Page 7 - Exercise Yard News Today

We visited the shus now-vacant exercise yard, which has been the scene of some of the prisons most brutal violence. ♪ >> i could see why fights went on in that exercise yard. because it was literally like a cage. there was nowhere for you to go. and if you really wanted to take someone out, that was the place to do it. its literally -- like the most extreme ultimate fighting thing you would see. >> correctional officers showed our cameras how they quell the violence with an arsenal of their ow...

>> already losing track of time in his first week in jail, convicted wife batterer miguel castillo has been transported from a small cell in downtown mens central jail to a large dormitory with exercise yard at north facility. this is where he will spend the rest of his 180-day sentence. >> well, ive been here, you know, since wednesday. you come out here for two hours. i think its about two hours every day except saturday and sunday. so its -- its pretty cool, man. you know, you get to see the ...

Inmate would light those two fuses. basically what you have is a double-barreled shotgun. >> whats particularly scary is once an inmate finishes making his weapon, he finds a clever place to hide it for quick access. >> its an old joint. you can hide stuff anywhere, like the i-beams up here. im going to check these. its just a beam. you walk under it every day. somebody is walking to the chow hall. a lot of guys know where it is. but they wont tell because they dont want to get killed, get hurt ...

You can hide stuff anywhere, like the i-beams up here. im going to check these. its just a beam. you walk under it every day. somebody is walking to the chow hall. a lot of guys know where it is. but they wont tell because they dont want to get killed, get hurt for ratting. i guess you cant reach up there, can you? ill get them. >> you had to point that out, didnt you, partner? >> i cant help it. i call them like i see them. >> by 10:00 a.m., search teams had confiscated several homemade weapons...

Because he has the right to refuse medication. >> this is -- this is a crime against civilization. those bars on that window. coming up, what is considered the most dangerous place at san quentin, the exercise yard.

And so you cant let your guard down. >> warden diana butler knows the importance of communicating with inmates. shes only 1 of 11 female wardens in california, and with 20 years of service, she knows what to look for. >> one thing you develop when you work here is how to read the inmates. if you go on to an exercise yard, a lot of times they will have magazines inside of their jackets, and, of course, that is to stop any potential violence such as stab wounds or something. and if they appear ner...

Refuse medication. >> this is -- this is a crime against civilization. those bars on that window. coming up, what is considered the most dangerous place at san quentin, the exercise yard. when you travel, we help you make all kinds of connections. connections you almost miss. and ones you never thought youd make. we help connect where you are. to places you never thought youd go. this, is why we travel. and why we continue to create new technology to connect you to the people and places that m...

>> theyll use toothpaste. theyll use any type of ceramic putty or cement, anything thats in the institution to conceal things or sometimes even hidden compartments. >> when inmates are released to the exercise yard, they never know if officer berrago was looking in their cell. when they return, there will be no doubt he was there. nothing is overlooked. >> tubes of toothpaste. try to see the integrity has not been broken. a lot of times theyll stick stuff down in and retrieve it later. you got t...

And, more importantly, a serious loss of protection. on the exercise yard, there are no bars keeping rival gangs apart, only a desire to carve out their own place in the sun. >> this is the lower yard. and the inmates segregate themselves out here. and the reason being that the gangs want it that way. john gladson is a veteran officer at san quentin, with 19 years of experience observing yard politics. this has helped him to fine tune his senses for predicting trouble. >> sound is a big thing in...

Im angry because i aint with my family. im angry because of the way they treat you, the things they do to you. it aint never a happy day in prison. >> at the time of our visit wilson had just completed an anger management program, that deputy warden tony patterson arranged for him to take in his cell. >> he needs to grow up. immaturity. you know. but hes working on it. >> i got kids, man. everybody going to change one day. >> for wilson, change is essential. most of his sentence for assaulting t...