Calipatria State Prison
Encyclopedia
Calipatria State Prison (CAL) is a male-only state prison located in the city of Calipatria
, in Imperial County, California
.
, it lies 184 feet (56.1 m) below sea level
. As of Fiscal Year 2005/2006, CAL had a total of 1,143 staff and an annual operating budget of $123 million.
The facility covers a total of 1227.5 acres (496.8 ha) (with the prison on 300 acres (121.4 ha)). As of September 2007, it had a design capacity of 2,308 but a total institution population of 4,180, for an occupancy rate of 181.1 percent. Over 2,000 of its housing units are maximum-security Level IV ("Cells, fenced or walled perimeters, electronic security, more staff and armed officers both inside and outside the installation"); the remainder are minimum-security Level I ("Open dormitories without a secure perimeter").
As of 1995, CAL's problems included "double-celling" (placing two inmates in bunk bed
s in a cell designed for one), psychological stress, a drastic shortage of work for prisoners, chronic understaffing among prison employees, and gang violence. A May 1995 incident in which five inmates stabbed and assaulted eight officers"was described in 1997 as the worst inmate attack on staff in California state prisons in recent years.
The weather in the area is desert-like, cold in winter and very hot in summer-- up to 118 degrees Fahrenheit. The smell of cow manure pervades the prison and the entire area due to large cattle feed lots neaby.
Angelo Buono, Jr.
(also known as the Hillside Strangler
) died at CAL in September 2002 of a "massive heart attack."
An August 2005 riot at CAL was the most violent uprising at the prison. The event left 25 inmates and 25 prison staff members wounded. A guard shot and killed an inmate with a Mini-14 semiautomatic rifle
, which was believed to have contributed to ending the violence. A spokesman for the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation
stated that the disturbance involved Hispanic gang members."
Calipatria, California
Calipatria is a city in Imperial County, California. Calipatria is located north of El Centro, It is part of the El Centro Metropolitan Area. The population was 7,705 at the 2010 census, up from 7,289 at the 2000 census, including 4000 inmates at Calipatria State Prison...
, in Imperial County, California
Imperial County, California
Imperial County is a county located in the Imperial Valley, in the far southeast of the U.S. state of California, bordering both Arizona and Mexico. It is part of the El Centro Metropolitan Area, which encompasses all of Imperial County. The population as of 2000 was 142,361. The county seat is the...
.
Facilities
Although located about 3 miles (4.8 km) from the center of Calipatria, the prison is within the city limits. Called the lowest prison in the Western HemisphereWestern Hemisphere
The Western Hemisphere or western hemisphere is mainly used as a geographical term for the half of the Earth that lies west of the Prime Meridian and east of the Antimeridian , the other half being called the Eastern Hemisphere.In this sense, the western hemisphere consists of the western portions...
, it lies 184 feet (56.1 m) below sea level
Sea level
Mean sea level is a measure of the average height of the ocean's surface ; used as a standard in reckoning land elevation...
. As of Fiscal Year 2005/2006, CAL had a total of 1,143 staff and an annual operating budget of $123 million.
The facility covers a total of 1227.5 acres (496.8 ha) (with the prison on 300 acres (121.4 ha)). As of September 2007, it had a design capacity of 2,308 but a total institution population of 4,180, for an occupancy rate of 181.1 percent. Over 2,000 of its housing units are maximum-security Level IV ("Cells, fenced or walled perimeters, electronic security, more staff and armed officers both inside and outside the installation"); the remainder are minimum-security Level I ("Open dormitories without a secure perimeter").
History
CAL opened in January 1992, approximately 22 months before California State Prison, Centinela (the other state prison in Imperial County). A $1.5 million electrified fence, which could cause instantaneous death for escaping inmates and which was the first of its kind among California state prisons, was installed in November 1993. After a number of birds had died by electrocution, an ornithologist was hired to help redesign the fence and eliminate the problem.As of 1995, CAL's problems included "double-celling" (placing two inmates in bunk bed
Bunk bed
A bunk bed is a type of bed in which one bed frame is stacked on top of another. The nature of bunk beds allows two people to sleep in the same room while maximizing available floor space...
s in a cell designed for one), psychological stress, a drastic shortage of work for prisoners, chronic understaffing among prison employees, and gang violence. A May 1995 incident in which five inmates stabbed and assaulted eight officers"was described in 1997 as the worst inmate attack on staff in California state prisons in recent years.
The weather in the area is desert-like, cold in winter and very hot in summer-- up to 118 degrees Fahrenheit. The smell of cow manure pervades the prison and the entire area due to large cattle feed lots neaby.
Angelo Buono, Jr.
Angelo Buono, Jr.
Angelo Buono, Jr. was an American serial killer. Buono and his cousin Kenneth Bianchi together are known as the Hillside Stranglers.-Early life:...
(also known as the Hillside Strangler
Hillside Strangler
The Hillside Strangler is the media epithet for two men, cousins Kenneth Bianchi and Angelo Buono, who were convicted of kidnapping, raping, torturing, and killing girls and women ranging in age from 12 to 28 years old during a four-month period from late 1977 to early 1978...
) died at CAL in September 2002 of a "massive heart attack."
An August 2005 riot at CAL was the most violent uprising at the prison. The event left 25 inmates and 25 prison staff members wounded. A guard shot and killed an inmate with a Mini-14 semiautomatic rifle
Semi-automatic rifle
A semi-automatic rifle is a type of rifle that fires a single bullet each time the trigger is pulled, automatically ejects the spent cartridge, chambers a fresh cartridge from its magazine, and is immediately ready to fire another shot...
, which was believed to have contributed to ending the violence. A spokesman for the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation
California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation
The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation is responsible for the operation of the California state prison and parole systems. CDC&R is the second largest law enforcement or police agency in the United States behind the New York City Police Department which employs approximately...
stated that the disturbance involved Hispanic gang members."