KQED's 'On Our Watch' Uncovers Corruption and Abuse at California’s New Folsom Prison

KQED's Forum

KQED

Politics, News, News Commentary

4.6 • 656 Ratings

🗓️ 2 April 2024

⏱️ 56 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

California State Prison, Sacramento – also known as New Folsom Prison – is considered one of the state’s most dangerous. It’s one of several facilities in California that house the most violent offenders, and corrections officers there use force at a rate that’s nearly 40% higher than in other prisons. It’s also a notoriously difficult environment for prison workers, who face high rates of work-related mental health issues, as well as hazing and abuse if they report official misconduct. A new season of KQED’s award- winning podcast “On Our Watch” looks at the pattern of abuse, cover-up and corruption at New Folsom and traces the stories of whistleblowers who tried to bring it to light. We learn more from the KQED reporters behind the investigation. Guests: Julie Small, criminal justice reporter, KQED; reporter, "On Our Watch" Sukey Lewis, criminal justice reporter, KQED; host/reporter, “On Our Watch”; co-founder, the California Reporting Project Valentino Rodriguez Sr., father of Valentino Rodriguez Jr. - a whistleblower who worked at New Folsom Prison Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:35.0	From KQED.
1:14.6	The from KQED. From KQED in San Francisco, I'm Mina Kim. Coming up on forum, New Folsom Prison near Sacramento is known as one of the state's most dangerous, both because it houses people convicted of some of the most serious crimes, and because corrections officers are more likely than at other state prisons to use serious force and cause severe injury to incarcerated people there. A new season of KQED's On Our Watch podcast takes a closer look at conditions in New Folsom and what happened when two whistleblowers tried to expose the abuse and corruption they saw there, before their deaths.
1:28.8	We learn more after this news.
1:34.4	Welcome to Forum. I'm Mina Kim.
1:41.6	When Valentino Rodriguez, a corrections officer, was promoted to an elite investigative unit at California's New Folsom Prison in 2018, he was excited to be there.
1:51.4	But soon found himself navigating a notoriously difficult environment with violent offenders and violent fellow officers.
2:00.2	New Folsom's use of force rate against the incarcerated is 40% higher than at other prisons, and workers who raise alarms can be subjected to hazing or abuse. Still, Rodriguez reported the misconduct he saw by officers in his unit. Days later, he was dead.
2:16.7	A new season of KQED's On Our Watch podcast investigates
2:20.0	whether there's a connection here and takes a closer look at what goes on behind the walls
2:24.8	of New Folsom, known officially as California State Prison Sacramento. And a warning to listeners,
2:30.7	descriptions of violence and suicide will be part of today's show if you
2:34.6	find you need support. Text 988. Joining me now as Suki Lewis, host of On Our Watch, also a criminal
	...

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