TIMELINE: Crime Date(s): April 3, 1997 Sentencing Date: 1999 Current Status: Convicted perpetrators serving life sentences FACILITY: Name: United States Penitentiary, Lompoc State: California Security Level: Medium In the quiet coastal town of Lompoc, California, the United States Penitentiary stands as a stark reminder of the complexities and dangers inherent in the nation’s correctional system. […]
TIMELINE: Crime Date(s): September 9-13, 1971 Sentencing Date: Various dates post-investigation Current Status: Case closed, ongoing discussions on prison reform FACILITY: Name: Attica Correctional Facility State: New York Security Level: Maximum On a humid September morning in 1971, the Attica Correctional Facility in upstate New York became the epicenter of one of the most significant […]
TIMELINE: Crime Date(s): 2019-2021 Sentencing Date: Ongoing Current Status: Multiple indictments, ongoing investigations FACILITY: Name: Federal Correctional Institution, Dublin State: California Security Level: Low-security with an adjacent minimum-security satellite camp Nestled in the rolling hills of Alameda County, California, the Federal Correctional Institution, Dublin (FCI Dublin) has long been known as a low-security prison for […]
TIMELINE: Crime Date(s): June 20, 2008 Sentencing Date: 2013 Current Status: Convicted FACILITY: Name: United States Penitentiary, Atwater State: California Security Level: High In the shadowy corridors of the United States Penitentiary in Atwater, California, a tragedy unfolded that would send ripples through the correctional system and leave an indelible mark on the hearts of […]
TIMELINE: Crime Date(s): 1980s – Present Sentencing Date: Various, ongoing Current Status: Ongoing investigations and prosecutions FACILITY: Name: Pelican Bay State Prison State: California Security Level: Maximum Pelican Bay State Prison, perched in the remote reaches of Northern California, has long been a fortress designed for the state’s most dangerous inmates. Among its notorious residents, […]
By Daniel Genis I was a good cook before I went to prison. I’d cooked all my life, seducing girls with my culinary skills and impressing college ramen eaters by flipping and dicing without ever looking. I was also well-traveled and proud of having sampled an array of unmentionable organs and hideous fish. On better […]
By Mike Enemigo Stanley “Tookie” Williams cofounded the notorious Crips street gang in 1971, at the age of 17, with fellow teenager Raymond Washington. By 1981, Tookie was on California’s death row at San Quentin State Prison after being convicted or two robberies and four murders. While doing a seven-year stint in the “hole” after […]
By Mike Enemigo A prisoner serving a life term as California State Prison and Substance Abuse Treatment Facility in Corcoran published his confession to the brutal murder in January 2020 of two convicted child molesters with whom he was housed. Jonathan Watson, 41, sent a letter in February 2020 to the San Jose Mercury News, […]
By Mike Enemigo Prison food is notoriously terrible, and it’s not like you can go out to a drive-thru when you get hungry between meal-times. But prison inmates are famous for their amazing creativity – and when they’re not making shivs and other improvised weapons, they’re creating some truly bizarre food items. Here are 10 […]
By Mike Enemigo On May 21, 2019, a 143-page federal indictment was filed that described criminal violations allegedly committed by Ronald Yandell, Daniel Troxell, William Sylvester, Travis Burhop, Brant Daniel, Donald Mazza, Pat Brady, Jason Corbett, Matthew Hall, Samuel Keeton, Michael Torres, Jeanna Quesenberry, Kevin McNamara, Kristen Demar, Justin Petty and Kathleen Nolan. The indictment […]