Pelican Bay State Prison

History and Creation of Pelican Bay

Pelican Bay was built, in part, in response to a perceived rise in violent crimes across the California prison system. From the early 1960s, inmate fights and yard attacks in prisons around the state had escalated, while inmate assaults of guards rose from 32 in 1969 to 84 in 1973. While some argue that the problems in California prisons related to the state's integration policies, which forced rival gangs onto the yards at the same time, prison officials [Page 687]attributed them to an increase in gang activity and to the court-mandated decrease in institutional controls.

Inmates were not the only ones becoming more violent. In 1987, California adopted a “Shoot to kill” policy that allowed officers to kill any inmate engaged in behavior that could result in injury to others. The Department of Corrections also switched ammunition to a more powerful bullet in 1988, which typically kills its target with a single shot. As a result, 27 prisoners died at the hands of guards in California over a five-year period; in the rest of the country, only seven prisoners were killed by guards.

The Shu

The SHU at Pelican Bay is California's most secure prison facility. Most inmates are sent there for committing violent acts within the prison system, attempting escape, being caught with a weapon, or being a known gang member. Once in the SHU, inmates are housed in solitary confinement.

The SHU, which is designed to hold 1,056 inmates, is made up of 132 areas referred to as “pods.” Twenty-two separate units, each containing six pods, are arranged in a semicircle around a control room. The control room officer operates all of the cell doors and the entrances to the pods, while monitoring all inmate movement outside the cells through video surveillance. Within the pods are eight cells, each of which typically houses only one man. The cells have heavy perforated doors, which by their design limit an inmate's ability to assault others, without obstructing visibility in or out of the cell. Inside the cells, the bunks and toilets are molded to the floor. All items must be X-rayed prior to being admitted into the cells. The pods do not have any windows. The only natural light comes in from a few skylights.

Each pod has one exercise area, measuring 10 feet wide by 26 feet long, in which inmates are typically granted one hour of exercise alone per day. Otherwise they are contained in their cells for 22 to 23 hours a day. Unlike other prisons, inmates in the SHU are not allowed contact with others. Complete silence is maintained at all times. Any time an individual leaves his cell he is placed in restraints and escorted by two guards wearing Kevlar vests. Nonetheless, basic standards of care are meant to be maintained; SHU inmates are allowed to receive health services, meet with counseling staff, conduct legal research, attend hearings, and have noncontact visits with family or friends.

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