Sensitive Needs Yards (SNY) for inmates who need protection from the general population were implemented back in the 1990s. Unfortunately, inmates on those yards have now begun to from their own gangs and they are no longer safe. Because of this failure, in 2018 California began to reintegrate inmates back into general population in what is called non-designated programs. “Non-Designated Programming Facilities are facilities that house inmates together regardless of their designation (Sensitive Needs Yard (SNY) or General Population (GP)) in order to provide greater access to self-help, educational, vocational and rehabilitative programs.”
There does not seem to be any good answer. Inmates must be rehabilitated to the point where they act and participate in such a way that they learn behaviors they will need when they are released, so they can stay out of prison. The U.S. releases over 7 million people from jail and more than 600,000 people from prison each year. However, recidivism is common. Within 3 years of their release, 2 out of 3 people are rearrested and more than 50% are incarcerated again.
To throw prisoners who need protection back into general population does not seem to be a good answer. On the other hand, the SN yards have become as dangerous as the GP yards. What needs to happen is to throw those who are in the new SNY gangs back into general population and make the SNY safe again. Obviously, the selection for acceptance into SNY may be flawed.
Send me an email about what your suggestions or thoughts about this are.
Information for Friends and Family of Inmates 
This is what is happening to my son and he is scared to death. He is in Atlanta waiting to be transferred to a penitentiary in California. He can’t get anyone to help him and he will have to live in the shu. Is there anything we can do?
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