Normally on a holiday, one would expect to have a reasonable oppression free day.  Even a jail or prison inmate.  However, if you have a guard with a bad attitude, who is angry to be working on a holiday, inmates who would just as soon be somewhere else, and a ladder; you have the makings for a very unpleasant day. 

Shortly after coming on shift at 8:00 a.m. on January 21, 2002, Shasta County Sheriff’s Deputy Terry Seals entered one of the Jail housing units, which are called a “POD.”  He was carrying a six foot fiberglass ladder, some cleaning supplies, and a horrible attitude.  He was determined that, because on this Martin Luther King holiday he was having a miserable day, the inmates would also have a bad day.  As he entered the POD, slamming the doors, Seals loudly barked out orders that the inmates were to use the ladder to scrub the walls in the jail.  Without providing any ladder use and safety instructions, Seals exited the POD, abandoning the ladder unattended and unsupervised where he leaned it against a wall. 

For the next several hours, the inmates were denied all rights and privileges, including television and telephone access, pending completion of his ordered cleaning.  Later, another officer turned the television on.  Almost immediately, Seals went ballistic, turned it back off, stormed into the POD again slamming the doors, and in a most unprofessional, loud, aggressive and demanding demeanor; he issued orders again, where he told the entire POD inmate population they would be denied all privileges, and placed on lockdown status, if they did not do his cleaning.  Seals explicitly stated that if even one person did not do his required cleaning, the entire group would be punished for that one person’s inactions or refusal. 

It is unclear if his threat of group punishment was meant to incite the large group of inmates to violence, and then have them beat-up any nonconformist.  However, it should be noted that Penal Code §4017 provides that only prisoners adjudicated guilty of a crime and sentenced to punishment can be forced to do menial labor.  Other detainees may volunteer, but may not be forced.  Additionally, §4019.5 essentially prohibits group punishment for the actions of individuals, where it outlaws groups of inmates, “sanitary committees,” formed abstemiously to enforce jail/prison discipline.  Group punishment has a long history of inciting riots. 

As a result of Seals demanding this labor, and because of his failure to supervise the work or ensure the inmates were trained in ladder use and safety, the inevitable accident occurred, requiring emergency transportation and treatment at Redding Medical Center (“RMC”).  This at great expense to the taxpayers. 

At approximately 11:05 a.m., when Seals stormed in during one of his unprofessional yelling tirades, and vilifications of the inmates, he woke a sleeping Inmate, Alan J. Isitt, from a dead sleep.  Seals was yelling so loudly, Isitt later stated, that Lsitt believed someone was being assaulted or there was a riot in progress.  Isitt came out of his room in time to hear Seals threaten everyone with lockdown status if they did not do his cleaning.  Half asleep, Isitt retrieved the ladder, cleaned the walls of his room, then returned the ladder to the area by the mop sink where he leaned it up against the wall.  He then turned around with his back to the ladder, walked a couple of steps, stopped, and bent down to scratch his foot.  At this time, he was struck in the back of the head by the now falling ladder.  This blow dazed him.  When he got up he had blood running down the back of his neck. 

Since there is no emergency alert system in the Jail POD’s, the inmates began banging on doors and walls while screaming and yelling to attract the attention of Jail Staff.  Eventually Jail Staff responded.  Lsitt was immediately sent to the Jail Medical Unit, who assessed his injuries, then stated he needed to go to the emergency room at Redding Medical Center immediately.  The RMC doctors gave him a local anaesthetic, then five staples (sutures) were placed in the back of his head, and he was returned to the Jail. 

In the meantime, a female deputy entered the POD and made the sarcastic demeaning statement that the two girls’ POD’s were able to use the ladder without being injured. 

After returning to the POD, Isitt was feeling dizzy, nauseous, headache, feeling cold, vision affected by light (dilated pupils), and generally did not feel well.  He was hungry, but too nauseated to keep food down.  He made a verbal request to Seals to have his blood soaked clothing exchanged, but Seals was too wrapped up in his continuing cleaning frenzy to provide clean blood free jail clothing.  These were provided the following day by a different officer. 

This all could have been avoided.  With only a humanitarian and reasonable attitude, there probably would have been adequate volunteers to do the requested work.  All that would have been required was to ask in a proper manner, and preferably not on a holiday. 

It should be noted that on July 4, 2002, this same officer came to work with this same bad attitude, only this time he didn’t have a ladder.  Is this reminiscent of Barney Fife and being trusted with a bullet. 

Back in 1997, Prisoncrats proposed “Inmate Grooming Standards.”  After they were adopted by the California Department of Corrections (“CDC”) pursuant to the Administrative Procedures Act, there were codified at 15 CCR §3062.  The Inmates made many protests against the new rules, but they were—as always—ignored.  An Inmate at the California Rehabilitation Center (“CRC”) named Larry Ames wrote “The Plan. . .” in protest.  He posted it on a few Institution bulletin boards, and it wasn’t long before someone informed on him, and he was summoned to the Warden’s Office where he was told in a way only CDC can, “Knock it off!”  CRC is the CDC facility made famous in the old Eagles song “Hotel California.”  Many people didn’t understand the lyric, “You can check in but you can’t check out,” until they learned the Hotel California is a California prison.  Prisoners have few ways to protest.  The satire of “The Plan” was an attempt to protest: 

THE PLAN 
 

In the beginning there was a plan.  And the plan came with assumptions.  And the assumptions were without form.  And darkness was upon the faces of the Inmates.  And the Inmates spoke unto their Dorm Officers saying, “The Plan is a CROCK OF SHIT, and it stinks!” 

The Dorm officers spoke unto their Unit Sergeants saying, “The Plan is a pail of dung and none may abide the odor thereof.” 

And the Sergeants went to the Unit Lieutenants saying unto them, “The Plan is a container of excrement and it is very strong, such that none here may abide by it.” 

And the Lieutenants went to the Facility Captains saying unto them, “The Plan is a vessel of fertilizer and none may abide its strength.” 

And the Facility Captains went to the Associate Warden and said unto Him, “It contains that which aids plant growth, and is very strong.” 

And the Associate Warden went to the Chief Deputy Warden saying unto Him, “It promotes growth and is very powerful.” 

And the Chief Deputy Warden went to the Warden and said unto Him, “The Plan will promote growth, and is so powerful that none should be allowed to abide without it.” 

And the Warden looked upon the PLAN, and saw that it was good; and the PLAN became policy. . .