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4th Stabbing Spurs Action At PrisonSAN QUENTIN—A fourth convict has been murdered, and, some authorities say, more may soon be dead in seething, jam - packed San Quentin Prison.The knifing of Robert A. Lopez, a 21-year-old Los Angeles hoodlum, came Saturday almost at the same moment as new foreboding from top prison officials—men who have warned of trouble for months.In fact, only a day beforeLopez death Walter Dunbar, deputy director of the State Department of Correction, said that “trouble is certain” in nine major California prisons. He said the prisons have bed space for 19,02? inmates, but are doubling up to hold the total of 23,81S^-ao overload of 4,791.There are 2,000 too many at San Quentin, he said, and 1,000 too many in Folsom Prison.13 WOUNDS Lopez was hacked to death by a crudely fashioned knife wielded by a fellow inmate. He was stabbed 13 times as he stood in the prison yard among nearly 500 convicts and under the eyes of an armedguard.Prison authorities said there was no suspect in the Lopez slaying. Questioning of inmates will resume today.He was the fourth San Quentin convict to die in this manner in the past 11 days.His slaying touched off desperate attempts by prison officers and State penal authori- j ties to relieve the tension. Even as they worked they said the San Quentin tragedies may be only grim harbingers of what can happen at any time in the rest of the State’s overcrowded prison system.9-POINT PLANOfficials Saturday night began a nine-point program that included a search for a new temporary prison to handle San Quentin’s overflow. The prison has 5,000 men, some of them violent, behind waffs built to hold but 2,800.The program will see the assignment of six additional guards here and a number of other security measures.It includes, too, the preparation of a special report for Gov. Edmund G. Brown and the Legislature. The report is to recommend means of alleviating problems that “lead to homicide, idleness and overcrowding of all adult penal institutions, especially San Quentin and Folsom prisons.”(A Tribune series in No-Continued Page 2, Col. 5i- —
Newspaper Details
Oakland Tribune
Oakland, California, US
Sun, Dec 24, 1961
Page 46
Full Page
Clipped by
Juan R.
USA 23 Feb 2022
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