Transfer of San Quentin death row inmates to Chino prison prompts safety concerns

CHINO, Calif. - More than two dozen condemned inmates from San Quentin's death row have been transferred to the California Institution for Men in Chino, the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation said, with more on the way this week.

It's part of the Condemned Inmate Transfer Program, which marks the closure of segregated death row units at San Quentin and the Central California Women's Facility in Chowchilla, according to the CDCR.

Chino Mayor Eunice Ulloa said in part she was "alarmed" by the state's decision to transfer "the worst of the worst prisoners" close to schools, homes, and businesses in Chino. 

"The Department of Corrections needs to immediately remove these horrifically violent offenders from CIM and house them in a prison that is capable of confining people who are sentenced to death," she added. 

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According to the CDCR, 15 death row inmates are currently being housed in the Chino prison, and another eight are expected to arrive this week. There is no known cap on the number of condemned inmates that can be housed there. 

Officials said the Chino Police Department is scheduling a meeting with local officials to discuss the safety concerns brought on by the arrival of the death row inmates.

The program does not change the inmates' sentences, but rather enables the CDCR to "repurpose existing facilities for education and restorative justice purposes."

Additionally, CDCR's initiative has expanded from eight to 24 institutions eligible to house permanent transfers from death row. 

The CDCR has released the following statement in response: 

"CDCR’s Institution Classification Committee thoroughly reviews each condemned individual and offers recommendations for a transfer location based on their individual case factors.

The Condemned Inmate Transfer Program (CITP) ensures compliance with voter-approved Proposition 66. This transfer importantly enables death-sentenced people to participate in work programs to pay court-ordered restitution to their victims.

Transfers do not change an incarcerated person’s condemned sentence.

All institutions accepting CITP transfers, including the California Institution for Men, have at least a Level II security level and a lethal electrified fence. CITP transfers are not segregated, they are housed in general population according to their individual needs. CITP participants will be designated as "Close Custody" for a minimum of five years.  Activities will be permitted only during daylight hours and will be limited to designated areas with high security at non-walled institutions and to the main security areas in walled institutions. The population under consideration is under constant and direct supervision."

The state hasn’t executed anyone since 2006 but voters have continued to back the death penalty even as they reduced many drug and property crimes from felonies to misdemeanors and allowed for the earlier parole of thousands of inmates.

Corrections officials dismantled the state’s newly built $853,000 execution chamber at San Quentin per Gov. Gavin Newsom’s direction.

Prison administrators and researchers plan to evaluate the program over the two years, tracking the number of participants, the number with jobs, inmates’ behavior, and any effect on prison safety.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.