Surge in Prison Violence Prompts California Officials to Crack Down on Inmates

Three inmates were killed at separate prisons in one day last week. Restrictions won’t include lockdowns, but inmates’ movements will be limited.

A California Department of Corrections officer speaks to inmates at Chino State Prison in Chino, Calif., on Dec. 10, 2010. Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images

Several high-security prisons in California will further restrict inmates after a spike in violence including seven homicides this year, the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation announced March 8.

State authorities are conducting a comprehensive investigation to examine the surge in violence, and the restrictions will stay in place until the assessment is finished, according to Terry Hardy, a corrections spokeswoman.

The day before the announcement, three inmates were killed in attacks at three prisons.

The restrictions don’t include lockdowns, but modify daily activity.

Prisoners will be allowed to access essential services, such as medical care, legal proceedings, and other critical appointments. Meals will be delivered directly to housing units, and showers and all other movement will be conducted “in a controlled manner,” Hardy said in a press release issued Saturday.

Phones, tablet calls, and visiting will be temporarily restricted, according to the department.

Eleven institutions with armed perimeters and armed internal and external coverage were placed on the restrictions this week.

The facilities affected are the Calipatria, Centinela, High Desert, Kern Valley, Mule Creek, Pelican Bay, Salinas Valley, Sacramento, and Los Angeles County state prisons, the California Correctional Institution in Tehachapi, and the Substance Abuse Treatment Facility in Corcoran.

The Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation is investigating three homicides that occurred March 7.

At about 5:45 p.m. two prisoners at Kern Valley State Prison allegedly attacked another prisoner—German Merino, 37—in the day room.

“Staff immediately responded, stopping the attack,” the department stated in a notice.

Officers attempted life-saving measures but Merino died about 45 minutes later.

Kern Valley State Prison in Delano, Calif., in February 2021. Google Maps/Screenshot via California Insider

Suspects Gilbert Garcia, 43, and Rodolfo Cortez, 33, were placed in restrictive housing pending an investigation.

Garcia started serving an 11-year sentence for assault with a deadly weapon on Feb. 19, 2024. Cortez, who arrived in prison in 2012, is serving a 24-year sentence for two counts of second-degree robbery, one count of carjacking, and one count of assault with a deadly weapon on a peace officer.

In another homicide at about 7:20 a.m. Friday, prisoner Joshua Peppers, 39, was allegedly attacked by prisoner Terrance Shaw, 42, at the California State Prison in Los Angeles County.

Staff used chemical agents and non-lethal weapons to stop the attack, but Peppers died about 40 minutes later.

Officers recovered a weapon at the scene, and Shaw was placed in restrictive housing pending an investigation.

Shaw was returned to prison in 2023 after violating his parole and will serve 14 years and four months for assault with force, conspiracy to commit crime as a second striker, battery with serious injury, and possession or manufacture of a deadly weapon by a prisoner.

Peppers started serving a nine-year sentence in 2017 for second-degree robbery as a second striker, with a sentencing enhancement for inflicting great bodily injury.

The third homicide happened at about 6:13 a.m. at the California State Prison in Sacramento.

Officers conducting a security check found prisoner Jake Kennedy, 32, in his cell with multiple stab wounds. Staff immediately restrained and removed his cellmate, Tyler Yates, 30, who is considered a suspect.

Kennedy died after he was taken to the prison’s triage and treatment area just after 7 a.m.

Yates started an eight-year sentence in 2017 for first-degree burglary and assault with force. On Feb. 2, 2024, he was sentenced to life with the possibility of parole for first-degree murder while in prison.

Kennedy started serving a six-year sentence in 2020 for carrying a concealed dirk or dagger as an ex-convict. On Jan. 9, 2023, he was sentenced to four years for assault by a prisoner.

California’s prison population near the end of January reached about 91,000 inmates, according to the California Legislative Analyst’s Office. Most of the prisoners are housed in the state’s 31 prisons and 34 conservation camps.

The department also supervises and treats about 34,700 adults on parole and is responsible for the apprehension of those who commit parole violations.