Prison Power Play

Somone asked how messages are relayed/well say I meet someone from San Diego-a certain gang: I ask them if they know such and such from said gang ...which they probably do since they are in a gang they all grew up together in...I then explain that this guy is to be NO GOOD-he relays message to his gang and they relay it to everyone ---when guy is found it is now known that he is NO GOOD....and appropriate actions are to be taken. Thus a relayed message --its faster usually then a phone call/

Whenever I saw the guards I wondered how many of them take bribes from prisoners. Maybe even smuggle in contraband. A corrupt guard would be a valuable ally for a prisoner. I figure everybody has a price and there is a lot of money coming from drugs in prison. What happens when the camera shuts off?

One of my favorite Ling reports (and one of my favorite Vanguard episodes in general).

dose not vote well for humanity indeed.

As one being Mexican American, it saddens me to no end as to how this system of death and hate is managed by the government that excuses it's self from any responsibility of how the prison is controlled from the inside. How is it that we are lead to believe the prison guards that they are only able to manage the situation when in fact, the warden, the guards, the police, Judges, District Attorneys are the ones responsible for what will soon become a lethal race war that will flow out into our streets, our neighborhoods? What will the politicians do for us when California erupts into flames.

We are witnessing the making of our next Rodney King Riot which will push back racial progress & unity 50 years. Law enforcement can continue to put it's collective head in the sand if it chooses to but now is the time for real prison reform to take place. If we fail to act, there will be no going back. We will all lose.

This whole series is excellent! It shows a side of prison that I never new existed. I would like to see, if possible, how messages are relayed from the prison to the streets. Great job.

Great video laura, it must of been scary putting together this documentary.

Great journalism, congratulations to all involved

Great stuff Laura, just seen 'Prison Power Play' on Current TV, reckon your a brave lassie, thanks for an interesting hour!
p.s California need some serious work on their Correction System!

It has been said before and I shall state it here. It is really shameful how much effort some of these people put into being prisoners and maintaining this way of life. If these people would have put this much effort into being inventive or leaders in common place society, it is arguable that they would have been successful in life. Wasted talent.

lol... we have a paradigm/reality that tells you that you are "good" if you are rich enough to be above the justice system.

my example: i was stopped on an unpaid ticket warrant. (i forgot but couldn't afford it right then, either.) i was arrested and abused by police for 13 hours before i was able to call my family. (filthy, closed concrete room with 10 scared girls who were being forced to watch men masturbate. the sheriffs knew.) if i had money i wouldn't believe this could happen - not in america. but this is america the real, don't kid yourself. there is no justice. some of these men are simply victims of poverty and police.

I wonder how crowded these prisons would be if sentencing laws were actually brought in line with the times for nonviolent drug offenses. The archaic sentencing laws that give federal prison sentences for drugs is actually one of the reasons why you have this situation. This was a very informative program. Thanks again for covering this important issue. Too bad presidential candidates don't touch it, but it sounds like prison politics is alot like the Washington DC kind.... And you do have nerves of steel. I think it would be good to follow up with a story about the bloods and crips, because even in my hometown teenagers are drawn into them in the high school and that leads them to prison. This all goes back to our society and the atmosphere we make with our apathy that perpetuates this cycle. Thanks again.

I think this is a great report because i my self go to visit in corcoran state prison and let me tell you its not as pretty as it seen. CO's can be very rude and selffish when it comes to visitors. They have to remember that they are going to be treated with the same respect they give. I'm not saying that all CO's are rude or mean but the majority are powered by the badge.But like i said this is a good insight of what prison really is. There is men that what another chance to be with there families and be a family man.

wow. what a terrifying look at our prisons. i dont know how she held up, looking at the faces of the walking dead.

Laura Ling is amazing. Thank goodness for peeps like her spreading good information to the world..this is great access. I wonder what the procedure is to get into these places. I remember in my sociology class, I was supposed to visit a prison but there were a bunch rules enforced, so i bet there were lots of procedure involved.

this was really great information.

We actually had incredible access from the low level yard to the SHU (security housing unit). We weren't censored and we were able to interview most inmates that the prison officials felt did not pose a security risk.

Just curious, Laura. Were you prevented from asking any particular questions? Or interviewing anyone you chose?

Incredible access! The California Dept Corrections is notoriously uncooperative, even with print reporters. I'm impressed Current was able to actually take us inside.

I had no idea about the extent of prison politics and I thought Laura did an amazing job of covering it; I was glued to my seat!

Laura Ling has nerves of steel to do this program.

I was tense just watching it.

Kudos to Ms. Ling.

That's where Manson is. Obviously not the same level.

I've been in the penitentiary twice so this made me want to know more about this one without going in to actually see it!

Why can't we send them to fight for our country? Not all maybe just the lifers or death row imates and if they live then give them a pardon with conditons..

whoooooooo i aint never goin back......

Here is an important link for a continuation on this theme...it tells how we can help solve
the violence in prison problem in a unique way.
http://current.com/items/88735771_before_vermont_prison_cuts_budget_they_should_...

I think Current should do a pod on this...show how easy it is to use common sense to significantly cut violence in prisons...

Great show, why not try going to all 33 prisons and making a 2 or 3 hour documentary.

thanks for showing us this.

while watching this last night in my bay area record store (yes some of us still out there) a customer who said he was just released from san quentin was enthralled by the program. making comments and banter to me as it played out. If he liked it and thought it was well made i gotta agree with him.

good work Laura. i hope you take the next step and ask why human beings are allowed to be treated like animals, whether or not being treated like animals is torture, and why our tax dollars are being used to enrich corporations that warehouse and torture people.

I don't approve of my tax dollars going to warehouse the "dum n'broke" for gazzillions of dollars for stealing and selling drugs or non violent crimes , bring back public executions for child molestors , murderers and rapists. My personal belief is for those thrill killers or what they call "serial killers" there is a great deturant, death by incenration. Burn baby burn!!!!

great reporting. finally some television that is actually worth watching. thanks for dropping some knowledge.

i would hate to be shanked,
it would be so horrible to be caged,
the apostle paul killed christians for a living and became a saint.
i've always wondered what some of this people might become if they had a second chance and actually did something with it.