Committee Delays Vote on Folsom Warden Job

Prompted by testimony about filthy conditions and sexual harassment of female guards, a state Senate committee delayed a confirmation vote Wednesday on the Folsom Prison warden and announced that it would investigate conditions at the institution.

“There are some heavy issues that have to be looked into,” said President Pro Tem David A. Roberti (D-Los Angeles), chairman of the Senate Rules Committee.

The panel heard more than three hours of testimony from former female guards, public-interest attorneys and relatives of inmates before postponing the confirmation hearing of Joe Campoy, a veteran Folsom official who was appointed warden last year by Gov. George Deukmejian.

No date was set for a vote. Campoy must be confirmed by the Senate by March 16, the anniversary of his appointment, or leave his post.

Former Guards

Some of the most explosive allegations at the hearing were made by three former female guards who said they were subjected to repeated instances of sexual harassment by male guards and administrators at the prison.

Karen Hallstrom, a former sergeant at Folsom, said Campoy promised to correct the situation but never followed through.

“I like and respect Mr. Campoy,” she said. “He is a nice man. He’s an old-fashion gentleman who failed to deal with a very real problem that failed to go away.”

Campoy said he did not follow through on the complaints because the Department of Corrections had launched an investigation of sexual harassment allegations at the prison, 20 miles east of Sacramento. He said he had not been told about the results of the probe.

“Except for one incident (of alleged sexual harassment) that I was familiar with, the others were totally unfamiliar to me. They were never brought to my attention. I was never given an opportunity to take remedial action,” he said.