CRIME PAYS.. SORT OF

by Bob Walsh

It just depends which side of the bars you are on. Anthony Coppola was a prison shrink. He worked at my old stomping grounds, Deuel Vocational Institution (DVI), just outside of Tracy, California. He got paid $309,000 a year as a prison pshrink. He also worked part-time just over the Altamont Pass at the county slammer at Santa Rita, Alameda County. He got $233,000 a year for that gig. That was in 2016. He did even better the two years before that.

There was a "staffing shake-up" at DVI back in 2016 and this rather considerable chunk of money came to the attention of an executive within the prison system.

Coppola (thru his attorney) asserted that the doctor was doing nothing wrong. He pulled down his second income while taking chunks out of his accumulated personal leave time, which was considerable. It was all approved. His CMO knew about it, as did his warden.

The whole thing has entered the court arena. Dr. Coppola is asserting that various prison officials are harassing him over the matter since he refused to help them take disciplinary action against a colleague. Coppola asserts that the state wipe out (stole?) about 1,100 hours of personal leave from him, roughly six months of full-time work hours.

The state is not officially going after him for working the second job. They are claiming that he was awarded too much time in error. They have otherwise declined to comment on the lawsuit.

Statewide about 900 prison health care workers have outside jobs. As long as the paperwork is all completed it is completely kosher.

Coppola is currently on unpaid leave from his state job and is working additional hours at Santa Rita while the legal action is pending. . DVI, just outside of Tracy. He got paid $309,000 a year as a prison pshrink. He also worked part-time just over the Altamont Pass at the county slammer at Santa Rita, Alameda County. He got $233,000 a year for that gig. That was in 2016. He did even better the two years before that.

There was a "staffing shake-up" at DVI back in 2016 and this rather considerable chunk of money came to the attention of an executive within the prison system.

Coppola (thru his attorney) asserted that the doctor was doing nothing wrong. He pulled down his second income while taking chunks out of his accumulated personal leave time, which was considerable. It was all approved. His CMO knew about it, as did his warden.

The whole thing has entered the court arena. Dr. Coppola is asserting that various prison officials are harassing him over the matter since he refused to help them take disciplinary action against a colleague. Coppola asserts that the state wipe out (stole?) about 1,100 hours of personal leave from him, roughly six months of full-time work hours.

The state is not officially going after him for working the second job. They are claiming that he was awarded too much time in error. They have otherwise declined to comment on the lawsuit.

Statewide about 900 prison health care workers have outside jobs. As long as the paperwork is all completed it is completely kosher.

Coppola is currently on unpaid leave from his state job and is working additional hours at Santa Rita while the legal action is pending. .