Schwarzenegger tours riot damage at Chino prison, calls overcrowding "real danger"
By Neil Nisperos
Staff Writer
CHINO -- Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, surrounded by armed officers and corrections leaders, walked resolutely through the carnage at the California Institution for Men on Wednesday, viewing the damage left by rampaging rioters.
"It looks like a scene from one of my movies," he said, "except this is the real danger here and the real destruction."
While Schwarzenegger toured the prison, he also promoted his controversial plan to solve prison overcrowding, which officials cited as a factor in the prison riot on Aug. 15-16.
The melee destroyed several housing units, left nearly 200 injured and displaced almost 1,300 inmates.
His entourage included Matthew Cate, the state corrections secretary, and Assemblywoman Norma Torres, who represents Chino in Sacramento.
During the tour, the governor noted the prison holds about 6,000 inmates in facilities designed for 3,000.
"The riot here in Chino was a single incident. However, it is the symptom of a much larger problem and a much larger illness," Schwarzenegger said.
"The reality is that California's entire prison system is in a state of crisis. It's collapsing under
its own weight. Spending in prisons has nearly doubled in the last four years. Spending in our state is nearly $49,000 per inmate per year. The national average is 32,000, and it's hard to argue the money is spent wisely.
Schwarzenegger also said California has one of the highest inmate return rates in the country which endangers both staff and inmates alike.
"The politicians swept the problems under the rug for so long," he said. "We are literally losing control of our prisons."
While at CIM, Schwarzenegger shook the hands of correctional officers who were the "first responders" to the violence.
Later inside one trashed dorm, Schwarzenegger and CIM warden Aref Fakhoury walked between two rows of double-bunk inmate beds, with mattresses overturned and broken glass littering the floor.
More than 700 inmates from the reception center are being temporarily housed at the adjacent Heman G. Stark Youth Correctional Facility. The rest have been transferred to state prisons in Norco, Soledad, and Imperial. There were still three inmates being treated for serious injuries in local hospitals on Wednesday.
Meanwhile in Sacramento, the Senate today is expected to vote on prison reform proposals to deal with overcrowding in California facilities.
Schwarzenegger's proposals include increasing home confinement with electronic monitoring, reducing some crimes to misdemeanors, deporting undocumented inmates, scaling down sentences for inmates who complete rehabilitation programs and decreasing the number of parolees sent back to prison for parole violations.
Democrats in general support Schwarzenegger, while Republicans have reservations, some calling the plan an "early release" program.
The Assembly would vote on the reforms early next week if the proposals pass the Senate, said Assemblyman Curt Hagman, R-Chino Hills, who said he would not support any early release plan.
Hagman said better alternatives to solving high recidivism rates include more public-private partnerships between businesses and prisons that would provide inmates with jobs and experience.
neil.nisperos@inlandnewspapers.com
(909) 483-9356
Photos by Thomas Cordova, Staff Photographer of the Inland Valley Daily Bulletin. First photo: Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger stands in front of the damaged Joshua Hall at the California Institution for Men on Wednesday. Second: Schwarzenegger tours a damaged dormitory with warden Aref Fakhoury at CIM. Third: Schwarzenegger walks with Matthew Cate, state corrections secretary, during his tour of CIM on Wednesday.
Governor Schwarzenegger toured the California Institution for Men in Chino. Video and photos by Neil Nisperos. Edited by Jessica K. Chou
The Governator should stick around town and attend the CVUSD Board Meeting tonight. I doubt he would be able to survive that bore-fest but hopefully the school board member get something productive done tonight.
Good luck job-shares!!