California Ordered to Stop “Race-Based” Punishment

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By BitcoDavid

According to the Associated Press, and the Sacramento Bee, the California Court of Appeals has ordered the infamous Pelican Bay, to cease all race-based punishments with the exception of a riot or other emergency.  The order came down on January 23rd.

English: Pelican Bay State Prison

Pelican Bay State Prison (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Three Judges ruled unanimously, that the prison had to explore methods of controlling violence and substance abuse, other than long term segregation of ethnic groups. The ruling comes out of a 2010 lawsuit in which the plaintiff claimed that Pelican Bay had refused privileges to all Hispanic inmates, for 3 years, after a riot between the Northern and Southern Mexican gangs.

The California Department of Corrections counters that the 2 groups are at war, and need to be segregated from one another. Further, they claim that the only method of segregation is based on “validating” inmates as gang members, and that that has nothing to do with simple ethnicity.

English: White Hispanic and Latino Americans

White Hispanic and Latino Americans (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Validation is a loose and arbitrary process that involves interpreting tattoos, accusations by other inmates, and encouraging false confessions. The wrong answer to a simple question can result in solitary confinement in the prison’s renowned and horrific “SHU.”

Read more here: http://www.sacbee.com/2013/01/23/5136278/court-tells-prison-to-stop-race.html#storylink=cpy

BitcoDavid is a blogger and a blog site consultant. In former lives, he was an audio engineer, a videographer, a teacher – even a cab driver. He is an avid health and fitness enthusiast and a Pro/Am boxer. He has spent years working with diet and exercise to combat obesity and obesity related illness.

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