In a ceremony at San Quentin State Prison, two local charitable organizations received $32,350.91 from a victim compensation fund. California Prison Industry Authority oversees the Joint Venture program, in which Labcon workers earn the local minimum … [Read more...]
Report: Tough on Crime Era Resulted in Failure
Years of “get tough on crime” policies have failed, according to a study by Karol Lucken of the University of Central Florida. Lucken’s study condensed decades of analysis of mass incarceration policies. When coupled with reports of the Vera … [Read more...]
Raphaele Casale’s ‘Dynamic’ Presence Praised by Inmates in Program
One of the San Quentin program leaders is Raphaele Casale, who began her career with the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation in the medical department. “When I was in medical, I had no idea what self-help programs were,” she … [Read more...]
SQUIRES Program Mentors Youth to Make Positive Change
Drugs, gangs, schools, parents, girls, peer pressure and bullying are the typical subjects discussed with young men at mentoring workshops of the San Quentin SQUIRES. San Quentin Utilization of Inmate Resources Experiences and Studies (SQUIRES) is a … [Read more...]
Romania ‘Mana’ Jaundoo Expresses The Importance Of Working Inside S. Q.
Almost as soon as Romania “Mana” Jaundoo came to work at San Quentin, she was asked to become a sponsor for a youth-diversion workshop. She said she really likes working with the inmate mentors who volunteer for the program because they do so much … [Read more...]
A Spiritual Leader’s Message of Change
Renowned spiritual leader Sita Lozoff told a San Quentin audience that people can change their lives and be free, no matter where they are. Sita visited San Quentin 10 years ago with her husband, the late Bo Lozoff. Many men in attendance remembered … [Read more...]
Execution by Alternative Means
‘This isn’t an attempt to time-warp back into the 1850s or the wild, wild west or anything like that’ Hangings, firing squads and gas chambers are being considered as means of execution by some states because of the unavailability of lethal injection … [Read more...]
Marin County DA Given Insight to Life Behind Bars
Marin County District Attorney Edward Berberian and two staffers, Deputy District Attorney Leon Vousharian and Assistant District Attorney Yvette Martinez-Shaw, were guests at the fifth San Quentin News Forum held on Friday, May 29. A principal … [Read more...]
Criminal Justice Reformers Praise Affordable Care Act
While the Affordable Care Act (ACA) has received criticism nationwide, criminal justice reformers say affordable health care for ex-prisoners is an important component to criminal justice. “One of the biggest pieces of justice reform in a generation … [Read more...]
San Quentin Embraces Restorative Justice
A new approach to criminal justice is gaining worldwide support and San Quentin is an important part of the movement, a university psychology professor told a recent symposium. “The Restorative Justice movement is spreading across the world, and you … [Read more...]