{"id":2259317,"date":"2024-06-04T09:46:01","date_gmt":"2024-06-04T13:46:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/resigning-in-protest-whistleblower-exposes-corruption-in-californias-prison-system\/"},"modified":"2024-06-04T09:54:37","modified_gmt":"2024-06-04T13:54:37","slug":"resigning-in-protest-whistleblower-exposes-corruption-in-californias-prison-system","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/resigning-in-protest-whistleblower-exposes-corruption-in-californias-prison-system\/","title":{"rendered":"Exposing Corruption: Whistleblower Resigns in Protest at California&#8217;s Prisons"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">18<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fresigning-in-protest-whistleblower-exposes-corruption-in-californias-prison-system%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2259317&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>A former correctional lieutenant at a \u200chigh-security men&#8217;s\u200b prison in\u200c California faced a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/covid-has-killed-her-hundreds-of-thousands-but-abortion-has-killed-her-tens-of-millions\/\" title=\"COVID Has Killed Her Hundreds of Thousands, But Abortion Has Killed Her Tens of Millions\">moral dilemma<\/a> leading to resignation. The \u200cdecision was \u200bprompted by the corruption and injustice thriving in the system, particularly exacerbated by\u2063 the implementation of \u2062California \u2064State Senate Bill 132. The flawed policy allowed for \u200dunsafe conditions and manipulation,\u2063 further contributing to the lieutenant&#8217;s\u2063 decision \u200dto step away from their duties.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">As a former correctional lieutenant at a high-security men\u2019s prison in California, I came face-to-face with a moral dilemma that ultimately led me to resign. It wasn\u2019t an easy decision, but I could no longer stand by and watch as corruption and injustice thrived within the very system I was sworn to uphold. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The tipping point came in 2022 with the implementation of California State Senate Bill 132, also known as the <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/nicic.gov\/weblink\/transgender-respect-agency-and-dignity-act-sb-132\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Transgender Respect, Agency, and Dignity Act<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">. This new law, which legalized \u201cgender self-identification\u201d in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/ice-arrests-fell-from-5119-to-just-1970-in-february\/\" title=\"ICE Arrests Fell From 5,119 To Just 1,970 In February\">state prisons<\/a>, was not only misguided, but also <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/ex-dhs-chief-far-left-biden-immigration-bill-signals-to-traffickers-its-okay-to-come-extreme-incentive-for-future-illegal-immigration\/\" title=\"Ex-DHS Chief: \u2018Far-Left\u2019 Biden Immigration Bill Signals To Traffickers \u2018It\u2019s Okay To Come,\u2019 \u2018Extreme Incentive\u2019 For Future Illegal Immigration\">fundamentally flawed<\/a> in its execution.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">I was initially hopeful that the new policy would provide necessary protections and accommodations for inmates who identified as transgender. However, what I witnessed was a system rife with negligence and disregard for both inmate safety and the well-being of correctional staff.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">One of the most concerning aspects of this policy was the lack of proper protocols for housing male inmates who identify as women. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Under the new law, a male inmate can simply tell officers, \u201cCall me Susie today.\u201d If officers don\u2019t call that inmate \u201cSusie,\u201d the inmate can have officers written up. Inmates can then demand to be moved to a women\u2019s institution, and officers are required to start the paperwork. In a matter of days, that male inmate can be put on a bus headed for one of California\u2019s two women\u2019s prisons. It\u2019s that easy. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Instead of conducting thorough risk assessments and considering the safety of all inmates, decisions were made haphazardly, putting vulnerable individuals at risk. As a correctional lieutenant, I witnessed firsthand the chaos and violence that ensued when inmates were placed in inappropriate housing assignments.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">At Centinela State Prison, where I worked for eight years, and at Richard J. Donovan State Prison, where I worked for another eight years, we housed serial rapists, serial child molesters, and murderers. This criminal behavior doesn\u2019t stop when the men are put behind bars \u2014 it often continues inside prison walls.<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"><br \/> <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"><br \/> <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">In 2020 at Donovan, for example, two correctional officers and five staffers were <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cbs8.com\/article\/news\/crime\/6-correctional-officers-attacked-at-donovan-state-prison-in-otay-mesa\/509-2c29fa7b-e1c9-456b-8e7f-afaf7cb4f4b3\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">attacked<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">  by four male inmates. I responded and saw the blood and prison knives on the floor. That very well could have been me.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Giving these criminals access to women\u2019s prisons reminds me of one of the \u201cLittle Red Riding Hood\u201d fairy tales, where a predatory wolf dresses up as a fragile, old lady with a little bonnet over his head. Just because he\u2019s got granny\u2019s clothes on, it doesn\u2019t mean he\u2019s anything like granny.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">As a lieutenant, I witnessed a lot of men manipulate the new law, claiming to be transgender to cheat the system. In many cases, they wouldn\u2019t even hide their plan from prison staffers including myself.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">In one instance, there was a male housed inside the prison hospital. He was scheduled to have a \u201csex realignment surgery\u201d in Beverly Hills, paid for with taxpayer money. While on patrol, I overheard him say, \u201cWhen I come back, I\u2019m going to prostitute myself on the yard. I\u2019m going to make money.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">When he returned, this inmate faced complications from his surgery. He then turned around and sued the state, saying the state purposely gave him a faulty surgery.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The California Department of Corrections, as they always do, settled the case \u2014 with more taxpayer money. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">There was also a clear lack of training and education provided to correctional staff regarding transgender issues. Many of my colleagues were ill-equipped to handle the unique challenges presented by inmates who identified as transgender, leading to conflicts and misunderstandings that could have been avoided with proper guidance.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">My female colleagues are also victims of the prison transgender policy. Under the law, a male inmate identifying as a woman can now pick and choose to have a female officer perform an unclothed body search on them. So now you have females forced to look at <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/teammates-uncomfortable-changing-in-locker-room-with-trans-swimmer\/\" title=\"Teammates Uncomfortable Changing in Locker Room with Trans Swimmer\">male body parts<\/a>, and what do you know? The inmates are demanding it.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Correctional staff are required to search inmates multiple times a day. Every time an inmate goes on a visit, goes to work in a vocational trade, exits his cell to go to the administrative segregation yard\u2014they get strip searched on their way and their way back. Every time there is an incident and the inmate is placed in a holding cell, an unclothed body search is conducted. It is inhumane to force female prison staff to strip search the bodies of biological males.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">As a correctional lieutenant, I took an oath to uphold the law and ensure the safety and security of all individuals under my watch. However, less than a year into the implementation of this policy, I could no longer reconcile my values with the pervasive corruption and injustice I witnessed on a daily basis. After much deliberation, I made the difficult decision to resign.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">At the time I resigned, I had a number of accolades and was making $157,000 a year. I had a mortgage, two vehicles, and a 5-year-old daughter to support. It was not easy going back to eating soups and sandwiches, but as a veteran who served in Iraq, I don\u2019t need much to survive.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">My resignation was not simply an act of defiance, but a statement against a broken system that prioritizes profits over people. California\u2019s prison system is in dire need of reform, from top to bottom. We cannot continue to turn a blind eye to the rampant corruption and abuse that plague our correctional facilities.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">It is imperative that we hold those responsible for perpetuating injustice and corruption accountable for their actions. This includes administrators and policymakers who have failed to enact meaningful change, and who have subjected female inmates to cruel and unusual punishment.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">As I reflect on my time in the California prison system, I am reminded of the words of Edmund Burke: \u201cThe only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.\u201d I could no <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/green-beret-veteran-launches-campaign-for-rep-abigail-spanbergers-virginia-seat\/\" title=\"Green Beret vet runs for Rep. Spanberger's Virginia seat.\">longer remain silent<\/a> in the face of such egregious wrongdoing. It is my hope that my resignation will serve as a wake-up call and spur much-needed action to reform our broken prison system. We owe it to the inmates, the staff, and society as a whole to do better.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/p>\n<p>* * *<\/p>\n<p><em><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Hector Bravo Ferrel is a recently retired correctional lieutenant from the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, U.S. Army Combat Veteran, and YouTuber known as \u2018That Prison Guard.\u2019 He shared his story with the Independent Women\u2019s Forum in the <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/iwf.org\/cruelandunusual\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Cruel and Unusual Punishment<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">  series.<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n<p><em>The views expressed in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of The Daily Wire.<\/em><\/p>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Former correctional lieutenant at a high-security California men&#8217;s prison, faced a moral dilemma prompting resignation. Unable to tolerate the thriving corruption and injustice within the system, I made the tough choice to step away from my sworn duty<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3191,"featured_media":2259318,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/dw-wp-production.imgix.net\/2024\/06\/Screenshot-2024-06-03-at-4.42.11%E2%80%AFPM-copy.png","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[541],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2259317","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-daily-wire"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/dw-wp-production.imgix.net\/2024\/06\/Screenshot-2024-06-03-at-4.42.11%E2%80%AFPM-copy.png","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2259317","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3191"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2259317"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2259317\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2259318"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2259317"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2259317"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2259317"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}