'Guerra psicológica': Un vistazo al creciente uso de operaciones encubiertas en las cárceles de California

California law enforcement has been conducting undercover operations in county jails that draw increasing scrutiny from judges and legal experts. In what's known as Perkins operations, undercover officers pose as violent gang members inside cell blocks to pressure suspects into making incriminating statements. CalMatters investigated four California counties and found these operations involve fabricated evidence, hidden recording devices, and daily cash payments to undercover agents reaching three thousand dollars. Jason Zapata's case illustrates the tactic's toll: arrested in two thousand fifteen, he was placed in a cell with two men claiming to be gang members imprisoned for murder, who threatened him until he made statements about a two thousand fourteen killing he denies committing. His conviction was overturned by California's Fourth District Court of Appeal in early two thousand twenty-six after an eight-year legal battle, with the court finding law enforcement violated his rights. The reversal affects at least ten similar cases now pending at the state Supreme Court, amid growing concerns that these operations amount to psychological warfare disproportionately targeting Black and Latino suspects while circumventing Miranda protections.

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