MIM Notes 192 August 15 1999
Prison guards lobby to squelch brutality investigation

by a RAIL Comrade 

After exposure of Corcoran State Prison's murderous conditions to 
the public last year, a bill was proposed in California making the 
state Attorney General responsible for investigating prison 
brutality cases. The bill would take this power away from local 
officials. 

While MIM does not see such a change of hands as a real change, 
the California Correctional Peace Officers Association (CCPOA) 
evidently saw Atty. Gen. Bill Lockyer as a threat. The bill lost 
6-2 in the Assembly's Public Safety Committee, and Government 
officials have made it clear that the bill would have passed 
without the heavy influence of the CCPOA. (1) The L.A. Times 
claims that the "union has emerged as one of the most potent 
political forces in California by contributing millions of dollars 
to local and state politicians."(1) 

The union has instituted a code of silence throughout the years. 
This makes investigation extremely difficult. The guards' union 
denied Fresno County detectives access to question guards for 
three weeks following a shooting death in Pleasant Valley State 
Prison. (1) 

Politicians have continued to point fingers at each other, while 
pretending to take action. No California guards have been 
prosecuted for any of the shooting deaths or injuries in the past 
decade. MIM expects nothing more of politicians than their current 
washing of hands. MIM also does not expect armed agents of 
Amerika's oppressive system to be prosecuted for crimes against 
the people generally. Only when it is to the advantage of 
imperialists will they prosecute token 'bad cops.' It is primarily 
the masses who are prosecuted -- regardless of innocence. 

Last month, the California Department of Corrections(CDC) reached 
a settlement with former C.O. Richard Caruso, who had filed 
complaints of misconduct against the CDC. The CDC agreed to pay 
Caruso and his lawyers an undisclosed amount so that they would 
drop the accusations against the CDC and many employees named by 
Caruso. In the CDC news release, Director Terhune stated, "We will 
take all reasonable measures to ensure that there will be no 
retaliation for reporting illegal activities or violations of law 
or public policy." (2) Prisoners have endlessly detailed the 
retaliation they face for speaking out. It's possible that a 
bought off C.O. may not be retaliated against, but prison 
retaliation typically hits prisoners hardest. 

Prisons are an important tool in maintaining the U$ government's 
control over the internal colonies.(3) Capitalists also reap great 
profits by taking government contracts to build and manage 
prisons. And of course the bourgeoisie shares the wealth with the 
labor aristocracy. The labor aristocracy has fought hard for jobs 
as so-called corrections officers. California brags of having the 
largest criminal justice agency and having some of the highest 
paid corrections officers in the United $tates (making $2,355- 
3,835/month).(2) 

The incidents that occur in U$ prisons daily are state-sponsored 
murder and abuse. The prison guards who abuse inmates are not 
"rogues" as described in the bourgeois press. Prison guards are an 
integral part of a system that is based on oppression. The 
corruption nurtured by capitalism gives the CCPOA power to pay off 
individuals who get in their way of carrying out business as usual 
in the U$ prisons. 

Notes:

1. LA Times, 19 July 1999.  2. CDC website 
http://www.cdc.state.ca.us/  3. MIM Theory 11: Amerikkan Prisons 
on Trial.