THIS GOES OUT TO WHOM EVER READS THIS MESSAGE. DO YOU KNOW OR KNOW OF ANY ONE WHO HAS ACTUALLY GONE THROUGH DEBRIEFING PROCESS AND SAFELY MAKE IT THROUGHOUT SERVING HIS TIME? NOT THAT I NEED TO KNOW NAMES CAUSE I DON'T. I'M ASKING CAUSE I'M CURRENTLY DOING RESEARCH IN SUCH PROCESSES. AND I'M WRITING LETTERS TO CDC IN SACRAMENTO IN REGARDS TO ALL THIS THATS GOING ON WITH THE RELEASE OF SHU, AND ALL OTHER SEGGREGATION UNITS THROUGH OUT CALIFORNIA PRISONS. ONCE AGAIN, I'D APPRECIATE YOUR HONESTY IN ORDER FOR ME TO HOOK UP AN EFFECTIVE LETTER ALSO I NEED NOT ANYONES NAMES. THANKS AND GOD BLESS SQ:)

sorry, I can't help you, but I'm quit sure you'll get some useful answers from pTO members soon. Good luck

Suzie,

I'm sorry I haven't gotten back to you on your e-mail, I promise I'll do it today, I have just been incredibly busy this week. As for debriefing, I don't know anyone that has ever gone through it, though I doubt anyone would admit it, at least to me. There are just too many dangers in it. I have heard they were changing the process for people to get out of the SHU without going through this, but I don't know any details. It is so hard to get factual info, you get alot of "I think" type answers. From my understanding, it's still a dangerouse process if they still have the same requirements they had when I was in. They were handing out indeterminate SHU sentences like candy, guys didn't want to even let it be known they were a shot caller for fear of being validated, & many guys were validated even though they were innocent, because someone had it in for them. The whole situation is one big mess. I would like to know what you find out that is factual. Thanks-----Ken

Thanks you guys! Your right Ken. I'm hip to the fact that ain't nobody is gonna admit to debriefing, and I totally understand. It's sad and what a shame that all this mess is as if it's wanting to push inmates to debrief only because they don't want to be stuck in that SHU! And to top it off CDC claims to be a safe thing to do, thus many are currently debriefing and thay have seen no problems in doing so! However, they say they were gonna drop from a 6-year inactive term to a 4-year inactive term to realese them to a mainline! Are they really gonna go through with it? It's still to be seen! By the way,yeah there is a few other ones that have SHU down south,Corcaron, Tahachapi, and I think Salinas. But anyways, if you or anyone happento come across some info. inre:this issue please let me hear about it! Cause no matter what the prison says or even CDC says I'm still convinced this is not a safe way of making it out of the SHU! Take Care SQ

Suzie,

If I hear anything I'll definately let you know. I don't know how CDC can claim doing this is safe. If you come out of a SHU the chances are your going to a 4 yard at least a 3 yard, & they play politics REAL serious on those yards. If it was known that you had gone through this process which woud be fairly easy to find out, you would be risking great bodily injury. As for the big SHU yards besides the Bay, Corcoran, then Tehatchipie is all I know about. I did 6 months (4 1/2 actually, the other 1 1/2 was at another prison in Ad Seg) at the Corcoran SHU for attacking another inmate, & if the Bay is worse than that ,I couldn't even fathom doing 4 years there let alone 6. The pressure to turn on innocent people is tremendouse (sp?). I would like to think I could do the time but who knows. I use to say I can do all the time they throw at me, I didn't care, but I was young & dumb.------------Ken

What is debriefing???

Back in the late 80's CDC (Calif. Dept. of Corrections) decided to take back the prisons from the gangs. Any one found to be a member of a prison gang was what we call "Validated" as a gang member & given an indeterminate SHU sentence, which means you do your whole time in the hole, & if you violate parole while on the street & go back to prison, you go right back to the hole. A few years ago they made a rule that if you were inactive in a prison gang for 6 years you could get out. The other way to get out was to go through a process they call "Debriefing" in which you sit down with guys from SSU (Special Security Unit) &/or ISU (Institutional Security Unit), & you tell them everything you know of the prison gang you were involved with, & give them the names of every prison gang member that you know. They then grab any of these guys who aren't already "Validated" & they "Validate" the new ones, & throw them into the SHU. So, your ratting out a whole bunch of prison gang members, which as you can guess is a very dangerous thing to do. The bottom line is if your "Validated" & you get out of the SHU before the 6 year time your a marked person, unless you can talk your way out of it, but I have no idea what that story would be. The problem is there is a lot of pressure to give names, so some guys were named who were never in a prison gang. Being they were never in a prison gang they couldn't give names, because they didn't know any names, so if they did decide to name people they would just rattle off who ever they could think of. So you have alot of guys serving SHU sentences & "Validated" as prison gang members, who were never in a prison gang.------Ken

YOU'RE CRAZY KEN!!!!!!!! DON'T MEAN ANY DISRESPECT. KNOW WHAT I MEAN? BUT YOU KNOW SOMETHING? YOU'RE ALRIGHT. HEY, THAT WAS AN EXCELLENT ANSWER!!! THE REASON I SAY THIS AND FELT I HAD T AKNOWLEDGE THIS RESPONSE OF YOURS IS BECAUSE ALL THIS ABOUT DEBRIEFING DOES IN FACT HAVE INDIVIDUALS ALL MIXED UP AND MISLED BY FALSE INFO. AND YOU CAME ALONG WITH AN ACCURATE ANSWER. RIGHT ON!!! BUT WHERE DID YOU GET THIS INFO FROM???JUST KIDDING!!! YOU TAKE CARE SUSIEQ

Debriefing could complicate a prison sentence and create unnecessary problems. I would not allow such interrogation in a prison under my management. The consequences are far more severe than the benefit. The System is increasing the "Snitch" list which makes an explosive situation much more volatile. I advocate abolishing the policy and stop creating more problems for the incarcerated........38 Special

re-ken's last post here: My son was one of those guys named by someone trying to get out he didn't even know my son but they rolled him up anyway and off to the SHU he went that was over 10 years ago. Six years is just a myth who started that rumor anyway?

BSS- I'M NOT EXACTLY SURE IF YOU'RE REFERING TO THE 6 YEARS KEN MENTIONED. BUT THEY DO IN FACT, HAVE OR ARE CONTEMPLATING CUTTING GUYS LOSE TO A YARD BASED ON A 4-YEAR IN-ACTIVE GANG ACTIVITIES. WHILE IT USE TO BE 6 YEARS. HOWEVER I DON'T WANT TO MISLEAD YOU IN ANY WAY. BUT LETS LOOK AT IT THIS WAY. THERE IS HOPE FOR THEM TO MAKE IT TO A MAINLINE AS LONG AS THEY DO KEEP LOW. YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN? IN FACT I'D LIKE TO REFER YOU TO: cjcsc@earthlink.net , THEY ACTUALLY WENT TO THE HEARING UP IN SACRAMENTO ALONG WITH THOSE FROM FOCUS, AND ALL THIS ABOUT THE SHU WAS DISCCUSED! YOU MIGHT WANT TO CHECK THEM OUT. THEY CAN EXPLAIN THIS ISSUE THOROUGHLY TO YOU. TAKE CARE & DON'T GIVE UP HOPE EVEN WHEN THINGS SEEM IMPOSSIBLE. WE'LL BE ALRIGHT!!!

Inactive, or co-operating, it's all in how THEY see it. If they don't think your inactive you won't get out of the SHU. It's up to the staff to make these determination, & we all know how well they are about doing whats right.


Susie, I did alot of time on 3 & 4 yards, you pick this stuff up pretty quick. I'm just an old convict who's been able to learn a few things here & there. Your friend-----Ken

Me again, I guess I come off like I have a real attitude or that I just don’t know what’s up my point being. It doesn’t matter what they change it to it could be one week or a hundred years. If the staff doesn’t OK it it isn’t going to happen. There are guys in there 20 years and more, what they need is an outside panel to make these calls. They also need to demand proof, not just some guys word for it. My son has informed me he will never be released from the SHU and that is that.

I am Looking for Mathew J. Marsitto...Can anyone help me

i just did almost six years and was released from valley state prison for women in chowchilla,ca and in california i know women aren't recognized as gang members and debreifing isnt an option given to us when released from SHU. I do know that what they do on the "men's side" they have debreifing yards where it is a whole yard of them going through the same process so the state can "supposedly" keep them safe.

I have a pen pal in Pelican Bay SHU. He has been in there for 3 or 4 years now. I don't like to hear he might never get out. He has worked hard taking classes and trying to better himself. Long ago he wrote to me about all the BS involved in somebody pointing the finger at him, which resulted in him being placed in SHU. He told me he would never point the finger at others so he is stuck there for a few years. It makes me sick to think he is stuck in SHU!!!!!