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| Judge blocks plan to have prison lessons taught through cell doors |
| By Associated Press |
| Published: 12/29/2003 |
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A judge temporarily blocked the state Corrections Department from requiring teachers in 11 California prisons to conduct their lessons through cell doors next year as part of a budget-cutting move. The Service Employees International Union sued over the impending practice, saying it would endanger teachers who in some cases would be forced to shout their lessons through meal slots in solid cell doors, instead of instructing in traditional classrooms. An Imperial County Superior Court judge issued a temporary restraining order last Wednesday, blocking the program corrections officials had hoped to begin Jan. 5 after a month's delay due to ongoing labor negotiations. The order extends until the bargaining process is completed. Corrections spokesman Russ Heimerich said the department will fight to reinstate the program, which is designed to save money by getting more inmates out of prisons more quickly. The department is transferring teachers from vocational education programs to the inmate intake centers to begin education programs more quickly for inmates who are beginning their sentences, instead of waiting weeks or months until they are assigned a permanent prison. Inmates get a day off their sentence for each day they are signed up for schooling or prison jobs. Under new rules, the inmates are eligible for early release credit if they sign up for education programs, even if no openings are immediately available. Moving inmates through the system more quickly means budget savings, Heimerich said. Teachers at the intake centers will help inmates who will largely be working on their own using self-teaching educational materials. The union objects to sending teachers into the cellblocks without the training, body armor, radios or other protective gear given to corrections officers. |
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