Calif. prison system moves Sirhan Sirhan

SACRAMENTO, Nov. 2 (UPI) -- Sirhan Sirhan, who is serving a life sentence for the assassination of U.S. Sen. Robert Kennedy, D-N.Y., has been moved to a different prison, officials said.

Sirhan, 65, who has been held in the state prison system since May 5, 1969, was moved Monday from California State Prison in Corcoran to Pleasant Valley State Prison in Coalinga, the Los Angeles Times reported. Corrections officials said the transfer was made at Sirhan's request.

Sirhan had been held in the Protective Housing Unit at Corcoran. California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation spokesman Oscar Hidalgo said the unit is one of the most isolated facilities in the state prison system.

Sirhan will live in a single cell on a high-security yard at Pleasant Valley State Prison and will be closer to other inmates, the newspaper said.

Sirhan was sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole but has failed in several attempts to win parole. Kennedy was killed in Los Angeles June 5, 1968, hours after winning the California presidential primary.