that x-shaped secure housing unit at pelican bay is one of five secure housing units in the state of california. secure housing unit and the acronym is s.h.u., so they're called s.h.u.s. most prisoners in the s.h.u.s are in long-term isolation. at pelican bay most of the prisoners in solitary confinement have been there for at least five years. it was from that unit at pelican bay that last month a group of prisoners in solitary confinement put out a statement announcing that they would be going on an indefinite hunger strike. and yesterday the day of that planned hunger strike, prisoners from pelican bay were among 30,000 california prisoners who refused meals at the majority of the state's prisons. 30,000 people. yesterday was the first day in what the prisoners say will be an ongoing protest against long-term solitary confinement in that state. that was yesterday in california. 30,000 prisoners starting a coordinated hunger strike that they say will go indefinitely. >>> also, yesterday, at around the same time, a federal judge in washington, d.c., made a ruling on a hunger strike o

biggest reforms the department implemented is that security threat group associates, which is the majority of inmates that are housed in security housing units will no longer be placed in a shus based solely upon her validation to their security unless there is a nexus to confront gang activity. moving we use now are violations. in inmate can be validated -- using the national terminology the department is using, to move toward the restriction of any group who threatens security. it could be a prison gang, a street gang, it could be a disruptive group. it could even be a terror group. in this post-9/11 world we live in, there are all kinds of groups to threaten the safety of people both inside of our present and our communities. but validation alone will not be used to place in inmate administrative lead into a security housing unit. it used to be the department did that read the department is no longer doing that area did we have improve the validation system as well. -- moving toward this behavior-based system and using rule violation reports adds the extra layers of due process because any time in inmate violates a rule, any role in priso

floor ♪ >> two floors above fourth avenue's general population pod is one of the highest security housing units inmates considered too dangerous to freely move among the rest of the population are housed. albert has lived in one of these extremely sparse cells for nearly four years as his case has lingered on in the courts. >> it's like i'm never going to get out. i'm only 23 years old. i've been here since i was 20.

while pelican bay houses some of the worst inmates in the state of california, the security housing unite worst inmates in pelican bay. >> now this might look concrete to you, but it is not comparison to the shu program. everything is concrete. >> no ground, no grass, it's all cement. lights all the time. noisy. the yard, you look up at the roof and it's like this. you don't see the sky, you still see bars, you know what i mean? >> you know, you can drive yourself crazy like that just sitting somewhere for 23 hours a day. i wouldn't want to see my worst enemy go back there. it's no place for any human being. >> in addition to containing inmates with a history of violence in the general population, the shu houses inmates who have been officially confirmed by the prison as active, valid gang members. >> under current policy, if you are validated as such, then you do have an indeterminate shu term and you will be housed in a security housing unit for an indeterminate amount of time. that means forever. >> in each section, there are eight cells. the way the cells are designed is to provide s

until he leaves, he will be in the jail's most restrictive high security housing unit for an allegedviolence that occurred two months earlier. this time the victim was another inmate, robert haynes. >> my face, i couldn't believe it. >> beautiful face. so sad, man. surprised, man. >> charged with pimping, pandering and human trafficking to which he has pled not guilty, haynes says he had a friendly relationship with white. >> he was cool though. i didn't really have no problems with him till that day the day he lost a bet. >> according to haynes, white lost a bet with him over a football game. the wager was two $1 containers of instant soup from the jail commissary. >> he didn't want to give it up. then he did. when he gave it up, he started mouthing. i started mouthing him back. come holler at me in the cell. >> hanes says when he stepped inside the cell, white lunged at him. >> sliced me in the face with a razor. i didn't even see the razor in his hand, he did it so fast. i guess he know how to use these. >> deputy bounds says the blade was most likely extracted from the plastic ra

and when they're in the security housing units, both -- both they and male prisoners in security housingcalls. so manage going 10, 15, 20 years without being able to call your loved ones. the only time you're allowed to call your loved ones is when someone dies. >> and in fact, the children, not just you not being able to call, but you, small child, not being able to hear from your parents. >> yes. >> part of the reason why we wanted to do this back to back with the gitmo hunger strikes is this sense of, when we talk about gitmo, people are like, well, i mean, those are terrorists. those are people who have done potentially this terrible -- these are, for the most part, american citizens, for the most part, men of color, for the most part, poor people. people who have had drug addictions of various kinds. this is how we treat people in this country, in this -- is there -- does this tell us something about who we are as a country? >> you know, i think the other thing it does, though, for me, gitmo was my first exposure to solitary confinement. and a group us working on gitmo for a long ti

until he leaves he will be in the jail's most restrictive high security housing unit for an alleged acted two months earlier. this time the victim was another inmate robert haines. >> cut my face. i couldn't believe it. >> just upset, man. surprised, man. >> charged with pimping, pandering and human trafficking to which he has plead not guilty he says he haded a friendly relationship with white. >> he was cool enough. i didn't really have no problem with him until that day. until the day he lost a bet. >> according to haines, white lost the a bet with him over a football game. the wager was two one dollar containers of instant noodle soup from the jail commissary. >> he didn't want to give it up and when did he was tripping. i started mouthing him back and next thing you know he come holler at me in the cell. >> he says when stepped inside the cell white lunged at them. >> sliced me in my face. crazy. i didn't even see the cell in his hand, did is so fast. guess he know how to use these. >> deppy bounds says it was most likely extracted from the plastic razor inmates use for shaving. >>

the state says they need these security units for gang members and potential killers. >> the security housing unit is intended to house inmates who threaten the safety of people or institution. some are placed there because they have committed a specific offense, like murder, attempted murder, arson. >> once they go into solitary, it is almost impossible to get out. 500 prisoners have been in solitary 10 years or more. he says its torture. >> it's nothing but torture because they leave you there for nothing. you're sitting in there cell for all that time, all you're doing is sitting there. >> previous hung strikes have failed to bring dramatic change. they are prisoners, but they said they should be treated like humans.

strike as a protest against what the inmates are calling inhumane conditions surrounding security housing units. you've been investigating these facilities for a year in collaboration with the center for investigative reporting. what did you find? >> we had at the beginning of the week 30,000 inmates refusing meals. the numbers are down to about 7,000. still a lot of men protesting and the protesters focused on pelican bay the prison up in crescent city sometimes called the super max, pretty stark conditions. opponents filed a lawsuit saying it is a violation of the eighth amendment. the state says the prison is humane. i think what distinguishes pelican bay is not the design but the length of time that inmates have been -- some inmates have been spending in these units with very harsh restrictions. i've been meeting men who were at pelican bay in solitary conditions 20 years. 22 years. the rationale, the department says very clearly men earn their way there by essentially being players in big, dangerous prison gangs. there is no doubt some of the men at pelican bay, some of the men involved in

strike urged the governor to step n prisoners want changes to solitary confinement known as security housing unitthis professor is ready with a mediation team. >> these people did bad things why would you negotiate with a prisoner? >> because conditions they're being held in is torture, they are human beings but that doesn't give us the right no matter what they did to torture them. >> california has four shu prisons holding 4500 men. state calls them worst of the worst. separate frtd rest of the prison population, they get less food, fewer privileges and no phone calls until they can earn back to a regular cell, one once, the hunger strike defined as missing nine kneels is led by convicted murderer with alleged ties to the aryan brotherhood. his lawyers posted this interview on the hunger strike coalition web site. >> that worries angie who says her brother has been in the shu 23 years and understands why he is participating in the strike. >> he's bury add flif a tomb f he's been there 23 years, who would want to live another 23 years like that? >> the corrections department insists conditions a

some of the prisoners are held in a security housing unit in kings county.he 8th day of the strike. they put the number statewide at 7700 inmates. they are upset over conditions. supporters say 400 people came to the protest. >>> edward snowden is a man without a country and there is no word on where he will end up. edward snowden submitted a request to stay in russia till he could get to latin america. >> reporter: estsest believed to be -- edward snowden is believe to be stranded in a moscow airport. he confirmed his attention to stay in russia till he could get to a country offering asylum. >> to attempt to move to latin america is to request asylum. >> reporter: he says the presence of government officials that meeting is a good sign for him. >> even if he said -- it wouldn't have taken place. >> reporter: news agencies say officials haven't received an asylum application from edward snowden. >> whoever is the enemy of the united states is therefore a friend of russia. >> i don't think he is ready to switch to -- to -- to this kind of arrangement. >> rep

and in one of those facilities we came upon a high security housing unit that was like nothing we hadr encountered before. >> when you enter the estrella jail facility which is where the women are housed within the maricopa county jail system, the vast majority are incarcerated in dorm-like facilities with the exception of a very small number of prisoners who are housed in a maximum security unit. and a unit within that unit is the atom 100 pod. >> although the atom 100 pod had space for 32 inmates, it held only four of maricopa's most infamous. >> i remember being briefed prior to going into the atom 100 pod by one of the officers about an evacuation plan if something went awry in there. >> there will be two officers present and myself also. i will be there with my taser drawn. >> in all the rest of maricopa county, including the special management unit of the maximum security men's jail, i had never been given a brief like that. this was the only time that we had had a contingency plan in case we were attacked by an inmate. >> basically, we're going to keep the door to our back so i

. >>> inside the cuyahoga correction center, housing unit 9-d is an open door, not unlike the other security housing units. >> bunch of homosexuals. >> the terrible with, you know, the people you associate with, people -- got nobody pick my own. i'm a grown man. >> picking you up off the floor, right? >> 9-d is reserved for inmates who might be victimized by a younger tougher crowd in other parts of the jail. >> you've been around homosexuals before? >> yeah. >> you have no problem with the lifestyle? >> no. >> it's not like if i touch you it's going to rub off on you? >> right. right. >> i can touch you. see how he's blushing in his cheek. >> most of the men here are either older, gay, or transgender. like clarence culverson, issued an article of clothing not typically found in men's units. >> this is a county-issued jail bra. i keep up -- only issued one, so i take care of it like it's my very own. >> he is growing breasts due to hormone treatments and says he uses them to his advantage. >> i'm like a vulture. i go for my prey. when i see somebody vulnerable in there, take to my advantage

the state uses security housing unit or shu which hold prisoners deemed to be safety risk.hey fall in two categories, those with fixed sentences. for those who committed crimes in prison, an indeterminate for those who are deemed to be a danger to others. they have ten hours of yard time a week, cable television, access to the law library but the aclu feels that is not humane. >> there may be people who need to be separated from the general population but not for years and decades on end. they have to be given programs so they can be rehabilitated. >> reporter: and rehab biilitat is an option to give shu inmates a pathway back to the general population. and that's where this debate hinges. the state began several rehab proms in october to alo the shu inmates to earn their way out with good behavior. but only 208 people have been approve proved for transfer. there are 4,000 shu inmates and the state cannot tell us how many are being held indefinitely. until they do it is impossible to tell if they are treating their shu population humanely. >>> coming up new concerns for dog

. >> there is some litigation, though, about conditions of confinement in the security housing unit. and that will progress in the courts as it should. and that's, to me, that's the most appropriate way to address these concerns. >> the protesting prisoners claim they're out of options for achieving reform and ending a state sanctioned torture process. >>> let's turn things over to our meteorologist. here we are, second day. week. very nice so far. >> small doses we had that heat. it was very hot here across the east bay. we did goat 101 in livermore and plenty of upper 90s from dublin to danville. your car probably read 100 to 105. they're a lot more sensitive, those thermometers. we had 86 near the airport. 66 in san francisco with that cool marine air. we're not going to see the marine air go anywhere. we did want to update you. we're looking at one to three hour delays as we head into tomorrow morning with that runway closure and low clouds. we'll get you outside to that live hd camera network. we're fogged in at the bridge. possibly some drizzle at the coastline tonight with hig

floor ♪ >> two floors above fourth avenue's general population pod is one of the highest security housing unitsnmates considered too dangerous to freely move among the rest of the population are housed. albert has lived in one of these extremely sparse cells for nearly four years as his case has lingered on in the courts. >> it's like i'm never going to get out. i'm only 23 years old. i've been here since i was 20. >> he is accused of taking part in a heinous murder. >> they're trying to say i'm the one that planned it out and i'm the one that had everything to do with it, i'm the ring leader basically, so -- >> and the prosecutor wants him to pay for the crime with his life. >> he says it was a brutal crime, that we didn't have no remorse in what we did, how we beat this dude up, like we just didn't care. but it wasn't like that, you know what i mean? we were up on dope. know what i mean? we didn't know when to stop. no one meant to hurt this dude like that, it was a robbery gone bad, basically. >> while prosecutors contend he was the ring leader, they say he wasn't alone. the jail currently h

they are segregated in this high security housing unit. >> translator: this is a pavilion for dangerousjail inside a jail. >> "n" stands for the polish word for dangerous. ours was the first television crew ever allowed inside. >> upon entering the facility, what i noted most was the fact that i could not see any inmates. in american prisons, there is always some kind of window. even in the super maxes. they have these little peep holes the officers will look in before they opened up. that struck me as highly unusual. >> as you opened the door, there were bars. it was a two-tiered system that i hadn't seen before. the security door unlocked and then you have to unlock the bars themselves, as well. >> the solid outer doors are to prevent inmates from communicating with one another. they rarely leave their cells. and even their meals are brought to them. but we found that the cells in "n" block differ from most american high security american cells in two especially significant ways. in american prisons, cameras are generally placed only in common areas. here they are actually inside each

. >> most of the n-dorm inmates work on a construction crew, building a new low-security housing unit on a plot of land adjacent to santa rosa. the dogs are trained to suddenly sit still when they detect the scent of whatever contraband they're searching for. >> that's a good girl. that's a good girl. she's alerting us to narcotics. that's a good girl, yes! that's her reward. that's a good girl! that's a good girl! >> we had both dogs alert on this particular box, so there is evidence that drugs have been in this facility, right here at this bunk. we have determined that the two inmates that are assigned to this bunk work on the construction work site, so we are pulling them in. they will be drug tested. >> when they show interest or have what we call a change in behavior, we follow it up with a good, thorough search, just to make sure we're not missing any kind of narcotics. that's our main focus. >> want to check this? >> the search turns up some plastic wrap bundles, but they are not drugs. >> some of the times you'll see them take drugs and hide them inside things like garlic powd

. >> responding officers arrive at 10c, a maximum security housing unit where a reported commotion between several inmates has already been contained. >> they took all my stuff, man. >> what? >> i figured out, $50. >> randy smith says several inmates stole a phone card and food he purchased from the jail commissary and he was trying to get it back. >> is this dorm known for anything in particular? >> young and most of them are gang related. >> what gang? >> heartless felons. >> i didn't take anything from him. >> i don't steal. >> i don't see half of them as heartless felons, other half is general population. general population gets preyed on by the heartless felons. >> sammy mcclaren is a veteran officer of 24 years. in the gang investigation unit. >> heartless felons is one of the many gangs we have in the county jail but they are the ones we have the most problems with. they become very violent and they're persistent and they don't mind letting people know what their agenda is. >> he says the heartless felons originated in 1999 inside the county's juvenile facilities. >> they felt they

officials gave him a tour of one of the 11 by seven foot solitary confinement cells in the security housing unitor shu. >> why don't they have windows? >> i cannot explain that. >> you may be in a cell and a food tray will be released through the opening. >> they will be stripped naked, wait for the door to be opened. come out and get exercise. >> prisoners only get one hour in this concrete run every day. guestt report was by our journalist shane bauer, who joins us now from san francisco. he spent 26 months in prison in iran, many in solitary. he began investigating solitary confinement in the u.s. when released. withs covered stories mother jones with his article entitled, "solitary in iran nearly broke me. then i went inside america's prisons." he found that california prisoners are being held for years in isolation based on allegations they're connected to prison gangs. it is great to have you with us. talk about this strike going on throughout california prison systems. >> thank you for having me. californiahe department of corrections is reporting about 2400 people are on hunger strike. b

he has a past record of violence when he was in prison, he could be transferred to a higher security housing unito, come on in. few formalities. what is the last state prison you were in? >> folsom state. >> what level? >> level three. >> while you were there, did you get any 115s, 128s, writeups there? >> no. >> what writeups did you get there? >> riots. >> i was in a riot at folsom. they had stingers on the yard, to warm up your coffee. i knew ahead of time it was going to happen. i filled my tumbler up with baby oil. when it popped up, the stingers heated up the baby oil, slung them on the blacks. faces peeled off, all pink underneath, burned them. >> what else? >> there is a lot of other mutual comments. >> where at? >> roscoe. >> roscoe also? would you say a lot of, what do you think, two, three, give me a number. >> six to seven. >> six to seven. okay. what else? >> that's about it. >> that's about it. okay. >> basically what is going to happen now is we'll flex you up to a level two inmate. you'll probably be down here until i can get you a house. you may need to spend the night here. >> o

management one inmate, meaning he will be housed alone in the prison's most restrictive high-security housing unitthe hearing is penn's one chance to change their minds. >> recommendation is post man one based on an assault on a staff member that results in a mandatory referral for a year. do you have anything to say about this? >> yes, sir. i had some lab work to get done. we get back, it's about 3:30ish. he told me to cuff up. i told him i wanted to speak to the captain and not cuff up. he said, no, you cuff up now. i said i would look to speak to the captain. before i cuff up at all. he put his hand on me. it took off from there. i understand you gentlemen are the authority figures and i respect that to the utmost here. but i am also a man while i'm still in blue. he put his hands on me as a man, i felt i had a right to defend myself as a man. it wasn't a custodial touch. he grabbed me by my neck. i'm sorry. i am a man. i have to defend myself, gentlemen. >> did the officer order you to place your hands behind your back and submit to hand restraints? >> yes, he did. >> did you comply with the o

[ clicking ] >> corcoran security housing unit, or shu, is the largest in the state of california. holds the worst of the worst inmates. robert glen is no exception. though ironically, his prison history all began with one nonviolent crime. >> i came to prison for grand theft auto. i got sentenced to three years. >> but instead of simply doing his time and going home, robert has assaulted more than a dozen inmates, lengthening his original sentence. >> because of all of them assaults, my points again rose to a level 4 inmate. and the classification committee decided to give me a indeterminant shu term, and put me up with a aryan brotherhood member, and that began my life with a prison gang. >> the aryan brotherhood exploited his violent nature, using robert to carry out their dirty work. >> prison gang involved everything from stabbings, killings, drugs, weapons. whatever needed to be done, i did it. >> we warn you. the detailing of his violent acts is extremely graphic. >> there was an inmate that came up here. he was accused of raping a woman out on the street. because i was up a

inside, is a bunker-like security housing unit where hundreds of men have been held for more than a decaderlier this month inmates at pelican bay launched a state- wide hunger strike over conditions in the security units. they are seeking an end to what they call indefinite solitary confinement and an easing of restrictions. advocates and family members took to the streets in support of the action, which drew in thousands of inmates from 14 prisons. before the hunger strike got underway, i was allowed to visit pelican bay's security unit. i wanted to find out more about the isolated conditions and the lives of the prisoners held here. prisoners like jeremy beasley. >> the conditions back here are horrible. you don't get no sunlight. i haven't had any human contact with anybody without being chained since 2004. >> reporter: beasley is serving a life sentence for murder. once behind bars, he joined a violent white-power prison gang. and that's when officials sent him to pelican bay. before recently agreeing to leave the group, beasley spent ten years confined 22-and-a-half hours each day alo

floor ♪ >> two floors above fourth avenue's general population pod is one of the highest security housing unitsnsidered too dangerous to freely move among the rest of the population are housed. albert has lived in one of these extremely sparse cells for nearly four years as his case has lingered on in the courts. >> it's like i'm never going to get out. it's my home for the rest of my life. i'm only 23 years old. i've been here since i was 20. >> he is accused of taking part in a heinous murder. >> they're trying to say i'm the one that planned it out and i'm the one that had everything to do with it, i'm the ring leader basically, so -- >> and the prosecutor wants him to pay for the crime with his life. >> he says it was a brutal crime, that we didn't have no remorse in what we did, how we beat this dude up, like we just didn't care. but it wasn't like that, you know what i mean? we were up on dope. we wouldn't know when to stop. no one meant to hurt this dude like that, it was a robbery gone bad, basically. >> while prosecutors contend he was the ring leader, they say he wasn't alone. the jai

. >> officers inside the housing unit security control room witness the fight and alerted the special emergency response team, or s.e.r.t. >> the s.e.r.t. team then arrived. they secured inmate hidalgo. >> they came and dropped their knee on me, boom, split my chin, which caused me to take stitches. blood is coming out. so i'm laying in my blood. so when i get up and come out, one of my other homeboys seen it. >> as hidalgo and guerrero were escorted by the sert team to medical, another orejone gang member, jeremy gonzalez, witnessed the procession. >> i seen him that he was bloodied. being that's my homeboy, i've been nothing him for a long time. me and him have been through a lot. i wasn't going to let it just ride, you know what i'm saying? i let my anger kind of get the best of me too and popped my door out with a shank. >> inmate gonzalez apparently was able to defeat the locking device, open the cell door, and he ran out of the cell and was holding a seven-inch piece of metal. >> it was made out of the top blade of a squeegee. >> unfortunately for gonzalez, by the time he figure

institution is a maximum security prison housing many of state's most violent inmates. >> come here and cuff up! >> inmates considered a threat to security are housed in a special confinement unit called close management. >> basically, the worst of the worst offenders we have here at santa rosa, the staff here do an outstanding job here of maintaining that population. >> hands behind your back! >> depending on the severity of their violations, close management inmates are allowed a limited number of hours outside their cell per week. >> did you hear that? >> you play cards? >> when they let us out of cell, probably about three or four times a week. i'm playing some spades. anything works for money. >> at santa rosa, a simple game of spades serves a purpose. the prison-issued playing cards are like nothing you will find on the street. >> these are the only cards they sell, dead people, homicides, missing people. that's all they sell. >> it's cold cases. they hope some of the inmates may see the cards and know something about the case where they can help solve the case, put the family at rest. >> did you ever see anybody you know in there? >> no. if i did, i would still say no. >

it is a serious abuse, and it will mean the end of national security journalism in the united states as we know it. >> reporter: the white house and state department had no comment. in a statement, the top democrat and republican on the house intelligence committee says justice was served. now analysts who have been watching this say it's unlikely, they think, that he'll get the full sentence and that sentencing process, which starts today, could last weeks. richard? >> tracie potts, thank you so much in washington for us. >>> a federal appeals court ruled tuesday the government can collect records showing your cell phone's location without obtaining a warrant. the court upheld the justice department's arguments in a 2-1 ruling. cell phone locations are not protected by the fourth amendment, which prevents unreasonable searches and seizu seizures. cell phone use is entirely voluntary and users forfeit the right for location records to be constitutionally protected. >>> prepackaged salad is the source for a stomach bug in iowa and nebraska, but it's unclear if other states are linked to that produce. 148 people in iowa and 78 i

the white house insists that north korea must abide by united nations security council resolutions and that talks must be credible. north korea has a history of offering deals and then violating them. iran electing a new president. hassan rohani replaces hardliner mahmoud ahmadinejad, who steps down in august, creating hope that a more moderate cleric will lead the country and ease tensions between iran and the west. ahmadinejad's presidency has been defined by ratcheting up uranium enrichment, rhetoric calling for the destruction of israel, and training militants in iraq to kill u.s. soldiers. the white house says it sees rohani's election as ahelpful s. however, as positive a sign as rohani's election may be, in iran, the supreme leader ayatollah khomeini has the final word. it's been over a week since former national security agency contractor edward snowden identified himself as the leaker of top-secret documents about u.s. surveillance programs. members of congress have questions about how deep the nsa spied on americans' internet activity and phone calls. the president says the n

united states. they want to make border security a top priority. house republicans have said they won't even vote on the senate's immigration plan adding it could be months before they actually come up with some kind of solution. >>> 4:48. the decision today that could sweeten the plan to keep the a's in oakland. >>> plus we'll tell you about golden state introducing the newest warrior. the player the team hopes will finally put them over the top. that's coming up next. >>> we're looking over here toward the peninsula, 101 not bad, easy drive past the ravenswood shopping center. i'll show you what's happening in the south bay coming up. >>> welcome back everybody. a live look on this thursday morning at the san mateo bridge. you can see a little traffic starting to fill up in the early morning dawn. mike inouye along in a few minutes to talk to you about your roadways. it's 4:52 right now. we could learn sometime today whether oakland's bid to keep the a's in their town will clear a major hurdle. for the fourth time in the last two weeks the city port co