Activists are alleging guards at the Correctional Training Facility (CTF) in Soledad and other state prisons are pitting inmates against each other to justify lockdowns, accusations prison staff flatly deny.

Guards allegedly organize the so-called “gladiator fights” by putting two rival inmate factions in the yard together, said a press release from the Incarcerated Workers Organizing Committee (IWOC), which is organizing a protest at CTF Saturday. When they brawl, guards use the fight to justify putting part of the prison into a “modified program,” the IWOC said, saying it is akin to a lockdown.

But guards are doing nothing of the sort, according to the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. Instead, they are using "incremental release" to slowly reintroduce inmates to programs after restrictions are imposed in a "modified program" after an incident, CDCR said in a written statement.

“(CDCR) categorically denies the unfounded allegations that correctional officers are setting up inmates to fight,” the agency said.

Two fights were filmed on an inmate's cell phone camera Feb. 14 and 15 at CTF and the footage was put online, the IWOC said.

Photos: Palma High visit to CTF prison

CDCR did confirm a fight occurred at CTF’s Facility C between six inmates Feb. 14. Guards used pepper spray to stop the fight. No one was injured and no inmate-made weapons were found, CDCR said.

The following day, 25 inmates began fighting at Facility C. Guards used 40mm pepper spray canisters fired from launchers as well as one warning shot from a guard’s Mini 14 rifle, CDCR said. One inmate suffered scratches and abrasions. No one else was hurt and no inmate-made weapons were found, the statement said.

CDCR said Facility C has been on a “modified program” since the fall.

A call Friday to CTF staff to follow up on the statement was not returned.

That modified program began about seven months ago, said Chris Martinez, 54, who was released from CTF Jan. 26.

"We were still on a modified program when I was released (from Facility C)," he said.

He served 14-and-a-half years behind bars, more than half of them at CTF, for DUI and second-degree murder charges in Los Angeles.

"Other places, there have always been rumors (of gladiator fights). I heard of one in the LA County Jail," he said. "But for that to happen at CTF, I was shocked."

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Martinez said he didn't see any of the alleged gladiator fights or the incident that led to the lockdown. But he heard a "rumor on the grapevine" that a fight over landline prison phones between one gang, the Norteño-linked Fresno Bulldogs, and another spurred guards to confine inmates to their cells.

"When it first kicked off, it was about the Bulldogs jumping on other people's phones when they weren't supposed to — or vice versa," Martinez said.

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He noted that, as a native of Michigan, he is not familiar with gang structure or culture.

For the first month, it was almost complete confinement to the two-man cells, including for meals, he said. But after about a month the Bulldogs were isolated to their own area and guards began to lift some of the restrictions in phases.

"We were still locked down most of the time, but we got to walk to chow and shower three days per week," he said. They also were allowed some time on the yard, he said.

But being on a modified program is not the same as being on a lockdown, CDCR said in its written statement.

“A modified program is when inmate movement and/or programs are limited in response to an incident or unusual occurrence. Modified programs last no longer than necessary to restore safety and security,” CDCR said. “This is not the same thing as a lockdown. As defined by California law, a lockdown means the restriction of all inmates to their cells and dorms and only happens on rare occasions.”

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But CTF isn't the only facility facing such allegations. California State Prison — Corcoran has also been accused.

About 350 prisoners in Facility 3C at Corcoran are affected by the modified program, CDCR said.

About a dozen loved ones of inmates as well as the IWOC turned out at Corcoran Saturday to protest the alleged gladiator fights there.

One of them, Angeleigh Garcia, said she hadn't seen her fiancé in months — the result of a violent incident in September.

The IWOC said affected inmates haven't been able to receive visitors since the modified program began at Corcoran and CTF.

Like CTF, those inside Corcoran point to the Bulldogs and the gang's unwillingness to make peace with rivals.

"We've made a peace treaty with everyone on the yard," said one Corcoran inmate, who spoke on the condition of anonymity for fear of being retaliated against by guards. "Now, these Bulldogs aren't keeping their side of the truce."

That inmate said the Bulldogs started attacking other inmates last year.

Other inmates have asked that correctional staff separate known Bulldog gang members from the others on the yard.

Inmates at CTF also wanted the Bulldogs isolated because they were the only ones causing problems, Martinez said.

"My only complaint about the whole thing: Prison officials had the power to transfer the Bulldogs out somewhere else," he said. "I don't know what goes on behind the scenes. We were all wishing they could send the Bulldogs somewhere else."

Compared with other prisons, Martinez said he found CTF guards to be professional and the prison pre-Bulldogs "calm," noting the yard had grass and flowers.

"Prison staff at CTF, I always thought they were fairly good as far as guards go. The staff I knew, I could never, ever see them staging these gladiator fights and making bets on them. It wasn't in their character," Martinez said. "... You could tell with guards who might be into that type of thing. As far as I know, there were no guards that evil, or that bad, because it was such a good yard for so long."

One CTF prisoner even walked barefoot in the yard — something unheard of during his three prior years at the Richard J. Donovan Correctional Facility in San Diego, Martinez said.

Nonetheless, the strict confinement took its toll on prisoners — "just getting to walk to chow was a relief" from the strain, he said.

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"It's hard to deal with mentally," he said. "Any type of break from that type of stifling environment is a welcome relief."

While CDCR will continue “to move toward a behavior-based model that focuses on providing the most programming opportunities for inmates in the least restrictive setting,” it also will impose sanctions on anyone who doesn’t follow the rules or commits violence, the agency said.

The IWOC describes itself as a “prisoner-led section of the Industrial Workers of the World” committed to ending the “prison slavery” of inmates who work for free or little money, according to its website.

The IWW says on its website that it is a different type of union than traditional labor. It seeks to unite all workers under one union, arguing business owners can pit individual labor unions against one another during negotiations.

Representatives from the American Civil Liberties Union Foundation – Northern California said they did not have anyone who could comment on the gladiator fight allegations or the IWOC.

Officials at the Public Policy Institute of California, a non-partisan think tank in the Bay Area that studies the criminal justice system among other subjects, declined to comment because it wasn’t familiar with IWOC or the allegations it raised.

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The accusations come scarcely three weeks after the state’s Office of the Inspector General slammed CTF’s neighbor, Salinas Valley State Prison, for its process of handling complaints against staff in a report.

That report described more than half of the complaint investigations as “inadequate.”

Among other things, it found investigators had obvious conflicts of interest, showed favoritism toward accused staff they work with, sometimes allowed the accused guards to be within earshot of the inmates during interviews and lacked the minimum training and detective skills.

In addition, lawyers for the inmates said “their clients felt intimidated by the manner in which they were contacted to set up their interviews,” according to the report.

The report also said those issues are likely present at CDCR’s other prisons.

CDCR has said it has seven different reforms in the works to address the report on Salinas Valley State Prison.

Visalia Times-Delta reporter Sheyanne Romero contributed to this report.

Joe Szydlowski is a multimedia journalist for the Salinas Californian who covers local government, crime and cannabis. Follow him on Twitter at twitter.com/JoeSzyd_Salinas. He can be reached at 235-2360. Help support The Californian's work to keep you up to date on key news here: https://bit.ly/2N7qWMo