Inmate Commits Attempted Murder of a Correctional Officer at California Men's Colony

SAN LUIS OBISPO – An inmate at California Men’s Colony (CMC) attacked a correctional officer with an inmate manufactured weapon yesterday, inflicting injuries to the officer’s head and neck.  One officer who responded also was injured while subduing the attacker, inmate William Mikeworth.

The attack happened at approximately 10 a.m. on May 15, 2013, on a medium-custody yard when inmate Mikeworth struck the officer in the head and neck several times with a weapon.

The unit alarm was sounded, and responding officers used physical force and batons to subdue inmate Mikeworth.

Both officers were treated and released from a community hospital for wounds to their heads and necks.  Their injuries were non-life threatening.

Inmate Mikeworth, 39, was admitted to state prison on September 9, 2008 from San Bernardino County with a 9-year term for assault with a deadly weapon. He has been housed at CMC since February 18, 2013.

The incident is being reviewed by investigators at California Men’s Colony and from the San Luis Obispo County District Attorney’s Office.

California Men’s Colony houses 4,917 inmates and employs 1,899 custody, medical and support staff.  First opened in 1954, the institution houses minimum- and medium-custody inmates and provides medical treatment and vocational training to inmates.

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

May 17, 2013

Contact: Lt. Robert Furster

(805) 547-7948

Inmate Death at Kern Valley State Prison Under Investigation as a Homicide

DELANO – Kern Valley State Prison (KVSP) investigators are working with the Kern County Coroner and District Attorney’s Office to investigate the death of an inmate, which has been classified as a homicide.

Prison staff discovered an inmate, whose name is being withheld pending next-of-kin notification, unresponsive in his cell at 9:30 a.m. this morning, Thursday, May 16, 2013. He was pronounced dead at 10:20 a.m. The cell and all its contents have been secured and processed as a crime scene.

The deceased inmate’s cellmate, Dennis John Bratton, has been identified as the suspect in the case. Bratton, 43, is serving a life sentence from San Diego County for attempted murder, multiple counts of assault with deadly weapons and firearms, and an in prison assault with a deadly weapon.  He was received by the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation on November 13, 1997, and has been housed at KVSP since May 23, 2012.

KVSP opened in 2005 and houses 3,782 minimum-, medium-, maximum-, and high-security custody inmates.  KVSP offers academic classes and vocational programs and employs approximately 1,800 people.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
MAY 16, 2013
CONTACT:  JEFF SMITH
(661) 721-6314

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New Study Shows Post-Prison Arrests are Down, Convictions Static under Realignment

CDCR tracked inmates released from prison pre- and post-Realignment 

SACRAMENTO, CA – One-year arrest rates are down and conviction rates are virtually static for offenders released after completing their state prison sentences post-Realignment, according to a report released today by the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR).

For this Realignment Report, CDCR identified all offenders who had served their full sentence and were released from prison during the first six months after the implementation of Realignment (October 2011 through March 2012). Researchers then tracked the offenders, which include those released to state parole supervision and those released to county probation supervision, for one year to see if they were re-arrested, convicted of a new crime, or returned to state prison. CDCR then compared those results with all offenders released during October 2010 to March 2011 (pre-Realignment) and tracked them for one year in the same manner.

Key findings include:

•    Post-Realignment offenders were arrested at a lower rate than pre-Realignment offenders (62 percent pre-Realignment and 58.7 percent post-Realignment).
•    The rate of post-Realignment offenders convicted of new crimes is nearly the same as the rate of pre-Realignment offenders convicted of new crimes (21.3 percent pre-realignment and 22.5 percent post realignment).
•    Post-Realignment offenders returned to prison at a significantly lower rate than pre-Realignment offenders, an intended effect of Realignment as most offenders are ineligible to return to prison on a parole violation. (42 percent pre-Realignment and 7.4 percent post-Realignment)

Under California’s Public Safety Realignment Act of 2011, no offenders receive an early release from state prison. The law, which was passed by the Legislature in response to a federal court order to reduce California’s prison population, has achieved dramatic reductions by stemming the flow of low-level inmates and parole violators into prison.

The intent of Realignment is to encourage counties to develop and implement evidenced-based practices and alternatives to incarceration to limit future crimes and reduce victimization.

Prior to Realignment, more than 60,000 felon parole violators returned to state prison annually, with an average length of stay of 90 days. Beginning on October 1, 2011, most parole violations are now served in county jails. Also, offenders newly convicted of certain low-level offenses serve their time in county jail. Under another component of Realignment, inmates who have served their full state prison sentence for a non-serious, non-violent or non-sexual offense are now supervised upon their release by county probation rather than state parole. Realignment provides a dedicated, constitutionally protected, and permanent revenue stream to the counties.

To view the full report, go to: http://www.cdcr.ca.gov/realignment/

To view a fact sheet on Realignment, go to: http://www.cdcr.ca.gov/realignment/docs/Realignment-Fact-Sheet.pdf

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Thursday, May 16, 2013
Contact: Jeffrey Callison
(916) 445-4950