State Senator to Call for Hearing Following Report of Inmate Abuse
State Senator Loni Hancock of Oakland plans to call a hearing next year to consider reforms in the way inmates are treated in separate areas, or yards. A report from the state's inspector general for prisons found guards at the High Desert Prison in Susanville provoked violence between inmates, used excessive force, and covered up abuses. It found that sex offenders, former gang members and prisoners with disabilities housed in separate areas weren't safe.
Syrian Refugee Family Adapting to New Life in Oakland
The terrorist attacks in Paris last month sparked a national controversy in the U.S. about whether to admit more Syrian refugees or any Muslims at all. Syria's civil war has forced millions into exile. But the U.S. has admitted few Syrians, 2,300 since the war began in 2011. Most are women and children.