Page 5 - Cell Blocks News Today

>> we run the prison. we have the towers. we have the fences. and we keep control of the inmates. >> to crack down on contraband and violence, usp instituted a policy of controlled movement. no two cell blocks are ever in the same common areas at the same time. >> things are changing over there. this place now, its that new mentality with get tough on crime. its kind of working, man, because, you know, they dont mess around no more, man. they want to build more prisons. they want to keep us down...

Than 13, but i have predalition for, like, 13 to 18, somewhere in the danger zone for me. i follow the danger zone where its jail bait, very, very risky. >> [ bleep ]. >> theres my neighbors right now. they know about me. thats why theyre making noise. >> throughout other cell blocks, voices echo and can be heard by other inmates. thats why most sex offenders dont speak openly about their crimes. >> now, as far as im concerned a man like that in my eyes, its my duty as a man to put the fear of g...

>> starting with your right thumb, roll your fingers. >> eating. >> in an effort to avoid violent confrontations later, every inmate is evaluated and classified according to his history of violence outside and inside the penal system. >> enemies? >> none. >> gang-banger? >> share a cell with another man, no problem? >> its all right with me. >> okay. thank you. >> as long as youre compatible. >> i wish we could make that call for you. youll find out when you get to the house. thank you. >> flore...

>> incredible as it may seem, officers at san quentin say that theres an attempted assault on their lives almost every day. >> they look for vulnerable spots. they look for times when you do let your guard down. >> this is death row. in fact, this is californias only male death row where the method of execution is lethal injection. this is where youll find such vicious killers as richard ramirez, the so-called night stalker, and richard allen davis, the killer of polly klaas. today, the condemne...

>> 2 1/2 years brothers blade and bennie reed shared the same prison and memory of their horrific crime. what they havent shared is a face-to-face meeting. thats about to change. >> are you ready for blade? have a nice visit with your brother. >> always. kind of a relief. its been a while, but i probably feel the same way i feel right now, im going to be happy. >> interactions between offenders from different cell blocks is not normally allowed. for the reed brothers to meet they have to submit ...

To death. >> in indiana, all kids sentenced as adults are incarcerated in the youth unit inside the massive wabash compound with adults kept in neighboring cell blocks. the young offenders are isolated from their adult counterparts and rarely leave their own cell block. >> this is like your whole life. ive spent five months and counting. if they would have let me out then, that would have been enough wakeup call for the rest of my life. >> once a youth offender turns 18, theyre transitioned out ...

Officers assigned to these units are constantly working to intercept gang communications drug smuggling, and prevent illicit activities. another one of their functions is to validate an inmates gang affiliation. >> you need three identifiers to validate a gang member. tattoos, known association with another gang member, admission and if they are a validated gang member, they are shipped off to one of three prisons throughout the state. >> those three prisons contain californias most restrictive ...

The man runs this joint now. what i mean by the man is the system. >> we run the prison. we have the towers. we have the fences. and we keep control of the inmates. >> to crack down on contraband and violence, usp instituted a policy of controlled movement. no two cell blocks are ever in the same common areas at the same time. >> things are changing over there. this place now, its that new mentality with get tough on crime. its kind of working, man, because, you know, they dont mess around no mo...

Fingerprinted. >> starting with your right thumb, roll your fingers. >> eating. >> in an effort to avoid violent confrontations later, every inmate is evaluated and classified according to his history of violence outside and inside the penal system. >> enemies? >> none. >> gang-banger? >> share a cell with another man, no problem? >> its all right with me. >> okay. thank you. >> as long as youre compatible. >> i wish we could make that call for you. youll find out when you get to the house. than...

At its best, this is an inefficient design. officers are always having to climb stairs. >> where are the elevators? >> were the elevators. a human elevator. >> but at its worst, the design of san quentins cell blocks expose officers to inmate assault. >> with the age of the building, the way its set up, almost anything you do, youre in direct contact with the inmates. >> hey how are you doing? >> when its time for the inmates to go to the showers or the dining hall, an entire tier is released si...