking their family members in the SHU. “Families that are praying that the person who gets out of solitary is the same person who he was when he went to jail.”

“My son has been in solitary confinement since 2009,” said a woman. “There is no reason why we as family members should not be able to have contact with our loved ones.”

A young man said that when he was arrested and held at a local jail, he was placed in isolation for two weeks because he had a seizure and officials thought he was pretending.

“I felt hopeless and trapped,” he said. “They wouldn’t allow me to shower for four days, I could smell myself and felt despised.”

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Justice for Henry Texada

Henry Texada was known as a leader, a role model, godfather, and a friend to all. He enjoyed mentoring younger members of his family and participants at the Boys and Girls Club. He was always giving and present in the lives of others with a kind word or suggestion. Henry used the skills gained at Youth Radio as a digital media photographer to inspire others. He wanted to learn as much as he could to be a supportive person for youth, so he enrolled at Laney College for the fall of 2020 for classes in Early Childhood Development. He was killed when several people exited a 2020 silver Nissan Armada and shot him around 2 p.m. on April 28, 2020, on 68th Avenue in East Oakland.

Published

6 hours ago

May 4, 2024

Oakland Post

Henry Texada was 23 when he was slain in 2020. Courtesy photo.

Family Seeks Justice for Murdered Son on Fourth Anniversary of His Death

Special to The Post

Henry used the skills gained at Youth Radio as a digital media photographer to inspire others. He wanted to learn as much as he could to be a supportive person for youth, so he enrolled at Laney College for the fall of 2020 for classes in Early Childhood Development.

He was killed when several people exited a 2020 silver Nissan Armada and shot him around 2 p.m. on April 28, 2020, on 68^th Avenue in East Oakland. Police were able to recover the vehicle, which had been rented in Reno, Nev., but have been unable to solve the case.

Henry’s senseless murder continues to deeply impact his loved ones who are suffering from his loss.

“I hate the phrase passed away or died,” his mother says. “My son, Henry, was very protective of me, and we had a bond that could not be broken. I miss him so much.

“I hate April 28th because I feel Henry should be here, because he had a purpose helping others and working with youth. He was physically strong and had a plan, goals, and dreams. Henry had a smile that would light up the room. He is a wonderful son, brother, and uncle.”

“Instead of imploring you for information and help, I should be telling you about all the things he has achieved and all the people that he touched,” his mother said. “But instead, here I am praying for justice because a person who would take the shirt off his back for others was murdered.

“There is no word to describe this everyday pain for me. I expect him to text me at any moment because his favorite saying was “don’t say bye, say see you later.” It’s four years later and I can’t physically hold him,” his mother comcluded.

The Family Support Advocates join with Henry Texada’s grieving family and loved ones in their pursuit of justice. Anyone in the community with information about Henry’s murder is asked to contact the Homicide Section of the Oakland Police Department at (510) 238-3821 or the TIP LINE at (510) 238-7950. CrimeStoppers of Oakland is offering a reward for an arrest in this case. #JusticeforHenry.

FAMILY SUPPORT ADVOCACY TASK FORCE

The mission of the Family Support Advocacy Task Force, a committee of the Violence Prevention Coalition, is to advocate for local, state and federal policies and legislation to enhance and expand support to families and friends of those who experienced violence; for more compassionate and transparent communication between law enforcement, the district attorney with the family of homicide victims and to push for the elimination of all violence, but particularly gun violence and homicides.

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Activism

Calif. Anti-Sex Trafficking Advocates Discuss Competing Bills, Strategies

Advocates from across California are challenging state officials and community leaders to support legislation that provides resources and services for survivors and victims of human trafficking, as well as assistance as they transition back into civil society.  Some of those advocates are also calling for more effective state policy to curtail trafficking, a crime that has an outsized impact on Black children, particularly girls.

Published

1 day ago

May 3, 2024

Oakland Post

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By Bo Tefu, California Black Media

Some of those advocates are also calling for more effective state policy to curtail trafficking, a crime that has an outsized impact on Black children, particularly girls.

According to the FBI, a report covering a two-year period found Black children accounted for 57% of all juvenile arrests for prostitution. In addition, 40% of sex trafficking victims were Black and 60% of those victims had been enrolled in the foster care system.

“It is time to hold the perpetrators who take advantage of our children accountable,” said the Rev. Shane Harris, a San Diego-based activist, former foster youth and founder of the Peoples Association of Justice Advocates, (PAJA), a national civil rights organization and policy think tank.

“It is time to send a thorough message that if you seek to buy a child for sex, you will pay the highest criminal penalties in this state,” added Harris who was speaking at a rally at the State Capitol earlier this month. Harris was speaking in support of Senate Bill 1414, authored by Sen. Shannon Grove (D-Bakersfield), which calls for people who buy sex from minors to be punished with a felony. The punishment includes a two-year prison sentence and a $25,000 fine.

Harris said the PAJA is the only civil rights organization in the state that supports SB 1414.

Harris urged other Black-led groups who favor anti-trafficking legislation more focused on criminal justice reforms (as opposed to stiffer penalties), to “join the movement.”

Many of those civil rights groups fear that SB 1414 could lead to the incarceration of more Black youth.

Those sentiments were echoed in a panel discussion organized by Black women advocates on April 26 to examine the cause and effects of human trafficking in California’s Black communities. The virtual event was hosted by the Forgotten Children, Inc, a faith-based nonprofit that advocates for survivors and victims of human trafficking through anti-trafficking campaigns and initiatives.

Panelists shared the psychological impact of sexual exploitation on youth and children in the long term.

Author and educator Dr. Stephany Powell shared statistics and information revealing that African American women and girls are the most trafficked nationwide.

Powell, who serves as the senior advisor on law enforcement and policy at the National Center on Sexual Exploitation said that national data indicates that sex trade survivors are disproportionately women of color. She stated that male survivors often go unnoticed because boys rarely report trafficked crimes.

Powell said that decriminalizing prostitution in California could increase human trafficking. She argued that Senate Bill 357, authored by Sen. Scott Wiener (D-San Francisco), which was signed into law in 2022 and legalized loitering for prostitution, caused a surge in street-level prostitution.

Panelist and psychologist Dr. Gloria Morrow shared opposing views on decriminalizing prostitution. She said that decriminalizing prostitution could help survivors gain access to state resources and support.

Despite opposing views, Powell and Morrow agree that the Black community needs resources and educational programs to address human trafficking.