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Pound-foolish on public safety

Updated 10:20 a.m., June 19

Members fight to save prison rehab, protect California families
Less than two years after adopting AB 900, a comprehensive law to reform California’s ailing prisons, the state stands ready to sacrifice long-term public safety by making ill-advised, short-term budget cuts.

The Legislature’s Joint Budget Conference Committee effectively gave up on inmate rehabilitation by initially cutting $175 million of the state’s $440 billion rehabilitation budget. If the committee vote is approved by both houses, hundreds of prison educators are expected to lose their jobs.

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Fight to save prison rehabilitation

Updated 8:30 p.m., June 12
We have been fighting attempts by the Governor to cut rehabilitation in corrections and force the legislature to implement effective programs that will keep communities safe.

“Local 1000 has written numerous reports based on member’s expertise, provided testimony to policy and budget committees, reinforcing the message that our programs save money and keep communities safe,” said Cindie Fonseca, chair of the Bargaining Unit 3 Teachers “We have also pointed out how the department has failed to cut costs because they have not eliminated unnecessary and ineffective contracts.”

We need you to act now by calling members of the
Budget Conference Committee.

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CDCR Reform Principles Presented to the Legislature

Updated 2:00 p.m., June 12

This is a report by Local 1000 researchers on prison rehabilitation that our members presented to the state Legislature in private meetings and public hearings this month.  



CDCR educators fighting prison cuts

Updated 3:30 p.m., June 5
Governor's plan will increase costs, not save
More than 50 CDCR educators - representing 17 different facilities up and down the state - came together in Sacramento to fight Gov. Schwarzenegger's proposal to eliminate vocational training, educational programs and substance abuse counseling at all California state prisons.

Testifying at a joint conference committee on the budget, Unit 3 members told legislators that slashing the vital programs would actually cost the state more than the $787 in budget savings claimed by the governor. At the same time, the governor and federal judges have proposed plans that could put tens of thousands of inmates back on the streets.

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Four members honored for bravery

Saving lives, apprehending criminals

Updated 11:35 a.m., May 22
The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) honored four Local 1000 members on May 14 for their bravery in saving lives or apprehending criminals in four separate incidents.

The four members – three men and a woman – all work in prisons. But three of the incidents took place when they were off work.

Alcadio Cornil, a correctional supervising cook at Avenal State Prison was awarded CDCR’s gold star. On March 8 of last year, Cornil was in his home when he saw flashing police lights outside. Upon leaving his home, Cornil spotted an assailant take down a police officer, and then try to remove the handgun from the officer’s holster. Cornil intervened and the assailant was arrested.

Louis Chapparro III, a vocational instructor at the California Substance Abuse Treatment Facility in Corcoran, was honored with a silver star after he rescued four people from a burning overturned SUV that was involved in a car accident on Sept. 5, 2008. Chapparro braved the flames to return and keep rescuing as many victims as possible before the fire consumed the two vehicles.

Nelia Salcido, a registered nurse at Centinela State Prison, was awarded a silver star after she used a metal hole-punch as a weapon to stop an inmate who was kicking and hitting a correctional officer in the prison examination room on Oct. 8, 2008.

Jose Logan, a staff information systems specialist at Chuckawalla Valley State Prison, received a bronze star for his courage last July 4 when he was boating on the Colorado River near Blythe. Logan witnessed a serious watercraft collision. He quickly jumped into the water and saved a teenage girl with a severe head wound.     
 

Case records technicians plan
statewide grievances

Prison bosses & DPA won’t apply uniform duty statement for new classification

Updated 10:35 a.m., May 4

Unless state officials reopen talks, Local 1000 will file grievances statewide over the Department of Personnel Administration’s (DPA) refusal to resolve problems with the one-year-old Case Record Technician (CRT) classification.

The problems, which may affect up to 1,200 workers in 33 prisons, stem from inconsistencies in duty statements at each institution. The lack of uniform standards is causing problems for workers interested in promotions and, if not addressed soon, is expected to cause further headaches in years to come.

“With a new classification, we can solve these problems now,” said Bob Kersch, chair of the Local 1000 CRT Committee. “We should nip this in the bud before it gets ugly. We shouldn’t have to resort to the grievance process. The state should be proactive and come back to the table.”

Workers with questions about the CRT classification should contact Memo Durgin at gdurgin@seiu1000.org


Prison receiver wins court fights with gov.


Updated 3:15 p.m., March 26
A federal judge rejected an effort by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and Attorney General Jerry Brown to dismiss prison health care receiver Clark Kelso and return the health care system to state control.

In his March 24 ruling, U.S. District Judge Thelton Henderson said he had “no confidence” that improvements in inmate medical care would continue or be maintained if he ended the receivership.

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Legislature looks at inmate education


Updated 12:30 p.m., March 18
Members push prison reform: Local 1000 member Instructor John Kern testified at the state legislature March 10 about ways to improve education and rehabilitation programs and reduce California’s recidivism rate – the worst in the nation.

“Inmate education increases public safety by reducing recidivism and it saves the state money in prison costs,” Kern told a joint meeting of the Assembly and Senate public safety committees. “For every dollar we spend on inmate vocational rehabilitation, we can save the taxpayers $3.”  

Kern, a vocational instructor at the Correctional Training Facility in Soledad, and other Local 1000 representatives also distributed copies of our new white paper “From the Cell to the Classroom.” In that study A Local 1000 researcher spent months visiting prisons and interviewing about 25 members to determine which practices work best at rehabilitating prisoners.

To read the entire report click here.

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State seeks to have prison receiver replaced

Governor says court must face 'fiscal reality'

By Denny Walsh - dwalsh@sacbee.com
Published: Wednesday, Jan. 28, 2009
Sacramento Bee

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, California Department of Corrections Director Matthew Cate and state Finance Director Mike Genest today announced that California Attorney General Jerry Brown has filed a motion in federal district court in San Francisco to replace the federally appointed receiver. Read more here.