State Begins Probe at Corcoran Prison

A team of investigators from the state Department of Corrections has been sent to Corcoran State Prison to probe long-standing allegations of murder, torture and cover-up at the hands of prison staff.

Director of Corrections James H. Gomez announced Thursday that 14 state investigators and an attorney arrived this week at Corcoran to begin the probe. “I have instructed the team to provide me facts on the allegations within 60 days,” Gomez said. “The Department of Corrections has the greatest interest in learning the facts. If there are staff guilty of the allegations, I want them fired and prosecuted.”

For the last two years, the FBI has been investigating the 1994 death of inmate Preston Tate, who was shot by guards inside Corcoran’s security housing unit. A federal grand jury has been meeting in Fresno to consider possible criminal indictments of guards and administrators at Corcoran.

In August, The Times reported that prison staff had staged fights between inmates in the security housing unit in a ritual that became known as “gladiator day.” The fights led to an excessive number of shootings, some guards said.

One guard cooperating with the federal investigation, Richard Caruso, told The Times that he took documents detailing the shootings from the prison. He said state prison agents discouraged him from turning the documents over to the FBI.

Gomez said in a statement Thursday that the state had delayed its investigation of the abuse reports at Corcoran in deference to the federal probe. But because the statue of limitations is approaching for any disciplinary action, the state has decided to launch the probe.

“I am also asking the FBI to share any information it has that will assist our investigation,” Gomez said.

The FBI probe has focused on the state’s controversial practice of mixing rival gang members inside the small recreation yards at Corcoran’s security housing unit. The integration policy has resulted in numerous fights between black and Latino gang members, and the fights have led to dozens of shootings in which guards have fired gas guns and carbine rifles to break up the combatants.

Since Corcoran opened in 1988, seven inmates have been shot dead by guards trying to end fights--all but one taking place in the unit. That is more inmate killings than at any other prison in the country over the past decade.

Gomez said his team of investigators is also working with the FBI to determine if state agents tried to block Caruso from turning over prison records to federal investigators. In the Times’ article last August, Caruso described state officers’ arrival at his Hanford house and their efforts to discourage him from driving to Fresno with FBI agents.

According to Caruso, the state agents chased the FBI car at high speeds and tried to confront federal officials at the FBI offices in Fresno. “We are asking the FBI to provide copies of documents taken from Corcoran two years ago by officer Richard Caruso,” Gomez said Thursday.

On Thursday, a high-ranking officer at Corcoran said the state has been reluctant to investigate the prison for fear of angering the powerful union representing prison officers. He said Gomez called the investigation after a lengthy meeting with Gov. Pete Wilson.

He also said that Corcoran has continued integrating rival gang members in the security housing unit yard. “We’ve had more than 50 shootings in the last month alone,” the supervisor said. “Fortunately, no one has been killed.”