Public Safety | Daily Report

It’s been nearly five months since a riot tore through the California Institution for Men in Chino, leaving hundreds of inmates injured, a section of the prison in ashes, and fears of more violence in lock-downs across the state. 

Many long-time critics of the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation say the Aug. 8 riot was a direct consequence of prison overcrowding and a wake-up call to the state to urgently reduce the inmate population. Chino is nearly 50 percent over capacity.

But corrections officials disagree. Breaking a long silence, department officials last month blamed much of the violence on LA street gangs (Chino houses a reception center for new inmates) rather than overcrowding.

Now, inmates themselves appear to be entering the debate, with claims that prison staff inflamed racial tensions, failed to take adequate measures to contain the violence and left many prisoners zip-tied and in extreme conditions for hours after the riot was over.

A new Web site has posted more than 50 letters and comments which it claims are from inmates – most still behind bars at Chino – who witnessed the riots. The letters are emotional and filled with graphic details but are anonymous. Here’s one sample from a man identified only as inmate 1081:

My story is just as drastic as the others. Three nights in a cage with 10 other men. And no water, no restroom facilities. I have kidney problems. It was torture for me.

Corrections officials have declined to comment on the allegations, citing ongoing internal investigations. All eyes are now on the inspector general’s office, which is expected to release a report on the riot this month.