Governor Brown of California & the Prisons

Wasted Honor -

Carl R. ToersBijns is the author of the Wasted Honor Trilogy [Wasted Honor I,II and Gorilla Justice] and his newest book From the Womb to the Tomb, the Tony Lester Story, which is a reflection of his life and his experiences as a correctional officer and a correctional administrator retiring with the rank of deputy warden in the New Mexico and Arizona correctional systems.

Carl also wrote a book on his combat experience in the Kindle book titled - Combat Medic - Men with destiny - A red cross of Valor -

Carl is considered by many a rogue expert in the field of prison security systems since leaving the profession. Carl has been involved in the design of many pilot programs related to mental health treatment, security threat groups, suicide prevention, and maximum custody operational plans including double bunking max inmates and enhancing security for staff. He invites you to read his books so you can understand and grasp the cultural and political implications and influences of these prisons. He deals with the emotions, the stress and anxiety as well as the realities faced working inside a prison. He deals with the occupational risks while elaborating on the psychological impact of both prison worker and prisoner.

His most recent book, Gorilla Justice, is an un-edited raw fictional version of realistic prison experiences and events through the eyes of an anecdotal translation of the inmate’s plight and suffering while enduring the harsh and toxic prison environment including solitary confinement.

Carl has been interviewed by numerous news stations and newspapers in Phoenix regarding the escape from the Kingman prison and other high profile media cases related to wrongful deaths and suicides inside prisons. His insights have been solicited by the ACLU, Amnesty International, and various other legal firms representing solitary confinement cases in California and Arizona. He is currently working on the STG Step Down program at Pelican Bay and has offered his own experience insights with the Center of Constitutional Rights lawyers and interns to establish a core program at the SHU units. He has personally corresponded and written with SHU prisoners to assess the living conditions and how it impacts their long term placement inside these type of units that are similar to those in Arizona Florence Eyman special management unit where Carl was a unit deputy warden for almost two years before his promotion to Deputy Warden of Operations in Safford and Eyman.

He is a strong advocate for the mentally ill and is a board member of David's Hope Inc. a non-profit advocacy group in Phoenix and also serves as a senior advisor for Law Enforcement Officers Advocates Council in Chino, California As a subject matter expert and corrections consultant, Carl has provided interviews and spoken on national and international radio talk shows e.g. BBC CBC Lou Show & TV shows as well as the Associated Press.

I use sarcasm, satire, parodies and other means to make you think!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Thursday, September 15, 2011

Governor Brown of California & the Prisons

Heat is On California Governor Brown to reduce prison population
2011 PUBLIC SAFETY REALIGNMENT ACT (AB109) and Mental Health

California prison administrators will have to work hard and long hours to meet the deadline for some 34,000 prisoners to be reduced out of their state prisons. This deadline, imposed by a recent United States Supreme Court ruling on prison overcrowding has put in motion an executive plan that involves every county administration that will be designated recipients of these thousands of offenders that will finish their time to serve inside county jails if the plan is approved and carried out as it has been published and delivered to the media of late.

Governor Brown is on the hook as the newly elected chief executive and although he feels his plan to re-distribute and re-align a small portion of the state’s prison population inside county jails, there are serious concerns by the public if this plan will risk public safety and satisfy the courts as it might not meet the number identified to be released within the next two years. His new budget will identify funding to “re-align” these tens of thousands of offenders to local jails starting this fall. In order to comply with this three-judge order to reduce his prison population, his staff will have to identify and decide what prisoners will be released in order to meet the reduction order.

Since this will severely impact county jails and county administrators, there are several “re-alignment” plans coming out to show how they [counties] intend to meet this need and how their resources e.g. bed space, living conditions, essential services and medical and mental health treatment services will be impacted as the funding for such a release is not expected to be sufficient to operate this plan in its entirety or completeness due to staffing shortages and resource deficiencies. Now a new report by the non-partisan Legislative Analyst's Office finds the move will fall short. In fact, the Legislative Analyst’s Office is suggesting the state ask the Supreme Court judges for an extension so further plans can be developed along with the appropriate funding and necessary resources.

In the meantime in the city and county of San Francisco they have developed the “City & County of San Francisco Public Safety Realignment & Post Release Community Supervision 2011 Implementation Plan.” Reviewing this thoroughly laid out plan it appears that the work group has spent many hours and hard work to put together a sound plan that will address the basic needs for these early released offenders including those who have untreated mental illness and is described as a functional plan for “This population becomes a local responsibility as of October 1, 2011 when the Post-Release Community Supervision Act of 2011 is implemented. These estimates are based upon data provided by CDCR; however, the Community Corrections Partnership Executive Committee anticipates the actual population to be greater than the State projections. Additional key elements of AB109 include an anticipation of hundreds of mentally ill offenders to be placed inside their county jails which will require special management techniques that consists of a list of proposals and strategies for the treatment of offenders who have untreated substance abuse and mental health issues. The Department of Health estimates that many [the majority] released offenders will require some type of intervention in the area of behavioral health conditions that will warrant treatment for stabilization and program compliance. They have created a healthcare system that includes residential mental health treatment, residential substance abuse treatment, short term residential treatment, intensive outpatient treatment, day treatment, transitional housing and medication management.

Another important element of this plan is the proposal to increase the workforce of the post release community supervision division to provide more ISP personnel proposed at a ratio of 50:1 recognized by the American Probation and Parole Association as an adequate level for staffing this increase in clientele.

Source:

http://abclocal.go.com/kabc/story?section=news/state&id=8292485

http://sfreentry.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/Public-Safety-Realignment-Plan-7.19.2011.pdf