On October 18, 2024, at approximately 1020 hours, Officers at Mule Creek State Prison found Inmate Emil Jones unresponsive in his cell. Officers immediately initiated life-saving measures and activated 911. Emergency medical personnel continued CPR as the inmate was transported to the Triage and Treatment Area. He was pronounced dead at 11:08 p.m. by a physician.
Another inmate, Jose Lizarraga, who was housed in the same cell, was removed from the cell and placed in restraints. Lizarraga made a statement to officers regarding the incident. He has since been placed in restricted housing pending an investigation by the MCSP Investigative Services Unit and the Amador County District Attorney’s Office.
The Office of the Inspector General has been notified, and the Amador County Coroner will determine Jones’s official cause of death.
Jones, 57, was received from San Diego County on October 17, 2023, to serve a 16-year sentence for Assault with a Firearm.
Lizarraga, 43, was received from San Joaquin County on December 23, 2016, to serve a 16-year sentence for carjacking evade or attempt to evade Peace Officer while Driving Recklessly.
thetoughestbeat
VIOLENCE IN CDCR CALIFORNIA MODEL PRISONS
Although only some CDCR prisons are “officially” CA Model prisons; all CDCR institutions are expected to embrace the CA Model of prison management.
He explains one consequence: “On Oct. 12, 2006, seven members of [one gang] and seven members of [another rival gang] were released to the Facilities 3A east yard. The institutions’ Investigative Services Unit staff members were present with a camera, prepared to watch the show.
“Within minutes of the release of the inmates to the yard, the 14 inmates initiated a riot in which they savagely attacked one another…The 14 rioters were treated for abrasions, scratches and slashes, [and] there was one stabbing…The CSP Corcoran administrators knew of the potential for violence and the necessary subsequent use of force by correctional officers to stop the violence.”