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If guilty, Jackson could be Charles Manson's neighbor

The protective housing unit inside Corcoran State Prison in California is considered a highly desirable refuge for the safety it provides.

SAN FRANCISCO - If the child molestation case against Michael Jackson ends with a prison sentence, the pop star's likely new home would be almost as exclusive as his Neverland ranch.

It's far from glamorous, but the protective housing unit within Corcoran State Prison is considered a highly desirable refuge for inmates who need extraordinary protection from other prisoners.

It's also home to a handful of California's most notorious criminals.

Occupants of its 8-by-12-foot cells include Charles Manson and Juan Corona, who killed 25 migrant farm workers in the 1970s. The unit housed Sirhan Sirhan, who assassinated Robert F. Kennedy in 1968, until he was moved to a harsher lockdown in 2003.

Because the unit is so secure, it's considered a virtual oasis in the 163,000-inmate state prison system. Some people who have been there describe it as strikingly calm.

One violent incident has been reported, and the rules allow more freedom than at most prisons.

"They know they're in a safe place and they don't want to ruin that," Corrections Department spokeswoman Terry Thornton said. "It's an exceptional placement."

It has a capacity of 47, but just 21 inmates live in the unit, located about 100 miles northeast of the gated estate where prosecutors charge Jackson molested a 13-year-old boy.

Jurors resume deliberations in Jackson's case today.

If he is convicted, Jackson could go to prison for many years and would be evaluated to see if Corcoran's protective housing unit were appropriate, Thornton said.

Inmates must meet certain criteria, including "specific, verified enemies," "notoriety likely to result in great bodily harm," and no prison gang affiliation.

Officials are refusing all requests for reporters to visit the unit, but Thornton described it.

Each cell has a concrete bed, sink, desk and toilet.

TVs and radios are allowed, if the inmate can afford them. Night lights also are allowed.

Inmates wear denim jeans, blue shirts and brown boots, and are issued white T-shirts, white boxer shorts and a denim jacket.

Staff members, not inmates, prepare and serve food.

Inmates can use the day room to read, play chess or watch television. The exercise yard is available for about five hours a day. There's a basketball court and a bar for chinups, but no free weights.

Residents can shower daily. They have access to a law library and may receive weekend visitors for as long as five hours a day. They share one telephone and make calls during certain hours.

By 8:45 p.m., they must be back in their cells, but there's no official "lights out" time.

The only major incident was in 1999 when a guard left a door open and three inmates from an adjacent unit attacked Manson, Corona and a third unidentified man, Thornton said. Manson was unhurt, Corona was hit in the back and the third inmate was hit on the shoulder with Manson's guitar.

The protective housing unit sits within a sprawling complex that has earned a reputation as one of California's most violent prisons.

"But it's not a pleasant place," said Catherine Campbell, a Fresno lawyer.

"It's sort of like being buried alive with a lot of very strange people."

[Last modified June 13, 2005, 01:43:11]