San Quentin News

Written By Incarcerated - Advancing Social Justice

Kairos Continues Its Remarkable Tradition

by

Kairos is a Christian, spiritually-oriented program that sponsors a four-day retreat in San Quentin designed to enhance self-realization. Forty-two men from San Quentin recently joined the ranks of individuals who have completed Kairos, which conducts the retreat twice a year – usually on Presidents’ day weekend and Labor Day weekend. The most recent retreat, Kairos 54, took place February 14-17th in the San Quentin Garden Chapel.  

Sponsor David Takeuchi said, “It’s a great blessing to see how these men walk in their spiritual journey. These men help me more then I help them. I’ve been doing this for the last six years.”

Forty sponsors from the outside community spent Valentine’s Day weekend in order to be a part of Kairos 54.

Ben Henry, a  Kairos 54 lead sponsor, explained, “The Angels (wives of the sponsors) help with cooking, organizing, and keeping the retreat on track through the weekend. I am involved in this (Kairos) to get a sense from the incarcerated that are ready to return as to how they are worthy to get involved and build community within the prison. This program is based on our faith and belief in Christ; however, it is welcome to all. We have had all religions attend Kairos. We are not here to convert anyone.”

“Honestly, Kairos has been an eye opener,” said San Quentin resident Anthony Davis. “ I’ve heard some things preached that I’ve never heard before in church. It is nice to talk with people with similar backgrounds. A sponsor that came in was locked up for 27 years. The prayer list is amazing. At one time there were 10 people praying for us, brothers from the outside. It has also been fun and every minute each day has been filled with exciting activities. Not only has this program restored my faith, but also it has restored my faith in people. I have just experienced more love in the last 24 hours then I have in a long time. Kairos taught me to make a friend, be a friend and bring a friend to Christ,”

The candidates praised time spent  with Kairos.

“My experience with Kairos was excellent! My current role is a lead man, which entails organizing the candidates and servers for each Kairos event,” said inmate Luis Figueras.

Months of preparation go into the organizing of each Kairos event.

Lead sponsor Ben Henry said, “This is my first time as a lead man of Kairos, which only happens once. It is a lot of work we do. We do team member recruiting in our community to bring in new volunteers. We try to bring in new volunteers each cycle; we try to bring in a one-third of the people new. We have 16 meetings on Saturdays, preparing for this event and the environment of the prison. We try to create team building before we come in, that way we are bonded before, that way we know who we are as people and as a Kairos, and there is never one that is the same. Every one is the best one, especially for the candidates. We try to organize the talks and meditations in a sequence that makes sense and gives the candidates the best experience. It is always a different experience, but the same message: the message of Kairos is that the Holy Spirit always makes its way through and helps us make it happen for the men involved. It is about family.”

Sponsor Dick Tiff said, “Kairos is always good. I have been involved with Kairos for 20 years at different prisons. We find out through this experience that we are all ordinary men; we all have faults and we all should be forgiven for our sins. It’s great to come back and see all these transformed men.”

The responses of the participants reflect many different approaches to self-realization:

— “This has been very educational; it opens my mind to coping mechanisms that I’ll be able to use when I get out. I get out next summer and plan to use some of the tools that I have gained through this spiritual experience. The men that come in treat you like human beings. They do not push anything on you. However, they lead you to water and let you know it is good to be thirsty. The free coffee and cupcakes are great also,” said candidate Kenneth Wilkerson.  

–“The reason I’m attending Kairos is because many friends told me to attend; they wouldn’t tell me what was going to happen. However, they told me that I would experience the love of God. I have come to know that these people do care and they want us to know that we are worthy human beings, worthy of God’s love and that we can change for the better, that we do not have to stay within our previous mold. I ask God to take my addiction to drugs away from me, and so far I have been clean for a year. I’ve been in prison for seven years and I’ve never felt the love that I’ve felt this weekend,” said candidate Marc Radfcliffe.

 –“Kairos is a true blessing; these volunteers do not have to be here. The commitment that they give to us ­‑- four days with us, they eat the same food as us, stay away from their family and all for us. Coming to the Lord, that is what it is all about. We’re in here with no Correctional Officer. Something could pop off; however, it doesn’t because of our love for the Lord,” said San Quentin inmate Drake Walker.

Kairos is a family affair; one of the sponsors was introduced to Kairos as a youth and is still involved today.

“Been volunteering with Kairos since age 21,” said outside sponsor Joseph Hughes. “My stepfather brought me into helping with Kairos. My wife is Christian and supports my involvement with Kairos. However, it was a little harder this time since I have a 10-month-old. I do strength and conditioning at Pittsburg High School and one of the people in Kairos 54 is the father of a kid I coach. This is the first time I have given a talk at a Kairos event — the talk was called ‘You are not alone.’ The groups here at San Quentin are now more open to this experience since the prison has transitioned.”

 “To me it’s a gift that my husband is serving God; that’s the best Valentine’s Day gift. The love that my husband has for God is amazing,” said Marilyn Hughes, Joseph’s wife.

On the final night, the candidates passed between two lines of clapping supporters cheering them on, and they entered the chapel where the final remarks were made.

 “Go Light Your World” was sung to complete the program.

News Briefs

by

1. USA — Last year, the state of Texas carried out the most executions in the US with nine. Alabama, Georgia and Tennessee followed with three each. Florida had two, and South Dakota and Missouri had one. Pending death warrants for 2020 as of Jan. 17 show that Ohio is leading the nation with nine, followed by Texas with seven, Tennessee with three and Georgia with one, the Death Penalty Information Center reports.

2. USA — Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, The Souls of Black Folk by W.E.B. DuBois, Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson, Dreams Of My Father by Barack Obama, The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison, She’s Come Undone by Wally Lamb, Kindred by Octavia Butler, and Mosby’s Medical Dictionary are among thousands of books banned by state and federal prisons in America, The Birmingham Times reports.

3. Washington, DC — Federal courts have cleared the way for more than 2,400 federal prisoners to have their sentences reduced while compassionate releases have been approved for another 124 seriously ill prisoners, the U.S. Justice Department reported last January.

4. Washington, DC—Incarcerated people doing time in a jail are publishing a six-page newsletter, called Inside Scoop, The Washington Post reports. The 81⁄2 by 11 publication usually has from 10 to 16 articles. There are articles about criminal justice reform and jail programs as well as poems and advice columns, including one about finances.

5. New Jersey —In a move he said was in honor of Martin Luther King’s legacy, Gov. Phil Murphy on Jan. 20 signed a trio of bills into law to further criminal justice reform, NJ.com reports. State officials say one new law could streamline the parole process and reduce the state’s prison population. The other measures change the rules on when authorities can seize valuables and money in the state and allocates taxpayer dollars to fund programs to reduce violence, NJ.com reports.

6.Florida —The state’s Supreme Court issued an advisory opinion Jan. 16 that felons must first pay certain fines and fees before gaining access to the polls, Mother Jones reports. The decision is not legally binding but could influence future rulings by federal judges and put the re-enfranchisement of potentially 1.4 million Floridians at risk.

7. Georgia — Jimmy Fletcher Meders was granted clemency hours before his scheduled execution Jan. 16, in part because jurors wanted him to be sentenced to life without the possibility of parole, CNN reports. Four years after his trial, the state added life without parole as a possible punishment.

8. Huntsville, Texas — John Gardner was the first person executed in the U.S. this year, The Texas Tribune reports. Gardner was executed with a lethal dose of pentobarbital at 6:20 p.m. on Jan. 15.

9. Nashville, Tenn.— State Attorney General Herbert Slatery is pursuing execution dates for nine death row inmates, all men, The New York Times report. Four of the nine are Black. Statistics show Blacks make up 17% of the state’s population but about half of its Death Row prisoners. There also is a geographic disparity: since 2001, only eight of the state’s 95 counties have imposed sustained death sentences. Almost half of the men on Death Row are from Shelby County, which includes Memphis and is Tennessee’s largest county but it includes less than 14% of the state population, according to a court filing asking the executions to be put on hold.

10. Vacaville, CA — The Jewish News Weekly of Northern California reports that James A. “Sneaky” White Jr., a Jewish prisoner convicted of murder and imprisoned for nearly four decades, stepped out of prison on Jan. 21. While incarcerated, he began community outreach programs, including a Vietnam veterans’ group while in San Quentin, one of several prisons where he spent time. At Ironwood, he convinced a warden to help him start the college program. At the time there was only one other program like it in the state, at San Quentin; now nearly every prison in California has adopted the format. White also created a culture of charity in prison, convincing fellow inmates and guards to donate to local organizations. Over the years, he helped raise several hundred thousand dollars for everything from seeing-eye dogs for veterans to a local girls’ softball team, all through in-prison fundraisers like walkathons and pizza sales.

11. Kentucky—Less than a month after Governor Andy Beshear signed an executive order restoring the right to vote to roughly 140,000 people with felony convictions who have completed their sentence, state Republicans introduced a bill that would make it hard- er for those people to vote, Truthout reports.

SQ Hosts 13th Annual Brothers in Pen Public Reading

by

Micheal Cooke, Joe Krauter, Lawrence “Udukobraye” Pela, Emile DeWeaver, Jimmy Carlin, Zoe Mullery, J.B. Wells and Troy Williams

Zoe Mullery has listened to thousands of stories inside San Quentin since 1999. She facilitates a weekly creative writing class for about two dozen men.

Mullery’s small frame is a big presence on the prison compound as she’s watched several men from her writing class make parole and continue writing.

“I do it because I love the power of stories. I think storytelling is what people are made of, their creation,” said Mullery as members of the Brothers in Pen held their 13th Annual Public Reading, on Feb.1.

Mullery has been volunteering at San Quentin for 21 years and says she’ll continue working with the program’s sponsor, The William James Association. She said that it satisfies her to see people leave and live better lives. It’s like a happy ending but not so much an ending, she said.

Beaming proudly while standing in the prison’s Catholic Chapel, Mullery opened the show with a warm poem titled, “Let These Words.” Then she introduced the writers who had paroled and returned: Emile Deweaver, Troy Williams, Micheal (Yahya) Cooke, Jimmy Carlin, Lawrence “Udukobraye” Pela and Joe Krauter, who read what he’d written while still incarcerated: “Glasses.”

All of the returning writers were adorned in their street clothes.

“I’m so happy that all this is happening,” said Mullery. “It takes details to pull this off and get everyone in the room together. I’ve seen some beautiful reunions.”

Pela told the men in blue, “People are jealous of what we have. They want our look and our life, our look of freedom. So guys, hurry up and do what you have to do to make it out.”

More than 70 outside guests, many their first time inside a prison, mingled with the men in blue.

“I met some interesting people,” said Lily Rachles. “I’m excited to be welcomed into this community, and I look forward to coming back.”

Rachles attended the event with her stepmother, science book writer Mary Roach. Rachles said “A Paradoxical Situation,” written by Charles Daron, was inspirational.

The editor of Prison Focus Magazine and News Paper, Kim Pollak, was also in the prison for the first time. She knows Mullery, and she asked, “Why aren’t these types of programs in every prison, and why are people with so much beautiful talent in prison in the first place? The raw truth what they share is phenomenal. It’s so unique and come from a different place.”

Emcee George “Mesro” Coles introduced each performer:

Charles Talib Brooks read, “13 Bars.” The audience remained quiet as he read about what 13 bars meant to prisoners, as told by the character, Omar. The crowd was enlightened and chuckled hearing things like, There are 13 bars on a cell door, and there are 13 steps between the tiers.Tim Bottomley gave a brief description of his crime and achievements before reading, “Cross my Heart.”

Elton Kelly read “Market Street,” which was about the perspective of a rich person to the homeless population.

Charles Daron read “A Paradoxical Situation.” The story was about his experience in the Los Angeles County Jail and an encounter with a deputy who abused prisoners with “Flash Therapy Sessions.” He said, “I was 8 years old when I started stealing, which I now regret because I can see clearly I was wrong. I now write urban novels as a form of therapy because I can relate to the characters.”

Clark Gerhartsreiter read a tale of a paranoid conspiracy theorist, “The Tyranny of Small Decisions.”

Richard Dean Morris recently paroled and Stu Ross read his story, “Dolly Caulder.” The story is about a woman who was brain dead and in a coma. Her spirit guide, Stanley, gave her the ins and outs of purgatory.

Gary Lee Roberson read “Just Win More Than You Lose.” It’s about going to court for serious charges and winning his freedom.

Joseph Krauter read “Glasses,” which is the last chapter of a novel he is writing since his release from prison.

Stu Ross read “Going Bald Doesn’t Make You Less Attractive.” The title speaks for itself.

Anonymous read “Judgment Day.” The story centers on how prisoners present themselves before the parole board and the information that parole commissioners use to decide a prisoner’s fate.

George Coles read “Mesropiece Theatre.” It depicted a mysterious fantasy filled with fictitious characters.

Michael Jace read “Unfortunate Statistic,” which describes a gruesome discovery of an African American who has been murdered and how he deals with being Black, a police officer and how that affects his family relations.

Kevin D. Sawyer read “You Were Thinking.” The second person narrative is about a person on parole who returns to society trying to adjust to society. The parolee is indifferent to it all.

Juan Haines read “Treading Habits.” The story is about how a person deals with the fact that he’s dying.

Kevin Flanagan read “Now What?” His story started like an exotic, erotic love story, but it ended up becoming a story of a man and woman just simply in love.

Michael Zell read “Go Niners!” After a moment of silence for Kobe Bryant, Zell told the story of an experience at a Niner Super Bowl.

Michael Calvin Holmes read “Waking Up Dead,” which was an odd story about death.

Paul Stauffer read “Jeffrey Wolsey,” a strange story that

contains futuristic science related to mind and body.

Osbun Walton read “I Wasn’t Ready.” It’s a compassionate story about the loss of his brother Timothy.

Rahsaan “New York” Thomas read “Change in Places.” It is a memoir story about accepting accountability for the crime that landed him in prison.

Troy Williams left the prison population with words of encouragement. “It’s always strange to walk back up in here and see the people that you know like family. Then I leave, and it hurts,” he paused then added, “We need y’all home so we can transform our community into what we want it to be.”

Emily Harris, Emile DeWeaver, invited guest with Lawrence Pela

Connecticut follows NY in providing the incarcerated free phone calls

by

By—Alfred King

If Connecticut follows the lead of New York City, its prisoners may soon get free phone calls. NYC began allowing free calls earlier this year.

“The day it took effect in New York City, prisoners’ calls increased by 38%,” said Bianca Tylek, executive director of national prisoner advocacy groupWorthRises.

“Is the punishment from prison supposed to be that you are now completely severed from society, an outcast?” asked State Rep. Josh Elliot, a Hamden Democrat, who introduced legislation to make phone calls free for prisoners. He wants to make it possible for poor people to stay in touch with their families.

The bill won approval from the General Assembly’s Judiciary Committee but was delayed in the writing appropriations committee. It is hoped that something will radically decrease the cost of the calls.

One complication in Connecticut is the possible loss of income made by the calls. ”In the 2018, Connecticut inmates made $13.2 million in calls. The state took $7.7 million in revenue from the phone calls, which are handled by a vender contracted by the state,” said Securus Vice President Joanna Acocella.

Securus is a company that provides phone services to inmates.

“The Department of Correction is supportive of efforts that increase communication between offenders and their loved ones, which will hopefully help reduce the rate of recidivism,” said Correction Department spokeswomen Karen Martucci.

“The point of making phone calls free to community members and their incarcerated loved ones is to encourage and promote communication,” Tylek said.

Currently, inmates and their families must set up an account with a minimum of $20 to prepay for calls.

“They receive two-min- ute warnings when they are about to run out of time and are charged for the full 15 minutes, whether they use all the time or not,” said Tylek. She says Connecticut is second only to Arkansas when it comes to the amount inmates are charged for phone calls.

Joanna Acocella claims that costs vary from state to state based on the infrastructure and services provided. “The calls we facilitate are supported by extensive monitoring and investigatory tools that prevent them from being used to harass a victim or plan a crime, cresting cost far beyond what is involved in a traditional call made outside of a prison environment.”

—Alfred King

21st century training for a brighter job future

by

By, Juan Haines and Michael Johnson, Senior Editor and Staff Writer.

Top officials from the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR), as well as personnel from Governor Gavin Newsom’s office, celebrated the graduation of dozens of prisoners who completed highly touted apprenticeship programs geared to pre-pare them for 21st century jobs once released from prison.

“This is a milestone—a turning point in your life,” said San Quentin Warden Ron Davis to the 35 incarcerated graduates amid the large audience that gathered for the Aug. 27 event. “You come to San Quentin and you have the chance to be a better person. The skills you get here are the final key.”

Host Michelle Kane with the California Prison Industry Authority (CALPIA) added, “When most people think about CALPIA, they think of license plates and furniture. But we have programs that are self-supporting at all institutions. Coding began in 2014.” She added that no graduate paroled from prison was ever re-arrested. “I see so many success stories from the guys on the outside.”

CALPIA General Manager Scott Walker, congratulated the graduates for doing the “hard work and taking a step in the right direction.”

Deputy Secretary of Corrections Kathleen Allison, when introducing Beverly Parenti, recognized that even after the budget cuts of 2012, Chris Redlitz and Parenti brought The Last Mile (TLM), an entrepreneurial training program, and Code.7370, a computing coding program, to San Quentin.

“When Chris and I started TLM,” recalled Parenti, “it was just the two of us with a crazy idea. Now we have 25 employees. We could not do it without you all. We believe in you and we ask you to believe in yourself.”

Parenti emphasized that the skills the men are learning al- low them to be “positive influences” in their communities. “They’ve help prove that when people believe in a smart idea, they can have a lasting influence on the rest of the world.”

Formerly incarcerated Jason Jones is a TLM and Code.7370 graduate.

“Never underestimate the belief in something bigger than you are,” Jones told the incarcerated men. “Dreaming about where you want to go allows you to build your legacy, and your legacy is the one thing that will go beyond your life.”

Ollie Hurd spent three years incarcerated at San Quentin. Today he is the Director of the Laborers Union Training Center for Northern California.

“I represent that we can become productive members of our community,” Hurd said. “That’s all I ever wanted was an opportunity and CALPIA makes this possible for all of us. Programs like this exist right now; everyone is in- volved in the positive process.”

Hurd said the training center has a “direct entry program” for people who graduate the pre-apprentice program.

“They just have to contact our training center, which is located at 1001 West Side Drive, San Ramon,” he added. Gary Roberson, a Pre-Apprentice Construction Labor graduate, commented that finishing the course allowed him to prepare himself for gainful employment upon reentry into society.

“I want to get out and work on ‘fixer uppers,’” Roberson said. “I want to get my own ‘flip this house’ company— Roberson Realty.”

THE GRADUATES Code.7370

Instructor: Jon Gripshover

Graduates: Robert Barnes, Nicola Bucci, Yu Chen, Daniel Colondres, Wilbert Frank, Dejon Joy, Kennard Love, Gregory Morris, Gabriel Ostolaza, Mark Radke, Bryan Richie, Vah Saechao, Chai Saetern, Roy Sorvari, Moua Vue, Troy Whieteley.

Pre-Apprentice Construction Labor

Instructor: Lauro Perez

Graduates: Walter Cook, Danny Geyer, Jamaine Gurley, Jamai Johnson, Montrell McDuffie, Royce Miller, Evan Page, Shawn Reyes, Gary Roberson, Darius Sommons, Rodney Thompson, Bruce Wells, Andress Yancy

Pre-Apprentice Roofing

Instructor: Julian Hurtado

Graduates: Arron Gilmer, William Hopper, Gregory Jones, Jermiah Lee, Tijue McGhee, James Walton.

Construction training offers increased job opportunities

by

A vocational program is changing lives and instilling hope for a positive future for San Quentin prisoners.

The construction skills program enables prisoners to qualify for a number of career certifications and union memberships.

“This is a tough program that consists of 640 classroom hours, tests, workbook assignments and 280 hours of on-the-job training,” said Lauro Perez, instructor for the Career Technical Education (CTE) construction program.

This program is also a part of the California Prison Industry Authority (PIA) and inmates receive pay for their assigned hours.

CTE also incorporates values and morals toward a solid foundation for growth and future opportunity, Perez said.

“As a youth, I’d beat the pavement day in and day out, trying to become employed only to be turned away time and time again,” said Roosevelt “Askari” Johnson Jr., a CTE graduate and current teachers’ assistant. “That was “due to the lack of experience which, by the way, is one of the contributing factors that made it easy for me to em- brace a criminal life style.”

Another inmate, Jamai Johnson, said, “This construction trade will enable me to provide for my family, while giving back to the community by literally rebuilding what I once brought destruction to as a youth… Upon release, when I get my [driver’s] license, the CTE/PIA program will pay my first year union dues and purchase my tools.”

Perez, who has more than 21 years of experience in the laborers union, commented, “For the union construction industry, this is a time of optimism, promise and opportunity. All leading economic indicators for the construction industry point to steady and continued growth as we finally remove ourselves from the depths of one of the most debilitating recessions of our lifetime.

“Since I started teaching here last March, every guy who has successfully completed this program has gone out and hustled up work in the trades.”

APPRENTICE WAGES

Upon graduating the CTE/ PIA program and paroling, an individual can join a laborers’ union as an apprentice making $19.75 an hour. A carpenters apprentice can earn from $24.70 to $29.04 an hour in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Askari also said, “The CTE Laborers Program has changed the trajectory of my life forever in that I have little to no concerns about employment upon my release.”

He said he recommends the program to others in San Quentin and “I also believe this program should be made available in every prison in California.”

Perez said, “I come from an immigrant family, 21 siblings, poor; all we know is how to work. The great thing about the union is that if you can work hard you can find work. You do not even necessarily need to know how to speak English; as long as you can work hard, someone will hire you. I even worked 10 years as a contractor.”

JOURNEYMAN WAGES

Perez said a union journeyman laborer can make as much as $33.75 an hour, with an additional $23.55 an hour in fringe benefits. He also stated that an apprentice la- borer gets a raise of $2 an hour every six months, after finish- ing an apprentice class. An apprentice laborer must complete seven required classes and 4,000 hours of on the job work experience in order to become a journeyman laborer. A union carpenter makes $48.40 an hour in wages in the Bay Area, plus $30.51 an hour in fringe benefits.

CTE/PIA student Evan Page said, “Since I have been enrolled, I have gained certifications and experience in the construction trade as well as a positive outlook regard- ing my future work opportunities… I believe through this program I have gained enough knowledge and drive to truly succeed in the working world.”

CTE training covers asbestos abatement, scaffold building, concrete placement/ termination, and demolition/ deconstruction.

Also, confined space, soil compaction, trenching and excavation, metal and wood- stud framing, drywall/sheetrock/finish taping, floor prep, grade checking, concrete finishing, underground piping, general and industrial industry OSHA rules and regulations.

“The inmates coming in here knowing nothing, being green…,” Perez said. “Let me tell you something, one time I was sent back from a job because I was not good enough…I do not want that to happen to any of these men in this program. The lord has me here teaching. Seeing lives being transformed inspires me. I love coming to work, and I love my job. We have a positive atmosphere; we joke, and have a great time.”

Anyone interested in this program should send an In- mate Request Form to Lauro Perez at the CTE program requesting an interview for the next scheduled program entry.

More credits offered under Prop 57

by

“As of May 1, 2019 (under new emergency regulations), people can earn 10 days of (Rehabilitative Achievement) credit for every 52 hours of participation(in eligible self- help and volunteer public service activities), up to a maximum of 40 days credit per year.”

The programming credits under Proposition 57 have been enhanced once again, and many inmates are happy to see these changes.

Inmate David Hill said, “I think it’s a good thing; it’s going to make me more inclined to stay in my groups now that the credit hours roll over into the next year.” These Rehabilitation Credits will get me out of prison at least five months early. Which means I’ll get to my family almost six months sooner.”

The voters of California passed Prop. 57, the Public Safety and Rehabilitation Act of 2016 with more than 64% of the vote. Prop. 57 gave the California Department of Corrections (CDCR) the authority to make changes regarding credits by issuing new emergency regulations in order to keep the prison population within the federal court-ordered limit aimed at reducing crowding in prisons.

Since then, CDCR made small changes that increased the programming credits for inmates. For example, a college student who successfully completes a course with a grade of C or better now receives 3 weeks of Milestone Completion Credits rather than 2 weeks for each course. This change went into effect August 1, 2018.

Now, according to the Prison Law Office, “as of May 1, 2019 (under new emergency regulations), people can earn 10 days of (Rehabilitative Achievement) credit for every 52 hours of participation (in eligible self-help and volunteer public service activities), up to a maximum of 40 days credit per year.” In addition, “If a person earns excess credits, the excess credits will be rolled over and can be applied during following years,” said the Prison Law Office.

Another change affects the Educational Merit Credits. “Starting on May 1, 2019 (under new emergency regulations), a person who earns a high school diploma or equivalent earns 180 days of credit; people who previously got only 90 days of credit under the older rule will be granted an additional 90 days of credit,” according to the Prison Law Office.

“I got my GED back in 2016, here at San Quentin, I did it to show my mother that I was changing for the better,” said inmate Ryan Dietz. “I was stoked to get 90 days off of my sentence and it’s even better now that I’m going to get an- other 90 days off and get home to my family this July.”

The U.S. Departments of Justice and Education said in 2013 that education dramatically improves the lives of incarcerated people, improves employment opportunities, reduces recidivism, and saves money for the state.

Most inmates are able to earn credits for successful participation in approved rehabilitative programs, but it’s important for inmates to verify with their Correctional Counselor to make sure that they are eligible for programming credits.

The information on how Milestone Completion Credits, Rehabilitative Achievement Credits, and Educational Merit Credits, are processed can be found in section’s 3043.3, 3034.4, 3034.5, of the 2018 California Code of Regulations, Title 15, Division 3.

It’s important to know that can Milestone Completion and Rehabilitative Achievement Credits may be lost due to rule violations; however, Educational Merit Credits cannot be taken away.

Translate »