I think I'm qualified to speak on behalf of my Mother, who at 64 years of age was sent to Valley State Womens Prison in Chowchilla, CA for a violatiion of probation (tested positive for marijuana use) while on interstate compact with Florida. She smoked pot for medicinal reasons. Unfortunately, she didn't have a medical use card. The judge in her case thought she needed to spend some time in one of more notorious prisons in California verses sending her to one of the many facilities for drug treatment.

Nonetheless, while at VSPW, she encountered inhumane treatment by a male prison guard. She told me she was standing in line, waiting to go either outside or to the cafeteria and this male prison guard took aim at her while on his bicycle and ran her over.

She told me the inmates refer to this as 'bowling'. "Bowling for inmates"? "Bowling down people who are at their weakest, emotionally and physically"? Yes.

There's a system in place that allows Prisoners to place a formal complaint against guards. It's called a "602", which my Mother promptly filed. She was also in the process of submitting paperwork to return to her home in Florida (after her 4 mos. sentence was completed). The guard who 'bowled her' came to her and asked her to 'retract her complaint or else..' She refused. Hence, the Guard lost her paperwork she had originally filed,thereby lengthening her time at VSPW and causing her to have to pay another $400 to file her paperwork.

Taxpayers did not pay for her to re-file this paperwork. No, her family paid. Rather, her family was being extorted. At least that's the way I see it. Someone correct me if I'm wrong.

She finished her sentence without incident, though she also had to have hundreds of dollars for protection. So, she was extorted by inmates as well as guards.

After she was released, because her paperwork was lost, she had to remain in the state of California until Interstate Compact papers were sent to Tallahasse and then back to Sacremento. She had no place to live while being held in California. We put her up in a Hotel until our resources ran dry. She then had to go to a hamoeless shelter for battered women and ask for a bed. All told, She was in California for 4 mos. while she waited on paperwork--

Since then, I've conducted many hours of research about Prisons, Prisoner treatment, Prison Guard Unions (in CA, more powerful than Teachers Union), etc... And what I've discovered is more disheartening than previously imagined.

My Mother could sue this individual for cruel and unusual punishment and have every right to do so. However, she could not afford an Attorney to go up against the most powerful union in the State of California. I've been told by a Senator, "good luck even finding a Lawyer on contigency to go up against this Union". If you look at the number of dollars funneled in to the Justice System (to Judges and elected officials) by the Prison guard Union, the numbers might overwhelm you. Hundreds of thousands of dollars are pumped to Judges. Those same judges incarcerate more people and keep the Prisons bulging at the seams.

I could go on-an-on...

In the end, I am left with more questions than answers and see no easy solution on reform.