According to a number of documents, including a state response, collected by the ProPublica investigation, some California prison facilities separate and label prisoner blocks by ethnicity in order to "provide visual cues that allow prison officials to prevent race-based victimization, reduce race-based violence, and prevent thefts and assaults".
Though few would argue that maintaining a prison population as large as California's is an easy task, organizations like the ACLU and the Prison Law Office are fighting the practice, arguing that besides being an uncomfortable reminder of the days of racial segregation, it is an ultimately ineffective way to maintain order, RT reported.
One document collected by ProPublica describes color signs placed above cell doors at men's prisons across the state: blue for black inmates; white for white; red, green or pink for Latino; and yellow for everyone else.
"Rather than targeting actual gang members, they assume every person is a gang member based on the color of their skin," said Rebekah Evenson, an attorney with the Prison Law Office.
According to an analysis conducted by Evenson's group, nearly half of the 1,445 security lockdowns enacted between January 2010 and November 2012 impacted specific racial or ethnic groups. The report showed that Hispanics were the most habitual target, while inmates categorized as "other" were least likely to be restricted.
