Articles Tagged With ‘California Prisons’




California needs an honest initiative system

OPINION by DAN DOW I am deeply saddened that a majority of California voters were misled to believe that the early release of prisoners from state prison would only apply to truly nonviolent crimes. The initiative system must be changed... (Continue reading)

Arroyo Grande cross burner arrested on gun charges

One of the men convicted in the 2011 Arroyo Grande cross burning case could be heading back to prison well before the date he was scheduled to be released. Jeremiah Leo “Smurf” Hernandez returned to San Luis Obispo Superior Court... (Continue reading)

Inmate who robbed Morro Bay Motel 6 caught in Oregon

A 40-day, cross-country manhunt for an inmate who robbed Motel 6 in Morro Bay ended Monday at a homeless services center in Oregon. Joshua Lee Drinnon, 36, escaped captivity on Sept. 2 and disappeared into an Illinois cornfield. Drinnon, who... (Continue reading)

Prisoner who robbed Motel 6 in Morro Bay escapes in Illinois

A California inmate who robbed Motel 6 in Morro Bay escaped captivity Wednesday evening and disappeared into an Illinois cornfield while being transported across the country. Joshua Lee Drinnon, 35, robbed a Motel 6 clerk at knife point in 2010.... (Continue reading)

Prison guard avoids jail time for gun crime

A former prison guard who was convicted of a felony for pointing a loaded gun at a vehicle during a Paso Robles road rage incident will avoid serving jail time as punishment for the crime. [Tribune] Anthony James Behrens, 53,... (Continue reading)

Manson follower again eligible for parole from CMC

Prison officials have again found Manson family member Bruce Davis eligible for parole from the California Men’s Colony. Davis, 72, has been serving life sentences for two 1969 murders, as well as conspiracy to commit murder. He was not directly... (Continue reading)

Prison guard convicted of felony in SLO County

A Central Valley prison guard has been convicted of a felony for pointing a loaded gun at a vehicle during a 2014 road rage incident near Paso Robles. [Tribune] Anthony James Behrens, 53, is a sergeant at Kern Valley State... (Continue reading)

SLO judge frees man he once gave life sentence

More than 20 years after sentencing a 16-year-old to life in prison without parole, San Luis Obispo Judge Michael Duffy has ordered the release of the now 37-year-old man. When he was 13-years-old, Mexican national Freddie Chacon was sent to... (Continue reading)

California ordered to change the sex of an inmate

A federal judge has ordered the state of California to allow a prison inmate to undergo gender reassignment surgery. [LA Times] U.S. District Court Judge Jon Tigar ruled in San Francisco that the state was violating Michelle-Lael Norsworthy’s constitutional rights... (Continue reading)

California’s death row out of room

With the state tied up in litigation and about 20 newly condemned men arriving yearly, California’s death row has run out of room. [LA Times] Currently, there are 731 men and 20 women sentenced to death in California. Most of... (Continue reading)