Prison Place

California has the most women incarcerated anywhere in the USA, and more than most other countries, as well. We have three women's prisons in California, and they are all extremely overcrowded.  Many of these women have children, and many were abused before arrest.  All three of these prisons, Valley State Prison for Women, Central California Women's Facility, and Corona Institute for Women, have active Inmate Family Councils.  I work with the one at VSPW, and the board members are great.  We're working to increase positive communications with the administration, and are making steady progress.  If anyone has any questions, just let us know.  You're welcome to email me or post here if you have comments, questions or concerns that relate to women's prisons (lonemtn@snowcrest.net).  Hang in there!  Nancy R.

I had no idea so many woman were incarcerated in CA!  Most everything we hear seems to be focused on Pelican Bay, Corcoran, or Calipatria...all men's units.

Thanks for posting and I will take advantage of your generosity and refer questions about women's units to you!

Hi, my name is Lori and I did two terms at CCWF.  I write to two girls I left behind, one LWOP and one 39-life.  the LWOP changed my life and I credit her with my turn around.  I am active on a lot of prison reform groups, etc., and I am always aware of how little you hear from people who have females in prison.  And then, the few who are active with womens prisons fight for issues that I never came across, nor did my friends.  It's hard because my experiences are often different than what the "loved ones" of inmates are hearing about. 

OK, I'm going to go out on a limb here. I seem to catch flak for this one, but what I am about to say is true to the best of my knowledge ~ I've even checked with my girls I write to in case something has changed since I've been there . . . This issue of removing male CO's from housing units is one of the worst things I've heard of!  That sounds backwards I know, but let me introduce the inmate in me to you!  The male CO's were SO much nicer than the women CO's.  My experience was that they were 100 times better to deal with than the women!  They were easier to manipulate, thereby getting our room skipped over for searches.  Many are SO cognizant that they are men in a women's facility that they went out of their way to avert their eyes~not that they needed to:  I made sure I checked from the outside and I don't know who engineered the doors to the toilet and shower, but the middle piece absolutely covers the private areas of your body.  I looked from many different angles.  PLUS, it was the same way INSIDE the room too.

But you can never get much passed the women CO's.  They had NO sympathy for just about any issue you had.  They were REAL B***'s.  Only a few were nice and I remember their names still. 

I've heard stories about being touched inappropriately by male CO's.  Heck, I used to try to get a male CO, because chances were, he MIGHT be a little concerned in that area, so if I was trying to get something through (and I am NOT talking about drugs), I would definitely try for the male CO.  Neither terms did I hear of any rape, by man or inmate.  It's a felony now for staff and inmate to have any sexual contact~since we do not have the right to consent.  Heck again, I believe it's a class E 115, last I checked for INMATES caught in any sexual act, that is a loss of 120 days I believe.

I was a lieutenants clerk and had to type up all the 115's for them.  They got paid like $75/hr and we did all the paperwork for .23 cents/hr!  But hey, it was better than working split shifts in the chow hall for .08 cents/hr!

Boy, I just meant to say hi and let you know that I'm more than happy to take questions too and then ended up with all this. Time to shut up and move on.  Thanks for listening and email me if you want too!

~Lori~
~namaste~

I've heard from other inmates that women COs can be really bad, and that they are even more aggressive than the male COs when doing pat searches -- and can be extremely vulgar and abusive, too.  Some of the women have told me of men on the yards that are truly wonderful and straight-up.  And, of course, there are plenty of COs who are horrible. 

I found Lori's comment about the LWOP (Life Without Parole) interesting.  I deal mostly with Long-Termers, and find them to be some of the most honest and caring people.  It seems backwards that these women are in prison and will probably be there for 20 or 30 years (or for life), when they would be some of the best and more caring individuals we could have in our communities. 

 Recently, I got a letter from one of my 20-to-lifers, and she was explaining how the main population in prison isn't expected to do more than their time, for the most part (Term-Lifers have all sorts of requirements to be even considered for parole; education, self-improvement, community involvement, etc.).  Inmates who have determinate sentences know they will get out have a lot less to loose.  There are many of them that are wasteful, disrespectful and disruptive.  My friend mentioned her concerns about youngsters who come in are quickly acclimatized to this lifestyle and leave worse than they came in.

 I hope we will see some reform in sentencing and parole, and can reverse this upward trend in incarceration.  The overcrowding is dangerous.  Programs are stretched past their limits.   It's frustrating.  Thank God for people like Grandmothers in the Light, who help children get to Chowchilla to see their moms!

Unfortunately, I have to agree that the youngsters become institutionalized quickly.  Plus they are often the mosst trouble to deal with.  They think they are bullet proof as do most young people and they have no problem taking down those around them.  My first term I was housed with this one kid and when I came back two years later I ran into her (him) and she was a totally different person~much evil had grown in her heart  . . . it would have been sad to see, except she came into my office and demanded I "lose" her 115 (write-up).  There were definitely safeguards in place that made sure we can't do that anymore.  The cops aren't dumb all the time!

I believe the long termers, lifers and LWOPS, especially the ones that started out young, HAVE to become well adjusted, else they don't make it long.  They kill themselves or end up in long term SHU programs, or get into drugs and get caught up.  My LWOP friend, Amber, has been down since she was 18 and is now 28 going on 29, I believe.  She certainly deserved to have a chance at freedom more than I did the day I met her.  A lot of people won't understand this, but if it was possible, I would do a year of her time so she could have a year on the outs.  That, of course, might be a cruel gift as she would then have to return, but the sentiment is real.