Tilton's Corcoran

James Tilton, California’s Prison Chief, has announced his intent to order involuntary out-of-state transfers for inmates within the California prison system. This will occur through forcible means if necessary.

Apparently Mr. Tilton has a very short memory which does not seem to extend back to the days when another inane policy was implemented by departmental officials in Sacramento. In a policy widely attributed to David Tristan, former Deputy Director of Institution’s Division, known as the “Integrated Yard Policy”, Correctional Officers were under orders to release rival gang members onto the same yard at the same time for their daily exercise. It is widely believed that the purpose of this policy was to force the rival gang members to “get along”. The violence was predictable and wasted no time in arriving.

Because of this violence, together with the shooting policies of the Department of Corrections at that time, seven inmates were shot and killed. All of this because Correctional Officers were forced to follow bad policy under penalty of being fired if they did not.

Then came the self-serving Federal Criminal Justice System who saw the opportunity for their fifteen minutes of fame if they prosecuted the Correctional Officers who were following the orders of the Correctional Administrators instead of going after the Administrators responsible for this bizarre policy. Eventually these Correctional Officers, known as “The Corcoran Eight”, were acquitted, and so the legend of Corcoran was born.

Now we fast-forward thirteen years and what changes do we find? There are different faces, but the substandard quality of departmental policy has not changed at all. It remains to be seen whether or not the Federal Criminal Justice System has improved or whether it is still populated with glory seekers who wish nothing more than to have their name in the paper every day at the expense of those who are merely following the policy of Tilton.

This will happen when inmates and their families, angry over the forced out-of-state transfers, attempt to hold uniformed Correctional Staff accountable when the eventual use of force is required to effect compliance with the transfer. Transfers mandated by Tilton who is warm, safe and protected in his palatial office in Sacramento.

It will be interesting to see if the Federal System has the courage to hold Tilton accountable or will they settle for the easy kill of smaller fish.

Lorraine Bradley