Governor Brown Acts To Protect California Against Criminals and Prison Gangs

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, October 6, 2011

Governor Brown Acts To Protect California Against Criminals and Prison Gangs

Written by Imperial Valley News
Thursday, 06 October 2011
Sacramento, California - Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr. today signed SB 26 and Executive Order B-11-11, to help deprive criminals and gang leaders in California’s prisons of one of their favorite means of organizing criminal activity: the contraband cellular phone. Brown said these measures would help “break up an expanding criminal network” that uses cellular phones to plan crimes both inside and outside of prison walls.

“Prisons exist to remove individuals from our communities who would otherwise do harm to their fellow citizens,” said Governor Brown. “When criminals in prison get possession of a cell phone, it subverts the very purpose of incarceration. They use these phones to organize gang activity, intimidate witnesses and commit crimes. Today's action will help to break up an expanding criminal network and protect law-abiding Californians.”

Existing law prohibits all unauthorized communication with inmates in state prison and provides for accumulation, loss, or denial of time credits based on inmate behavior. SB 26 by Alex Padilla (D-Pacoima) strengthens this by making it a misdemeanor to deliver or attempt to deliver a cell phone to an inmate, punishable by six months in jail and up to $5,000 in fines per device. Furthermore, the bill specifies a loss of time credit for inmates found in possession of phones, and facilitates deployment of technologies to block or disrupt unauthorized cellular transmissions from prisons.

Executive Order B-11-11 complements this legislation by mobilizing the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) to use existing resources to crack down on the prison cell phone problem. The order calls for an increase in physical searches of people who enter prisons, development of technologies to disrupt unauthorized transmissions and a report on the feasibility of creating“airport-style” security at all prison entrances. The full text of the Executive Order follows:

EXECUTIVE ORDER B-11-11

WHEREAS inmates in prisons throughout the United States have increasingly been able to access contraband cell phones and other cellular devices; and

WHEREAS staff in the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) discovered nearly 10,700 contraband cellular devices in 2010, and 7,300 through the first six months of this year; and

WHEREAS inmates’ access to these devices presents a risk to public safety and security, and is contrary to correctional and rehabilitative goals; and

WHEREAS these devices can provide inmates with unrestricted and unmonitored access to the Internet, text messaging, and electronic mail; and

WHEREAS hundreds of incidents across the country have occurred in which inmates have used these devices to conduct criminal or gang activities or to victimize law-abiding people; and

WHEREAS controlling inmates’ access to these devices is challenging because 1) the CDCR lacks airport-style security screening for people who enter prisons and instituting it could be costly at a time when the state is facing severe budget restrictions; 2) the CDCR is one of the largest prison systems in the world, and there are hundreds of entry points through which these devices can be smuggled; and 3) federal law prohibits blocking or jamming all cellular-device transmissions originating inside correctional facilities; and

WHEREAS strong measures must nonetheless be taken immediately to ensure the safety of the public and the secure operations of California prisons; and

WHEREAS these measures should include improving the thoroughness by which people entering prisons are searched, increasing the number of random searches of inmates’ cells, penalizing prisoners who are caught with a contraband device, and increasing the use of canines and state-of-the-art technology to find contraband devices; and

WHEREAS these measures should also include implementing a system to intercept and block prisoners’ unauthorized cellular transmissions in a way that complies with federal law by not interfering with authorized wireless devices, radios, and other emergency response communications.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, EDMUND G. BROWN JR., Governor of the State of California, in accordance with the authority vested in me by the Constitution and statutes of the State of California, do hereby issue the following orders to become effective immediately:

IT IS HEREBY ORDERED that the CDCR use existing budget resources and pursue all available grants to conduct more thorough searches of people who enter prisons; to increase the number of random searches of inmates’ cells, prison property, and employees; to increase penalties for inmates in possession of contraband devices and anyone who illegally provides contraband devices to inmates; and to increase the use of canines and state-of-the-art technology to find and confiscate contraband cellular devices.

IT IS FURTHER ORDERED that the CDCR develop and deploy a cost-efficient system to interrupt unauthorized cellular transmissions at California’s prisons in a manner consistent with federal law.

IT IS FURTHER ORDERED that the Department of General Services (DGS) and the California Technology Agency collaborate and cooperate with the CDCR to accelerate the approval process for the procurement of a system to interrupt unauthorized cellular transmissions, and that the DGS further facilitate the expedited purchase by the CDCR of any other necessary materials, equipment and services to comply with the directives of this Executive Order.

IT IS FURTHER ORDERED that the CDCR immediately review and prepare an analysis of any barriers to implementing airport-style security screening at all points of entry to California’s correctional institutions, and that this analysis be submitted to the Governor’s Office by December 31, 2011.

This Order is not intended to, and does not, create any rights or benefits, substantive or procedural, enforceable at law or in equity, against the State of California, its agencies, departments, entities, officers, employees, or any other person.

I FURTHER DIRECT that as soon as hereafter possible, this Order be filed in the Office of the Secretary of State and that widespread publicity and notice be given to this Order.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF I have hereunto set my hand and caused the Great Seal of the State of California to be affixed this 6th day of October 2011.

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EDMUND G. BROWN JR.

Governor of California

ATTEST:

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