one_love14
11-07-2006, 11:17 AM
Hey ladies, My man is not at Donovan but this was in the San Diego newspaper this morning. I thought I would share with you all.
Donovan prison to get maximum-security unit
For inmates unable to mix with others
By Steve Schmidt
STAFF WRITER
November 7, 2006
State officials are converting a huge housing complex at the Richard J. Donovan Correctional Facility in Otay Mesa into a maximum-security unit for prisoners who need to be kept apart from other inmates.
The new sensitive-needs unit will house 1,150 convicts – ex-gang members, prison informants, sex offenders and others.
Donovan houses nearly 4,800 male inmates in a 780-acre complex about 16 miles from downtown San Diego. It is the only state prison in San Diego County.
Starting this month, about 1,150 Donovan inmates will be bused to other state prisons in California to make room for the sensitive-needs unit, now at the state prison in Lancaster.
State officials plan to complete the move by early February.
The shift was spurred by Los Angeles County's recent decision to end its jail contract with the state Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.
The county said it would no longer house 1,300 state parole violators, forcing corrections officials to make room for the inmates at Lancaster, northeast of Los Angeles.
The move comes at a time when California's 33 adult corrections facilities already are packed with a record 170,000-plus convicts.
To ease the crunch, state officials are preparing to transfer 2,260 medium-security inmates to private prisons outside California, perhaps within a few weeks, at a daily cost of $63 per inmate.
Inmates in the new Donovan unit will be walled off to ensure their safety. Left among the general prison population, sensitive-needs inmates are often the target of violence.
At Donovan, prison officials said the creation of the special unit would not lead to the release of more paroled sex offenders into the county.
State policy requires that parolees be returned to the county where they last lived.
Marie Wallach, founder of the Imperial Beach-based California Prison Projects, a prison watchdog group, worries that the Donovan staff of 1,300 guards and employees is not trained to handle sensitive-needs inmates. She said many require special medication and programs.
Donovan spokeswoman Kim Seibel said, “I don't see a problem with staff not being able to handle these inmates.”
Officials said the inmates will be able to enroll in rehabilitation programs.
Donovan prison to get maximum-security unit
For inmates unable to mix with others
By Steve Schmidt
STAFF WRITER
November 7, 2006
State officials are converting a huge housing complex at the Richard J. Donovan Correctional Facility in Otay Mesa into a maximum-security unit for prisoners who need to be kept apart from other inmates.
The new sensitive-needs unit will house 1,150 convicts – ex-gang members, prison informants, sex offenders and others.
Donovan houses nearly 4,800 male inmates in a 780-acre complex about 16 miles from downtown San Diego. It is the only state prison in San Diego County.
Starting this month, about 1,150 Donovan inmates will be bused to other state prisons in California to make room for the sensitive-needs unit, now at the state prison in Lancaster.
State officials plan to complete the move by early February.
The shift was spurred by Los Angeles County's recent decision to end its jail contract with the state Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.
The county said it would no longer house 1,300 state parole violators, forcing corrections officials to make room for the inmates at Lancaster, northeast of Los Angeles.
The move comes at a time when California's 33 adult corrections facilities already are packed with a record 170,000-plus convicts.
To ease the crunch, state officials are preparing to transfer 2,260 medium-security inmates to private prisons outside California, perhaps within a few weeks, at a daily cost of $63 per inmate.
Inmates in the new Donovan unit will be walled off to ensure their safety. Left among the general prison population, sensitive-needs inmates are often the target of violence.
At Donovan, prison officials said the creation of the special unit would not lead to the release of more paroled sex offenders into the county.
State policy requires that parolees be returned to the county where they last lived.
Marie Wallach, founder of the Imperial Beach-based California Prison Projects, a prison watchdog group, worries that the Donovan staff of 1,300 guards and employees is not trained to handle sensitive-needs inmates. She said many require special medication and programs.
Donovan spokeswoman Kim Seibel said, “I don't see a problem with staff not being able to handle these inmates.”
Officials said the inmates will be able to enroll in rehabilitation programs.