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| Calipatria State Prison (CAL) | |
|---|---|
| Aerial View | |
| Location: | Calipatria, California |
| Coordinates: | 33°09′58″N 115°29′10″W / 33.166°N 115.486°WCoordinates: 33°09′58″N 115°29′10″W / 33.166°N 115.486°W |
| Status: | Operational |
| Security class: | Minimum-maximum |
| Capacity: | 2,208 |
| Population: | 4,272 (193%) as of fy 2008/09[1] |
| Opened: | 1992 |
| Managed by: | California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation |
| Director: | Larry Small, Warden |
Calipatria State Prison (CAL) is a male-only state prison located in the city of Calipatria, in Imperial County, California.
Contents |
Facilities
Although located about 3 miles (4.8 km) from the center of Calipatria, the prison is within the city limits.[2] Called the lowest prison in the Western Hemisphere, it lies 184 feet (56 m) below sea level. As of Fiscal Year 2005/2006, CAL had a total of 1,143 staff and an annual operating budget of $123 million.[3]
The facility covers a total of 1,227.5 acres (496.8 ha) (with the prison on 300 acres (120 ha)).[3] As of September 2007, it had a design capacity of 2,308 but a total institution population of 4,180, for an occupancy rate of 181.1 percent.[4] Over 2,000 of its housing units are maximum-security Level IV ("Cells, fenced or walled perimeters, electronic security, more staff and armed officers both inside and outside the installation"); the remainder are minimum-security Level I ("Open dormitories without a secure perimeter").[3][5]
History
CAL opened in January 1992[3], approximately 22 months before California State Prison, Centinela (the other state prison in Imperial County). A $1.5 million electrified fence, which could cause instantaneous death for escaping inmates and which was the first of its kind among California state prisons, was installed in November 1993.[6][7] After a number of birds had died by electrocution, an ornithologist was hired to help redesign the fence and eliminate the problem.[8]
As of 1995, CAL's problems included "double-celling" (placing two inmates in bunk beds in a cell designed for one), psychological stress, a drastic shortage of work for prisoners, chronic understaffing among prison employees, and gang violence.[8] A May 1995 incident in which five inmates stabbed and assaulted eight officers"was described in 1997 as the worst inmate attack on staff in California state prisons in recent years.[7]
Angelo Buono, Jr. (also known as the Hillside Strangler) died at CAL in September 2002 of a "massive heart attack."[9]
An August 2005 riot at CAL was the most violent uprising at the prison.[10] The event left 25 inmates and 25 prison staff members wounded.[10] A guard shot and killed an inmate with a Mini-14 semiautomatic rifle, which was believed to have contributed to ending the violence.[10] A spokesman for the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation stated that the disturbance involved Hispanic gang members."[11]
References
- ^ Calipatria State Prison (CAL) (2009). "Institution Statistics". California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. http://www.cdcr.ca.gov/Visitors/Facilities/CAL-Institution_Stats.html. Retrieved 2009-08-20.
- ^ City of Calipatria official Web site. Accessed 22 Dec 2007.
- ^ a b c d Calipatria State Prison (CAL) (2009). "Mission Statement". California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. http://www.cdcr.ca.gov/Visitors/Facilities/CAL.html. Retrieved 2009-08-20.
- ^ California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. Monthly Report of Population as of Midnight September 30, 2007.
- ^ California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. California's Correctional Facilities. Accessed 22 Dec 2007.
- ^ Buzbee, Sally Streff. Prisoner Advocates Voice Dismay Over State Facility's Lethal - Fence. Daily News of Los Angeles, November 21, 1993.
- ^ a b Furillo, Andy. Pressures Building in State's 32 Prisons. Sacramento Bee, January 19, 1997.
- ^ a b Davis, Mike. A Prison-Industrial Complex: Hell Factories in the Field. The Nation, Vol. 260, Issue 7, pp. 229-234, February 20, 1995. HTML version.
- ^ Saunders, Debra J. Death of a strangler. San Francisco Chronicle, October 1, 2002.
- ^ a b c Schmidt, Steve. Calipatria riot reflects troubled prison system. Crowding, violence just part of problem. San Diego Union-Tribune, September 4, 2005.
- ^ Graswich, R.E. Violent episode at Calipatria prison hard to categorize, officials say. Sacramento Bee, August 24, 2005.
External links
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