Is anyone familiar or know someone in Pelican Bay? I just recently found out that a family member has been relocated to Pelican Bay SHU. And I'm reading that all that's in there are "labeled gang members". Is anyone familiar with the SHU program?

Gosh Skyy, you post everywhere !!! :D :)

I answered this in the "PTO lounge forum".
Good luck :)
Phil

My son is in the SHU at Pelican Bay, and no it is not true that all inmates there are gang member.

Skyy, No, that is not true.

I have a friend at the Bay.. They are not all gang members.. it is a hard prison at times...

Skyy, I can't find your other post anymore. Anyway, I told you to click on "search" on the upper right side of the PTO homepage, and then type Pelican Bay SHU as key words. All the posts about Pelican Bay will be then displayed.
All the best :)
Phil

Thank you everyone. I'm new to this site so I'm still trying to figure things out.

Thanks again and Happy and Safe New Year.

Hi skyy, welcome to pto. You found the right place to get your questions answered. I look forward to getting to know you and reading you posts. Good luck and god bless.

Welcome skyy...a happy and safe New Year to you and yours also.

SKYY, to be sent to the SHU at PB you have to have committed certain offenses inside the prison system. Gang members aren't sent to the SHU, prison gang members are. There is a differance. Also anyone who attacks a CO, or staff, guys who rape other prisoners, guys who repeatedly attack other prisoners, guys who are disruptive on every yard they have been sent to, guys who prey on other prisoners (extortion, intimidation etc), smuggling drugs into prison, repeated attempts at escape, etc. There are SHU units at many Calif. prisons. I did time at the Corcoran SHU (Gladiator School). The Pelican Bay SHU was designed to house the most uncontrollable of prisoners. The classification of some prisoners being sent to PB is being abused. I honestly believe BSS's son Richard is one of these cases. I firmly believe he is wrongly housed at PB. The prison gang aspect of the PB SHU is really a mess. It is a horrible situation. These guys are locked up for years, with little or no proof, & no way to get out of it, or at least no reasonable way to get out. I hope this helps.---------Ken

Thanks Ken. It took a little time to get some information in regards to Pelican Bay but I'm getting it. I realize the difference of gang members and prison gang members. I'm so new with all this that I'm just now learning about that difference. Sadly enough, it took a family memeber to go to the SHU to start to realize what everyone else goes through before he was even locked up. Thank you for responding Ken.

There is a documentary that airs on MSNBC occaisionally about Pelican Bay. They have a series about prisons that is pretty good called "Lockup". I have seen half-hour segments on Pelican Bay, Corcoran, Riker's Island and Colorado State Pen.

They covered the SHU at both Pelican Bay and Corcoran extensively with film from inside and even interviews with prisoners incarcerated there. The entire Colorado pen in Florence is a super max where everybody is basically in the SHU.

I last saw the series around New Year's. They pull it out around holidays when nobody wants to work and run it to fill time. If you have a loved one in the system it is certainly worth seeing. Actually it is good for those without loved ones inside to see, too.

There is a thread in the PTO Lounge forum about the MSNBC series. Apparently they are going to have programs in January about Folsom, San Quentin and Davis(?) in Oklahoma.

There was a Documentary on CourtTV called The Elite - Inside Pelican Bay. It is an excellent documentary. You can buy it at www.courtTV.com . you have to call them to order it because they don't show it on the website.