Describe, in detail, Pelican Bay Prison. Include information about its security level, staff, and inmates.

What will be an ideal response?


Pelican Bay opened in 1989. The mission of the prison is to hold California’s “most serious criminal offenders in a secure, safe, and disciplined institutional setting.” The designed capacity of the institution is 2,280, yet it currently holds 2,700 potentially violent criminals. To manage the prison, the institution employs 1,054 custody staff and almost 500 support staff. The annual budget for the institution is over $190 million.
Pelican Bay holds some inmates in a general population setting but also holds inmates in a Security Housing Unit (SHU) that is designed for those inmates who have serious management concerns, such as gang members and violent inmates. An electric fence surrounds the entire perimeter of this section of the prison. The cells of the SHU are approximately 8 feet × 10 feet. The walls are made of concrete and have no windows. Inmates are housed in their cells for at least 22 hours a day. Three meals a day are delivered to the inmates through a slot in their cell door.

Criminal Justice

You might also like to view...

A gene pair made up of two similar alleles—for example, AA and BB—is said to be what?

a. Heterozygous b. Monoclonal c. Complementary d. Homozygous

Criminal Justice

Clara is currently under a home monitoring program, and she is required to be at home by 9 p.m. This general level of restriction placed on Clara is an example of a(n):

A. curfew. B. extradition. C. diversion. D. arraignment.

Criminal Justice

A(n) __________ is the dismissal of a prospective juror for unexplained, discretionary reasons.

Fill in the blank(s) with the appropriate word(s).

Criminal Justice

Alexander Maconochie was one of the original founders of parole

Indicate whether the statement is true or false

Criminal Justice