Week in Review: August 16, 2024

August 16, 2024

In this issue of Week in Review for August 16, Female Community Reentry Los Angeles participant graduates Berkeley, High Desert honors fallen correctional officer Richard Alan Bianchi, and CTF staff address mental health.

Staff Spotlight

MCSP holds staff appreciation car show

Mule Creek State Prison’s (MCSP) Employee Association recently hosted its annual staff appreciation day and car show. Association members barbecued hamburgers and hot dogs, and provided chips, water, cotton candy, and popcorn. Various vendors and car enthusiasts from the community showed their support. This gesture is a small token compared to the hard work and dedication of MCSP staff. Read the full story on Inside CDCR.

Rehabilitation

FCRP LA participant graduates from Berkeley

Rafaella Benoit, a Female Community Reentry Program (FCRP) Los Angeles participant, recently graduated from the University of California, Berkeley.

She recently received her degree in psychology with a concentration in forensic psychology.

“It has always been a dream of mine to study with some of the greatest and most influential minds in academics,” she said.

In the Community

Avenal State Prison awards scholarships to students

children of ASP staff receive scholarships

Avenal State Prison’s Chicano Correctional Workers Association (CCWA) awarded four college scholarships to the children of employees.

Roman Torres, son of Correctional Counselor II V. Torres, will attend Vanguard University of Southern California.
Serena Galvan, daughter of Lt. A. Lara, will attend the University of Jamestown in North Dakota.
Rafael Garcia, son of Officer L. Urias, will attend Fresno State University.
Madison Lujan, daughter of Staff Services Analyst T. Lujan, will attend College of the Sequoias in Visalia.

CCWA scholarships aim to support communities and youth, helping them make a positive impact on themselves and those around them.

In Our Institutions

Correctional educators at the CHCF reentry resources fair.

CHCF hosts first reentry fair

California Health Care Facility (CHCF) hosted its first reentry resources fair.

The connected organizations already volunteering inside the institution as well as in the community to support incarcerated individuals with rehabilitation and post-parole resources.

The event included CHCF staff, 27 resource tables, and more than 400 incarcerated individuals.

Read the full story on Inside CDCR.

CTF staff address mental health

Correctional Training Facility (CTF) recently hosted a staff wellbeing workshop, led by renowned Transformational and Wellbeing Coach Tara Packer.

The event focused on managing anxiety and exploring forgiveness.

The workshop locations were chosen based on staff interest, highlighting the facility’s commitment to mental health.

Packer, who volunteered her time, introduced participants to a “Tapping Exercise” for managing anxiety and understanding forgiveness.

In the managing anxiety session, she addressed anxiety and provided techniques such as Tapping/EFT (Emotional Freedom Techniques).

The forgiveness session guided staff through acknowledgment, letting go, and acceptance, aiming to free individuals from cycles of unforgiveness.

High Desert State Prison honors fallen Officer Richard Alan Bianchi

High Desert State Prison held a memorial ceremony for Correctional Officer Richard Alan Bianchi, known as “Rich,” who passed away while on duty June 25, 2020.

The ceremony took place in the administration building. Staff, family, and friends gathered to unveil a shadow box created by the California Correctional Peace Officers Association (CCPOA).

Officer Bianchi was a beloved figure, known for his selflessness and dedication. He was respected and admired by many, including his family, friends, and colleagues. He excelled in cross country running, wrestling, and proudly served in the US Air Force.

The memorial shadow box includes his achievements and memorabilia from a candlelight vigil in Washington, D.C., where his name was added to the National Fallen Law Enforcement Officer Memorial.

Upward Mobility

Joseph Garland has been assigned as Chief Executive Officer, Health Care (Safety) (CEO) at the Sierra Conservation Center (SCC).

CCJBH

CCJBH Diversion Reentry Workgroup

On Aug. 23, the Council on Criminal Justice and Behavioral Health (CCJBH) will discuss the implementation of evidence-based criminal justice practices, including collaborative case planning and the risk-responsivity model. This workgroup will explore how these practices support new state initiatives like California Advancing and Innovating Medi-Cal (CalAIM) and the Community Assistance Recovery and Empowerment (CARE) Act.

The meeting will be held from 3 to 5 p.m. and participants may join via Microsoft Teams or in person at 1515 K St., Suite 550, Sacramento.

In the Media

‘Is There a Right Way to Forgive?’ Lessons from one prison classroom

“Is there a right way to forgive?” Lety Z. Montoya wondered out loud. “If I don’t feel these positive things that come after, did I do it wrong? Did I not mean it?”

A few of her classmates nodded their heads.

“Thank you for saying that,” said Kristen Discola, a sociology professor at California State University, Los Angeles. “People often think that it would be a betrayal of their brother, their mother, their son if they allowed themselves to forgive.”

Visit Slate’s website to read the full article.

In San Quentin program, participants reckon with their pasts, lobby for change

On a recent hot day, in the cool of the San Quentin Rehabilitation Center library, Hugo Campos tells a group of about 10 other incarcerated people the story of his best friend’s death.

Motivational posters cover the walls, and three circles of chairs have been set up around tables.

Campos reads slowly from a written reflection, telling the circle how when he was a teenager, his close friend — the local ‘weed guy’ — was shot during a drug deal gone bad.

Visit KQED website to read the full story.

East Bay center helps formerly incarcerated people train for productive careers

While he was serving a 17-year sentence for armed robberies at California State Prison, Solano, Sadakao “Doc” Whittington decided he needed to turn his life around.

His first step was finding a career he could pursue after his release.

“I wrote to everyone I was interested in, and the Sprinkler Fitters (U.A. Local 483) sent me a packet that was so thick with a plethora of information. I would put it up on my bunk and I would just dream, ’40 hours times this’ and how my life would change,” he said. “All my life, I just wanted to be a part of something great. The envelope I sent them, it had ‘California State Prison, Solano’ on it. They saw that, but they saw me as a human bring. They gave me a shot when nobody else would.”

Visit CBS News website to read the full story.