Page 8 - Cell Blocks News Today

Klaas. today, the condemned population has grown to a staggering 581, well beyond san quentins ability to handle them. this forced death row to expand into three additional cell blocks, never designed for such violent inmates. >> okay. we have one escort coming through. >> having worked at san quentin for 25 years, warden jeanne woodford understands the challenges that confront death row. >> as the number of condemned come in, its just created a situation with this physical plant, with the open ...

Wide-spread discrimination against latinos. on the streets and in the jail and inmates have been punished when they do not speak english and they put cell blocks on lockdown because of it and they have been called and i quote, "wet backs and mexican bitches," according to the justice department. the hispanic drivers are nine time mrs. likely to be stopped than whites and he unfairly and illegally retaliated against critics. >> no one is above the law. and no one can misuse the legal process to s...

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. >> interaction between offenders from different cell blocks is not normally allowed. for the reed brothers to meet they have to submit to rigorous security checks. >> strip him down and well search ...

I have a history of repeated flashing. im like a serial flasher. this is my sixth conviction. i never flashed anyone younger than 13, but i have predeliction for, like, 13 to 18, somewhere in the danger zone for me. i follow the danger zone where its jail, 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...

Im like a serial flasher. this is my sixth conviction. i never flashed anyone younger than 13, but i have predelation for, like, 13 to 18, somewhere in the danger zone for me. i follow the danger zone where its jail, 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 i...

Prisons throughout california. >> here at san quentin i work for a unit called the investigative services unit. the inmates call us the goon squad. >> the specially trained officers assigned to these units are constantly working to intercept gang communications and to disrupt plans of violence, 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 associatio...

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. and theyre doing it. >> the system of controlled movement has significantly reduced the level of violence at usp. >> its not like, you know, people getting st...

Then theyre photographed and 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. >> dont like combative, dont like incidents. >> i wish we could make that call for you. youl...

>> 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...

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...