Archives for June 2008

“If you have come to help me you’r are wasting your time…but if you have come because you liberation is bound up with mine, then let us work together.”
I was honored to be asked to write for the SQN. My hope is that this can be a space that helps facilitate healing and change. The above quote came from the (Austrailan) Aboriginal Political Activist Group in the 1970s. It is this spirit that I would like to introduce myself. My name is Helen Ameeta Singh; I am a therapist and have been fortunate enough to co-facilitate a group on mental and emotional health and wellness for the “TRUST” here at San Quentin. I look forward to creating a space to talk about some of the things that impact our overall health and wellness, which I see as being made up of the physical, spiritual, and mental/emotional aspects of us.
Physical health is how our bodies are functioning and feeling. It includes things like nutrition; what we are eating; where exercise fits into our daily lives; any medical conditions we may be struggling with.
Our spiritual health and well being is made of our individual beliefs around what sustains us. It helps give our lives meaning and keep us going, especially in the really tough times. Being connected to what gives our lives meaning is important to our overall health and wellness because it allows us to continue to stay connected to our own humanity as we exist within systems of oppression (such as the prison environment) that seek to dehumanize us.
Our mental/emotion health is how we think, fell and act as we cope with life. It helps determine how we handle stress, relate to others, and make choices in our lives. As we increase understanding about ourselves and what motivates our behaviors, we become more able to make changes to those behaviors that are negatively impacting us.
Being incarcerated, is very challenging to a person’s well being in may ways. Think about those three aspects of your overall health and wellness. How healthy is your body, spirit and mind right now? Are any of your behaviors causing harm to any of these parts of you? How do you support and nurture these different aspects of your overall health and wellness in the challenging situations that you’re in?
Until next time, peace and blessings…Helen.

In an environment created of iron, stainless steel, cinder blocks and concrete, are an accumulation of men who have committed a mixture of crimes ranging from drug dealing and petty theft to kidnap and murder. In this cruel, man made environment, live individuals who don’t follow the rules, disobey laws and simply don’t get along well with other men and women who are their polar opposites (law-abiding citizens). When we walk down streets, people clench their property and in some occasions, cross the street all in the fear of being robbed or criminally violated in some manner. Currently housed in a population of approximately 5,300, we, the incarcerated men of San Quentin State Prison are viewed as individuals whom society must be protected from. As an incarcerated man, this reporter can happily and easily contest that we are not the cancers of society. But don’t take my word for it; instead, allow me to share with you an interesting dynamic that is in place here at San Quentin State Prison.
On this cool May morning, I was blessed with the opportunity to participate in San Quentin State Prison’s 6th Annual Health Fair. This is an event that is hosted by the San Quentin T.R.U.S.T. for the Development of Incarcerated Men in conjunction with the National Trust for the Development of African American Men, the Alameda County Health Department and the Urban Male Health Initiative. The purpose of this event is to promote “Good Health” within self, family and community and to educate the incarcerated men in chronic health issues pertaining to gender, race and age. Every year, Dr. Arnold Chavez of the Alameda County Health Department pours his heart and soul into the recruitment of Health Care professionals for our annual health fair. What was once the hardest sell in the world for Dr. Chavez, has easily become an abundance of professionals who jump at the opportunity to participate in this annual event. Dr. Chavez remarks, “In the beginning, I was only able to get 10 – 15 Nurses and Health Specialists to participate in the event. Now I have over a 100 people each year who try to clear their calendars to participate in this day at San Quentin.” This year’s bunch of enthusiastic professionals included specialists providing information on Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STD’s), Risk Reduction, Cancer, HIV/AIDS, Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS), Nutritional Values Counseling, Blood Pressure testing, Body Mass Index, Glucose Testing, Cholesterol Testing and yes… Yoga! While Alameda County Health has always been at the forefront of volunteering, this year has brought a group of new faces. Entering the San Quentin health fair arena for the first time were doctors and interns from the University of California, San Francisco which provided information  in the fields of Geriatrics and Nutrition (Healthy Choice Recipes). Mildred Crear, an Oakland native, has been in the Health Care profession for 44 years, currently heads the Black Nurses Association (BNA) and was manning the Glucose Testing table. Mildred, a Registered Nurse who is here for her third visit states, “I return each year to empower people, give information about health care so the men in San Quentin will know and understand their numbers (Blood Pressure, Cholesterol, Sugar and Body Mass).” Mildred continues by stating, “I hope the Receivership will improve the health care here in San Quentin and perhaps work together with outside organizations to help this process. Mildred went out on a limb by stating, “Maybe they will make the food better.” Bless her heart! During Mildred’s first visit, she was very skeptical about coming to San Quentin because she feared the unknown. At the end of our day, I was able to ask Mildred how she felt and she responded by simply stating if she could, she would take us all home with her. When she comes in she feels… Comfortable! And has no concerns while she is here and has stated that she feels safer here then she does in her own community at times.
While the focus today is strictly on promoting health, Dr. Gary Mendez, executive director of the National Trust, states in a speech provided to the population attending the fair, In making this statement Dr. Mendez lays down a challenge to the incarcerated men to make a change; and they respond. In droves, the men of San Quentin start showing up and participating in the different booths. As you make your way around the makeshift, “Medical Complex,” a picture of unity shows very clearly. Outside in the front yard, where rows of tables are lined up with professionals providing valuable information to the incarcerated men, genuine smiles, pleasantries and gestures are exchanged by both sides. Those people who were once afraid to be around us are now excited about having us around them. If you paid close attention, you actually saw several members of the T.R.U.S.T. actually working side by side with health care professionals assisting in not only passing out information, but sharing their own health experiences with other members of the incarcerated population thus giving the men a face they can put on this experience.
Katchie Ananda, a 20-year veteran yoga instructor, was asked about her experiences here at San Quentin and how she felt about being here. Her response was simple… “I am just happy to be able to give to your community.” You can see this by the way she consistently kept a full room during the fair as she was teaching men different techniques in breathing, medication, relaxation and concentration. Katchie is here on her second visit to the Health Fair, but is actually a Brown Card holder here at the prison. She remains very active with our population as she teaches yoga class on Fridays. What was probably the warmest part of my day, was watching Ms. Arnette Hayes. Arnette was providing information regarding STD’s and clearly had the most active booth. Arnette, also on her second visit, clearly accepted the role of the “Mother” to the younger members of our population. Her demeanor: cool and calm… And in control.
Ladies and Gentlemen, the picture being painted to you is just a simple artist’s stroke of the brush when compared to the larger mural that has been created… While the focus was on health, this day showed two communities working together hand in hand to accomplish a common goal: promoting good health and a healthy lifestyle. This reporter has witnessed all six fairs that have been presented to the San Quentin population and as an incarcerated man, it is always a pleasure to be present when they take place. It is during these days that we the population show that we may have been a cancer at one period in our lives, but now we are in remission creating a healthy body and soul.

Imagine, if you will, being a prisoner in one of San Quentin State Prison’s most secured and notorious housing units. This is the housing unit where most outsiders consider all hope to be abandoned and lost. This is the place where some say they keep California’s most dangerous, incorrigible, and irredeemable souls. This place that I am speaking of, is California’s “Death Row” or the now politically correct “Condemned Row.” The men and women in California who carrying the title of, “Condemned Inmates,” are the very individuals most people believe cannot be trusted with anyone else other than their own peers (other condemned inmates). They are the group of men and women who have not only given up on themselves, but also their families, communities and ultimately society. They are “Societal Outcasts,” from which nothing positive can come… So they say. If we look back at the history of Condemned Inmates, we will find a myriad of men and women with a wide range of crimes that had an extremely negative impact on societies yesterdays, todays and tomorrows. Most people will continue to focus on that negative light and see nothing else but a man or woman who is now only wasting the state’s time and money… Ladies and Gentlemen, this is far from true, from this world of cement and steel, a rose from concrete can grow.
So let’s take a look at that history again; this time, let’s look a little deeper. If you dig below the surface, you will find a host of Condemned men and women who have reached back out to their families and communities by way of authoring books, letters, periodicals, etc. I will not attempt to make any excuses for crimes committed, but instead I want to make an attempt at shining a light on the compassion that still lies in the hearts of these people who some believe have nothing else to live for. If you listen to what I am saying, and you dig just deep enough, you will find a man by the name of Ross “Patch” Keller. Ross Keller, convicted of murder with special circumstances was given the penalty of a “Death Sentence.” In the early sixties, Ross Keller, the father of a growing son, was faced with a difficult challenge. He like many other incarcerated men placed himself in the situation of not being able to care for his family. Ross Keller’s son was being influenced by the negative influences of society and ultimately began traveling the path of his father. Ross Keller came up with an idea of a program that could possibly help him, help his son. In a desperate attempt, Ross Keller drew up a proposal to create this program. In 1964, San Quentin’s Utilization of Inmates Resources, Experiences and Studies other wise known as S.Q.U.I.R.E.S. was born, holding its first workshop with “at-risk” youth from the San Francisco Bay Area. Although Ross Keller’s son was unable to attend the first workshop, he did eventually gain admittance into a later workshop. However, Ross Keller himself was unable to attend the workshop due to his being a prisoner in this facility.
Today, 44 years later, S.Q.U.I.R.E.S. holds workshops for at-risk youth that are mentored by the incarcerated men of San Quentin. The workshops provide close communication between the youth and the inmate participants, which has proven to be beneficial in many cases. During the sessions, every effort is made to establish a rapport with the youth. When needed, a verbal confrontation may be used by a S.Q.U.I.R.E.S. member to deal with a specific youth. This verbal contact has opened up problem areas which otherwise could have gone undetected. Also included in the S.Q.U.I.R.E.S. session is a tour of the lower exercise yard where the youth come in close proximity of mainline inmates, where the youth are offered graphic descriptions of life and existence at San Quentin. The youth also have the opportunity to tour housing units where they experience being placed in a cell for a period of time.
S.Q.U.I.R.E.S. like many programs in San Quentin State Prison has planted a seed and nurtured a relationship with its outside community creating an environment that is safe for communities to come in and be educated with this incarcerated community. In most cases, parents of teenagers who have trouble with their youth may seek advice from many sources: psychologists, psychiatrists, family counselors, teachers and judges. But few go to a source that speaks with the voice of experience about impulsive acting out and its consequences-incarcerated men, who have committed serious offenses. These men have invaluable information on the cause, as well as the devastating affect, of their behavioral problems.

Resources for a successful parole are available through the “California Reentry Program.” This program is brought to SQ by a group of volunteers. Available every Tuesday night in H-Unit, and every Thursday night on the Lower Yard in the “Old Laundry.” The program also provides assistance for Lifers who want help in developing Parole Plans for the Board. Allyson West leads the group of well-educated, highly motivated individuals who sacrifice their own time to offer the following:
A. Career Advice, giving guidance and assistance in what field of employment best for you.
B. Employment, finding job opportunities in the field of choice.
C. Education, continuing education, from GED, Trade Schools, to College, and the financial aid to attend.
D. Housing, transition housing, and other assistance for living arrangements.
E. Substance Abuse Treatments, the California Reentry Program is connected with the “Bay Area Services Network” which can help you in locating help in overcoming addiction.
F. Miscellaneous Issues, such as, attaining identification, attaining transcripts, child support and parental rights issues, parole agent contact, attorney referrals, etc…
G. Monthly Workshops, are held in H-Unit for the following: Resume Writing, Job Interviews, Effective Workplace Communications, Assessing Your Skills and Interests, Labor Market Information (who’s hiring), the filling out of Job Applications, and, occasionally, Health and Immigration workshops. The H-Unit Workshops require signup, to be sent to “Allyson West c/o Education Department.”
The Tuesday’s California Reentry Program is available by showing up when announced in the dorm. Thursday’s program, in the Old Laundry, requires being on a movement sheet; requests to be placed on the movement can be sent to: “Allyson West c/o Education Department.” Or, if you see Allyson, ask her to include you. Ducats will no longer be issued; only the movement sheet is necessary.
California Reentry Program
P.O. Box 483
San Quentin, CA 94964