Tackling problems in the prisons

Re “Imprisoned by timidity ...,” editorial, April 21

Your editorial missed an important point. You call the California Correctional Peace Officers Assn. “tyrannical” and falsely claim that we have “long fought nearly every effort at turning the state prison system into an organization that rehabilitates as well as punishes.”

In fact, we’ve pushed a number of key reforms over the years to improve the prison system, most of which were opposed by the Department of Corrections -- such as psychological screening for officers and programs that prepare inmates for life in the real world after their release. For years, we’ve warned that staff shortages, funding cuts and a lack of will at the top have eviscerated rehabilitation efforts and made our prisons increasingly dangerous for officers and inmates.

And why wouldn’t the department ask for our input when making decisions? No one has more insight into the problems plaguing our prisons than those of us who work in them. We don’t want to run the department, but we certainly want to be heard, especially because decisions made by management can literally mean life or death for officers and the inmates we supervise. Isn’t open dialogue a hallmark of innovation, good management and a smoothly running operation?

MIKE JIMENEZ

President, California Correctional

Peace Officers Assn.

West Sacramento

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It is terrible that the state’s largest managed organization, the Department of Corrections, is so poorly run that the federal courts may have to take over. Not only are huge sums badly spent, the lack of rehabilitation causes suffering from increased numbers of repeat criminals.

The governor is strongly urged to recruit a new head of the prisons from another state, someone who has been successful in managing corrections and is independent from pressure from the guards union.

W. EARL HABERLIN

La Canada Flintridge

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Re “Gov. Acts Quickly to Name Chief of Prisons,” April 21

Two leaders of the state prison system -- Roderick Q. Hickman and his successor, Jeanne S. Woodford -- who would have stood up to the prison guards union have resigned within weeks of each other, citing lack of support from the administration and political leaders as their reasons. So the governor appoints someone who says he has “always had a good working relationship” with the union. Gee whiz, that makes sense. Hopefully, U.S. District Judge Thelton Henderson sees the same problem and will act quickly to dismantle the cartel that runs our state prison system.

ROBERT CHICKERING

Laguna Beach