California

Prison sentences were reduced for at least 602 people as a result of two new laws; saving taxpayers between $94 million and $1.2 billion in prison costs

COs suffer from depression, PTSD and suicide at a higher rate than the average population; part of the revamp plan is to improve the prison staff's experience

The fight began when seven youths assaulted staff and broke an exterior door attached to their living area

To address staffing concerns, the county gave deputy probation officers a 12% raise and authorized bonuses to incentivize working in the juvenile hall

Correctional Deputy Arturo Romero was a 24-year member of the Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Office

The ex-CO was convicted of perjury before the grand jury, but jurors couldn't decide on other counts accusing her of trying to get other COs to cover up the attack

One CO wrote in his plea agreement that he called an inmate he supervised into his office and told her he could make her time in prison easier or more difficult

The inmate waited for the CO to have her back turned to him when he ran directly at her and grabbed her throat

The inmate was captured after a resident saw an orange jumpsuit on the ground in his backyard; that's when he saw the suspect crouching in the creek

Van Houten was found suitable for parole after a July 2020 hearing, but her release was blocked by Gov. Newsom, who maintained she was still a threat to society

California’s final remaining youth prisons shuttered on June 30, marking an end to a 132-year-old statewide correctional system

A portion of the prison will be turned into a rehabilitation center in the style of Scandinavian correctional facilities

The former CO is being held without bond with charges alleging 39 individual sexual assaults and other counts that could net him up to 300 years in prison

The department plans to establish an 8-sergeant committee to review use-of-force incidents, taking the matter out of the hands of direct supervisors

Supervisors acknowledged they were failing those in county custody, but stressed they were doing the best they could to improve conditions with limited fund