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CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONS AND REHABILITATION. AN OVERVIEW OF SECURITY HOUSING UNITS MATTHEW CATE, SECRETARY. SECURITY HOUSING UNITS.
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CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONS AND REHABILITATION AN OVERVIEW OF SECURITY HOUSING UNITS MATTHEW CATE, SECRETARY
SECURITY HOUSING UNITS • Security Housing Units (SHU) and Psychiatric Services Units (PSU) are special housing units designated for extending term programming of inmates not suited for general population. • PSU provides secure housing and care for inmates with diagnosed psychiatric disorders not requiring inpatient hospital care with a SHU term • SHU houses inmates whose conduct endangers the safety of others or the security of the institution
SECURITY HOUSING UNITS • Length of SHU Confinement: • Determinate SHU segregation • A determinate period of confinement in SHU is established for an inmate found guilty of a serious offense • Ranges from as low as 2 months for assaulting another inmate to 60 months for a murder of a non-inmate • Indeterminate SHU segregation • A validated prison gang member or associate is deemed to be a severe threat to the safety of others or the security of the institution
SECURITY HOUSING UNITS • There are 3,738 male offenders housed in SHU • 1,227 at California Correctional Institution in Tehachapi • 1,318 at California State Prison, Corcoran • 1,101 at Pelican Bay State Prison in Crescent City • 92 at California State Prison, Sacramento County • There are 55 female offenders housed in SHU at Valley State Prison for Women • 2.5% of the inmate population is housed in SHU
SECURITY HOUSING UNITS • Of the 3,793 inmates in SHU; 2,239 are gang members or associates
GANG MEMBERS IN SHU • Current policy is any validated gang member or associate will be housed in SHU • In the SHU there are 2,239 gang members and associates • 459 members • 1,780 associates • 59% of the offenders in SHU are there because of their gang affiliation
HUNGER STRIKES • There has been two hunger strikes in the last six months where inmates in SHU are protesting the conditions of confinement • First hunger strike began on July 1, 2011 • Lasting three weeks • Second hunger strike began September 26 • Lasting less than three weeks
NEW POLICY • Transition from gang members and associates to Security Threat Groups (STG) • Validation requires (3) source items totaling (10) points • A weighted system where each source has a different point value
NEW POLICY • Only STG members will be housed in SHU • Members will go through a (4) phase step down program completed within (48) months • STG associates will not be housed in SHU unless they have committed a serious violation with a clear nexus to gang behavior
RELEASING ASSOCIATES FROM SHU • Of the 1,780 associates housed in SHU • 509 have not received a serious rule violation in the last 5 years • Potentially eligible for review for SHU release • 459 have only received (1) serious rule violation in the last 5 years • But 169 did not rise to the level of a reportable incident • CDCR will review the 1,294 associates that have received a serious violation but if the violation does not have a clear nexus to gang behavior they will be reviewed for potential release from SHU
REPURPOSING OF SECURITY HOUSING UNITS • Releasing the gang associates from SHU will free up SHU capacity to ensure inmates committing serious violations can now be housed in SHU rather than in ASU • Inmates housed in SHU will become behavior based with an ability to transition from the SHU with positive behavior