On Aug. 9, Knoller was moved to the Central California Women's Facility (CCWF) in Chowchilla, nearly 150 miles from San Francisco, where she'll serve time until she's eligible for parole in about a year. CCWF is home to the state's death row for women and houses just over 3,000 inmates, or about a third of California's total women prisoner population. Knoller was assigned to the D-Yard and is part of the general prison population, according to Department of Corrections spokesperson Margot Bach.

As part of the general population, Knoller will mix with high security inmates, many of whom were convicted of violent crimes, including murder, and lower-security convicts who are in for mostly nonviolent drug-related crimes. Bach explained that although male inmates are segregated according to criminal history, women are not. The spokesperson said that's because violence is uncommon in the state's female prisons.

In March, Knoller, 47, was convicted along with her husband, Robert Noel, 61, of involuntary manslaughter and keeping a mischievous animal that killed a person. Knoller was also convicted of second-degree murder, but that conviction was later overturned by a judge. Noel and Knoller were the caretakers of the two dogs that mauled their neighbor, Diane Whipple, to death in the hallway of their San Francisco apartment building on Jan. 26, 2001. The attorney couple still faces a civil wrongful-death lawsuit brought by Whipple's partner, Sharon Smith, and her mother, Connecticut resident Pamela Whipple-Kelly.

Knoller was shipped off to state prison just after she was sentenced on July 15. She was being temporarily housed at the Valley State Prison for Women in Chowchilla before being permanently assigned across the street, to the CCWF.

Noel is currently being held in the Deuel Vocational Institution (DVI) in Tracy, about 70 miles outside San Francisco. Corrections officials plan to meet soon to come up with a recommendation of where to house Noel for the remainder of his term. Like his wife, Noel has about another year to serve before being eligible for parole. The final decision of a permanent prison for him is expected to be made by early September, if not sooner, said Bach.

It's possible Noel could be sent to a prison outside California.

``Out-of-state is something that is being discussed but it requires my agreement," wrote Noel in correspondence with this reporter.

Although an inmate can be assigned to any prison within the state, the inmate must give consent to being sent out of state, according to the Department of Corrections.

As an attorney, Noel represented both guards and inmates in California prisons. That will be one of the major considerations that will go into the decision of where to place him.

``Corrections is a small world," wrote Noel. ``C/O's [correctional officers] here are friends and/or relatives of cops we have represented. Prisoners (some) that I have encountered are acquaintances of or former cellmates of a number of inmate witnesses in our cases."

Noel said one of the toughest parts of DVI is the scorching heat both indoors and in the prison yard. The only way he has been able to get any relief from the 100+ temperatures, he wrote, was to sponge himself with cold water.

Although he no doubt misses San Francisco's air-conditioned jail, he doesn't miss the food there. ``The food [at DVI] is excellent–Denny's quality--looks good, tastes great," Noel wrote.

Noel said he remains locked in his cell most of the time, only being allowed in the prison yard three times a week for an hour and a half each time. He said he is able to talk with the inmates in the cells next to his, and with the exception of ``one or two jerks," the other inmates are relatively well behaved. He wrote that he spends most of his time reading and working on his appeal.

In his correspondence, Noel strongly rebuked an article in the San Francisco Chronicle that said San Francisco jail employees were glad to get rid of him.

``The comment, `he's finally out of here,' suggests an antagonism that has no basis in fact other than the speaker's personal prejudices and ignorance," he wrote.

Noel pointed out that in the year he was in custody in the San Francisco jail he remained discipline free, got along well with the other inmates, kept his cell to ``U.S. Marine Corps standards," and regularly devoted time to clean up the common areas of his jail pod.

Noel had the same high opinion of the staff at DVI as he had of San Francisco jail employees, calling them ``decent, hard working, and honest."

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