Trigger-Happy Prisons

State corrections officials say they are pleased that they have reduced the fatal shootings of inmates in California’s 33 prisons in recent years. But the record as detailed Sunday by Times writers Mark Arax and Mark Gladstone hardly justifies self-congratulation. Guards fatally shot 12 inmates and wounded 32 in the past four years, mostly to break up fights involving gang members in exercise yards. Only six inmates were killed by guards in the other 49 states during that period--all of them during attempts to escape. None of the California shootings involved escape attempts.

Earlier this year, Arax and Gladstone chronicled the extent of deadly force employed by guards at Corcoran State Prison, where seven inmates were shot to death between 1989 and 1994. The disclosures prompted a state Senate investigation that is still underway. The new Times report makes it clear that Corcoran was no anomaly.

The 12 deaths occurred at nine separate prisons throughout the state. In no case was a guard endangered. Rather, prison officials said the shootings were necessary to protect inmates from being killed in brawls. In most of the cases, however, no serious peril to inmates was documented. Generally, the shootings were justified by prison officials, and guards were not disciplined for what obviously were violations of the state’s “last resort” policy on the use of lethal force. Too often, the use of lethal force seemed to be the first resort.

The uncle of one victim observed: “It was like that guard took aim on an animal, just like he was hunting.” The facts of many of the shootings matched the uncle’s depiction all too accurately.

State officials offer a number of justifications for California being the only state that shoots inmates to break up fights and why it is taking so long to change policy. They need to stop making excuses and do whatever it takes to end this deadly practice.