NOTE: This message appeared on a discussion board at ALLNURSES.COM:
Default Re: Anyone Start at Coalinga State Hospital May 4th?
COALINGA STATE HOSPITAL is the most ________ up place to work at...excuse my language....I'm soooo upset..I work on a RRU and my psych tech supervisor (i didnt mind they were in charge but after their non medical thinking I'm angry!!!) told me the old nurse i work with didnt have to help me do sick call, she didnt have to float, and i had to do 50 monthly summaries while the other nurse was on leave....all that other nurse has to do is the 50 WRP's!!!...but anyways...my US straight up told me, the people in administration...does not really care about the patients medical problems and all they care about is their enhancement plan!! and that sick call is not that important...i realize we are working with SVP's, population full or rapists and child molesters but I'M NOT THEIR JUDGE
, I'M A NURSE!!! I truly believe in giving equal care to everybody, maybe if me or my family were victims i'd think different but it's inhumane for EVERYONE to treat them all like garbage!!!.....if i didnt need this job for my daughter i'd get the hecc outta here!!!!!!!! My supervisor said only I can float to another unit, the other nurse doesnt have to!!! because of this paperwork....and that if i float, i have to come back to our own unit and do sick call....what if their is an emergency on the other unit and they ask where their nurse is, I'm suppose to be floating not covering!! theres a difference....from what I know all us RN's signed the same duty statement.....my program even had an RN meeting on teamwork, RN's do all roles sick call/monthlys/wrp's etc etc....if my unit is exempt I want that in writing....so I won't be in trouble for them saying....it was all this RN's fault cuz she's the only one who can do medical care and the other nurse only has paperwork...thats BS!!! I'm new to the state and everyone knows everyone there and you can't get any help unless you know people......I just dont know what to do....I have to keep this job for my daughter!! (I drive every week from the bay area live out here when i work and go back home to my daughter, fam and friends)... but at the same time, I know when I go higher in the chain of command nothing will get solved...it's mostly psych techs and people that are all buddies....I already knew nothing was gonna happen when i talked to my supervisor today....but I still tried....i want everyone who is thinking about working here to think twice, three times, four times etc!! if you are new to the state they treat you like a dog!! if your a new RN, they'll treat you like a dog....I'm grateful I have a job since it's scarce out there, i'm really venting because I'm gonna do my job which is to help provide medical care!!! it's my own license on the line, I can only do so much, i'll work hard and get the satisfaction from me being a good person, which is not being lazy or cruel!! that i'm doing what a RN is suppose to do ...I didnt want to start drama or a war on my unit, it's not like that, I've done what they asked me to do...all I'm asking is for help and I can't even get that from my supervisor or the other RN.....coalinga state hospital is a bunch of no good politics, it's not a hospital at all!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!:down :
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Sunday, May 10, 2009
Mike St. Martin Loses Bid For Release From California's Gulag
Mike St. Martin lost his "civil" commitment case this past week in San Diego county. He is now a "lifetime" commitment to California's Department of Mental Health, Coalinga State Hospital (the "Gulag") .
The San Diego County Prosecutor managed to convince the jury that St. Martin poses a continued risk to California's children and should be locked-up for life as a "Sexually Violent Predator". It is worth noting that the word "violent" in this case does not mean "violent" in the sense that most intelligent and informed people would use the term. Instead, "sexual violence" has been redefined by the State of California and most other states as a means of branding individuals who have had sexual contact of one kind or another with someone under the age of fourteen, regardless if force, coercion, or actual violence were employed in this sexual contact. And, of course, it serves to inflame the public who, after all, can hardly be blamed for not wanting "sexually violent predators" loosed on society.
Mike is preparing a piece recounting this most recent outrage in this ongoing travesty and we will post it here as soon as it is available.
Worth noting, however, is the apparent outrage expressed by the State at Mike's vocal advocacy of his and other Detainee's rights and his audacity to describe in detail the circumstances of their continued imprisonment and cynical mistreatment by the State of California. That Mike St. Martin will describe in detail the myriad legal and constitutional violations perpetrated by the State, communicating these to civil liberties advocates on the outside who then reprint his statements on this and other blogs, seemed to bother them, and Channel 10 of San Diego, the most.
The news report is available here and, were it not with such terrible consequences, would be laughable for its complete lack of any journalistic standards. The "victim's advocate" interviewed as part of this piece gets the final word, suggesting that by his participation in disseminating the truth about Coalinga, St. Martin is "re-victimizing" his victims and "drowning-out" competing voices! This absurd position can only be interpreted as code for: "he shouldn't be allowed to speak to the public".
Victim's Advocate Says Sex Offender's Blog Posts Hurts Victims
The San Diego County Prosecutor managed to convince the jury that St. Martin poses a continued risk to California's children and should be locked-up for life as a "Sexually Violent Predator". It is worth noting that the word "violent" in this case does not mean "violent" in the sense that most intelligent and informed people would use the term. Instead, "sexual violence" has been redefined by the State of California and most other states as a means of branding individuals who have had sexual contact of one kind or another with someone under the age of fourteen, regardless if force, coercion, or actual violence were employed in this sexual contact. And, of course, it serves to inflame the public who, after all, can hardly be blamed for not wanting "sexually violent predators" loosed on society.
Mike is preparing a piece recounting this most recent outrage in this ongoing travesty and we will post it here as soon as it is available.
Worth noting, however, is the apparent outrage expressed by the State at Mike's vocal advocacy of his and other Detainee's rights and his audacity to describe in detail the circumstances of their continued imprisonment and cynical mistreatment by the State of California. That Mike St. Martin will describe in detail the myriad legal and constitutional violations perpetrated by the State, communicating these to civil liberties advocates on the outside who then reprint his statements on this and other blogs, seemed to bother them, and Channel 10 of San Diego, the most.
The news report is available here and, were it not with such terrible consequences, would be laughable for its complete lack of any journalistic standards. The "victim's advocate" interviewed as part of this piece gets the final word, suggesting that by his participation in disseminating the truth about Coalinga, St. Martin is "re-victimizing" his victims and "drowning-out" competing voices! This absurd position can only be interpreted as code for: "he shouldn't be allowed to speak to the public".
Victim's Advocate Says Sex Offender's Blog Posts Hurts Victims
Saturday, November 15, 2008
Urge C.S.H. Director Mayburg To Lift Computer Moratorium
Please write, email or call:
Stephen W. Mayberg, Ph. D.
Department of Mental Health
1600 9th Street
Sacramento, CA 95814
Email: stephen.mayberg@dmh.ca.gov
Tel: (916) 654-2309
Dear Mr. Mayberg,
Administrative Directive 654 established the ability for Residents of Coalinga State Hospital to purchase and possess personal laptop computers. Many individuals availed themselves of this opportunity by buying their own computers, and this subpopulation retains them to this day.
On February 28, 2007, an unsigned memo was published and circulated that placed a temporary "moratorium" on the further purchase of these items until details regarding their use were addressed. A few months later, the population of residents at C.S.H. were informed that the process had been taken over by Sacramento at the Departmental level, and that we would be advised as to consequent policies. In the ensuing months, there have been repeated attempts to obtain information regarding this process. To date, the response has been completely uninformative, though rumors abound.
This ongoing moratorium has created two groups of residents at this facility which cannot otherwise be distinguished one from the other. Some have had computers for around two years, while the rest are being prevented from purchasing their own. Even those who do have computers are finding it difficult to replace worn-out components or to obtain the software they need. Some originally opted to temporarily forgo purchasing needed software (intending to obtain such software later) in order to obtain the best computer for the money. Now however, they have their computers but not the software they need.
Legislators have been able to craft, vote upon, and signed into law major legislation during the same period of time that this so-called committee has been looking at what computers and peripherals might be allowed-twenty-one months!
We want to know why it is taking so long to develop a simple set of standards.
Any standard at which the committee arrives constitutes a shot at a moving target; computer technology changes every 18 months or so, and you've had 21 months to pull the trigger without any results. It appears to us that this committee, if it really does exist, is simply accomplishing through moratorium that which they cannot by other means achieve lawfully, not to say that an unsigned memo is lawful.
Why are we not being kept informed of its progress? We are, after all, the ones who are most interested in these decisions: residents of C.S.H., family members, and friends of the Residents. Remember, that taxpayers have made computer investments believing that D.M.H. would act in good faith. As people sense that they have been deceived there has been growing unrest. There are many who are contemplating legal remedies; while others clamor for more direct action. For all of us both inside and outside of C.S.H. the claim that this moratorium is "temporary" has become unreasonable.
It's time to end this phoney moratorium. Direct the people in your Department to do their jobs.
Thank you.
Stephen W. Mayberg, Ph. D.
Department of Mental Health
1600 9th Street
Sacramento, CA 95814
Email: stephen.mayberg@dmh.ca.gov
Tel: (916) 654-2309
Dear Mr. Mayberg,
Administrative Directive 654 established the ability for Residents of Coalinga State Hospital to purchase and possess personal laptop computers. Many individuals availed themselves of this opportunity by buying their own computers, and this subpopulation retains them to this day.
On February 28, 2007, an unsigned memo was published and circulated that placed a temporary "moratorium" on the further purchase of these items until details regarding their use were addressed. A few months later, the population of residents at C.S.H. were informed that the process had been taken over by Sacramento at the Departmental level, and that we would be advised as to consequent policies. In the ensuing months, there have been repeated attempts to obtain information regarding this process. To date, the response has been completely uninformative, though rumors abound.
This ongoing moratorium has created two groups of residents at this facility which cannot otherwise be distinguished one from the other. Some have had computers for around two years, while the rest are being prevented from purchasing their own. Even those who do have computers are finding it difficult to replace worn-out components or to obtain the software they need. Some originally opted to temporarily forgo purchasing needed software (intending to obtain such software later) in order to obtain the best computer for the money. Now however, they have their computers but not the software they need.
Legislators have been able to craft, vote upon, and signed into law major legislation during the same period of time that this so-called committee has been looking at what computers and peripherals might be allowed-twenty-one months!
We want to know why it is taking so long to develop a simple set of standards.
Any standard at which the committee arrives constitutes a shot at a moving target; computer technology changes every 18 months or so, and you've had 21 months to pull the trigger without any results. It appears to us that this committee, if it really does exist, is simply accomplishing through moratorium that which they cannot by other means achieve lawfully, not to say that an unsigned memo is lawful.
Why are we not being kept informed of its progress? We are, after all, the ones who are most interested in these decisions: residents of C.S.H., family members, and friends of the Residents. Remember, that taxpayers have made computer investments believing that D.M.H. would act in good faith. As people sense that they have been deceived there has been growing unrest. There are many who are contemplating legal remedies; while others clamor for more direct action. For all of us both inside and outside of C.S.H. the claim that this moratorium is "temporary" has become unreasonable.
It's time to end this phoney moratorium. Direct the people in your Department to do their jobs.
Thank you.
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
Lawsuits target ventilation systems at Coalinga State Hospital
By Chris Collins / The Fresno Bee
The air conditioning and ventilation systems at Coalinga State Hospital are in disrepair and have endangered the health of the facility's patients, according to two recent lawsuits.
One suit says that dead birds were found in the ventilation system.
The lawsuits raise questions about California's newest mental health hospital, a $388 million facility that opened in 2005 and houses sexually violent predators.
The lawsuits, both filed by Santa Monica attorney David Feldman in September in Fresno County Superior Court, say the hospital's ventilation system does not allow clean air to circulate and hospital staffers have failed to conduct necessary inspections.
Hospital spokeswoman Deborah Ireland said Monday that she could not comment on the lawsuits.
In the first lawsuit, patient Dougal Samuels, a 55-year-old man with an unspecified mental disease, says he began coughing, losing his appetite and having chills in April 2006. Four months later, after his condition worsened, a hospital doctor diagnosed him with Valley fever.
Samuels was later diagnosed with pneumonia. X-rays showed a large black mass in his right lung area. The hospital scheduled an MRI, but one was never done, according to the lawsuit.
In April 2007, Samuels told staffers that he was in so much pain that he could not sit up. Two months later, an MRI at a hospital in San Luis Obispo showed that Samuels' spine was inflamed and was destroying his vertebrae, the lawsuit says.
Samuels needed immediate surgery. He had a disc removed and was put into a body cast.
The lawsuit says that Coalinga State Hospital knew that Valley fever could spread through its ventilation system but did not take necessary precautions.
The second lawsuit says that patient Kurt Parker, a 41-year-old man with an unspecified mental impairment, was one of two patients to contract a dangerous flu that had spread because the ventilation system was not properly maintained.
The lawsuit says that "dead birds were allowed to accumulate in the ventilation system, resulting in the spreading of bacteria."
Also see:
http://www.geocities.com/three_strikes_legal/Mycobacterium_Avium_CSH.html
The air conditioning and ventilation systems at Coalinga State Hospital are in disrepair and have endangered the health of the facility's patients, according to two recent lawsuits.
One suit says that dead birds were found in the ventilation system.
The lawsuits raise questions about California's newest mental health hospital, a $388 million facility that opened in 2005 and houses sexually violent predators.
The lawsuits, both filed by Santa Monica attorney David Feldman in September in Fresno County Superior Court, say the hospital's ventilation system does not allow clean air to circulate and hospital staffers have failed to conduct necessary inspections.
Hospital spokeswoman Deborah Ireland said Monday that she could not comment on the lawsuits.
In the first lawsuit, patient Dougal Samuels, a 55-year-old man with an unspecified mental disease, says he began coughing, losing his appetite and having chills in April 2006. Four months later, after his condition worsened, a hospital doctor diagnosed him with Valley fever.
Samuels was later diagnosed with pneumonia. X-rays showed a large black mass in his right lung area. The hospital scheduled an MRI, but one was never done, according to the lawsuit.
In April 2007, Samuels told staffers that he was in so much pain that he could not sit up. Two months later, an MRI at a hospital in San Luis Obispo showed that Samuels' spine was inflamed and was destroying his vertebrae, the lawsuit says.
Samuels needed immediate surgery. He had a disc removed and was put into a body cast.
The lawsuit says that Coalinga State Hospital knew that Valley fever could spread through its ventilation system but did not take necessary precautions.
The second lawsuit says that patient Kurt Parker, a 41-year-old man with an unspecified mental impairment, was one of two patients to contract a dangerous flu that had spread because the ventilation system was not properly maintained.
The lawsuit says that "dead birds were allowed to accumulate in the ventilation system, resulting in the spreading of bacteria."
Also see:
http://www.geocities.com/three_strikes_legal/Mycobacterium_Avium_CSH.html
Monday, August 18, 2008
THE CLINICAL EVALUATORS HANDBOOK and STANDARD ASSESSMENT PROTOCOL DECLARED UNDERGROUND REGULATION BY THE OFFICE OF ADMINISTRATIVE LAW
On Friday, August 15, 2008, the OAL ruled on Michael St.Martin’s petition alleging that the “Evaluators’ Handbook” is an underground regulation. In its holding, the OAL analyzed each and every excuse made by the respondent California Department of Mental Health (“DMH”) and then explained why the proffered defense was totally without merit. The OAL ruling is a 12 page PDF document that you may read or download. Follow the link by clicking on the above title.
Monday, August 4, 2008
Civil Detainees To Lose Pell Grants
August 1, 2008
Civilly committed sex offenders lose another rehabilitation tool. The ability to obtain a college education will be gone next year. The hardliners in politics apparently would rather throw away the key and house those persons whom are civilly committed for the rest of their lives, at huge costs, instead of spending a much smaller amount of money to educate and rehabilitate this group.
The hardliners targeted prisoners in the 1990s, and took away the ability to obtain a college education from prison inmates. They then spent the next ten years complaining about the high recidivism rates.
A little-noticed provision approved by the House and Senate yesterday makes certain offenders ineligible for Pell Grants starting July 1, 2009. President Bush is expected to sign it into law as part of a broader higher education bill.
Critics of this bill say it will cut off the possibility of higher education to offenders who are trying to rehabilitate themselves.
Opponents to this bill, including civil rights advocates, claim individual abuses of the Pell Grant program should have been dealt with, not a dismantling of the program for an entire class of citizens.
Those who are civilly committed complain that they supposedly still have their civil rights, and in fact, many of them are registered voters. Yet, society continues to punish them. The words of congressman Keller, and others like him, support the civil detainees claims that their detention is punitive - not civil.
"Today, the most insane wasteful spending program in America comes to an end," Rep. Ric Keller, a Florida Republican, said on the House floor on Thursday before his plan won approval.
Keller cited the AP report that some of the offenders were putting the financial aid to questionable use by buying clothes, DVD players and music CDS - sometimes after they dropped their classes.
The Associated Press reported in March that dozens of rapists and child molesters, including some in Wisconsin, have taken classes at taxpayer expense while confined by the courts to treatment centers. Critics say they are exploiting a loophole to receive Pell Grants, which are meant for low-income students.
In California, 125 patients at Coalinga State Hospital are receiving Pell Grants to take correspondence courses through Coastline Community College. The school doesn't know how many of the grant recipients are committed sex offenders, who take up two-thirds of the mental hospital's 1,500 beds, Coastline spokeswoman Michelle Ma said.
"We're certainly watching to see what impact this is going to have," she said. "We don't know if this is going to hurt our enrollment."
Some of the provisions of the Bill:
(E) in paragraph (7) (as designated by subparagraph (B)), by inserting before the period the following: `or who is subject to an involuntary civil commitment upon completion of a period of incarceration for a forcible or nonforcible sexual offense (as determined in accordance with the Federal Bureau of Investigation's Uniform Crime Reporting Program)'; and
================================
`(e) Student Eligibility- An incarcerated individual who has obtained a secondary school diploma or its recognized equivalent shall be eligible for participation in a program receiving a grant under this section if such individual--
`(1) is eligible to be released within seven years (including an incarcerated individual who is eligible for parole within such time);
`(2) is 35 years of age or younger; and
`(3) has not been convicted of--
`(A) a `criminal offense against a victim who is a minor' or a `sexually violent offense', as such terms are defined in the Jacob Wetterling Crimes Against Children and Sexually Violent Offender Registration Act (42 U.S.C. 14071 et seq.); or
`(B) murder, as described in section 1111 of title 18, United States Code.
`(f) Length of Participation- A State correctional education agency receiving a grant under this section shall provide educational and related services to each participating incarcerated individual for a period not to exceed seven years, not more than two years of which may be devoted to study in a graduate education degree program or to coursework to prepare such individuals to take college level courses. Educational and related services shall start during the period of incarceration in prison or prerelease, and the related services may continue for not more than two years after release from confinement.
`(g) Education Delivery Systems- State correctional education agencies and cooperating institutions shall, to the extent practicable, use high-tech applications in developing programs to meet the requirements and goals of this section.
`(h) Allocation of Funds- From the funds appropriated pursuant to subsection (i) for each fiscal year, the Secretary shall allot to each State an amount that bears the same relationship to such funds as the total number of students eligible under subsection (e) in such State bears to the total number of such students in all States.
Civilly committed sex offenders lose another rehabilitation tool. The ability to obtain a college education will be gone next year. The hardliners in politics apparently would rather throw away the key and house those persons whom are civilly committed for the rest of their lives, at huge costs, instead of spending a much smaller amount of money to educate and rehabilitate this group.
The hardliners targeted prisoners in the 1990s, and took away the ability to obtain a college education from prison inmates. They then spent the next ten years complaining about the high recidivism rates.
A little-noticed provision approved by the House and Senate yesterday makes certain offenders ineligible for Pell Grants starting July 1, 2009. President Bush is expected to sign it into law as part of a broader higher education bill.
Critics of this bill say it will cut off the possibility of higher education to offenders who are trying to rehabilitate themselves.
Opponents to this bill, including civil rights advocates, claim individual abuses of the Pell Grant program should have been dealt with, not a dismantling of the program for an entire class of citizens.
Those who are civilly committed complain that they supposedly still have their civil rights, and in fact, many of them are registered voters. Yet, society continues to punish them. The words of congressman Keller, and others like him, support the civil detainees claims that their detention is punitive - not civil.
"Today, the most insane wasteful spending program in America comes to an end," Rep. Ric Keller, a Florida Republican, said on the House floor on Thursday before his plan won approval.
Keller cited the AP report that some of the offenders were putting the financial aid to questionable use by buying clothes, DVD players and music CDS - sometimes after they dropped their classes.
The Associated Press reported in March that dozens of rapists and child molesters, including some in Wisconsin, have taken classes at taxpayer expense while confined by the courts to treatment centers. Critics say they are exploiting a loophole to receive Pell Grants, which are meant for low-income students.
In California, 125 patients at Coalinga State Hospital are receiving Pell Grants to take correspondence courses through Coastline Community College. The school doesn't know how many of the grant recipients are committed sex offenders, who take up two-thirds of the mental hospital's 1,500 beds, Coastline spokeswoman Michelle Ma said.
"We're certainly watching to see what impact this is going to have," she said. "We don't know if this is going to hurt our enrollment."
Some of the provisions of the Bill:
(E) in paragraph (7) (as designated by subparagraph (B)), by inserting before the period the following: `or who is subject to an involuntary civil commitment upon completion of a period of incarceration for a forcible or nonforcible sexual offense (as determined in accordance with the Federal Bureau of Investigation's Uniform Crime Reporting Program)'; and
================================
`(e) Student Eligibility- An incarcerated individual who has obtained a secondary school diploma or its recognized equivalent shall be eligible for participation in a program receiving a grant under this section if such individual--
`(1) is eligible to be released within seven years (including an incarcerated individual who is eligible for parole within such time);
`(2) is 35 years of age or younger; and
`(3) has not been convicted of--
`(A) a `criminal offense against a victim who is a minor' or a `sexually violent offense', as such terms are defined in the Jacob Wetterling Crimes Against Children and Sexually Violent Offender Registration Act (42 U.S.C. 14071 et seq.); or
`(B) murder, as described in section 1111 of title 18, United States Code.
`(f) Length of Participation- A State correctional education agency receiving a grant under this section shall provide educational and related services to each participating incarcerated individual for a period not to exceed seven years, not more than two years of which may be devoted to study in a graduate education degree program or to coursework to prepare such individuals to take college level courses. Educational and related services shall start during the period of incarceration in prison or prerelease, and the related services may continue for not more than two years after release from confinement.
`(g) Education Delivery Systems- State correctional education agencies and cooperating institutions shall, to the extent practicable, use high-tech applications in developing programs to meet the requirements and goals of this section.
`(h) Allocation of Funds- From the funds appropriated pursuant to subsection (i) for each fiscal year, the Secretary shall allot to each State an amount that bears the same relationship to such funds as the total number of students eligible under subsection (e) in such State bears to the total number of such students in all States.
Cynthia Radavsky Joins The Circle Of Avoidance
Cynthia Radavsky, Deputy Director, Long Term Care Services, the person who supposedly oversees all of the State Hospitals in the California Department of Mental Health system, apparently has washed her hands of Michael St Martin’s allegations of a conspiracy to "smoke his chart." Instead of dealing with the situation and doing an independent investigation, she has instead referred St.Martin’s "concerns to the Administration at Coalinga State Hospital."
Once again, the Circle of Avoidance is in full operation. The Deputy Director has simply referred St.Martin’s concerns back to the people against whom the original complaint was made. It apparently is the "whose policing the police" scenario, as those accused will again investigate themselves.
Click on the Title to view Cynthia Radavsky’s letter.
Once again, the Circle of Avoidance is in full operation. The Deputy Director has simply referred St.Martin’s concerns back to the people against whom the original complaint was made. It apparently is the "whose policing the police" scenario, as those accused will again investigate themselves.
Click on the Title to view Cynthia Radavsky’s letter.
Friday, August 1, 2008
Michael St.Martin fights back!
Michael St.Martin fights back against an alleged conspiracy to "smoke" his medical chart. A group of women employees at Coalinga State Hospital have made unsubstantiated allegations against St.Martin in retaliation for his activism. Read the nonsense they have written in his medical chart and his letters of response. Click on the title to access the St.Martin pdf document.
Friday, July 11, 2008
Friday, May 9, 2008
CIVIL DETAINEES TAKE ON DMH "UNDERGROUND REGULATIONS"
Department of Mental Health Underground Regulations: Evaluator's Handbook Not Being Promulgated.
http://www.oal.ca.gov/pdfs/notice/16z-2008.pdf (go to page 27)
Department of Mental Health Underground Regulation 818 Dealing with Contraband
http://www.oal.ca.gov/pdfs/notice/18z-2008.pdf (go to page 14)
Department of Mental Health Underground Regulation 624 Dealing with Mail and Packages
http://www.oal.ca.gov/pdfs/notice/19z-2008.pdf (go to page 27)
(Administrative Directives can be viewed at http://www.caldmh.wordpress.com)
http://www.oal.ca.gov/pdfs/notice/16z-2008.pdf (go to page 27)
Department of Mental Health Underground Regulation 818 Dealing with Contraband
http://www.oal.ca.gov/pdfs/notice/18z-2008.pdf (go to page 14)
Department of Mental Health Underground Regulation 624 Dealing with Mail and Packages
http://www.oal.ca.gov/pdfs/notice/19z-2008.pdf (go to page 27)
(Administrative Directives can be viewed at http://www.caldmh.wordpress.com)
Friday, April 4, 2008
Patient's killing shocks state hospital
Los Angeles Times
Already under pressure to make reforms, the Atascadero facility is now dealing with the death of Lawrence Paul Rael. Another patient has been charged with murder. (full story)
Already under pressure to make reforms, the Atascadero facility is now dealing with the death of Lawrence Paul Rael. Another patient has been charged with murder. (full story)
Wednesday, April 2, 2008
Sex predator accused of killing inmate
Two men were serving time in the same unit at Atascadero State Hospital
By John Simerman
A sexually violent predator committed to Atascadero State Hospital was found dead Sunday morning and another man in the same unit was arrested on suspicion of murder, a hospital spokesman said Monday.
Spokesman Craig Dacus said he thought it would be the first patient homicide in the 54-year history of a facility that houses about 1,000 patients near Highway 101 south of Paso Robles.
The body of Lawrence Rael, 37, was found in his bed about 8 a.m., Dacus said. Police arrested Richard McKee, 44, a sexually violent predator who was committed to the state hospital in 2005.
Dacus said he did not know if a weapon was used, but McKee also was arrested on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon for a separate incident with a different victim the same day. An investigation into Rael's death continued Monday.
"How that dead body got there we can't definitely say," Dacus said. "We're waiting for the investigation to pan out."
Court records show that McKee of San Diego was convicted in 1991 of lewd acts against an 11-year-old baby sitter and in 1998 for lewd acts against his 8-year-old niece. According to the Megan's Law Web site, Rael also was convicted for lewd acts with a child younger than 14.
McKee was originally admitted as a mentally disordered offender, then in August was reclassified as a sexually violent predator, or SVP, and switched units.
Both men were housed with other SVPs in Unit 22, where each patient lives in his own narrow room. Only the
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units themselves, and not the rooms, are locked at night, Dacus said.
Only 36 SVPs are left at Atascadero, with more than 400 having moved to Coalinga State Hospital, which opened in 2005. Peter Tolles, a former Unit 22 patient now at Coalinga, said that those remaining at Atascadero were held in two units, with Unit 22 designated for more "dysfunctional men that have both medical and emotional problems."
Tolles said his complaints about fights in the unit went ignored. Nancy Kincaid of the state Department of Mental Health said she could not document the unit's history of assaults Monday, but she reiterated that the agency investigates all complaints and allegations.
Tolles said he knew Rael as "Shaky," for his frequent shaking, even in his sleep. Rael entered Atascadero in 1998. "He was a pretty happy-go-lucky, jovial individual in comparison to many of the men on the unit," Tolles said.
McKee was being held Monday at San Luis Obispo County Jail. After they found the body, officials placed the state hospital on lockdown for most of the day Sunday, Dacus said.
Reach John Simerman at 925-943-8072 or jsimerman@bayareanewsgroup.com.
By John Simerman
A sexually violent predator committed to Atascadero State Hospital was found dead Sunday morning and another man in the same unit was arrested on suspicion of murder, a hospital spokesman said Monday.
Spokesman Craig Dacus said he thought it would be the first patient homicide in the 54-year history of a facility that houses about 1,000 patients near Highway 101 south of Paso Robles.
The body of Lawrence Rael, 37, was found in his bed about 8 a.m., Dacus said. Police arrested Richard McKee, 44, a sexually violent predator who was committed to the state hospital in 2005.
Dacus said he did not know if a weapon was used, but McKee also was arrested on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon for a separate incident with a different victim the same day. An investigation into Rael's death continued Monday.
"How that dead body got there we can't definitely say," Dacus said. "We're waiting for the investigation to pan out."
Court records show that McKee of San Diego was convicted in 1991 of lewd acts against an 11-year-old baby sitter and in 1998 for lewd acts against his 8-year-old niece. According to the Megan's Law Web site, Rael also was convicted for lewd acts with a child younger than 14.
McKee was originally admitted as a mentally disordered offender, then in August was reclassified as a sexually violent predator, or SVP, and switched units.
Both men were housed with other SVPs in Unit 22, where each patient lives in his own narrow room. Only the
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units themselves, and not the rooms, are locked at night, Dacus said.
Only 36 SVPs are left at Atascadero, with more than 400 having moved to Coalinga State Hospital, which opened in 2005. Peter Tolles, a former Unit 22 patient now at Coalinga, said that those remaining at Atascadero were held in two units, with Unit 22 designated for more "dysfunctional men that have both medical and emotional problems."
Tolles said his complaints about fights in the unit went ignored. Nancy Kincaid of the state Department of Mental Health said she could not document the unit's history of assaults Monday, but she reiterated that the agency investigates all complaints and allegations.
Tolles said he knew Rael as "Shaky," for his frequent shaking, even in his sleep. Rael entered Atascadero in 1998. "He was a pretty happy-go-lucky, jovial individual in comparison to many of the men on the unit," Tolles said.
McKee was being held Monday at San Luis Obispo County Jail. After they found the body, officials placed the state hospital on lockdown for most of the day Sunday, Dacus said.
Reach John Simerman at 925-943-8072 or jsimerman@bayareanewsgroup.com.
Tuesday, April 1, 2008
Murdered ASH patient worried about alleged killer who just lost major court appeal
By DANIEL BLACKBURN
The man suspected of strangling a fellow Atascadero State Hospital (ASH) patient to death with a towel over the weekend was on the losing end of an important, recent California Fourth District Court of Appeal decision upholding the constitutionality of Proposition 83, the so-called Jessica’s Law.
Also, hospital officials reportedly ignored at least a week of repeated warnings from patients about violent and threatening behavior by the man, Richard Earl McKee, now held on suspicion in the slaying of Lawrence Paul “Shaky” Rael late Saturday or early Sunday. And the victim’s father told several patients he was initially informed by hospital officials that his son “had hanged himself.”
Rael, found in his bed Sunday morning by hospital employees, was killed sometime after 10:30 p.m. Saturday, after he talked on the telephone to another patient and was said to have expressed his increasing fear of McKee.
A second victim, Raymond Chester, was injured in the attack and was discovered unconscious in his own bed after suffering damage to his limbs and ribs, according to witnesses. No further report on his condition was immediately available.
The murder and assault occurred as a federal judge in another case was demanding ASH officials show cause why they should not be held in contempt of court in the aftermath of a finding that two employees violated the civil rights of a patient.
According to a woman who answered the phone at ASH, no spokesperson would be available to talk to media on Monday regarding any issue because it is a state holiday, Caesar Chavez Day. She additionally declined to identify, or to put UncoveredSLO.com in touch with, the hospital’s on-call medical director for comment.
Suspect McKee until recently was considered by the California Department of Mental Health to be a mentally disordered offender (MDO). As such, he would by law be separated from other patients in the facility not similarly designated. But in mid-March, McKee was reclassified for inclusion in the sexually violent predator (SVP) program and became, in hospital lexicon, a dual-confinement patient.
McKee, 35, originally imprisoned for lewd acts on children, had sought to be released from state custody by claiming he was not dangerous to the public. McKee argued that provisions of Proposition 83, the so-called Jessica’s Law, were inadequate to insure that only those persons with a diagnosed, current mental illness -- one making them dangerous to the public -- could continue to be confined.
The Court of Appeal decision confirmed McKee’s involuntary commitment at ASH March 21.
Immediately after that court decision, McKee was placed in Unit 22 at ASH, and others in the SVP program said they began to inform staff that McKee was bullying and threatening people in the unit, and becoming increasingly aggressive and violent. Their claims went unheeded, according to one patient, Peter Tolls.
Rael talked on the telephone to his friend, fellow patient Ron “Bear” Barrett, according to Tolls, at about 10:30 p.m. Saturday, sounding upbeat on the one hand but also expressing fear of McKee.
In a prior case involving a similar failure to protect a patient, a federal judge ruled that two ASH employees violated one patient’s civil rights and ordered the pair to pay $1,000 to that SVP patient. The judge now wants to know why the ASH employees have not yet done so.
U.S. Central District Judge S. James Sotero ruled in December that employees Melissa A. Roper and Michael C. Groom were found to have made “a substantial departure from professional judgment, practice and standards” and thus were responsible for injuries suffered by patient Theodric Van Smith in assaults on him by other two patients.
ASH officials in that case also had been repeatedly warned, by patients, staff and state and federal law enforcement agencies that Smith might become a target of attack for his testimony against two Pelican Bay State Prison guards. Peggy Phaklides, a litigation manager for ASH, said in January the hospital is considering appealing Smith’s civil judgment.
ASH patient arrested for allegedly killing fellow patient
by Stephen Curran
A patient at Atascadero State Hospital has been arrested in connection with the death of another man in the facility’s custody Sunday.
Richard McKee, 44, is accused of killing Lawrence Rael, a fellow patient on Unit 22. McKee was also charged with assault with a deadly weapon in connection with an unrelated assault, hospital spokesman Craig Dacus said.
Rael, 37, had been a patient at ASH since 1998, Dacus said.
McKee has been a patient at ASH since 2005, Dacus said. According to the Megan’s Law database, McKee was convicted of lewd or lascivious acts with a child under 14.
Rael’s death remained under investigation this afternoon, Dacus said. No additional details have been released.
A patient at Atascadero State Hospital has been arrested in connection with the death of another man in the facility’s custody Sunday.
Richard McKee, 44, is accused of killing Lawrence Rael, a fellow patient on Unit 22. McKee was also charged with assault with a deadly weapon in connection with an unrelated assault, hospital spokesman Craig Dacus said.
Rael, 37, had been a patient at ASH since 1998, Dacus said.
McKee has been a patient at ASH since 2005, Dacus said. According to the Megan’s Law database, McKee was convicted of lewd or lascivious acts with a child under 14.
Rael’s death remained under investigation this afternoon, Dacus said. No additional details have been released.
Sunday, March 30, 2008
Sex Offender Murdered At Atascadero State Hospital This Morning
One sex offender is dead and another is in critical condition after another Hospital Patient, Richard McKee, went on an early-morning rampage Sunday at Atascadero State Hospital.
Early reports say that the dead victim, Lawrence Real, was beaten and strangled to death while the other victim, whose name has not yet been confirmed, suffered broken arms, legs, and ribs during the attack.
McKee had just recently (March 21, 2008) lost an appeal in San Diego Superior Court (see story) in which Judge Peter L. Gallagher upheld the constitutionality of the 2006 amendments to the act passed as Jessica’s Law, which provided in part that an individual committed under the act would remain in custody until he could prove that he no longer met the definition of a sexually violent predator. McKee's failed appeal had asserted that his federal constitutional rights to due process, equal protection under the law, and the ban against ex post facto laws had been violated.
These are preliminary reports and have not yet been confirmed by multiple sources.
An unnamed Hospital spokesperson, in speaking with a television reporter earlier today, denied that any such incident occurred.
We will provide further details as we learn more.
Early reports say that the dead victim, Lawrence Real, was beaten and strangled to death while the other victim, whose name has not yet been confirmed, suffered broken arms, legs, and ribs during the attack.
McKee had just recently (March 21, 2008) lost an appeal in San Diego Superior Court (see story) in which Judge Peter L. Gallagher upheld the constitutionality of the 2006 amendments to the act passed as Jessica’s Law, which provided in part that an individual committed under the act would remain in custody until he could prove that he no longer met the definition of a sexually violent predator. McKee's failed appeal had asserted that his federal constitutional rights to due process, equal protection under the law, and the ban against ex post facto laws had been violated.
These are preliminary reports and have not yet been confirmed by multiple sources.
An unnamed Hospital spokesperson, in speaking with a television reporter earlier today, denied that any such incident occurred.
We will provide further details as we learn more.
Friday, March 28, 2008
Petition to Repeal Jessica's Law and California Welfare & Institutions Code, §6600
Please go to the following to sign the Repeal Jessica's Law and California Welfare & Institutions Code, §6600 Petition.
When you do, please elect to provide Friends & Family of California Civil Detainees with your email address (you don't have to make it public). This will enable us to keep you informed of developments with this petition as well as with other news related to the Civil Detainees in Coalinga. Your information will be kept in strict confidence and will not be shared with anyone else. Thanks!
When you do, please elect to provide Friends & Family of California Civil Detainees with your email address (you don't have to make it public). This will enable us to keep you informed of developments with this petition as well as with other news related to the Civil Detainees in Coalinga. Your information will be kept in strict confidence and will not be shared with anyone else. Thanks!
Thursday, March 13, 2008
Video Coverage of the Rally in Front of C.S.H.
The following video clips were recorded Sunday, March 3, 2008, at the rally held jointly by "Friends & Family of California Civil Detainees" and "Reform of Sex Offender Laws" in front of Coalinga State Hospital in Coalinga, California.
The demonstration was held to protest the laws which punish sex offenders twice for the same crime by holding them as "Civil Detainees" in this purpose-built modern gulag in the hinterlands of California as well as the conditions of their confinement.
Our next protest will occur at the Statehouse in Sacramento sometime this summer. We need your help and your presence to make our voices heard! Please contact us at: detainees@gmail.com to learn more.
The videos include:
Speeches by Detainees for the Demonstration outside of C.S.H. :
The demonstration was held to protest the laws which punish sex offenders twice for the same crime by holding them as "Civil Detainees" in this purpose-built modern gulag in the hinterlands of California as well as the conditions of their confinement.
Our next protest will occur at the Statehouse in Sacramento sometime this summer. We need your help and your presence to make our voices heard! Please contact us at: detainees@gmail.com to learn more.
The videos include:
- Tom Madison Keynote Speech
- Paul Shannon Speaks To Civil Detainees & Their Supporters from Boston
- Jammye Stallworth, Wife Of A Civil Detainees
- "Starchild", Libertarian and Human Rights activist, discusses the urgent need for building coalitions amongst civil libertarians and the disenfranchised to combat oppressive government before it is too late.
- Jeff Griffin of the "Citizens Committee on Human Rights" examines the motivations behind government, the mental health community, and the pharmaceuticals industry in promulgating public terror, pseudo-diagnostics and mechanisms for the destruction of liberty.
- Tom Madison: Update on the Detainee rally going on INSIDE Coalinga State Hospital
Speeches by Detainees for the Demonstration outside of C.S.H. :
- A word of thanks to our supporters!
- LANCE PURCELL: Crime & Punishment or Mental Illness & Treatment
- Mike St. Martin Speaks by Telephone to the Demonstrators
- DETAINEE ANTHONY CARLIN: The New "Disappeared"
- DETAINEE “Y”.: Challenging Professional Integrity of "Therapists" in C.S.H.
- DETAINEE LANCE PURCELL: Diagnosing a Deeply Disordered Department
- DETAINEE LANCE PURCELL: C.S.H. Cannot Trust Its Own Best Efforts
- DETAINEE LANCE PURCELL: Smaller Crimes
- DETAINEE ANTHONY CARLIN: No Viable Exit Program
- Detainee “X”: Deaths in C.S.H.
- Detainee “X”: David Smith
- Detainee “X”: C.S.H. Fact Sheet
- DETAINEE MICHAEL SEATON: Thanks from P.C.D.G.
- DETAINEE “X”: SUMMARY
Tom Madison Keynote Speech at Coalinga State Hospital
Tom Madison, President S.O. Clear, delivers the opening speech at the rally held by Friends & Family of California Civil Detainees Tom Madison, President S.O. Clear, delivers the opening speech at the rally held by Friends & Family of California Civil Detainees and Reform of Sex Offender Laws in front Coalinga State Hospital where sex offenders are civilly confined after serving their terms in prison.
Paul Shannon Speaks To Civil Detainees & Their Supporters from Boston
"Starchild", Libertarian and Human Rights activist
"Starchild", Libertarian and Human Rights activist, discusses the urgent need for building coalitions amongst civil libertarians and the disenfranchised to combat oppressive government before it is too late.
Jeff Griffin of the "Citizens Committee on Human Rights"
Jeff Griffin of the "Citizens Committee on Human Rights" examines the motivations behind government, the mental health community, and the pharmaceuticals industry in promulgating public terror, pseudo-diagnostics and mechanisms for the destruction of liberty.
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
Friday, March 7, 2008
VIDEO: Why Visiting Was Closed During The Demonstration
Lieutenant Wilson explains why there is to be no visiting during the Demonstration, contradicting the Administration's claims that it is unrelated to the Demonstration and due to an investigation of "smuggling" into the institution. Detainees and their families insist that visiting was cancelled by the Administration as a means of punishing both Detainees and family/friends for exercising their 1st Amendment rights in holding the rally. It should be noted that Coalinga is very remote from the major population centers in California and most family and friends of Detainees had to travel for hours in order to be at the rally with the expectation that they would also be able to visit Detainees. While the rally was held on Sunday, March 2, visiting was closed from Friday through Monday.
The speakers are Lt. Wilson, Tom Madison (S.O. Clear) and Jeff Griffin (Citizen's Committee on Human Rights).
EXCERPT:
TM: IS TODAY NOT A VISITING DAY?
LT. WILSON: IT WOULD BE NORMALLY, YES.
JG: WHY IS IT NOT?
LT. WILSON: IT HAS BEEN SUSPENDED DUE TO THE OUTSIDE ACTIVITIES.
JG: I SEE. IS THAT NOT A TOTAL VIOLATION OF THE WELFARE AND INSTITUTIONS...?
LT. WILSON: NO, IT IS NOT. IT IS A SUSPENSION OF PRIVILEGES.
The speakers are Lt. Wilson, Tom Madison (S.O. Clear) and Jeff Griffin (Citizen's Committee on Human Rights).
EXCERPT:
TM: IS TODAY NOT A VISITING DAY?
LT. WILSON: IT WOULD BE NORMALLY, YES.
JG: WHY IS IT NOT?
LT. WILSON: IT HAS BEEN SUSPENDED DUE TO THE OUTSIDE ACTIVITIES.
JG: I SEE. IS THAT NOT A TOTAL VIOLATION OF THE WELFARE AND INSTITUTIONS...?
LT. WILSON: NO, IT IS NOT. IT IS A SUSPENSION OF PRIVILEGES.
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