Corcoran Prison

Now that the commission has ruled that the majority of the prison shootings at Corcoran State Prison were unjustified (Nov. 26), blame is being thrown on everyone from state officials shirking their responsibilities to watch over Corcoran, to inmates fighting and, of course, on the correctional officers.

Instead of blame, the same intensity, money and time spent investigating these incidents should now be spent on training to give prison personnel coping skills to deal with their work, which has one of the highest divorce rates and physical and health risks in the country. We don’t defend their actions, and we feel for the inmates’ families, but fear and stress are what drives us all to overreact. Imagine adding to our daily stresses being locked up with some of the most vicious inmates in the country.

We also cannot blame the inmates for fighting and “causing” these shootings. Fighting is the only life and survival tool many inmates have known since childhood. Can they just turn their backs and walk away if challenged? How long would they survive inside the pen without defending themselves?

If we continue to spend millions building more prisons, instead of rehabilitating inmates and training prison personnel to cope and communicate, we can only expect more fights and unjustified shootings.

WALTER JACKSON

JANET JACKSON

Los Angeles