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Frank D. Russo

The California Progress Report is published by Frank D. Russo, a longtime observer of and participant in California politics.

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California Prison Medical Court Receiver Robert Sillen Bares All Before Sacramento Press Club

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By Frank D. Russo

Robert Sillen, appointed Receiver of the California prison medical care system by Federal Court Judge Thelton Henderson, spoke to the Sacramento Press Club yesterday. Here is what he said without notes, looking at the audience in the eye.

He is a man on a mission, wanting to tell all what he is doing and why. He faults the political system for not being able to take care of this problem, but lays the blame at the governors and legislatures of the last 30 years. He says unnecessary deaths have occurred. He describes his role and how he perceives it, predicts that some state officials will eventually be held in contempt because of the number of court orders that have not been obyed, and indicates AB 900 has made his job more difficult, not easier. The bracketed items are my editor's notes.


"I am one of those kinds of people who think that everybody ought to know what's going in the prison system, whether they want to or not.

Historically, too many people in California have not wanted to know what's going on in the prison system and that's from every governor for the last 30 years right on down through the legislators and the general public, the unions that are involved, etc., etc.

It seems to me that if the unethical, immoral, illegal activities involving health care--just health care, especially medical care, mental health care--were known to the general public, they wouldn't have put up with it for this long.

Because let me make it clear right from the start, it is a horrid, horrid health care system. Unnecessary deaths, unnecessary abuse, clearly unnecessary, in my opinion, overcrowding. The living conditions, the medical conditions are just horrid and are not deserving of the state of California in any year, in any century, let alone the 21st century.

It's just totally out of control. CDCR [The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation] is an organization in chaos and the state over the years ha shown itself to be incapable of turning this situation around.

So, back in the year 2000, the Prison Law Office filed a class action lawsuit, Plata v. Davis, and sued, alleging constitutional violations in terms of medical care.

This was not the first lawsuit of that ilk. The Coleman lawsuit, which was filed by the PLO [Prison Law Office] some, I think 15 years ago, has to do with mental health care. Then there's a class action suit involving American with Disabilities Act violations. And it goes on and on.

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And people ask me, how did it get this way? Why is it like this? Well, this is my opinion, it's sort of inherent in the nature of politics. Nobody gets elected to go to Sacramento on a plank in their platform saying, let's take good care of rapists and pedophiles, and murderers. That just aint the way that it works in California politics, or anywhere else, as far as I'm concerned.

Why it's remained this way for so long is a little bit beyond me, because most other states have figured it out. But I think all of the problems, all of the issues to date, have really devolved from the political process in California. Because California is a state, it is a political animal. I don't say that pejoratively. I love politics. And the major decisions that get made are made by politicians, funding decisions, etc., etc.

So, I think that the state, whoever that is, has a lot to answer for itself. So when the suite was filed in 2000 before Judge Henderson, it took a while and then Judge Henderson found that--Yes, this is a violation of the 8th and 14th Amendments to the Constitution of the United states of America involving cruel and unusual punishment. And it's real important that the people understand that this is a violation of the United States Constitution. That elevates it to a level--This is not rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic. This is not tweaking around the edges. This is a wide scale restructuring of the prison medical care system--necessitated by the incredible amount of documentation done by court experts over a couple of years time implicating around 65 needless deaths a year.

And I'm talking needless, I'm not talking about people dying of old age. I'm talking about essentially healthy human beings who are let to die--either because they did not have access to care--or more disturbingly because they got access to care.

When I came into this system, there were dozens, as for an example, physicians off on administrative time off--somehow the state policies think it's a great idea to have bad people put out on administrative time off--paid their full salary, pay their full benefits, and let them sit at home and have a country club life. While their colleagues are doing good work and paying attention to what they are doing and working quite hard have to go into work every day in order to earn that same salary. And one of these physicians was of 4 years!

I ordered them all back to work. And I also told them that they will never get close to a patient again. So I have them in warehouses. I have them sitting behind desks, never to move from the chair they are in, except to go to the bathroom. I have them down in the mail room. They will not kill any more patients.

And, we're not done. Many of the clinicians in the prison system, too many, not most, not a majority--and there's some good people in the prison system--but far too many are only there because they don't have a career or a livelihood. They can't make it outside the walls of the prison.

But somehow the state of California thinks it's OK to have them providing "medical care" in the prison system. And that's a function of politics, political imagery, not willing to spend money, etc., etc.

And so the state just went a little too far, and I'm the first one to say--if and when I'm invited--which isn't all that often (and you might get a flavor of why) that I'm invited to testify before a legislative committee--and they start saying "but you shouldn't be here." I'm the first one to agree--I shouldn't be here.

And I will tell them if you hadn't allowed the prison medical care system to trend into unconstitutional cruel and unusual punishment, I wouldn't be here, but you didn't do your job. It's now my job. Thank you very much, I'll take all the assistance and advice you want to give, and that about it, but we'll do it from here.

All of the authority is in my letter of appointment, my order of appointment from Judge Henderson. All of the power and all of the clout in my appointment is with Judge Henderson, not with me. But I respect him. I am his receiver. I have one boss, Judge Thelton E. Henderson, Northern District Court, California.

And he has a lot of clout. And he wants to make sure that this job gets done and that it gets done right. So he has put into my order of appointment extraordinary power--and I mean extraordinary.

And if I'm smart, I'll use them wisely. And if I'm smarter, I won't have to use many of them at all--such as orders to show cause and ordering people from the Governor on down in contempt of court because they're thwarting my efforts or impeding my program. Because that's what's in my order.

And I haven't done that once, irrespective of the fact that Judge Henderson probably has 40 orders out there, prior to my arrival, that haven't been complied with. So, I could have chosen, you know, "Let's take a punitive route." I think that's short sighted.

I haven't held anyone in contempt. I haven't dragged anybody before Judge Henderson to hold them in contempt. But it will happen, guaranteed. Because there ar too many people in Sacramento who love to stand on a chair with a noose around their neck and play "Let's kick out the legs." You know, it's inherent in the nature of the government of the state, and of this state, to create the surroundings around which the horrid conditions of prison system can exist.

CDCR has a lot to answer on its own, but let's remember--it's only a state agency. Legislators and governors, they're the folks with the clout.

So it is a political process and fortunately, understanding that, the judge understanding that, he said "I'm taking you out of the political process and I'm giving you these authorities and powers,"

So, we've been at it for 14 or 15 months, something like that. And' we've accomplished a lot--but we have not scratched the surface.

OK, we increased the salaries. In this day and age of, you know, "You can't get nurses, you can’t get pharmacists, you can't get this kind of personnel," we increased the salaries. We had to waive state law to do it, because the state wouldn't do it. The state somehow thinks it can get pharmacists, paying 49% of market, and then signing up with registries to pay four times what you have to pay if you paid them a reasonable salary and wage.

I mean, it's just nuts. It's just the most wasteful thing in the world. There's several billion dollars in the CDCR that shouldn't have to be spent, and some of it in medical care.

It's going to cost a little to get out of it. And we're going to spend it. We're going to redesign the system. We increased salaries. I've hired over 300 registered in the last three or four months. I've hired over 700 Licensed Vocational Nurses.

We've transferred out all the MTA's--the medical technical assistants out of the prisons who were this strange hybrid of peace officer and LVN. And I told them, you can only have one choice. You can be a cop, or you can be a technician. You can't be both--that's a conflict. We've transitioned them out, as of June, and then created the classification we're hiring for--LVN's.

We're ordering up vehicles for transportation. Mot people do not understand the incredible linkage between custody and medical care. If there aren't correctional officers, there's no transportation for my patients. So, I buy wardens correctional officers. I don't buy them the bodies because CDCR can't get recruiting done. There's a backlog of 10,000 applicants for CO [correctional offiers] positions. There are 3500 vacancies of CO's.

The prisons are unsafe; they're understaffed. There's not adequate transportation. So, I provide financial resources to at least pay for the overtime, the transportation of medical patients.

It has to be a team effort, ultimately. The whole idea of the receivership is to bring care, quality to I, to bring it up to constitutional levels and then to turn it back to the state.

Before I started, because I was such a wise ass, I said "This can be done in 5 years." Six months later, it was 5 to 7 years. Since the passage of AB 900 [the prison construction bill recently passed by the legislature and signed into law by the Governor] it's 7 to 10 years. The greatest piece of legislation in the Western world--it's not. And it's going to take us longer to do our job and it's going to cost more because of AB 900.

So there are multiple, multiple barriers and problems. But, we have located various problems of personnel. Remember, organizations are people. It's not bricks and mortar. It's people and it's good people.

And we are training, and we are hiring and we are populating CDCR medical with good people who know how to provide health care.

In state service last year you could have been a windshield wiper 2 in the Department of General Services, and this year, you're a health care manager in the prison system--What is that all about?

So, massive, massive changes. Some people in favor, some people not.

I asked Rachel Kagan, who is my communications director, to do this when my ten minutes are up. [Voice urges him to go on]

Well, I really do wish to reserve as much time for questions as I know some of you have them and I love questions. I even love the answers more. [Laughter]

But in any case, you know, we are making progress. But it is slow. And you know, I'd say, it is what a lay person would call painful. I don't consider it to be painful. I mean, this is the nature of the business.

I've been in public life for way, way too long. So I'm used to the politics, I'm used to the media, I'm used to, you know, the civil service. I'm used to this and I'm used to that. Some of that all has to change, of course, but fortunately Judge Henderson through his foresight saw that I' not going to be able to wade through it all, so he elevated me up and said--"go through it."

So that we can--and I know it's become legendary in Sacramento, of course--that you know the old saying "back up the Brink's truck," we can in fact go into the General Fund and take the money without a legislative appropriation.

I hope that will never happen and I'll tell you who else hopes it never happens--and that's the Legislature and the Governor. But we'll see, and that is their business to do and we have our business to do.

So, we'll see. We just hired a new health car manager for the southern region who can't get to her post because the state budget isn't passed, and she can't get travel funds to do her job. OK? So she sits in an office up here, instead of doing what she's supposed to get paid for.

So, I'm going to pay her travel fees. I mean, this is a "no brainer." It's that kind of stuff, OK. So the political system doesn’t really accommodate.

So there are big items on the horizon. Everybody wants to know what's going to happen with the three judge panel and the population cap. Everybody wants to know--Is there going to be a sentencing commission, you know, parole reform?

I don't know the answer to any of that. You know, maybe there's some legislators who can answer the latter two. I know thee are a couple of judges who in the next week or two will answer the former question about a three judge panel.

But the fact of the matter is, in stereotypical fashion, the potential solutions have been on the table for years in California and have been ignored, ignored.

When I went out and did my initial pharmacy audit, because there was sort of like a 90% discrepancy between oxycontin purchased and oxycontin distributed. Not a good drug to have that kind of discrepancy.

There's no inventory control, there's no control over anything. The fact of the matter is that when I did that audit, and brought in some experts to do another audit, they called me back and said, "We can do this for half the price, because there are five audits from state agencies on that very same pharmacy situation in the prison that nobody did a thing about.

And that's why the receivership came about. The state signed stipulated agreements about what they were going to do in 2002 to correct the situation. They didn't do a thing--not a thing. It got so much worse, the Judge finally said--"That's it, you had your chance. I'm going to appoint a receiver; you lost your opportunity." And that's why I'm here."

Whereupon, Robert Sillen answered questions from the audience for the good part of a half hour. We may have more on that later.

Posted on July 11, 2007

Comments

All I can say is WoW, Wow, Wow! He told it like it like it is. We are buried in our own red tape. Thank you Mr. Sillen!!!

Posted by: Morris1 at July 11, 2007 02:27 PM

And a BTG DITTO to the remarks (above) by "Morris 1".
It's looong overdue. Only a vindictive barbarian would challenge Mr. Sillen's mission. Unfortunately, there are some who qualify for that discription.
If your not part of the solution, you may be part of the problem. If you can't lend a hand then please, be sensable enough to get out of the way. Thank you...

Posted by: Larry Phipps at July 11, 2007 05:51 PM

As a former employee of the Department of Corrections I can attest to the horrid management and red tape nightmare. Unfortunately, the quality of the management at California's State Prisons fell drastically as a result in the huge increase in inmate population since when I started in the 1980s. There are many people in management positions who could not make it as a shift supervisor in a fast food joint. The rapid growth created promotional opportunities which put people way beyond the Peter Principle. In addition, inadequate funding has compromised even the best mangers in the system.

Posted by: Bob B at July 11, 2007 09:14 PM

It will be interesting to see if the entire confirmation hearing for James Tilton is shown on television. Tilton states there are 4,000 vacancies all the while pushing for expansion. How stupid can the state get? Pretty stupid.

Posted by: Michael Westmoreland at July 11, 2007 11:17 PM

The chicken-livered politicians surely dance in their offices behind closed doors, in delight that the court has appointed Mr. Sillen to do the dirty work of fixing the state prison medical system. Yes, inmates find themselves in prison for serious crimes, and thereby lose their freedom, opportunity, and liberty for years. But their sentences did not include suffering and dying from sub-standard medical care (or none at all) while in custody. Inmates go to prison to pay their debt to society, and no more. The state has a duty of care to provide adequate medical services to these inmates who cannot do so for themselves. Yet, the state has failed for decades to perform this required duty, even after agreeing to do so. Hence, the federal court took the state prison medical system into receivership, and made Mr. Sillen the boss over it. Shame on the politicians who abdicated their responsibilities as elected officials. The applause goes to Mr. Sillen for his Augean task.

Posted by: anotherview at July 12, 2007 12:19 AM

im not realy sure if in the right place but my husband is in one of the california state prisons and is not getting the proper medical attention he should be getting was diognoised over two years ago and im very thankful for mr sillen i have been trying for months to find a number or a address to contact him to see if he can help so i would really appricaited if i could get a address or something thank you,

Posted by: ANDREA at July 12, 2007 02:30 AM

It is a relief to finally see that someone with intelligence and courage is in charge. Thank you, Mr. Sillen. And thank you too, Mr. Russo, for giving your readers the text of Mr. Sillen's ey-opening speech. Seven to ten years is a long time, but the system has been dysfunctional for a very long time and the obstacles are huge. Let's give Mr. Sillen our support and work toward bringing more intelligent management to the rest of the prison system as well.

Posted by: Barb at July 12, 2007 09:28 AM

ANDREA, HERE IS THE WEB-SITE TO CONTACT SILLEN
www.cprinc.org

Posted by: Donna at July 12, 2007 03:30 PM

It's about time the incarcerated had someone stand up for their basic human rights and we all had someone stand up for the American constitution. Mr. Sillen does it very well and with no nonsense. Sentencing and parole reforms would make us all safer and save us all lots of money--unlike the recently passed prison expansion program that will cost us billions.

Thank you, Mr. Russo, for continuing to bring us information conserning our prison system.

Posted by: Barbara at July 12, 2007 08:25 PM

I have seen very bad healthcare in the prison, and a majority of that has been due to very poor medical management. Yes, Mr.Sillen how does a custody official get to be a healthcare manager? Or better yet, an unqualified Director of Nursing who is under an investigation for covering up patient abuse currently get to function as the DON? The regional Director of Nursing has only defended her!
How can the nurses and caregivers get to do their jobs if they are constantly working in a hostile work environment? Where retaliation and harrassment are an everyday occurance from management.

Posted by: Jane at July 12, 2007 08:43 PM

Posted by: Deb at July 12, 2007 08:50 PM

Mr.Sillen,
The prison is a tough and dangerous environment to work in. As we all know this population has some very complex and desperate healthcare issues to address. It is fair to say that good nurses and doctors are not lined up to come into the system no matter how much you pay them. Then you add the profoundly inadequate and corrupt current medical management. What do you end up with? Just more undignified and premature deaths. It is literally "third world" in some of the places I've seen in the prison. Please Mr. Sillen listen to the line staff when you make your visits and clean house of all the bad management.

Posted by: Prison Nurse at July 12, 2007 09:38 PM

The CDCR lets unqualified Director of health care management positions, and Director of Nursing positions "act" for a time period and then has the audacity to claim they can compete with others who have an education. The institution ends up with a DON with an associates degree and a health care manager who is a guard. Then when inmates die due to their incompetence they blame the nurses. Shame on the " acting" lets throw out all the bad actors and get some real educated and qualified staff its what the inmates and the medical staff deserve. Lets set minimal educational standards for these positions msn and above. These positions are paying huge salaries and CA is getting short changed. Look at RJDCF it is nothing but "cronyism on parade!" Please clean house Mr.Sillen.

Posted by: Morris2 at July 12, 2007 11:40 PM

Mr. Sillen has been doing a terrific job at setting up a system and getting it running, where before there was only chaos and filthy, gross conditions. True, certain employees will no longer have easy access to free drugs of their choice for their personal pleasure, but at least when we pay for drugs needed by prison Rx, we'll know it's being used for proper medication of inmates needing it. I'm hoping some policy changes being made may save us quite a bit in the long run, but if nothing else, at least people being paid to do a job won't be sitting home on their butts enjoying months or years of time-off at full pay anymore!

The conditions at San Quentin alone defy description, and the putrid filth and squallor didn't get that way overnight. So, one must ask, how is it that the conditions Bob Sillen found so obvious upon his inspection were kept secret? Inmates dying who shouldn't have, many more who almost died, and thousands more whose health suffered due to the neglect and poor care they received ~ how is it that none of this was known outside the walls, never making the nightly news? You'd think that something so bad and going on for so long would make it into our news media. Inmates and their families have tried to get help and to tell what was going on inside, but other than inmates, their families and friends, the truth never got out to the public-at-large. Why is that? The medical conditions were SO bad, it's scary to think what else is going on inside those walls of secrecy that we know nothing about - not yet. And, trust me, there is plenty more waste, abuse, mismanagement and crap raging inside our prison system that we hear nothing about! Things we sure as hell ought to know about ~ after all, if nothing else, WE are paying the bills! The fact that they could build that large, new, death chamber costing many hundred thousand dollars IN TOTAL SECRECY, even from legislators, should give everyone an idea of just how out of control the prison system is! Who is running this debacle?!? At S.Q. in less than a year they've cut back the amount of food inmates get - twice that I know of, and many inmates are going hungry! Indeed, there have been many things done inside without knowledge or permission of anyone, not only screwing the inmates, but their loved ones AND us taxpayers as well. THERE IS NO ACCOUNTABILITY!

The media is kept in the dark when it comes to what goes on within our prisons. People tell the media about things going on in there, but when the news folk try to follow-up on the info, they are forced to take the word of the prison spokesman, and I've seen/heard the lies told. There is nothing more the news people can do, so end of story. Most times there never IS a story because of that. And it's going on right now, everyday.

NEWS MEDIA MUST HAVE ACCESS INSIDE PRISONS AND TO INMATES RESTORED IF WE ARE EVER TO FIND OUT THE TRUTH ABOUT ANYTHING INSIDE THOSE WALLS! Light needs to be shed on the goings on inside before it becomes a crisis! If you only knew the money wasted....! Who authorizes these things? Who checks on them? (No one.) We are paying BILLIONS of dollars a year into this system - where & how is that money being spent?!? Who is really in charge of this gargantuan, overcrowded mess? Let's take a look at the contract the State of CA makes with the guards' union and see just how much power we've been giving away to them, and how little control anyone has over them, or our system. (You'd be shocked!) WE pay for it all and have a right to know exactly what is going on and what we're paying for. There used to be a dept. in charge of such things - you know, the CDC - and they worked for us. Not any more - we just pay for them all.

Without media access inside it is too easy for things to get out of hand and as we can now see from medical care, without a Federal Judge stepping in, nothing will be done. Our state officials are impotent...uh, I mean incompetent - yeah, that's it. There are other areas currently under Federal watch, and more that are still happening in secret. The gov'nr has repeatedly vetoed bills to give the news media access inside prison walls again ~ guess we know which side he's on. And don't be fooled by the B.S. put forth by the guards' union and parroted by victim's rights groups...denying media access has nothing to do with making criminals into "stars". Hell, the trials do that anyway. We need to know what's happening inside our prisons - pure and simple. The only way to do that is with media having access inside, not having to take whatever the prison wants to say or deny is truth!

Posted by: Sunny at July 13, 2007 08:04 AM

I spent a total of 8 months (4 months twice) for a "crime" that is not even a crime! Rescuing my 7 yr. old child from institutionalized abuse is not a crime but a necessity!

I waited four months to go through the judicial process before I got a hearing, and then the judge refused to look at my evidence which consisted of two U.S. passports for me and my son which the U.S. government Secretary of State grants permission for us to leave the country! Does the County of Santa Clara have more authority than the U.S. Government? I don't think so, but they do.

I have seen inmates getting beat up by the correctional officers. I had been manhandled myself by an extremely obese sheriff who chained me to a chair for 8 hours not allowing me to use the bathroom!

I have sat in your holding cells that were filthy with no toilet paper, waiting for weekly court hearings where nothing happened except continuing the date to the next week.

My son still is a prisoner in a California institution. He has committed no crime. He is not allowed to testify on his own behalf in court and not allowed to contact anyone in his family.

This is worse treatment than in a third world country. California's biggest shame is the way it treats children and their mothers!

Yet no one does a damn thing about it.

I intend to live until past age 100 to make certain that those who tortured women and children in the California judicial system are held accountable in a Nuremburg-type trial.

Hell, yes, they deserve to die, and I hope they burn in hell!

Posted by: Diane Booth at July 13, 2007 10:11 AM

That's why the UNION mothers have organized and filed 28 lawsuits with more on the way, most of them for wrongful deaths of young men who didn't have a death sentence. The lack of accountability of the bully guards has allowed all this to take place and the failure of the families to organize and elect their own people to office exacerbated it. There is a certain denial about the dangers of prisons until it hits directly.

Posted by: Stephanie Gooding at July 13, 2007 03:33 PM


CDC Atrocities

Being watched by camera in prison; My daughter begged for sanitary products as menestrel blood was running down her legs.....they never gave her any. Then they came in and injected her (over-drugged her so much she lost all bodily functions....laying in a cell in her own blood, vomit,fecus,and urine..... abandoned for 10 days unconcious....then carried out of the cell and washed off. Four days prior to being drugged to a deadly state she was only given milk and food. Needle marks with much bloody hematoma,and other bruises the size of oranges on her. Deep pelvic pain she experienced after gaining conciousness.TOTAL 14 DAYS DEPRIVED OF WATER.A associate warden called me on his private cell to tell me what was done to my daughter.

More abuse: Guards beat my daughter unmercifully... ALMOST 50 BRUISES ALL OVER HER BODY,FRONT AND BACK...many bruises the size of grapefruit.Four blows to the head...and one in the temple.She awoke from unconciousness in this cell naked;left abandoned laying in her own vomit,fecus,and urine.....that she was not allowed to wash off.During this time she had nothing for her pain,and no human contact for these 4 days.

Posted by: Shaw at July 13, 2007 03:47 PM

Dear Shaw

If this happened to your daughter within the past six months and you have the medical records, you should file a lawsuit. Never ever let someone torture your loved one like that and just put up with it. Silence from our side, failure to file complaints and lawsuits, failure to have massive picket teams build in the UNION at each prison has made the problems much worse. File a complaint with the Office of Internal Affairs on each person who participated. One complaint might not matter but 20 complaints will get the torturers fired. We each have an obligation to shine the light on torture and abuse. This is why the Federal Medical take over is necessary but we have to furnish the evidence and name the names of those responsible. It can't just be stated in generic terms like you have above.

Posted by: Michelle at July 13, 2007 11:14 PM

We tried to picket recently against this bad management at RJD. There have been a number of undignified deaths and gross mismanagement of the medical department. The Warden sent out the "goon squad" or Internal Investigations unit and video taped our picket as an intimidation tactic. They then showed the tape to all the supervisors, and the retaliation continues....... Our greivances are rarely answered or denied all together. The new nurses are told they can not be involved in the Union or picket. Of course the "on probation" line is used as a scare tactic.
Too much control is given to an unqualified health care manager and director of nursing. This director of nursing is insane and always takes credit for the good work of the other nurses. Even to the point of making her Supervisor of the Year. THIS WAS THE JOKE OF DONOVAN for months among the staff!!! It is just another example of self promoting garbage the staff has to witness.
The Regional Office was useless in our complaints, and professed to support this DON, as "It is a hard job to be a supervisor". The excuse is that we are upset only because we are now being made accountable for our actions. Where the DON at Donovan is being investigated for covering up inmate abuse and still gets to act in her position!
The majority of the medical staff hates this corrupt management, and signed a No Confidence petition. Is the majority of the doctors and nurses wrong? I think not.
You see..... you have these unqualified and unexperienced managers who got a taste of making a good income, and they will go to any length to keep their high paying jobs to the expense of everyone else! And the Regional Office had the perfect opportunity to change this culture of corruption. No help was given.
The only solution is The Receiver himself coming in to Donovan and talking to the line staff without the intimidating presence of management. We are the ones who know these inmates and their complex needs. We are the ones who give them their medications and treatments. We are the ones who care what happens to them. Our word is on the line when we have to walk across the yards and go into the buildings without adequate protection. We are also the one's who are with them when they are dying and feed and change them when necessare when no one else will. Most of the time we are the only ones who will listen and sometimes catch the subtle symptom that saves their lives. Still it can be very ugly like the overdoses and stabbings.
There are so many complex issues to address, and if our Receiver will get rid of this twisted management then maybe we (the doctors and nurses) can have a chance to improve the medical system!

Posted by: Emmie at July 14, 2007 09:57 AM

Mr. Sillen has a very big job ahead of him. As an employee of the CDC for many years, I have seen the waste of money and mismanagement of the medical staff. There is no warehouse for obtaining equipment therefore a trememdous amount of time is spent finding vendors and ordering medical supplies that could be bought in bulk with a cost savings. The pharmacy situation is horrible with the doctors being able to order multiple medications for the same diagnosis and changing the meds before the patient has a therapeutic level. The cost of the psych meds are the bulk of the pharmacy budget. The use of medical staff to work as office assistants is rampant, costing more money because there is not enough clerical staff to complete the paperwork. There is no computerized medical records so inmates are transferred with incomplete medical records. The nursing situation is unsafe with brand new nurses being put to work in areas where they need to have experience. The new nurses are paid the same as the experienced nurses so experienced nurses do not stay with CDC. The Director of Nursing for the State who works for Mr. Sillen does not investigate complaints but sends out form letters to try and appease the complainant. She thinks its all about accountability. With over 60 signatures on a vote of no confidence that should tell you that there is a lot for her to investigate. Ms Scott needs to support the nurses instead of the management (former windshield wiper II's) that are running places such as RJ Donovan.

Posted by: O G Nurse at July 14, 2007 07:58 PM

Like many of you, I had hoped that Sillen would prove to be the kind of enlightened autocrat that seemed to be needed to correct the dreadful incompetence of the CDCR medical administration. I actually believed him when he expressed pontifical outrage at the fact (by his estimate)that about one inmate per week was dying of medical neglect at the hands of incompetent CDCR doctors.

Unfortunately I can tell you that despite the fact that I and some of my medical colleagues in the CDCR had complained to Mr. Sillen about a CDCR administration that had protected bad doctors (who had committed gross malpractice leading to patient deaths) and persecuted innocent doctors (whom they wanted to get rid of, for other reasons), Mr. Sillen in fact did nothing. The facts that we provided to Mr. Sillen were quite detailed, but it would not be proper to divulge them here. I suspect that they will eventually come out, if this matter ever comes up for investigation and public scrutiny. Let me say that his deliberately indifferent response to our complaints taints his Receivership with the same sort of stink that he has (rightly) attributed to the CDCR medical administration. Forgive me for being reluctant to offer more information on this site. If Mr. Sillen himself were to read this thread, I'm sure he will know exactly what I'm talking about and may even be able to figure out who I am.

Posted by: State Doctor at July 15, 2007 10:44 PM

Medical staff, nurses and doctors...

Words are not enough to express the graditude for your comments and concern.
You are our heros.

As we know, lives are at stake here.

Where else could such intricities happen and no one that can do anything about it seems to care.

Where are the reporters, the media?
Why are they silenced on these life threatening matters?

If this was happening to animals....well everyone would be out protesting.

Wouldn't it be great if everyperson, man and women who did care, could somehow walk to the Capitol doorsteps and demand change?

It would be in the millions and they couldn't ignore us then.

My son was injured on June 26th, It took almost two weeks for them to grant him an xray for a broken leg.
After he was treated, he was left in a cage for 10 hours was no water, food, pain med.
For almost two weeks he had to climb up to a three tiered bunk bed.

I contacted Mr. Sillens office, of course I will never hear back from them. But, you would think that with all the money he and his staff are receiving
that they could at least acknowledge your concerns.

Our son was very healthy when he entered the system.
We could well afford to provide for his care. Of course we are not allowed to do so. So for the short time that he is in their care, I expect proper medical treatment.

Emmie, I live in the San Diego area. I would be more than happy to protect at Donovan. But, I can not do it alone.

Posted by: JBuchanan at July 16, 2007 07:28 AM

Please put the family members of the prisoners who have died "undignified deaths" in touch with me right away.

I am the director of United for No Injustice, Oppression or Neglect active on prisoner issues for nine years located in Sacramento We can hold very large pickets at prisons to protest inmate murders and abuse, and medical neglect where we have big picket teams already in place and have done this several times.

With medical records, I can sometimes get attorneys to file civil lawsuits. We have 28 in the courts right now. Thank you so much medical staff at RJ Donovan for speaking out in what appears to be a crisis.

Please contact the media as well, if you write to me, I can help you facilitate that so that you won't lose your job for standing up for humane practices.

Let us not allow the police occupation of California that owns our legislature to get away with murdering more prisoners out of the public eye.

I need families of prisoners to get into RJ Donovan and build our UNION picket team there as rapidly as possible. The nurses should not have to be doing our work. We are only as effective as the size of our picket team at each prison!!!

Let's all pitch in on this crisis. I have reports that there are goon squads all over RJ Donovan slamming the cell doors and permanently injuring the hands of inmates, threatening death and it is predictable that if we don't do something about this more people are going to die or become permanently disable at the hands of this goon squad that is intimidating the medical staff as well.

Senator Perata doesn't seem to know about these events taking place, as you can see if you watch the July 11, 2007 Senate Rules Committee Confirmation hearing of James Tilton as CDC Agency Director at www.calchannel.com (go 53 minutes into the hearing for this very enlightening video and stick with it through until the end) You will hear Perata say that the Ombudsmen will take care of the prisoners. HA.

Send me the contact info of the bereaved families of prisoners who died preventable deaths and preserve the medical records that always seem to get destroyed.

I am pushing to get dogs put on all the guard check - in desks to stop the overdoses - as all of us in the know realize, it is the guards and vendors bringing in the drugs. Hook me up with the info I need - we have been successful in getting oppressive people fired and/or demoted when prisoners have been murdered, you can see some of our protests at the link below

Rev. B. Cayenne Bird
rightor1@yahoo.com
United for No Injustice, Oppression or Neglect
P.O. Box 340371
Sacramento, Ca. 95834
www.1union1.com/about_union.htm

Posted by: B. Cayenne Bird at July 16, 2007 01:17 PM

the link doesn't seem to be working, allow me to write it again or paste it into your browser so you can see some of the protests and campaigns we've done in similar crises

http://www.1union1.com/about_union.htm

Sometimes the media will cover it without a protest if enough people call in, the Tribune seems to be under the heavy influence of Republican advertisers who love prisons, the North County Times appears to be much more cooperative. The purpose of a protest of course is to get media involvement but calls into the editors, enough calls, will sometimes accomplish the same goals.

More lawsuits, more lawsuits....they are the way to reform besides initiative campaigns and registering the poor to vote so we can handle this at the ballot box. Those San Diego politicians are sold out to law enforcement labor unions so it is difficult to get any help there.

Posted by: B. Cayenne Bird at July 16, 2007 02:03 PM

I am thrilled that a high rise medical building is being constructed at San Quentin and millions of dollars are being spent to prove that a building can be built.

What about the prisoners whose health has been destroyed by the CDCR prior to Mr. Sillen getting appointed. Must they continue to sit in prison and slowly die from their multiple health conditions that were treated with a deliberate indifference by the CDCR. They will die too if something is not done to relieve their continued suffering. Mr. Sillen says he is shocked that no one noticed the prison conditions for 30 to 40 years in California. I am telling him right now that real people are suffering in the prisons from medical conditions that were not their fault and there is no relief for them behind prison walls. Why aren't those individuals released right now and that would give more open beds for healthy prisoners.

To attempt to fix the CDCR's broken and corrupt system that is out of control while prisoners lay dying is absolutely rediculous. Release those prisoners and start with a clean slate. Any prisoner who has been violated under the 8th and 14th. ammendment of the constitution, as Mr. Sillen says is the case, should be released immediately. To do anything less should be prosecuted as a criminal act by the CDCR.

Relieve the suffering of those prisoners who have been destroyed at the hands of their protectors, and then talk about building new buildings.

Posted by: Nora Weber at July 16, 2007 09:20 PM



MURDERING OF INMATES IN OHIO'S PRISONS, BY STAFF

To: To: Supreme Court, State Governors, State and Federal Prisons, Human Rights Groups, Amnesty International, Religious Leaders, Abolishment Groups, Citizens and Taxpayers of USA, All concerned people worldwide

To: Supreme Court, State Governors, State and Federal Prisons, Human Rights Groups, Amnesty International, Religious Leaders, Abolishment Groups, Citizens and Taxpayers of USA, All concerned people worldwide

This petition is to urge the Governor of Ohio, Bob Taft et,al. prompt an investigation in to the mayhem, and glaring evidence of the attempts at murder, on my life during my prison tenure 1995-2003. and two others, by ODRC, Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Corrections Staff.
Additionally, certified letters, sent to Governor, Bob Taft. Citing, A staff member stated emphatically. in front of me,and several inmate witnesses. He knows for a fact, staff in these institutions [Ohio] are murdering inmates! Moreover, included in that certification, was a letter from. Lori Commins US Marshal. formerly of Columbus, Ohio. Her directive to me, contact the FBI. after she viewed incriminating evidence I sent her consisting of a ruse letter, composed on the courts letter head. by,Chief Deputy Clerk , Janis E. Yates. Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals. Cincinnati, Ohio. Where she alleged returning" what look like blood" the laced medication, and 15 page motions. Notwithstanding attached to the bag of laced medication. Was a clear, concise explanation, as to the bags (*direct evidence) content. leaving no room for speculation.
However, post my release from prison, 2003. I was to discover the foregoing court has no record of receiving the *laced medication, and 15 Motions. Atypical of Administrative Regulations. during my priosn tenure, my original documents were never returned to me, nor was I required to sign for them by prison staff. And even more perplexedly, the direct evidence disappeared. SOCF'S, Sgt. Mc. Graw. (female) and Larry Greene have equivocated, as to the direct evidence whereabouts. Evidence which should have been sent to a lab for testing.

view this journal site for evidence, certification receipts to the Governor, president of USA; FBI, et,al. Detailing the flagrant corruption, including murder. in the state of Ohio. quite possibly throughout the nation. http://journals.aol.com/rodericklor4/MURDERINGOFINMATESINOHIOSPRISONS/ Or,

http://blog.myspace.com/horab Or,

peopleconnection.aol.com/journals click on, MURDERING OF INMATES IN OHIO'S PRISONS, BY STAFF.PART I.

Mr. P Kelly. On 10/01/04. Signed for a certification letter to the Governor Of Ohio., Bob Taft.with the foregoing denouncements. However, no response was received to date 8/16/06. Another letter to Governor Taft. Dated 8/26/04. with a letter copy inside, dated 8/14/02. This letter was mailed during my prison tenure. recounting the attempts at murder,and mayhem. On myself, and other inmates.
These letters were not responded to. Contraindications provide, the 8/14/02. letter to the Governor. mailed from Lucasvilles SOCF Southern Ohio Corrections Facility.never left the institution. Additionally, several FBI offices in the state of Ohio. have failed to respond to these serious allegations. a clear an flagrant violation of our 8th, and 14th. et, al. Amendment rights.

Perplexedly,Ohio State Representative, Joseph Koziura. Secretary's, on two separate occasions alleged. Joseph Koziura stated, he sent my evidence in my journal (noted,in the foregoing URL'S) to the FED"s in Washington, D.C. Nearly two years ago. No response to date.

We the under signed, demand a full investigation to the allegations of attempts/ possible murders of inmates by prison staff. in the prisons in the Ohio, and other states that provide evidence of the same nature.

Which should eventuate to the arrest of. Mona Parks, Medical Administrator; Nancy Farney, Physicians Assistant; Mary Sandford, nurse. et,al. all of, SOCF'S Maximum Security prison.Lucasville, Ohio. Staff members I caught attempting to murder me,by the lacing of my medication subsequenting medically confirmed heart damage.Three unbidden trips to cardiology were scheduled, I refused to go. Notwithstanding experiencing acute heart pain. But to go would have been pure folly, helping medical staff build a medical heart condition that didn't exist. Had they succeeded in murdering me. They would have proof, via medical records. Medical staff had ostensibly, been availing me. You see, I never told medical staff named herein, nor a physician. I was experiencing a heart attack. So how did they know to set up those trips to Cardiology?

Medical contraindication provide,I didn't have a heart problem prior to going to prison. According to. Paul Evans, He and. John Peters. inmates who had been in SOCF. suffered heart conditions with the same symptoms,post arriving at SOCF. Conditions which mitigated post leaving SOCF.
You the public must know some of these inmates subjected to the mayhem and torture as I was, some even worse,some deceased. Is evoke by what Administrative, corrections staff et,al. And when they are released back into society, they turn on the innocent public for retribution. One man threatened to target a bus load of children. By reason the publics lackadaisical attitude toward the haynes torture, mayhem, viewing inmate friends and associates being murdered by staff, and covered up. Is too much for anyone to endure. complete power corrupts. I urge to to avail in the eradication of this flagrant corruption in our prisons in America. by signing below..Thank you in advance for anticipated cooperation.


Sincerely,

The Undersigned


View Current Signatures


The MURDERING OF INMATES IN OHIO'S PRISONS, BY STAFF Petition to To: Supreme Court, State Governors, State and Federal Prisons, Human Rights Groups, Amnesty International, Religious Leaders, Abolishment Groups, Citizens and Taxpayers of USA, All concerned people worldwide was created by and written by Roderick P. Robinson, Sr. (rodericklor4@tampabay.rr.com). This petition is hosted here at www.PetitionOnline.com as a public service. There is no endorsement of this petition, express or implied, by Artifice, Inc. or our sponsors. For technical support please use our simple Petition Help form.

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Posted by: Roderick P. Robinson, Sr. at July 19, 2007 09:03 AM

We know that inmates are being murdered in every state but each state has different laws and different elected officials so they must set up their own voting groups large enough to be able to elect or recall these slimeball politicians put into office and protecting law enforcement labor unions.

Out of state people somehow think that we can rescue them when that is impossible! We can't even rescue ourselves.....yet! The Department of Justice is so corrupt that federal prisoners don't have any place to go for help either.

Posted by: Stephanie Gooding at July 20, 2007 01:05 AM

Subject: Re: [FedCURE] Fwd: Murdering of inmates in America's prisons, by staff.


Thank you Reverend Bird. A law suit is imminent with several individuals in the fight out of Okla, http://uscdc.org/FamilyRightsRadio.htm. If you'll look into the archives of my journal http://journals.aol.com/rodericklor4/MURDERINGOFINMATESINOHIOSPRISONS you will see methods utilized by DRC to murder inmates in Ohio. It is my foregone conclusion these same methods I managed to uncover through the grace of God. Are those employed by DRC staff throughout the nation. Here is more information concerning prison murders. http://www.geocities.com/prisonmurder/
Thank you for responding
Cordially, Roderick

Instead of focusing your ire on those out of state suffering the same plight.your focus might be better served by compounding the information sent you to to show, and support this problem of prison staff committing mayhem and murder is pandemic across this nation, and not an isolated one. Our government knows of,and condones these murders.
By reason,I certified a letter to president G.W.Bush. July 2004. It was stamped received by the white house July 2003. In the body of that letter were concerns of murder and mayhem attempts made on my own life, et al. During my unwarranted prison tenure in there ongoing attempt to cover for the fallacious charges leveled against me.

If you look in the archives of my journal http://journals.aol.com/rodericklor4/MURDERINGOFINMATESINOHIOSPRISONS/
11/12/05
White House attempts to cover up the mayhem, and murders in the prisons in Ohio.
11/10/05
There you will see proof the white house fully intended to cover this up and they have never responded to these serious allegations.

Posted by: Roderick P. Robinson, Sr. at July 20, 2007 05:41 AM

Mr Sillens visit to RJ Donovan today was a complete joke. He is supporting the people he talks about in his talks to the press. He is supporting the medical supervisors who are incompetent, the supervisors that allow the incompetent doctors and nurses to kill the inmates that they are paid to help. Mr Sillen is more concerned about how the press perceives him than he is interested in doing a good job.

Posted by: Concerned RN at July 26, 2007 10:06 PM

Mr. Sillen did make his tour of Donovan. He circumvented all the issues raised and negated all the responses from the line staff who had enough guts to speak up. I guess he is so used to going places and having people kiss his ass that he has this "God Complex". He acted like he could really care less about what the doctors and nurses had to say about this lunatic Darrin Dennis. He went as far as saying "She's not going anywhere". Well as it turns out the Regional DON Susan Scott who was present knows Mr. Sillen "from a past life". She's the character who supports Darrin Dennis. I guess the corruption continues......and you don't have to have people skills, experience, integrity, or an education to be a Director of Nursing at Donovan. You just have to be friends with Susan Scott. And you can go ahead and break the law and be involved in a giant cover up and get away with practically murder....because you know the right people. SHAME ON YOU Mr. Sillen for your behavior at Donovan. Because every nurse, doctor, medical support staff, and many custody officers have a story about how they have been mistreated by this crazy borderline personality disordered Darrin Dennis.
Who suffers Mr. Sillen? The inmates you claimed that you were hired to help.
So, Mr. Sillen you just proved to the staff at RJD that you could care less about changing the abusive culture at Donovan. And you just gave carte blance to Darrin Dennis to continue her reign of terror over the staff. Her same abusive behavior continued the day after you left.
All I can say from the very core of me is shame on you Mr.Sillen!!

Posted by: Another concerned RN at July 28, 2007 03:48 PM

please list a phone number for contacting i have a ill husband in donovan state prison in californa and he has a fatal case of hipothyriodism and was suppost to go to the outside doctor 3 months ago he is losing wieght very rapidly there are people dying every week in there prision and there blaming it always on drug use well my husband derrick limbaga e-42969 has been clean and sober and a full christine for 7 years so his death will be all on the prision HELP!!!! NATALIE LIMBAGA san diego cali;91932 #619-575-9014 cell:619-2468639

Posted by: natalie limbaga at July 30, 2007 09:50 AM

please list a phone number for contacting i have a ill husband in donovan state prison in californa and he has a fatal case of hipothyriodism and was suppost to go to the outside doctor 3 months ago he is losing wieght very rapidly there are people dying every week in there prision and there blaming it always on drug use well my husband derrick limbaga e-42969 has been clean and sober and a full christine for 7 years so his death will be all on the prision HELP!!!! NATALIE LIMBAGA san diego cali;91932 #619-575-9014 cell:619-2468639

Posted by: natalie limbaga at July 30, 2007 09:51 AM

According to the Talmud, there are suppoed to be at all times, 36 special (righteous) people in the world, and that were it not for them, all of them, if even one of them was missing, the world would come to an end. This notion is based on a Talmudic statement to the effect that in every generation 36 righteous "greet the Shechinah," the Divine Presence (Tractate Sanhedrin 97b; Tractate Sukkah 45b).

I believe that Mr. Sillen might be one of these so-called "Lamed-Vavniks," and I would be honored to be able to tell him so in person! (Talmud reference based on information obtained from Wikipedia.) Hopefully, he will get to see my comments.

Posted by: Harriett Ferziger at August 27, 2007 09:01 PM

All I want to know is has anyone has heard about whether the Nursing Contract is going to be rewarded again? What is going to happen to us?

Posted by: Joey Riva at August 31, 2007 06:45 PM

My father passed away in Jan 2007 while in custody. Ca Mens Colony did nothing but let him die. His cell mate wrote us to make sure we were going to sue the CDRC we couldn't get any lawyer to even talk to us.
I hope that something can be done so other families do not have to suffer like we have.

Posted by: nicole Milanovic at September 14, 2007 09:38 AM

How about for one second, just one second I ask... let's stop worrying about all the poor convicted felons. These men made their own beds so let them sleep in it. I work within the CDCR and these felons receive top of the line medical care. The BEST!!! Better than my children can get!! How about we take a look at the lack of medical care for children in this state. I would feel much more comfortable knowing my tax money was en route to help children with medical needs. But children don't create political tension, therefore, they receive no media attention. Wow... if our founding fathers saw the rate our country was going they would literally gag in disgust. No, these convicted felons don't deserve cruel and unusual punishment (and I ASSURE you they are not getting it either). But they do not deserve to be babied and coddled; sadly that is exacxtly what is happening. You people need to wake up and understand prison is supposed to be a deterrence. Give them what they have coming, and no more. We are losing sight of the true definition of justice!! How about we send some of this money towards the victims?!

Posted by: Jon at December 6, 2007 02:53 PM

WELL SAID JON! This is a vicious, never ending cycle. The increase in inmate RECIDIVSM rates continue to rise and rather than putting our precious tax money into children (which I do not doubt would help decrease the future inmate population) Lawmakers would rather spend on convicts that have violated the civil rights of others. My belief is that until an inmate proves his worth in the public eye, he DOES NOT deserve BETTER healthcare than my children. Wake up California!

Posted by: Tom at December 17, 2007 01:21 PM

The care that the inmates receive depends on the medical personnel at that direct moment and the work ethic. I was a nurse at San Quentin for three years until the criminal CAFTB and my nursing agency stole money from me without support and or legal procedure; I left the state.
The inmates were considerate as I provided what they were entitled. New nurses are susceptible to being taken in and played if they have a subpar work ethic and are not committed to being a good nurse with common sense. I was a no-nonsense nurse that got things done. Inmates new me as I worked to the best of my ability and provided support for anyone at any time that was proper.
It is my belief that the CAFTB revenuers, some politicians and the Federal Government should be behind the bars as they often commit crimes.
The institution and society have rules. The inability to follow lawful rules is the greatest reason that inmates are incarcerated, or and so inmates have informed me. The inmates have the prison code that is respectful and proper to others, or there may be repercussions. Male nursing in the prison worked well as my experiences were teaching Junior High and being in the military for years. The plan was to be fair and just and always do things ethically.

Posted by: Tom Callan at July 24, 2008 02:53 PM

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