State prison authorities in California have finished moving out over 1,000 inmates from the California Institution for Men in Chino, after a racially motivated weekend riot destroyed their housing units.
Eleven inmates are still hospitalized, according to Terry Thornton, a spokeswoman for the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, and one inmate’s critical condition was upgraded to serious.
In the weekend riot, 250 inmates were hurt, and the California prison was badly damaged and remained uninhabitable, after a racial riot among African-American and Latino prison gangs, according to a report.
Over the weekend one dormitory was destroyed by fire that broke out during the melee. Prisoners used pieces of metal from lockers, destroyed beds, and ripped off pipes to use as weapons. The reception center west was badly damaged by the riot and was rendered uninhabitable.
Prison authorities have not released new information on what started the riot, but prison authorities said that the fight started along ethnic lines. The Chino prison facility has also a record of other riots in the past, and a several inspection reports since 2006 determined a record of poor maintenance, overcrowding, and riots.
At the time of the riot, the Chino prison held almost 6,000 inmates, nearly twice its capacity.
Last week, a three-judge federal panel ordered the state of California to reduce population in its overcrowded prison system. The judges ruled that there is “overwhelming” evidence that overcrowding of the state prison network is the primary reason for the lack of appropriate medical and mental health care.
The judges ordered the state to reduce its prison population by over 40,000 prisoners within the next two to three years.
The ruling affects the California’s 33 adult prisons, most of which now operate at double capacity with about 150,000 inmates, housed in facilities designed to hold about 80,000 people.
Chino and other California prisons are changing the historic practice of separating inmates by race, and according to a 2005 Court decision that found racial segregation to be illegal, now inmates from different races share cells. The weekend rioting took place in barracks that were fully integrated.
The California prison system canceled visiting hours over the weekend and is on lockdown indefinitely, according to a spokesperson. The inmates were either transferred or en route to one of four other correctional institutions within California.
Eleven inmates are still hospitalized, according to Terry Thornton, a spokeswoman for the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, and one inmate’s critical condition was upgraded to serious.
In the weekend riot, 250 inmates were hurt, and the California prison was badly damaged and remained uninhabitable, after a racial riot among African-American and Latino prison gangs, according to a report.
Over the weekend one dormitory was destroyed by fire that broke out during the melee. Prisoners used pieces of metal from lockers, destroyed beds, and ripped off pipes to use as weapons. The reception center west was badly damaged by the riot and was rendered uninhabitable.
Prison authorities have not released new information on what started the riot, but prison authorities said that the fight started along ethnic lines. The Chino prison facility has also a record of other riots in the past, and a several inspection reports since 2006 determined a record of poor maintenance, overcrowding, and riots.
At the time of the riot, the Chino prison held almost 6,000 inmates, nearly twice its capacity.
Last week, a three-judge federal panel ordered the state of California to reduce population in its overcrowded prison system. The judges ruled that there is “overwhelming” evidence that overcrowding of the state prison network is the primary reason for the lack of appropriate medical and mental health care.
The judges ordered the state to reduce its prison population by over 40,000 prisoners within the next two to three years.
The ruling affects the California’s 33 adult prisons, most of which now operate at double capacity with about 150,000 inmates, housed in facilities designed to hold about 80,000 people.
Chino and other California prisons are changing the historic practice of separating inmates by race, and according to a 2005 Court decision that found racial segregation to be illegal, now inmates from different races share cells. The weekend rioting took place in barracks that were fully integrated.
The California prison system canceled visiting hours over the weekend and is on lockdown indefinitely, according to a spokesperson. The inmates were either transferred or en route to one of four other correctional institutions within California.
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