Mistreatment of inmates at Chino prison investigated

KPCC.org, the Web site for Southern California Public Radio, investigated allegations of inmate mistreatment at the California Institution for Men in Chino following a bloody 11-hour riot Aug. 8, 2009. The riot left some 200 men injured. It took authorities until sunrise to contain the violence. In interviews and in letters obtained by KPCC, inmates complained of being kept outdoors in punishing heat and the freezing overnight cold for up to four days after the riot. Other inmates say they were held under similar conditions months before the riot. Others claim the prison continues to house prisoners in unsanitary, unsafe conditions in order to deal with a dramatic shortage of bed space. During the reporting of this project, questions raised by Cuevas, about inmates being repeatedly held outdoors for long stretches, prompted a new investigation by the state Office of the Inspector General. Authorities are now looking at how and where the prison bunked inmates before and after the riot.