When the OIG asked Pollard how he thought the girlfriend got her injuries, Pollard blamed the girlfriend and guessed that she could have tripped and fallen, according to the report. I would also like to take this opportunity to express my gratitude to retiring Warden Marcus Pollard for 27 years of exemplary service to the Department, she wrote. That changed in Dec. 2020, when reported cases suddenly surged, and deaths followed suit. According to the Inspector General report, The Skelly officer heard a presentation by the officers attorney and, based on the presentation, concluded that there were inconsistencies in the girlfriends statements and that the officer presented himself humbly, very confident in his demeanor, and body language was agreeing [sic] with the statements of his legal representation.. This is a high-risk medical facility and once some contract the virus, it proves hard to fight off, Pollard said, according to the meetings minutes. "There was an assault on an inmate on Friday, August 30 at Richard J. Donovan Correctional Facility at 2:21 p.m," said a statement released to ABC News by the state corrections department on Sunday. intranet, workgroup or mobile device. You can check out the prison record here. Family Liaison Service SpecialistCDCR provides through a contract with a community-based organization an on-site Case Manager as a family reunification liaison for inmates and family members, to assist with an inmates pre-release preparation; and conduct Parenting and Creative Conflict Resolution classes for inmates. Robert Charleston, 36, was discovered unconscious at the Otay Mesa penitentiary shortly before 9:30 p.m. Sunday, corrections Lt. Jennifer Davies said. Authorities report that at least twenty inmates at the Richard J Donovan Correctional Facility were in the recreation yard when an unknown number of them began attacking the officers. The departments attorney, who had originally supported the previous wardens decision to dismiss the officer, also agreed with the Skelly officers recommendation, saying she no longer believed the department could prove its case against the officer, according to the report. The next month, September 2019, the department held a Skelly hearing for the officer, where the state presents the allegations to the accused officer and the officers representative makes a defense. Once completed and on file, information can be shared with you. As a result of the review. The officer was also forced to surrender a Glock 43 to police, according to court documents. Still, the OIG said in the report that the department should have disciplined the officer, arguing that the girlfriends statements on her 9-1-1 call, to police and to the neighbor were consistent and her injuries were in line with how she said she was injured. Bond, Jr. and Andrew T. Hofer as suspects in this case. As a result, according to the filing, many dont ask for accommodations or other help for their disabilities, people suffering from mental illness dont report suicidality or need for treatment and refrain from filing grievances against staff for fear of retaliation. The witness said the man was not resisting, but yelled, I cant breathe, I cant breathe, according to court documents. The girlfriend said the correctional officer sped off before authorities arrived, the report said. He retired at the age of 56. "We are humbled to be part of your educational journey." Richard J. Donovan Correctional Facility Warden Marcus Pollard (R) participated in the online memorandum of understanding signing that will allow his inmates to earn bachelor's degrees at UC Irvine. The officer was also forced to surrender a Glock 43 to police, according to court documents. Again even how youre asking me about it, Im like listen, let me get on my social media And I love the Daily Mail. Populations in the states 34 prisons have fluctuated significantly over the course of the pandemic. You can check out the prison record here. Associate Professor Keramet Reiter (L) discussed the LIFTED program as part of the call. california department of corrections and rehabilitation, 110 West A St. Suite 650, San Diego, CA 92101, Proudly powered by Newspack by Automattic. San Diego, CA 92179 92179. Former Corrections Officer Sentenced to 3 Years for Smuggling Drugs and Cell Phones into State Prison SAN DIEGO - Anibal Navarro, a former corrections officer at Richard J. Donovan Correctional Facility, was sentenced in federal court today to 37 months in prison for smuggling methamphetamine, heroin, marijuana and cell phones into state prison. The announcement by federal authorities of the indictment against Hugie included mention of a separate indictment against Brown, who is charged in another case with allegedly taking nearly $700,000 in pandemic-related unemployment benefits while he was in custody at the prison. We take every allegation of staff misconduct very seriously, and work hard to ensure there is accountability when allegations are sustained, Simas said. The warden of San Diego Countys state prison retired this month after holding the job for two years, during which he faced questions about his disciplinary and pandemic-related decisions and the prisons commitment to making court-ordered reforms. Participants in the substance abuse treatment (SAT) program are provided intensive substance abuse treatment and support during incarceration and parole. All of the members that we spoke to speak very highly of warden Pollard, Curry said. All participants will be assessed by medical and referred to one of the CBI classes. During the pandemic, Donovan tallied among the highest COVID-19 death tolls in California prisons. That December, Donovan issued its staff the highest number of citations for not complying with mask mandates and social distancing of any state prison. Suge is currently at the Richard J. Donovan Correctional Facility in San Diego County, California. If you're prepared to contribute to a health care initiative of historic proportions, there is a place for you here. Court filings raise questions about prison staffs willingness to embrace the reforms. Facilities A (1, 3-5), B, C (11-13), D, &E are currently in Open Phase. inewsource reached out to Pollard multiple times for this story. Donovan also has the fifth highest death count per incarcerated person based on June 2021 prison populations, making the death rate at the time the highest among the states 21 largest prisons. SAN DIEGO - Eleven people, including a former Corrections Officer at Richard J. Donovan ("RJD") Correctional Facility, are charged in federal court as members of a network that smuggled methamphetamine, heroin, marijuana and cellular telephones into the prison. DRP ProgramsIntegrated Substance Use Disorder Treatment (ISUDT)OverviewOn January 21, 2020, the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) and California Correctional Health Care Services (CCHCS) implemented ISUDT. This is on your watch. The Richard J. Donovan Correctional Facility, where 25 qualified inmates will receive a new Second Chance Federal Pell Grant. Pollard's last day was Nov. 2, 2021. Donovan, he said in the declaration, is the most violent prison he had ever been in. that affects your company, organization or interest. Public health experts who spoke to inewsource in April said prison staff should frequently monitor and test higher risk residents and criticized the prison, saying the men should not have been found unresponsive in their cells. Pollard withdrew the previous wardens disciplinary action against the officer, in agreement with a Skelly officer, who presided over the disciplinary proceedings, and high level department officials who said there were inconsistencies in the girlfriends story and a lack of evidence pointing to the officers guilt. Web. The newest motion adds 39 declarations detailing abuse in other facilities throughout the state and an additional 19 from people incarcerated at Donovan. inewsourcereported that families of those incarcerated were often left in the dark while their loved ones fell ill or died from the virus. That changed in Dec. 2020, when reported cases suddenly surged, and deaths followed suit. Required fields are marked *. The coroner said the man was an inmate at William Donaldson Correctional Facility serving a sentence for burglary from a 2011 conviction out. Sensitive Needs Yard (SNY): There are currently three facilities at RJDCF which are designated as SNY. Sims, 37, was admitted from Kings County on June 14, 2019, to serve six years for assault with force likely to produce great bodily injury, a second strike, and possession of paraphernalia/drugs/alcohol in jail/prison, a second strike. The OIG report said the charges were dropped after the girlfriend sent the officer an email saying she couldnt exactly remember how she had been injured. The report from the OIG, an independent state prison oversight agency, accused Pollard and other officials of faulty decision-making and criticized the state corrections departments tendency to give undue credence to its officers. The officer was using his flashlight and could see that the man was moving his hands on the toilet. Police located the womans severed thumb in the parking lot of her apartment complex, but medical personnel couldnt reattach it because it had been severed down to the first joint, the report said. Maya was Voice of San Diegos Associate Editor of Civic Education. In a span of eight days in late December 2020 and early January 2021, eight Donovan residents died from COVID-19. Richard J. Donovan Correctional Facility: Latest Job Openings, Reviews and Ratings & Profile wise Salary Distribution. Where are the Menendez brothers today? R.J. Donovan Correctional Facility 480 Alta Road, San Diego Coming from Mission Hills, it's a 25-mile drive south and then east on Highway 905 out to Richard J. Donovan Correctional. Pollards last day was Nov. 2, 2021. The Richard J. Donovan state prison in Otay Mesa is shown on Dec. 21, 2018. By KNSS Staff. Mission: The Mission at Richard J. Donovan Correctional Facility (RJDCF) is a multi-mission institution: RJDCFs primary mission is to provide housing for General Population and SNY, Level I, II, III & IV inmates serving their term of incarceration at RJDCF. - The death of an inmate found in grave condition in his cell at the Richard J. Donovan Correctional Facility on Christmas night is under investigation as a possible homicide, prison. COVID-19 cases and deaths were spiking throughout California and the nation at that time. Warden Hills priorities are to support CDCRs vision and mission, with emphasis on rehabilitative and restorative justice programs while exemplifying the Departments values of service, leadership, integrity, accountability, respect, trust, and collaboration. The next day, police arrested the officer at Donovan. The court documents also allege that one of the witnesses in the incident that led to the 68-year-olds death faced significant retaliation from staff for speaking with attorneys about it. Pollard attributed the severity of the outbreak in part to the health status of some of the inmates there. The corrections department refused to provide inewsource with. The new acting warden, Raymond Madden will lead Donovan while the prison continues to carry out Armstrong reforms, including anti-retaliation mechanisms, changes to staff misconduct investigation and discipline and increased training and staffing. Those reforms included implementing body-worn cameras for corrections staff who work with disabled residents and improvements to the investigative process for staff misconduct. inewsource reported that at least three men were found dead or dying in their cells from COVID-19 during a deadly winter outbreak. Just weeks after Marcus Pollard was named acting warden at Richard J. Donovan Correctional Facility in August 2019, he declined to discipline an officer accused of punching his girlfriend and severing her thumb when he slammed it in a truck door a decision a state watchdog disagreed with. Officers assault people who are restrained and not resisting or who they have already knocked unconscious. Bond, 36, was admitted from Butte County on Aug. 5, 2010, to serve life with the possibility of parole for second-degree murder and possession of a controlled substance. She said he still suffers from related lung issues. Broken bones, shattered teeth, bloodied faces, and concussions are routine, reads the February complaint. People who are in custody in the prison context are really isolated from the outside world, so the brutality in prison is sometimes not as obvious to the public as what we see in the streets and in the news., A use of force expert for the plaintiffs reviewed disciplinary records from Donovan and found the profound shortcomings of the system allow staff to assault and retaliate against people with disabilities with near-impunity, only facing discipline in the rare cases when video evidence or staff reports make it impossible for [the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation] to find that the misconduct did not occur.. I would also like to take this opportunity to express my gratitude to retiring Warden Marcus Pollard for 27 years of exemplary service to the Department, she wrote. When he looked into the mans cell at approximately 3:05 a.m., he saw him with his head in the toilet and large amounts of blood, on the floor, on the bed, and on the inmate, according to court documents. Patrick Covello, Pollards predecessor, left Donovan in 2019 to take the reins at a prison near Sacramento. During that same period, authorities at the facility terminated nine officers for their involvement in five incidents of misconduct against inmates, according to court documents. The accused officer still works at Donovan today. Get an unlimited news experience The corrections officer, who started at Donovan in February 2017, makes more than $100,000 a year in his job at the prison. The California. Six others are charged along with Brown in the fraud case. Many of the staff misconduct incidents that result in disciplinary action statewide relied on reports from fellow staff or video corroboration, but the vast majority of Donovan lacks camera coverage. A report from the Office of Inspector General published in June 2020 concluded that the corrections officer should nevertheless have been disciplined. He has experience working with both male and female members of the incarcerated population. The Institution Hearing Program (IHP) at R. J. Donovan is designed to prepare inmates who are illegal immigrants for release to USINS custody and the return to their native lands. A newly released audit report blasts a now-retired warden of San Ysidro's Donovan state prison and. Another witness also described the officers standing on his back after he had cut himself one night and was yelling for help. AOD Counselor (Full-time) (Richard J. Donovan Correctional Facility ) (San Diego, CA) new. Thats one of the explosive claims in a new filing in the lawsuit, which alleges that corrections officers at the San Diego County facility are assaulting and terrorizing incarcerated people with disabilities.. The warden at Richard J. Donovan Correctional Facility is responsible for the custody, care and rehabilitation of more than 3,000 incarcerated people - about a fourth of them with disabilities - and the management of more than 1,500 prison employees. Since then, he has gone somewhat underground, but in March 2020, a judge affirmed the $107 million judgment against Knight, which was awarded back in 2005. The failure to take even this first step, a step already taken by many correctional and jail systems throughout the country, demonstrates the states indifference and further condones serious staff misconduct.. His salary was more than $180,000. Benito Jamar Hugie, 47, is accused of accepting "thousands of dollars" in bribes to smuggle dental molds, jewelry and other items into the San Diego County prison for 26-year-old inmate Shawn Brown. TRENTON - A state grand jury today voted to indict 14 corrections officers who were charged after a January 2021 incident at the Hunterdon County-based Edna Mahan Correctional Facility for Women, in which inmates were forcibly removed from cells and some Corrections officials told inewsource that Donovan was building the personnel team and training to locate specific footage and release it to the public. Richard J. Donovan has been extremely challenging to me as the Warden, but it has also been rewarding, Pollard wrote in a brief notice of resignation. Institution Statistics (SB601), Operational Performance Measures (COMPSTAT)andInmate Population Reports. In most use of force situations, it would provide definitive evidence of whether the force was justified or excessive, Schwartz wrote. A sergeant, another officer and two registered nurses arrived and eventually called 911. However, the Honorable Donovan passed away before the institution was built. 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