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SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- For years, California's far-flung prison system has been the object of periodic scrutiny by the news media, largely stemming from inmates' allegations -- some justified -- of brutality by correctional officers.

But the latest example, which exploded this weekend on the front page of the Los Angeles Times, goes far beyond conditions in California's prisons. Rather, it raises questions about the failure of high state officials to investigate alleged wrongdoing within the prisons, and focuses attention on at least one politician who can ill afford bad press in an election year -- state attorney general and Republican candidate for governor Dan Lungren.

The newspaper said Gov. Pete Wilson's administration and the state Department of Corrections whitewashed investigations of inmates' deaths and injuries at the Security Housing Unit at Corcoran state Prison.

During a six-year period ending in 1995, seven inmates were shot to death by guards, and 43 others were wounded.

The investigations by the Wilson administration, the attorney general's office and the Corrections Department did not result in the filing of criminal charges, although a September 1997 report questioned the conduct of some Corcoran officials.

The FBI, however, conducted its own investigation: Earlier this year, eight officers were indicted on charges that they deliberately put inmates from rival factions together in the maximum-security prison to watch them fight. The guards' trial, scheduled for Fresno, is not yet under way.

The fact that federal agents had to step in to investigate California's prisons is a reflection on the inability of state officials to effectively probe their own prison system. Indeed, the latest scandal is not the only time federal authorities have brought criminal charges against state representatives. In the 1980s, the FBI conducted an undercover sting of the state Capitol, then netted several lawmakers and their aides on corruption charges.

Wilson, Lungren and current and former Corrections Department officials denied they attempted to cover up any wrongdoing.

But the newspaper quoted a top prison investigator as saying his department's probe was a "sham." Moreover, in a story on a related matter last month, the Sacramento Bee quoted from a September 1997 Correction Department report that said at "the request of the (California) Attorney General, staff were not compelled to cooperate with the investigative effort."

Lungren described as "a bunch of crap" the suggestion that his office whitewashed any investigation.

Thus far, the denials of Wilson and Lungren that investigations were deliberately limited appear to be holding water. But the Times noted that two federal grand juries are investigating the possibility of state obstruction in connection with the allegations, and this is where Lungren could be extremely vulnerable as he makes his run for governor.

If Lungren, who has built his political reputation as a law-and-order exponent, or his office, becomes the target of a federal investigation, or even if he is called before a federal grand jury to testify, Lungren could suffer major political damage.

The last thing Lungren needs is to be tainted by a burgeoning political scandal before election day. Wilson, too, is at political risk as he gears up a campaign for president in 2000.

The Times' account is not the last story on this issue. Other news organizations, scenting blood, will begin their own investigations.

One thing is clear: 1998 is shaping up as a very tough year indeed for the attorney general.

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