When people think of California, they picture palm trees, beaches and perfect weather. But there is a dark reality inside the Golden State’s prisons, which are historically plagued by gangs, violence, corruption and abuse.
I have been behind bars since 2009. I know from experience that prison environments can be violent for both staff and incarcerated residents. In my time, I have witnessed gang-related stabbings, race-related riots and numerous drug overdoses.
In 2023, the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation and California Correctional Health Care Services announced that there would be a monumental change. The so-called California Model, an initiative based on the Scandinavian philosophy of incarceration, aims to provide incarcerated people with additional tools and resources focused on rehabilitation and reentry. The goal is to improve safety and wellness among everyone living and working in the system.
A few years in, staff and residents alike have had to adapt to ongoing changes as the two agencies work to implement this new model. Many are hopeful, but a lingering question remains: Given its long history, will California corrections be amenable to necessary changes?
In November 2025, I sat down with a high-ranked lieutenant to talk about the California Model. I first met Richard Molyneux about four years ago, when I started working in the administration office here at Ironwood State Prison. As we started seeing one another more often and chatting regularly, I started to build a relationship with him.
Back in 2011, when I first came to prison, this kind of relationship would have been unthinkable. California yard politics condemn any friendly behavior toward guards, especially a highly ranked one. But after hearing about the California Model, I told Molyneux that I wanted to learn more. The interview has been lightly edited for length and clarity. Unfortunately, our conversation was rudely interrupted by a Code 1: two prisoners fighting another.
Q: Mr. Molyneux, what’s all this talk about the California Model?
Molyneux: Every month all the captains and lieutenants from the state receive an online training session in order to promote a better environment that is healthier for staff and incarcerated individuals.
Q: You mean inmates?
Molyneux: No! Residents or incarcerated individuals. The department is backing away from labeling the population. The California Model is focusing on reducing trauma and toxic stress, reducing recidivism and increasing public safety.
Four pillars form the California Model.Dynamic security is an approach that promotes positive rapport between staff and incarcerated individuals. Normalization aims to bring prison life to resemble the outside community. Peer support seeks to train incarcerated individuals through their prison experiences to provide recovery and rehabilitative support to other incarcerated individuals. And lastly, changing policies and the culture in the department to create a trauma-informed organization.
Q: That’s a lot for an over-a-century-old department.
Molyneux: It’s going to take time and effort on both sides to make this work.
Q: What’s your personal view on this new, drastic change?
Molyneux: I’ve been stabbed, stomped out and gassed by inmates in my 22 years in the department. The worst was being sliced by a tomahawk. So yeah, I was skeptical about this new way of prison reform.
[Editor’s note: Gassing is when an individual urinates or puts fecal matter in a cup or bottle and throws it at an officer. A tomahawk is a makeshift prison knife that uses a pencil or pen as a handle.]
Q: How did the department come up with this idea?
Molyneux: Over the last three years, executives at CDCR began to interact and adopt the [methods from] Norwegian Correctional Services. Data shows they have reduced incidents of use of force, staff assaults and overdoses.
Q: You still have those who refuse to conform. This year, you had over half a dozen homicides, racial riots and suicides throughout the state.
Molyneux: I’m not justifying the facts, but those are maximum level institutions. We must work together to change the environment of our prisons in order to be healthier for all. I was one of the biggest advocates to implement the California Model at our institution.
