Six murders occurred in the California Department of Corrections & Rehabilitation during the first six weeks of 2024.
Following reform efforts implemented by the CDCR’s Administration, inmates with violent and lethal reputations were housed with inmates who are vulnerable and in need of protection.
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The obvious question to ask here is; “Why would the CDCR Administration knowingly house dangerous inmates with those who are likely to be victims of their wrath?”
“What’s Norway Gotta Do WithIt?”
Due to political pressure, the Administration has emulated what is known as the Norway Model in California prisons.
Essentially, what this means is that they are trying to copy Norway’s prison policies and paste them into the CDCR.
Given how often the Norway prison system is brought up in the political discourse surrounding prison reform in America, it probably sounds like a great idea on the surface.
The problem is, this Norway model is not applicable to the cultural climate of the California Prison System. It ignores palpable and obvious differences between the demographics of Norway and California.
The overarching difference is a simple one, and perhaps should’ve been taken more into consideration… Gang Culture
Prison Gang Organizations not only dominate the inmate population throughout California prisons, but their influence spills out onto the street.
La Eme, Nuestra Familia, Aryan Brotherhood, Black Guerilla Family, Surenos, Nortenos, Fresno Bulldogs, Skinheads, Nazi Lowriders, Crips, Bloods, all operate within the General Population (GP) yard and segregate themselves along racial lines.
There is a certain level of respect associated with an inmate who is considered active GP, as it means they function within the general inmate population without the need for protection.
This is traditionally how the CDCR inmates have conducted themselves since the beginning. However, this is only one side of the spectrum.
On the other side you have what is called SNY (Sensitive Needs Yards), formerly called PC (Protective Custody).
This is a segregated section of the prison which houses inmates who are in fear for their safety. PC was the term used in the past before it adopted the title of SNY.
The SNY yards house a plethora of undesirable inmates, ranging from sex offenders to crossdressers to snitches to serial killers. In the eyes of the General inmate population, these inmates are regarded as nothing more than trash.
However, this doesn’t reflect the entire demographic of the SNY yards. There are certain inmates, most of whom were once GP, who have been flooding these yards in recent years. And they only continue to grow.
These inmates are called Dropouts.
Former GP inmates who are removed from the yard for their own protection. Many of these inmates are joining the ranks of what are known as SNY gangs.
Some call them STG’s; Security Threat Groups, PC gangs, or Dropout Gangs.
SNY Gangs are primarily comprised of inmates who were once members of a prison organization. Some of these inmates were victims of yard politics, some ran up drug debts, some grew tired of their organization and chose to lock it up.
To help you understand the climate of SNY yards, their impact on the prison system and how the CDCR became what it is today, we need to go back to the beginning.
The Birth ofSNY
JD Rutherford of Prison Break Raw breaks down SNY origins
Prior to 1976, like most other places, California was an indeterminate sentencing state. Until, an unprecedented move was made on the part of Governor Jerry Brown, when he signed the determinate sentencing law into place.
Legislators felt that an inmates sentence needed to fit his crime. So the Determinate Sentencing Law took effect in 1977. Every crime, with the exception of murder, attempted murder and kidnapping, would fall under this.
In an effort to alleviate overcrowding, day for day credit (halftime) was put into place.
Going into the 1980`s, lawmakers saw that prisons were still overcrowded. The new laws weren’t working. What they failed to factor in was the birth of the crack epidemic, which unleashed violence and havoc onto the streets of California.
Law Enforcement responded to this by creating Gang Units; Operation Safe Streets (OSS) and Community Resources Against Street Hoodlums (CRASH).
Legislators needed a catalyst to get tougher on crime This finally arrived in the early 90`s in the form of none other than Richard Allen Davis, a sex offender and Child Predator.
As a result of Davis’ heinous kidnapping and murder of 12-year-old Polly Klaas, Legislators implemented tougher sentences in addition to the 3 Strikes Law. Sentences doubled and inmates were required to do 80% of their time before receiving a chance at parole.
The California Prison Population began to soar.
The Gang problem, both in prison and on the streets, was becoming a major issue. The CDC, as it was called at the time, wanted to dismantle these prison organizations.
They implemented what were called, Indeterminate SHU (Segregated Housing Unit) Programs. They began to validate members of Prison gangs and place them in isolation.
On top of all this, Law Enforcement began to combat gangs on a street level with Gun Enhancements (10–20 Life Laws), Gang Enhancements, Gang Injunctions, and the 186.22 Street Terrorism Act.
They collaborated with the Federal Government to go after street gangs with the RICO Act (Racketeering Influenced Corrupt Organization.)
All of this created a co*cktail of unbearable sentences and a ballooning prison population. Consequentially, Prison gang shot callers aka Big Homies, began to step away from leadership positions in an effort to avoid SHU terms.
This essentially left an army of foot soldiers with no general.
The Big Homies began to promote some of these soldiers to managerial positions and have them run the yard. The problem was, these inmates lacked the qualities and skills necessary to head an entire organization. They were merely the face, a placeholder. These types of shot callers are known as “Crash Dummies.”
What these Crash Dummies lacked in leadership qualities, they made up for with access to money and dope.
There are obvious differences between prison and the street, but there are similarities as well Prison is a microcosm of the outside. Perhaps the most obvious parallel is… Money + Drugs = Power.
It wasn’t long until these Crash Dummy Shot callers transformed into tyrants. And their reign was merciless.
This new breed of shot callers (Llaveros or Key holders) began exercising this power to the fullest extent. They would penalize soldiers for everything under the sun, from dropping a wila (kite) to flushing a fierro (shank) to late paperwork to running up drug debts.
Some inmates were merely victims of mistaken identity or gang politics. Regardless, the end result was always the same. They were either violently ran off the yard or locked it up on their own accord.
It’s worth mentioning that these tyrannical leaders, particularly the Whites and the Southerners, used drugs excessively.
Prior to this, the prison motto was “Make a homie, don’t break a homie.” Eventually it became, “Make a homie just to break a homie.”
The SHU program was designed by the Administration to break an inmate’s spirit. And that’s exactly what happened.
IGI’s (Institutional Gang Investigators) would threaten to validate these inmates as members of a prison gang, but offered them a way out in the form of The STEP Down program. This required an inmate’s cooperation with the IGI’s in exchange for a ticket out of segregation.
In the prison system, this is known as “debriefing.”
Around this time, there was a small fraction of the prison system known as PC (Protective Custody). The California Men’s Colony in San Luis Obispo and Mule Creek, the soft prison pilot program in Ione, California, were two of these facilities. These yards housed inmates who would be obvious targets on an active GP yard.
Whether it was to avoid a lifetime in solitary confinement or avoid the merciless wrath of a tyrannical shot caller, more and more inmates began to debrief or dropout from their respective organizations.
Add to this, a multitude of Southern Chicano gang members entering prison were now in need of immediate protection.
This came as a result of them or their neighborhood violating the “No Drive-by” edict, passed down from high ranking Mexican Mafia member Peter “Sana” Ojeda. Varrios who didn’t comply were automatically greenlit for execution.
The CDC did not have the capacity to house the onslaught of inmates who were in need of protective custody.
Henceforth… The Sensitive Needs Yards were born.
New Kids on theBlock
The million dollar question seems to be; Why would someone drop out of a prison gang, just to join another gang?
Former Prison Guard Hector Bravo on SNY gangs
If you look at the gang landscape as well as the prison landscape, it’s not unusual for members of one gang to separate and form their own clique. Gangs often increase in size and splinter apart into multiple factions.
What is unique about the SNY phenomenon is that these gangs are made up almost entirely of defectors, of men who chose to leave the gang lifestyle. However, the desire for brotherhood, for carnalismo, is still present in most inmates.
Around 2001, the SNY phenomenon solidified itself into the CDC landscape.
25ers
One of the most well known gangs that has become synonymous with the SNY label are the 25ers. Sometimes referred to as Pecetas. While they have gained more recognition in the public consciousness in the last 6–7 years or so, their origins date back all the way to 1992. They are mostly comprised of former Mexican Mafia and Sureno defectors but are open to inmates of all ethnic and territorial backgrounds. In an effort to expand their enterprise, they began recruiting first termers.
While the 25ers are considered the original dropout gang, other gangs quickly began sprouting up on the SNY yards.
Independent Riders
A rival to the 25ers emerged in the form of The Independent Riders, an STG gang established in San Bernardino, Riverside and The Inland Empire, made up mostly of former Nazi Lowriders and Skinheads.
Nueva Flores
Defectors of Nuestra Familia and Nuestra Raza founded Nueva Flores aka The New Flowers, a clandestine group considered to be an active gang made of dropouts. There is much debate over whether this particular group is an SNY gang or technically an active gang.
The NorthernRiders
The Northern Riders aka The Certified Riders was founded by a legendary figure named Bad Ass Snoop, a rogue figure known for his powerful rhetoric and charisma, which enabled him to recruit many youngsters to join his cause. He supposedly started this group out of necessity in an effort to avoid prison politics.
The Zapatistas
The Zapatistas are considered the new kids on the block and are determined to make a name for themselves. They are perhaps the most ethnically oriented STG group, as their core philosophy is built upon combatting the oppression of the Mexican people, La Raza.
Their sociopolitical pillars are imperialism and neoliberalism, and members are required to educate themselves on the teachings of Emiliano Zapata. They claim to be doing for their fellow inmates, what the Zapatistas did for the people of Mexico, standing up to rival gangs and the Administration, in the way the revolutionaries stood up to the Mexican government.
The Zapatistas often recruit lifers and their requisite for joining is to have committed murder. They have had disputes with the 25ers for recruiting ex-Southerners, which is considered a violation of the policy created by the 25ers.
Democracy or Dictatorship?
The 25ers have grown so large that they have predictably broken off into multiple factions.
Much of the philosophy behind the SNY gangs revolves around emulating a democratic style system in which everyone has a voice. Unlike the GP mainline, there are no shot callers and no taxes to pay. Everyone is their own man.
This supposed tilt away from a hierarchical GP system means these gangs lack structure, order and accountability, leaving them susceptible to chaos. Many inmates who felt they had escaped the politics on the mainline, hit the SNY yard only to find an unregulated political system.
While the chaos on the GP yard is controlled, for better or worse, the chaos on the SNY has no limits or boundaries. This has led to an increasing level of violence and wreckage, which has now surpassed that of the GP yards.
As GP politics alienated inmates and swelled up the SNY yards, the gangs on the latter side have slowly transformed into the very thing they had initially run away from.
These SNY inmates have become every bit as tyrannical and predatory as the shot callers on the GP mainline.
The democratic system has become a dictatorship.
The Prison YouTubeGenre
Over the last decade or so, we have seen an interesting subculture emerge within the digital media landscape; The Prison YouTube Genre.
To be clear, like most cultural labels, the creators who it applies to don’t necessarily identify their channel under this banner. But for conversations sake, let’s stick with it.
This genre is essentially former inmates of the prison or juvenile system whose content not only revolves around prison stories and gang life, but expands to a variety of topics including; culture, politics, music, mindset, religion, etc.
Given how polarizing prison politics can be, this genre is most certainly not without drama. This sometimes came in the form of disagreement between YouTubers who were active GP, versus YouTubers who were SNY.
One particular clash arose between two content creators in this space.
Both of these men were raised within the California gang landscape, both were formerly incarcerated. However, they took polar opposite paths on their journey through the prison system and these differing paths would eventually lead them to collide in the free world.
Author and creator, Jason JD Rutherford was active GP in the California prison system before he launched the YouTube channel; Prison Break Raw.
Author and former Inmate JD Rutherford on SNY Gangs
JD was a white member of the predominately Mexican American Sureno movement. For those that aren’t familiar with the LA gang landscape, this may come as a surprise, but token white boys have hailed from Chicano Varrios since their inception.
Prison Break Raw delivers an unfiltered, educational and entertaining look into the realities of crime, prison and the mindset required to break free from mental barriers.
Following an emergence of SNY Gang propaganda flooding YouTube’s algorithm, JD felt it was necessary to shed light on the realities and hypocricy of the SNY phenomenon.
JD relayed a personal encounter he had with a former 25 member, who spoke about the unsavory activities their gang was involved in. JD warned youngsters against falling for the 25ers message of brotherhood and camraderie, as it’s nothing more than a facade.
This did not sit well with a YouTuber by the name of Savage Studios.
Steven Michael Sigala aka Savage Studios on SNY gangs
Steven Michael Sigala aka Savage Studios, was a microcelebrity within the prison YouTube genre and a former 25er. He was known for generating controversy and feuding with fellow content creators.
There are perhaps no two better representations of the clash between the GP mindset and the SNY mindset, than Prison Break Raw and Savage Studios.
Obviously, there are inmates from all generations who debriefed and went to SNY, whether they be Boomers, Gen Xers, Millenials or Zoomers, but one could look at the collision between JD and Savage as generational to a certain extent.
Both of these men have struggled with the obstacles of being formerly incarcarated, both dealt with their own controversies, but both handled their problems in different ways.
While JD tended to learn from his mistakes, Savage continued to descend into a cycle of clout chasing, even going so far as to disrespect the Mexican Mafia in an alcohol induced, social media rant.
On the date of August 19th, 2022, Savage’s actions eventually caught up with him. He was gunned down outside of a tattoo parlor where he worked, aptly named “Smokin’ Gun’s” in Yucca Valley.
Now this isn’t to illustrate the notion that inmates on the GP yard have more integrity than those on the SNY. Most members of SNY gangs were once GP. I think what’s happening in the prison system is attributed to a sense of cultural decline.
JD will be the first to admit that his generation, the Gen Xers, alienated many fellow convicts and inflated the SNY yards.
While Savage claimed that he came in at the “tail end of the real GP generation”, as a millenial, he had never experienced a system without the safety net of an SNY yard.
I think this speaks to a larger issue which encapsulates the majority of millenials and zoomers. A sense of always having a safe space to run to.
While I know that SNY yards are not necessarily safe, what I mean is that our generation doesn’t seem to have a problem with quitting when life gets rough. There doesn’t seem to be an undercurrent of principles and guidelines we adhere to regardless of the obstacles we encounter.
On the flip side, one could argue that we are a generation without proper role models, that Boomers and Gen Xers didn’t play their part in guiding us in the right direction.
Perhaps we’re all to blame for the decline and degradation of our current culture, both within the prison walls and outside of them.
The integration of Yards. “Will they be able to function?”
Given that the SNY yards are currently booked to capacity, the CDCR administration is now implementing what are called Non-designated Programming Facilities, often referred to as 180 or 50/50 yards.
These are programs in which GP inmates and SNY inmates are housed together on the same yard, hence the term 50/50 yards.
Rumors of the integration had been floating around for some time before it came into effect during the early 2020`s.
Needless to say, this has already posed a serious problem. One doesn’t need to be an expert on prison politics to understand that mixing GP and SNY inmates could have dire consequences. The NDPF’s are going to be the first of their kind.
The administration started at the bottom and slowly worked their way up, meaning they tested this expirement on level one and level two (Minimum Security) yards first, before they crept up to GP and SNY.
The administration is able to implement this program, as there is no prior record of GP and SNY being housed together. Meaning, there is technically nothing on paper that indicates any violence or possible threats.
Apparently, the harsh reality of prison politics is not a deterrent to the administration.
Following multiple lawsuits from the inmates and their families, the CDCR was forced to put a temporary halt to the program. Interestingly enough, there is a shared sentiment between Correctional Officer’s and Inmates, as the higher ups are placing both parties in a dangerous and life-threatening situation.
In 2020, a peace treaty amongst La Eme and Nuestra Familia was formed and a ceasefire amongst all Sureno neighborhoods was put into affect. Many sources say that the integration was a strong part of why this took place.
Inmates in both GP and SNY are preparing for war as the integration looms on the horizon.
Apparently, all the SNY inmates who are members of dropout gangs are going to be the first to hit the non-designated yards.
If the CDCR is willing to jeapordize the safety of it’s Officer’s, as well as GP and SNY inmates, they certainly don’t have a problem with tossing dropout gang members to the wolves.
“All in the Name ofReform.”
When asked to describe the current working conditions in the CDCR as of 2024, former Lieutenant Hector Bravo described it as “like working in a zoo, except they’ve opened up all the cages.”
Bravo was Lieutenant at Richard J Donovan (RJD) in San Diego, where he oversaw inmates, Sergeants and Officer’s and was part of the Crisis Response Team.
Hector Bravo shares experience in CDCR with California Insider
His job grew incredibly stressful in 2019, when the integration began to take place. As someone who is familiar with prison politics, Bravo saw where this was headed.
Bravo resigned on December 1st, 2022, as a result of the CDCR administration prioritizing political agenda over proper policy.
The CDCR’s adoption of the Norway model is naive at best and dangerous at worst.
They ignore the reality of California prison politics in favor of an ideal world where the inmates get along and multiple lives have been lost as a consequence. All in the name of reform.
Bravo states “I’ve been in numerous riots, I’ve never seen blatant disregard for life like that.”
Bravo points out that the CDCR is attempting to control the narrative. If you go to their website, you’ll see inmates playing with dogs, gardening, the illusion of peace.
“I believe in rehabilitation, but they’re going about it the wrong way.”
The CDCR as a Microcosm.
For the rest of the country, California sets the pace, as the saying goes. And the CDCR is no exception.
There are a striking number of parallels from the inside of California prisons to our broader cultural landscape on the outside.
Political Tribalism
The idea of individuals searching for belonging, meaning and respect within a tribe is as old as civilization.
The way in which these SNY gangs have splintered from these legacy prison organizations and evolved into various factions, mirrors the landscape of American street gangs, as well as our U.S political system.
Street gangs and Political parties have devolved from legacy organizations into a chaotic battleground of warring tribes and cliques, all vying for resources and influence.
Lack of Order, Structure & Values
One might laugh at the thought that these ideas apply to the prison organizations of times past, but respect, honor and tradition were once coveted in some fashion by the old-school California convicts.
Much like the golden age of America, there have always been nefarious actors afoot, but there has been an undeniable collapse in the traditional values which formed the foundation of our society.
For better or worse, we were once united by an adherance to discipline, duty, courage and respect. The SNY generation reflects our decay of societal values outside the prison walls.
Lack of Accountability
The complete disconnect between the Administration and those who exist within the walls of the prisons they control, reminds me of the relationship between the citizens of the U.S and the government that runs it.
Now, this is not a partisan critique, merely an observation of the fact that there is next to zero common ground between your average American and those who make decisions that can potentially impact our lives.
The Clash of Tradition & Change
The collision between GP and SNY, as well as the latters emulation of the former, feels akin to the universal clash of the old and the young; the preservation of values which serve as our foundation versus the emergence of progress and change.
The decay of traditional institutions, specifically our legacy media and political organizations, as the alternative digital media landscape emerges to the forefront of our culture, seems to resemble the clash between GP and SNY.
When Ideals Collide with Reality
If you’ve been paying attention to what’s happening in American cities, you’d see that crime, drug use and homelessness has skyrocketed, especially in California.
Following Government efforts to allieviate the suffering of society’s disenfranchised, policies were put into place that achieved the opposite of their intended affect.
Much like the administration’s approach to it’s prison population, the state of California seems to be more interested in the appearance of virtue rather than making a meaningful change.
Given the impact of these policies on both inmates in the CDCR and the citizens of California, the possibility of realizing an idealistic, utopian society trumps the reality of crime, lawlessness and societal decay.
Punishment vs Rehabilitation
The transformation of the California prison system bares a striking resemblance to the way society has unfolded in recent years.
There seems to be a great deal of difficulty in achieving a healthy balance between punishment and rehabilitation.
Instead of accountability for one’s actions, individual nuance or objective observation, bureaucracies seem to respond with one emotional reaction after another.
When Hector Bravo came into the CDCR in 2006, the Prison gang leaders were locked away in The SHU. As a result of a lawsuit filed by inmates families, they were released into Genpop in 2014. Murders increased and these inmates now had access to cell phones.
Bravo believes that the CDCR overreacted to these lawsuits.
While most can agree that 30 years in isolation is cruel and unsusual punishment, we can also agree that societies, inside prison or out, cannot function as a chaotic free for all.
There is simply no balance.
Many of the CDCR’s higher ups in Sacramento are near the retirement age and are ready to cut and run as soon as the temperature rises.
When asked what it will take to turn things around, Bravo stated; “A CO’s death, because they certainly don’t care if an inmate dies.”
Regardless of any idealistic reform efforts, the reality is that many inmates, and perhaps even higher ups, do not value human life.
Hector Bravo goes on to say; “An inmate or not, a life is a life.”
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