Preston Tate, an inmate at Corcoran State Prison, was shot and killed by prison guard John Vaughn on April 2, 1994, after being placed in an exercise yard with rival Latino gang members. Tate, identified as a member of the East Coast Crips, was housed in Corcoran’s Security Housing Unit at the time. The placement into a yard with known rivals is described as deliberate and part of a pattern at Corcoran where guards staged so-called gladiator fights between inmates.

The death prompted extensive legal and criminal scrutiny. Tate’s family sued, and in 1998 the California Department of Corrections settled the wrongful-death suit for $825,000 without admitting wrongdoing. That same year a federal grand jury indicted eight Corcoran guards on civil rights violations and conspiracy to obstruct justice tied to the orchestrated fights and Tate’s shooting. Whistleblowers, including former guard Richard Caruso, provided testimony that helped prompt the FBI investigation.

Are there readers who can add details about the conditions in Corcoran’s SHU at that time or who have information relevant to the investigation into these staged fights?