By Charles David Henry Journalism Guild Writer Ernest Hemingway’s For Whom the Bell Tolls is an appropriate introduction to describe the San Quentin Veterans Day ceremony honoring the men and women who died serving their country. The names of nearly 6,588 military personnel, whose names were first recited at the prison’s First Annual Roll Call […]
Read More
By Krissi Khokhobashvili, CDCR Public Information Officer Office of Public and Employee Communications Photo by Alan Barrett-CALPIA Photographer Monica Oliva may have spent the last 13 years in prison, but now, as she prepares to go home, she said those years were time well spent. “Although it is prison, I try to look at it as, ‘You know what? I’m going to use this […]
Read More
By Rahsaan Thomas Staff Writer San Quentin inmates packed into the prison’s Protestant Chapel on a recent December night for an intimate concert put on by musical artist Butterscotch. Butterscotch took the stage, guitar in hand, to play a five-song set. She earned several standing ovations for her performance, which showcased her jazzy voice. But […]
Read MoreBy Rahsaan Thomas Staff Writer Incarcerated men donated money and artwork to help conquer breast cancer. The accumulated funds were issued to Avon Breast Cancer Emergency Fund and the Women’s Cancer Research Center at a ceremony inside the San Quentin’s Protestant Chapel. “It was a wonderful feeling that we are making a difference in people’s […]
Read More
By Juan Haines Managing Editor In honor of his years of volunteer work at California’s oldest prison, University of California Berkeley Journalism Professor William J. Drummond was invited to the White House on Oct. 22, as part of an award ceremony for serving his community. Drummond was presented the John W. Gardner Legacy of Leadership […]
Read More
By Kevin D. Sawyer Journalism Guild Chairman Six high court judges from Nepal visited San Quentin to learn about its restorative justice practices in prison and to take part in a group dialogue. In November, the Victim Offender Education Group (VOEG) and the Insight Prison Project (IPP) hosted a roundtable discussion with the justices, 12 […]
Read More
By Rahsaan Thomas Staff Writer Delia Cohen is setting the stage for a TEDx Talk conference inside State Quentin State Prison in January 2016. Scheduled speakers include: Curtis “Wall Street” Carroll, former combat veteran Ron Self, Warden Ron Davis, and outside guest former Secretary of the U.S. Treasury Robert E. Rubin and California Inspector General […]
Read MoreBy John Lam Journalism Guild Writer America needs serious reform in the juvenile justice system, according to Francis Guzman, a former youth offender turned youth-advocate attorney. “At age 15, I was arrested for robbing a liquor store with a handgun. Although this was my first offense, I was sentenced to 15 years – the maximum […]
Read More
By Salvador Solorio Journalism Guild Writer Prisoners at California State Prison-Solano are developing and publishing a newspaper, the Solano Vision. The newspaper began when Cole Bienek, editor-in-chief, rounded up a team of writers to contribute stories. The new publication’s story is reported by Krissi Khokhobashvili in a California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation newsletter. Bienek […]
Read More
By Rahsaan Thomas Staff Writer A letter from the Board of Parole Hearings saying, “The decision to deny your release has been vacated and your release approved,” was how Kacy Lloyd heard the good news. “I was elated. I couldn’t even read the paper; I thought it said the wrong thing. I had to have […]
Read More