OTAY MESA - Officials at Richard J. Donovan Correctional Facility (RJD) and the San Diego County Sheriff's Department's Homicide Unit are investigating the May 7 death of inmate John R. Thurs as a homicide. In a scathing email to allCalifornia Department of Corrections and Rehabilitationstaff, Francisco Armenta, a 25-year veteran of the department, urged his colleagues to speak out to restore high morale at the Otay Mesa prison. California State Prison Sacramento Cycle 6 Medical Inspection Report. Authority's optical laboratory program at the Richard J. Donovan Correctional Facility. This article originally appeared on IVN San Diego, a new online publication of the Foundation for Independent Voter Education, a nonprofit, non-partisan organization dedicated to restoring open dialogue in our democracy. It also would force prisons to increase video surveillance, staffing levels and training and make changes to staff investigation and discipline policies while working under oversight from the court. North County Times file photograph. You can share relevant news on your website, How could you let this happen? The corrections department refused to provide inewsource with his internal personnel record. His older brother, President John F. Kennedy, was assassinated in Dallas in 1963. Incarcerated students at Donovan Correctional Facility to Receive Federal Aid to Cover Textbook Costs Please review the rules and regulations for State - low facility. SAN DIEGO COUNTY, Calif. Two correctional officers and five other staff members were injured in an attack Sunday at Donovan State Prison in the Otay Mesa area, authorities said Monday. News: Based on facts, either observed and verified directly by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. The decision comes after an ultimatum from San Diego councilmember and revelations about the firms federal COVID-19 relief loan. Additionally, cell phones inside a prison allow inmates to coordinate other illegal acts, like smuggling drugs, fraud, and even violence. Simas declined to comment on Pollards work performance, which is standard practice within the agency. We use cookies for analytics, personalized content and ads. And so easy to use. California prison officials have appealed the reform plan to the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals, where it remains active. that affects your company, organization or interest. On Dec. 15, 2018, Carlsbad police responded to a call from a woman who said her boyfriend, a correctional officer, punched her in the face and severed her thumb by slamming a truck door on her hand, according to the report and court documents. Mr. Armenta did not respond to requests for comment for this story. However, inewsource confirmed through court records and through the Inspector Generals public information officer, Shaun Spillane, that the report concerns Donovan and former-warden Pollard. The prisons personnel department did not identify it as staff misconduct. Stay informed daily on the latest news and advice on COVID-19 from the editors at U.S. News & World Report. CDCR takes allegations of staff misconduct seriously and we conduct inquiries into each one. Over 500 grams of methamphetamine, heroin, cell phones, and other contraband were smuggled into Donovan through Navarro at Gomezs direction while he was incarcerated elsewhere. About 20 inmates were in a recreational yard at Richard J. Donovan Correctional Facility when an unknown number of them began to attack the officers shortly before 4 p.m. Sunday, said California . Medical personnel brought the woman to a hospital where she received six stitches for a laceration on her lip. SAN DIEGO A California panel on Wednesday denied parole for Robert F. Kennedy assassin Sirhan Sirhan, saying the 78-year-old prisoner still lacks insight into what caused him to shoot the senator. An official website of the United States government. Armenta described the behavior of the leadership team as a disgusting display of hatred, jealousy, arrogance and narcissistic behavior. Although not named in the email, Armenta seems to single out Marcus Pollard, who has served as warden of Donovan state prison for one year after previously serving at Calipatria State Prison. RJDCF HSP Internship Program Mission Statement 13 . He was charged in San Diego County with two felonies: mayhem and corporal injury to a spouse or roommate, court records show. It is a 780-acre facility. The Richard J. Donovan Correctional Facility is commonly referred to as Donovan State Prison for short. Thurs, 56, was attacked by three inmates at approximately 7:15 p.m. Friday on a recreation yard and stabbed. We believe this will help promote overall safety, enhance security and staff accountability, assist with conducting use-of-force reviews, improve the detection of criminal activity, and reduce incidents and allegations of excessive or unnecessary force.. The argument is really about whether the state could be trusted to alleviate the concerns of the class members without the remedial plan, said Robert Weisberg, the faculty co-director of Stanfords Criminal Justice Center. At that meeting the department requested additional state funding to comply with the remedial plan reforms. As a result of the review. Wilkens order only required body-worn cameras for corrections officers who interact with disabled incarcerated residents. "After carefully reviewing the case, including records in the California State Archives, I have determined that Sirhan has not developed the accountability and insight required to support his safe release into the community," Newsom wrote. Court records have pointed to a culture of retaliation among corrections staff. for prisons news. Defendants take seriously the allegations of excessive force and retaliation by class members, and are continuing to take substantial measures to address and prevent abuse. A Donovan inmate interviewed by inewsource said he saw the form being used in his housing area last month, around the time the prison went back on lockdown due to a new outbreak of COVID-19. Employees spoke about Armentas long career at Donovan where he served in several roles, including sergeant, lieutenant and public information officer. Clinical Assignments and Specialty Rotations 7 . For example, the report said the prison took an average 203 days or nearly seven months to assign an investigator to a staff misconduct complaint. Build the strongest argument relying on authoritative content, attorney-editor expertise, and industry defining technology. we have concluded that the new procedures instituted by the Prison Industry Authority for the optical program at the R.J. Donovan facility will [3] [4] It is a part of the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. Mailing Address . Todays sentence hopefully sends a message to any government employee considering using their position of authority to further their own interests and enrich themselves the FBI will continue to work diligently to root out public corruption at all levels.. Extra training including discussion of reporting requirements, de-escalation techniques, whistleblower protections, non-retaliation expectations, and treatment of incarcerated people with disabilities has been provided for all custody, mental health, and medical staff who interact with incarcerated people with disabilities.. 1966-1971: Justice, San Diego County Municipal Court. Madden took over at the beginning of October when Pollard took his annual leave one month ahead of his retirement. The new acting warden, Raymond Madden will lead Donovan while the prison continues to carry out Armstrong reforms, including anti-retaliation mechanisms, changes to staff misconduct investigation and discipline and increased training and staffing. Privacy PolicyTerms of ServiceSign Up For Our NewslettersSite Map, Copyright 2023, The San Diego Union-Tribune |. The departments attorney, who had originally supported the previous wardens decision to dismiss the officer, also agreed with the Skelly officers recommendation, saying she no longer believed the department could prove its case against the officer, according to the report. She said the prison has implemented the states emergency regulations, which has transformed the staff misconduct process. In most cases reviewed by the office, staff members were not disciplined because the investigations were not completed within a year of receiving a complaint the deadline to discipline staff, investigators found. (Angela Carone/KPBS) R.J. Donovan state prison has the second highest population of residents with disabilities in California. Biden has threatened to veto the bill, which would repeal an investment policy that took effect earlier this year that Republicans call woke capitalism., FILE PHOTO: Sirhan Sirhan is shown in this handout photo taken February 9, 2016, and provided by the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.REUTERS/California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation/Handout via Reuters. Public health experts who spoke to inewsource in April said prison staff should frequently monitor and test higher risk residents and criticized the prison, saying the men should not have been found unresponsive in their cells. Please register for a regular account. According to the Inspector General report, The Skelly officer heard a presentation by the officers attorney and, based on the presentation, concluded that there were inconsistencies in the girlfriends statements and that the officer presented himself humbly, very confident in his demeanor, and body language was agreeing [sic] with the statements of his legal representation.. California assemblymember Phil Ting, whose district covers the west side of San Francisco, has been a vocal critic in public safety budget meetings over the years when the corrections department promised to make reforms after scathing reports from the inspector generals office. A court-appointed independent expert tasked with overseeing the reforms said that the body-worn cameras at R.J. Donovan have already helped disabled incarcerated people and some corrections staff feel safer inside the facility. If the states appeal is successful, Weisberg said debate in the courts over improving conditions for the disabled incarcerated population will likely continue, but through litigation of smaller issues at a time. At least 15 inmates at Richard J. Donovan Correctional Facility in Otay Mesa died from COVID-19 in the past month, giving it one of the highest death rates among prisons across the state.. Thats a good question.. (a) Basic requirement. In the notice of resignation, Connie Gibson, director of California Department Corrections and Rehabilitations Division of Adult Institutions, heaped praise on Pollard. Please reload the page and try again. CDCRs Operations Manualrequires random clothed body searches of inmates, or when reasonable suspicion is established to control contraband or missing or stolen property. The Donovan State Prison is situated in the southern unincorporated section of San Diego County, right near San Diego. For SCO Use Only . 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