Pelican Bay State Prison
Encyclopedia
Pelican Bay State Prison (PBSP) is a supermax
California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation
state prison near Crescent City
in unincorporated
Del Norte County, California
. The 275 acres (111.3 ha) facility is explicitly designed to keep California’s alleged “worst of the worst” prisoners in long-term solitary confinement.
The 8 x 10 foot cells of the Pelican Bay SHU, or Secure Housing Unit, are made of smooth, poured concrete. They have no windows. Instead, there are fluorescent lights, which the inmates can control. For at least twenty-two hours every day, prisoners remain in their cells, looking out through a perforated steel door at a solid concrete wall. Food is delivered twice a day (breakfast, sack lunch, and dinner) through a slot in the cell door.
A guard in a central control booth controls these doors; he can press a button and allow one prisoner at a time to go out to a shower, or to his court-mandated five hours per week of outdoor exercise. This exercise takes place in a cement yard, often called a “dog run,” which extends the length of three cells, and has a roof partially open to the sky. The guard in the control booth is always armed; from his central vantage point in the control booth, he can shoot onto any one of six pods, each containing eight cells.
.
As of July 1st, 2011, a large number of prisoners in the SHU have been on hunger strike. According to the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, "less than two dozen" were refusing food; however the Prisoner Hunger Strike Solidarity Coalition reported close to 100% participation in the SHU on the first day, with the strike spreading to Pelican Bay general population on the second. The Coalition also reported that the strike had spread to Corcoran and Folsom prisons, with over 100 prisoners participating in solidarity with the SHU prisoners' demands. The CDCR subsequently admitted that 6600 prisoners had refused food for the first days, and that even after five days over 2000 remained on strike. However, most inmates consumed food purchased from the canteen, others were refusing all food with the stated intention to strike indefinitely. In the words of SHU prisoner Mutop DuGuya, "No one wants to die. Yet under this current system of what amounts to intense torture, what choice do we have? If one is to die, it will be on our own terms."
, Detective Charlie Crews spends twelve years in Pelican Bay for a triple homicide he did not commit, forming the basis of the series' plot. In the 2001 film Training Day
, Alonzo Harris, the character portrayed by Denzel Washington
, tells everyone in one of the last scenes that they are going to " be playing basketball in Pelican Bay" if they mess with him.
Pelican Bay is also referenced in two films directed by Michael Mann
. In Heat, the psychopathic character Waingro, portrayed by Kevin Gage
, admits to having spent time in "the SHU at Pelican Bay" during his most recent stint in prison. In Miami Vice
, the characters of Crockett and Tubbs
, portrayed by Colin Farrell
and Jamie Foxx
, are given fictitious criminal identities before they go undercover, which among other things imply that the two met while serving time in Pelican Bay.
Supermax
Supermax is the name used to describe "control-unit" prisons, or units within prisons, which represent the most secure levels of custody in the prison systems of certain countries...
California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation
California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation
The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation is responsible for the operation of the California state prison and parole systems. CDC&R is the second largest law enforcement or police agency in the United States behind the New York City Police Department which employs approximately...
state prison near Crescent City
Crescent City, California
Crescent City is the county seat and only incorporated city in Del Norte County, California. Named for the crescent-shaped stretch of sandy beach south of the city, Crescent City had a total population of 7,643 in the 2010 census, up from 4,006 in the 2000 census...
in unincorporated
Unincorporated area
In law, an unincorporated area is a region of land that is not a part of any municipality.To "incorporate" in this context means to form a municipal corporation, a city, town, or village with its own government. An unincorporated community is usually not subject to or taxed by a municipal government...
Del Norte County, California
Del Norte County, California
Del Norte County is a county located at the far northwest corner of the U.S. state of California on the Pacific adjacent to the Oregon border. As of the 2010 census, it had a population of 28,610. The county seat is Crescent City, the county's only incorporated city. Del Norte is the abbreviated...
. The 275 acres (111.3 ha) facility is explicitly designed to keep California’s alleged “worst of the worst” prisoners in long-term solitary confinement.
Facilities
Pelican Bay opened in 1989 . Pelican Bay's grounds and operations are physically divided. Half of the prison holds Level IV prisoners in a "general population" environment with outside exercise courts. The other half of the prison contains Pelican Bay's best-known feature: an X-shaped cluster of white buildings and barren ground known as the Security Housing Unit (SHU). An electric fence surrounds the entire perimeter.The 8 x 10 foot cells of the Pelican Bay SHU, or Secure Housing Unit, are made of smooth, poured concrete. They have no windows. Instead, there are fluorescent lights, which the inmates can control. For at least twenty-two hours every day, prisoners remain in their cells, looking out through a perforated steel door at a solid concrete wall. Food is delivered twice a day (breakfast, sack lunch, and dinner) through a slot in the cell door.
A guard in a central control booth controls these doors; he can press a button and allow one prisoner at a time to go out to a shower, or to his court-mandated five hours per week of outdoor exercise. This exercise takes place in a cement yard, often called a “dog run,” which extends the length of three cells, and has a roof partially open to the sky. The guard in the control booth is always armed; from his central vantage point in the control booth, he can shoot onto any one of six pods, each containing eight cells.
Pelican Bay SHU
As of 2007, prisoners in the Pelican Bay SHU spent an average of just over two years in solitary confinement, before being released back into the general prison population, or onto parole. Prisoners have spent as long as eighteen years in the Pelican Bay SHU before being released back into the general prison population, or onto parole. While some prisoners have spent decades in the Pelican Bay SHU, most prisoners are eventually released. On average, sixteen prisoners per month are released directly from the Pelican Bay SHU onto parole in California. The majority of inmates housed within the SHU are validated prison gang members/associates. A validated prison gang member/associate will spend an average of six years in the SHU. However, inmates are afforded the opportunity to "debrief" and give a written account of their gang participation. If they are proven to be truthful and forthcoming they will be transferred to a different prison and allowed to "do their time" in a positive and productive manner. However, most inmates chose not to participate in the debrief process.Psychological Impact
Prisoners, lawyers, and Prisoner advocates have argued that SHU confinement is cruel and unusual punishment, due to the severe conditions prisoners are forced to live in. Psychiatrists and psychologists have documented something they call “SHU syndrome,” which affects prisoners who spend more than a few months in isolation. The symptoms resemble those of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, including hallucinations, depression, anxiety, anger and suicideSuicide
Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Suicide is often committed out of despair or attributed to some underlying mental disorder, such as depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, alcoholism, or drug abuse...
.
Hunger Strikes
Pelican Bay SHU prisoners have organized hunger strikes in protest of the conditions they live in. In 2002, at least 60 SHU prisoners went on hunger strike .As of July 1st, 2011, a large number of prisoners in the SHU have been on hunger strike. According to the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, "less than two dozen" were refusing food; however the Prisoner Hunger Strike Solidarity Coalition reported close to 100% participation in the SHU on the first day, with the strike spreading to Pelican Bay general population on the second. The Coalition also reported that the strike had spread to Corcoran and Folsom prisons, with over 100 prisoners participating in solidarity with the SHU prisoners' demands. The CDCR subsequently admitted that 6600 prisoners had refused food for the first days, and that even after five days over 2000 remained on strike. However, most inmates consumed food purchased from the canteen, others were refusing all food with the stated intention to strike indefinitely. In the words of SHU prisoner Mutop DuGuya, "No one wants to die. Yet under this current system of what amounts to intense torture, what choice do we have? If one is to die, it will be on our own terms."
Television and Film
In the fictional series LifeLife (TV series)
Life is an American crime drama television program created by Rand Ravich that aired for two seasons on NBC. It was produced by Universal Media Studios under the supervision of executive producers Rand Ravich, Far Shariat, David Semel, and Daniel Sackheim...
, Detective Charlie Crews spends twelve years in Pelican Bay for a triple homicide he did not commit, forming the basis of the series' plot. In the 2001 film Training Day
Training Day
Training Day is a 2001 crime drama film directed by Antoine Fuqua, written by David Ayer, starring Denzel Washington and Ethan Hawke. The film follows two LAPD narcotics detectives over a 24-hour period in the gang neighborhoods of South and East Los Angeles.The film was a box office success and...
, Alonzo Harris, the character portrayed by Denzel Washington
Denzel Washington
Denzel Hayes Washington Jr. is an American actor, screenwriter, director, and film producer. He first rose to prominence when he joined the cast of the medical drama, St. Elsewhere, playing Dr...
, tells everyone in one of the last scenes that they are going to " be playing basketball in Pelican Bay" if they mess with him.
Pelican Bay is also referenced in two films directed by Michael Mann
Michael Mann
Michael Mann is the name of:*Michael Mann , musician and professor of German literature, son of Thomas Mann*Michael Mann , Anglican clergyman...
. In Heat, the psychopathic character Waingro, portrayed by Kevin Gage
Kevin Gage
Kevin Gage is an American actor notable for his role in the crime film Heat, portraying the ominous thrill-killing loose cannon, Waingro.-Personal life:Gage was married to actress Kelly Preston from 1985 to 1987....
, admits to having spent time in "the SHU at Pelican Bay" during his most recent stint in prison. In Miami Vice
Miami Vice (film)
Miami Vice is a 2006 American crime drama film about two Miami police detectives, Crockett and Tubbs, who go undercover to fight drug trafficking operations. The film is a loose adaptation of the 1980s TV series of the same name, written, produced, and directed by Michael Mann...
, the characters of Crockett and Tubbs
Ricardo Tubbs
Detective Ricardo Tubbs is a fictional character and protagonist from the American television series Miami Vice and the 2006 film of the same name. He is portrayed in all his appearances in the television series by Philip Michael Thomas, and in the film by Jamie Foxx...
, portrayed by Colin Farrell
Colin Farrell
Colin James Farrell is an Irish actor, who has appeared in such film as Tigerland, Miami Vice, Minority Report, Phone Booth, The Recruit, Alexander and S.W.A.T....
and Jamie Foxx
Jamie Foxx
Eric Marlon Bishop , professionally known as Jamie Foxx, is an American actor, singer-songwriter, stand-up comedian, and talk radio host. As an actor, his work in the film Ray earned him the Academy Award and BAFTA Award for Best Actor as well as the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor in a...
, are given fictitious criminal identities before they go undercover, which among other things imply that the two met while serving time in Pelican Bay.