1 CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONS AND REHABILITATION AN OVERVIEW OF SECURITY HOUSING UNITS MATTHEW CATE, SECRETARY

2 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

3 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

4 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

5 SECURITY HOUSING UNITS Of the 3,793 inmates in SHU; 2,239 are gang members or associates PRISON GANGS - SHU BEDS CCICORSACPBSPVSPWTOTAL AB BGF EME ,450 NF NLR NS TS0 TOTALS ,057 2,239

6 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

7 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

8 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

9 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

10 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

11 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