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Date Posted: 10:19:16 12/04/08 Thu
Author: night watcher
Subject: Take care that you don't become the one being talked about

New details emerge in Atwater guard's killing
Rally unites supporters of federal prison safety reforms

BY SABRA STAFFORD
Staff Reporter

The push for safety reforms within the U.S. Penitentiary system got a bolster Tuesday when hundreds gathered for a grassroots led rally in Atwater.

The rally was organized by the Friends and Family of Correctional Officers, a community-based group founded after the death of Jose Rivera, a correctional guard at the Atwater federal prison.

Rivera, a 22-year-old Navy veteran was on duty at the prison on June 20 when he was attacked and stabbed in the heart by two inmates with a handmade weapon.

The two men standing accused of stabbing Rivera are both facing murder charges. Jose Cabrera Sablan, 40, and James Leon Guerrero, 43, both of Guam, are already serving life sentences for other crimes, but they could receive the death penalty if found guilty for Rivera's murder, according to U.S. Attorney McGregor Scott.

"My estimation is that this is a death penalty case. This is why we have the death penalty," Scott said at a press conference in Fresno on Thursday.

A federal grand jury returned an indictment charging the two men with first degree murder, first degree murder of a federal correctional officer and murder by a federal prisoner serving a life sentence.

An FBI investigation into the case has revealed new details about the attack. Agents said Rivera was stabbed by Sablan with an eight inch handmade shank resembling an ice pick. Scott said Rivera tried to escape but was caught by Guerrero, who held him down while Sablan repeatedly stabbed him.

Both the local group and the national union representing federal correctional officers have stated that Rivera's death was a preventable tragedy and have been calling for safety reforms that include stab-resistant vests, protective equipment like Tasers and batons, and staffing increases. At the time of his death, Rivera was the lone guard watching over 100 inmates.

"We all understand that there is an inherent risk in being a correctional officer, but there are simple things that can be done to make the job safer," said Andy Krotik, a spokesman for the group and a former Atwater City Council member.

A representative from the U.S. Bureau of Prisons said they are working with union officials to expand the use of stab-resistant vests. Congressman Dennis Cardoza has introduced the "Jose Rivera Correctional Officer Protection Act," which would provide $20 million in funding to the Bureau of Prisons for purchasing the stab-resistant vests.

Members of Rivera's family were in attendance at the rally and voiced their support for prison reforms.

"He was taken from us because of the situation in federal prisons today," the Rivera family wrote in an open letter. "The Justice Department is cutting back on staff and cutting funding programs that could prevent the kind of violence that took Jose's life."

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