Anger. Fear.
Those were the immediate reactions of Mary Ann Hughes when she learned that condemned state inmates were being transferred to California Institution for Men in Chino, the prison from which escaped in 1983 before slaughtering her son and three others.
In compliance with Proposition 66, approved by voters in 2016, the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation has begun relocating death row inmates from San Quentin State Prison to 19 prisons statewide so they could participate in rehabilitative programs and jobs to pay restitution to their victims.
Hughes, who referred to the restitution as “blood money,” and local elected and law enforcement officials on Tuesday, May 7, held a news conference on the steps of Chino City Hall. Fearing another escape from the 83-year-old prison that the state auditor in 2008 said was in disrepair, they called on the state to remove the 39 inmates so far transferred from death row and to fix the prison, which goes by the acronym CIM.
“As mayor, the safety of my community is of paramount concern,” Chino Mayor Eunice Ulloa said. “I’m outraged that these death row prisoners have been transferred from San Quentin. (Chino) is a prison that is in dire need of repairs to keep these dangerous prisoners housed.”
The officials who spoke in Chino on Tuesday said the prison is severely underfunded, which creates the threat of escapes. They said an inmate escaped in 2018 by entering a room where diving equipment was kept, stealing a wet suit and scaling walls that had razor wire. A sensor failed to detect the climbing because it had not worked in three years.
“It’s a recipe for disaster,” Chino Police Chief Kevin Mensen said.
Officials said their letters to Gov. Gavin ɫ̳om have gone unanswered.
Albert Lundeen, a Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation spokesman, said in a written statement on Tuesday that the prisons receiving death row inmates have a secure perimeter that includes a lethal electrified fence. All transferred prisoners will be identified as “close custody” for a minimum of five years.
“(The prison system) has completed a variety of repair and improvement projects at CIM and is currently addressing other facility improvements,” Lundeen said. “These CIM projects include roof repairs and replacements; improvements to water and wastewater systems; upgrades to electrical systems, including security lighting; modifications to address Americans with Disabilities Act accessibility; and healthcare improvement.”
Although local officials meet with Chino prison leadership every two months, they said they learned of the transfers only through “an off-hand comment” from one of the leaders.
San Bernardino County District Attorney Jason Anderson said he and Mensen plan to meet with the current warden in the next two weeks.
In 1983, Cooper was serving a burglary sentence when he escaped and hid in a vacant Chino Hills rental house 150 yards from the home of Doug and Peggy Ryen. He invaded the house, using a hatchet and knife to kill the Ryens, their 10-year-old daughter, Jessica, and Christopher Hughes, 11. Joshua Ryen, 8, survived despite his throat being slashed.
Cooper, who has always maintained his innocence, was convicted of murder and is currently at San Quentin.
“The nightmare of what my child had to go through in his last moments will be with me forever,” Mary Ann Hughes said.
The closest house to the prison is now a half-mile away.
“People need to wake up,” Hughes said. “That first house might be a house where some other little girl or boy is asleep in his bed.”
