Elderly San Quentin men struggle with COVID restrictions
After surviving the impact of COVID-19, incarcerated senior citizens are struggling to retain prior learning in academics, self-help groups, physical therapy, and vocational training programs. These programs require a constant level of participation, especially for the elderly. George Derrick and Leonard King “As an amputee, I have only been allowed to attend my physical therapy class … [Read More...]
Ameelio aims to provide free communication for incarcerated families
Prototype of video visiting app on a laptop Billion dollar companies are making millions on the prison communication industry, primarily off of low-income families who wish to stay in touch with an incarcerated loved one. Ameelio, a web-based communication nonprofit, launched an app giving families free online communication services to keep families and their loved ones connected. “There … [Read More...]
Q Ball nominated for Emmy Awards in 2020
Filming of Q Ball inside San Quentin's gym San Quentin–filmed Q Ball was nominated for a Sports Emmy Award for Outstanding Long Sports Documentary, making it the first Sports Emmy-nominated prison documentary film in California’s prison history. “They didn’t see our clothes or our incarceration,” said San Quentin resident Anthony Ammons, who was one of the stars in the film. Speaking of those … [Read More...]
COVID-19 kills 28 San Quentin incarcerated
The coronavirus outbreak inside San Quentin State Prison killed 28 incarcerated people and 1 officer, infected over 2,000 and shook the prison to its core. “San Quentin is now the epicenter of the Coronavirus pandemic in California,” reported the local ABC television station news on June 30.. On the local PBS television news on June 26, Marin County Public Health Officer Dr. Matt Willis … [Read More...]
Domestic violence worsens in a pandemic
Domestic violence victims are experiencing perilous times. Sheltering in place because of the Coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19) has intensified the sufferings of adult victims in a violent household, reported the Oakland Post. Women speak of their feelings of uncertainty, ‘Should they try to leave or stick it out?’ “Many feel trapped while others are leaving due to the increased abuse,” said … [Read More...]
SQ News planted a seed at Calipatria state prison
Men of Vision @ Calipatria Journalism is evolving throughout the California correctional system with the creation of newspapers, podcasts and newsletters. The Men of Vision Think Tank, a group of incarcerated men in Calipatria State Prison launched the E=MindTap2 newsletter with the support of the administration at the maximum-security institution. “When this newsletter was put together, … [Read More...]
Early release of court juveniles
Beginning Jan. 1, 2021, four California state-run juvenile facilities are slated to close, according to a Juvenile Justice Information Exchange (JJIE) article. Gov. Gavin Newsom proposed a plan that would close some juvenile hall facilities, shifting the youth offenders to the supervision of county probation departments. “In order to reduce the number of people in confinement, we need to … [Read More...]
Measures adopted by CDCR:
At the California Senate Public Safety Committee Meeting on July 7, Ralph Diaz, Secretary of the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) listed measures the department has taken to prevent Coronavirus outbreaks.• Suspended visiting statewide in March• Halted all construction within institutions• Health screening for all employees prior to entry• Provided fact sheets and … [Read More...]
Prison University Project contributes to well-being of the incarcerated
In Memoriam for those taken by COVID-19 on SQ Death Row
Photos organized by Jonathan Chiu … [Read More...]
Dual Epidemics of COVID-19 and Influenza (the flu)
The flu, a different coronavirus, will be back this winter, as usual, starting in November and getting worse December and January. As the early symptoms of COVID-19 (also a coronavirus) and the flu are very similar, the medical establishment recommends that everyone gets a flu shot. “This winter, hospitals could well be in great demand so it makes sense that if we can minimize influenza as much … [Read More...]
COVID-19 Took Away This Father’s One Chance a Year to See His Kids
This was going to be the year that Dion DeMerrill would fully explain to his sons why he is in prison. The virus lockdown made that unlikely. DeMerrill looks forward every year to this one chance to see his kids, when he and other incarcerated men and women link up with their kids, thanks to the Get On The Bus program. Get on the Bus brings children and their caregivers from … [Read More...]
AT SAN QUENTIN, OVERCROWDING LAID THE GROUNDWORK FOR AN EXPLOSIVE COVID-19 OUTBREAK
All but nine of California’s 35 prisons house more people than the facility was designed to hold. The following article by Juan Haines, Senior Editor of the San Quentin News and Elizabeth Weill-Greenberg is reprinted by the permission of The Appeal, which produces original journalism on how policy, politics, and the legal system impact America’s most vulnerable people. The conditions … [Read More...]
CDCR Struggles to Stop The Flow of Contraband
The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) continues to struggle in its effort to stop the introduction of contraband inside its 35 prisons. In a recently released Notice of Change to Regulations (NCR 20-01), the Department’s Regulation and Policy Management Branch stated, “Current strategies have been effective overall,” but CDCR still expects that it will expand its … [Read More...]
SQN Johnson earns first Master’s Degree in 10 years
Michael Johnson Striving for a good education has its challenges for anyone, but for incarcerated students those trials and tribulations are greater. However, one incarcerated man has persevered and has become the first student to earn a Master’s of Business and Administration (MBA) degree at San Quentin State Prison in almost a decade. Michael Johnson, 37, earned his MBA with an emphasis … [Read More...]
The value of Prison to Employment Connection on returning citizens through job opportunities and connections
Prison to Employment Connection’s Employer Day in November Prison to Employment Connection (PEC) reached a milestone at San Quentin, completing its 10th session and graduating 44 men, who learned how to present themselves to future employers. One of the highlights of the program was Employer Day in November, where 196 interviews took place with inmates inside the prison’s Protestant … [Read More...]
Incarcerated cooks learn top notch skills as they reenter the workforce
A class of men incarcerated at San Quentin graduated from a cooking course aimed at teaching them topnotch skills for reintegration into the workforce once released. Thanks to the Quentin Cooks program, the eight men showcased their newfound skills on Nov. 13 by preparing a four-course meal for visitors from outside the walls of San Quentin. “The food was astonishingly delicious,” said … [Read More...]
SQ Transgender Day of Remembrance
Participants hold up trans lives matter sign For the first time in its history, San Quentin State Prison joined the nationwide movement on Nov. 20 to memorialize 22 transpersons killed by hatred across the U.S. in the last year. “Just because I’m not a part of society doesn’t mean that as a transwoman I don’t matter,” said incarcerated trans activist Lisa Strawn, who spearheaded the … [Read More...]
No More Tears violence prevention program originates from the heart
No More Tears’ Lonnie Morris right) and members of Healing (center) with Mattie Scott (center for Our Families and Our Nations As the sun was setting on San Quentin, dozens of incarcerated men and Bay Area citizens gathered in the Protestant Chapel to break bread, on Sept. 14, in celebration of No More Tears, a violence prevention program. Mick Gardner, executive director of the program … [Read More...]
Wall City Volume 2 Issue 2: Fighting Fire While Doing Time
By Elena Mateus with Doug Levy Women battle to continue fighting fires after their releases Many people are surprised to learn that nearly 10 percent of the incarcerated firefighters serving at California's 44 "fire camps" are women. Just like men, the women firefighters get the same training as Cal Fire's other seasonal firefighters- one week in the classroom, another week in the … [Read More...]
Skid Row Club returns to the Lower Yard for “OneHour Fun Run”
Judge Craig Mitchell with Coach Frank Ruona (back) An award winning coach, a humanitarian judge, and two former San Quentin residents came together at The Q July 20, 2019 to participate in the 2nd Annual Skid Row Running Club One Hour San Quentin Fun Run. The Skid Row Running Club was founded by Los An- geles Superior Court Judge Craig Mitchell, whose mission is empowering the most … [Read More...]
Landmark Prop.57 ruling: In re McGhee
Petitioner Tijue Mcghee with his legal guide Rudy Wilkins A California appeals court has ruled that the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) has improperly denied parole hearings to thousands of incarcerated individuals. Approximately 4,450 non- violent offenders who were denied parole consideration due to in-prison rules violations will now be eligible for early … [Read More...]
Jesse Vasquez, SQN former editor-in-chief paroled
JESSE VASQUEZ Jesse Vasquez, 36, former editor-in-chief of San Quentin News, paroled in late May from San Quentin State Prison after spending all of his adult years in prison and a little more than half his life. Vasquez paroled with a different state of mind from the one his 17-year-old younger self arrived with in 2001. “When I was a teenager, I knew I was already being formed for … [Read More...]
Criminal canines given reprieve through rehabilitation at SQ
Dogs with their inmate trainers at SQ firehouse In the County of Marin, some animals that are stigmatized because they are pit bulls are given a second chance. Mack is one of those dogs. He was afforded the opportunity to be trained and prepared for adoption through the Pen Pals program—a 14-year alliance between San Quentin State Prison and the Marin Humane Society. The program connects dogs … [Read More...]
Google attends San Quentin mixer
Harry Hemphill speaking about graduating from the coding program The morning of April 11 started with fun and games with participants from Google.org and incarcerated coding students as a way to socialize. The first game, the circle name game, an icebreaker consisted of everyone yelling out his or her name and that of the person next to them as fast as possible, which was easy to see that the … [Read More...]
More credits offered under Prop 57
“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. … [Read More...]
WALL CITY VOLUME 1: LIFE AFTER THE SHU
Between them, five men spent nearly a century inside a prison within a prison, California’s notorious Security Housing Unit (SHU). Isolated from contact with other inmates, they endured sensory deprivation, an unavoidable consequence of solitary confinement. They didn’t commit any crimes in prison, nor did they violate any rules. All but one was serving a life term. Their charge: gang … [Read More...]
Queens of the Stone Age, Deadsy & Queeny King rock out at SQ
San Quentin is still on many great musicians’ “must” list of places to perform. Queens of the Stone Age, Queeny King and Deadsy are now among the legends such as Johnny Cash, Carlos Santana and Metallica that have rocked the prison. The Nov. 16 rock concert was the final leg of the “Villains World Tour 2018” for the Queens of the Stone Age. Villains is the name of the band’s latest album. The band … [Read More...]
Kid CAT banquet honors the forgotten voices of youth
Kid CAT celebrated the “forgotten voices” of youth at its 2018 annual banquet. “Tonight’s Banquet was about bringing awareness to the youths, who think that their voices are not being heard and are afraid to express how they feel to their parents or caretakers,” said Si Dang, Kid CAT chairman. Kid CAT is a group of men who committed their crimes as juveniles and are serving adult sentences. … [Read More...]
21st century solutions to 20th century problems
They came from all over the prison and the nation. Scholars dressed in standard blue prison uniforms walked down a staircase that leads from the cellblocks, while a group of civilians hiked down a ramp that leads from a courtyard just inside the entrance to the prison to meet on the San Quentin Lower Yard for the Prison University Project’s first ever academic conference. The conference, … [Read More...]
Senator and author share challenge of passing SB 1437
It’s hard to get laws changed, even harder to make any revisions applicable to people already serving their time, nevertheless Senator Nancy Skinner (D-Berkeley) retroactively transformed California’s felony-murder law with the help of the Re:store Justice organization and others. “Retroactivity was the hardest part, yet it was essential because how can we fix the law, how can we tell people … [Read More...]
CA leads nation in women on Death Row
California leads the nation with 23 women on Death Row, but the condemned women are largely invisible and forgotten behind bars, and their stories rarely see the light of day. California has more than three times the number of condemned women in Texas (six on condemn) and in Alabama (five on condemn), according a Death Penalty Information Center (DPIC) report. The women on California’s Death Row … [Read More...]
San Quentin holds 15th Annual Health Fair
Hundreds of prisoners formed long lines on San Quentin’s Lower Yard at the prison’s 15th Annual Health Fair on Aug. 24. Stations were set up throughout the prison where volunteers offered medical services and wellness information, ranging from blood pressure checks and chiropractic services to mental health seminars, diabetes tests and nutritional information. In total, 156 volunteers served more … [Read More...]
Formerly incarcerated author, Donna Hylton
Donna Hylton, who was abused as a child, spent 27 years in prison and wrote a book about how she turned her life around. She said her mission today is to be “a voice for the silenced” women still in prison. At age 20, Hylton was sentenced to 25 years to life for her role as an accessory to kidnapping and second-degree murder. She is finally freed. Hylton’s childhood was a living hell. She was … [Read More...]
Last RISE inmate graduation for Dante Callegari
Dante Callegari has announced his retirement after training hundreds of San Quentin inmates in modern construction technology (MCT). The announcement came Aug. 28 at the graduation for the first class of the job-readiness program called RISE. “We do a lot here at San Quentin to teach job skills,” Warden Ron Davis said at the event. “There’s Dante’s program, coding and the machine shop. There’s a … [Read More...]
Common visits SQ music program
David Jassy playing music for Common and guests Hip-hop artist Rashid “Common” Lynn heard about the positive music being produced from prison by David Jassy, a Grammy-nominated Swedish rapper and producer, and came into San Quentin to meet about a collaborative project. “He has a genuine interest in prison reform,” Jassy said. “They heard about the YOP mixtape and they have ideas they want to … [Read More...]
29 years in prison is enough for Mike Webb
After six parole hearings and 29 years in prison, Mike Webb, a beloved Kid CAT member, was found suitable for parole. “Mike Webb is one of the most compassionate and committed persons that I know,” said Charlie Spence, Kid CAT Chairman. “We will all miss him very much, because he has been such a positive impact in our group and in this community.” The youngest of three children, Webb was born and … [Read More...]
High Desert Prison warden sets the record straight
By some accounts, High Desert State Prison is one of California’s most notorious penitentiaries. Warden Marion E. Spearman wants to clear up that impression. He argues that the prison, its staff and inmates have undergone change. It’s no longer a prison that just houses young men with youth management problems. “There’s a new vision and mission for High Desert State Prison,” Spearman said. “The … [Read More...]
Blues musician Maxx Cabello rocks the yard
Maxx Cabello Jr.’s guitar wizardry entertained San Quentin’s Lower Yard June 23, as the visiting blues musician and singer debuted his new “Tattoos and Blues” album. The performer has traveled the world and opened for musical legends like B.B. King and Earth, Wind and Fire. Cabello’s magnetic notes cut through San Quentin’s hyperactive weekend activities ― the usual outdoor workouts and … [Read More...]
Former inmate develops “prison instagram”
Marcus Bullock discovered a wealth of entrepreneurial insights during his time behind bars. His prison experiences inspired him to create Flikshop—an innovative app that helps incarcerated people remain close to their loved ones. Flikshop takes any image sent from a cell phone and turns it into a postcard that the inmate will receive through regular mail. “We are called the Instagram of prison,” … [Read More...]
California’s early release programs ACP
California has several little-known programs that have allowed hundreds of prison inmates to go home up to a year early. Prisoners must apply to participate. More than a thousand people have been able to serve the last 12 months of their sentence in their communities. The main program is called the Alternative Custody Program (ACP). It places inmates in a residential home, residential … [Read More...]
The 100th Edition of San Quentin News
As San Quentin News celebrates its 100th published edition since the newspaper was revived in 2008, the paper’s history is not well known to most of its readers. The News has a predecessor. It’s Wall City News, a publication started at San Quentin in the 1920s. It ran until the mid-1930s before it ceased operation. Several years later, Warden Clinton T. Duffy had an idea. In his book, The San … [Read More...]
CBS’ Ted Koppel visits Ear Hustle
As part of a 1961 class project, a Stanford student named Ted Koppel, age 21, went inside San Quentin to study the U.S. criminal justice system. And 57 years later, he came back, this time as a correspondent with CBS Sunday Morning. “It’s that we incarcerate more people than any other nation,” Koppel said referring to the high incarceration rate in the United States (700 prisoners per 100,000 … [Read More...]
The impact on children of incarcerated parents
An audience of fathers at San Quentin State Prison cried as they watched the screening of a film that showed the impact on children when their parents go to prison. “I almost broke down three times,” San Quentin News staffer De'jon Joy said. “My boys are tattooed on my hand; I’ve been in the visiting room with my sons and on the other side of GTL (Global Tel Link, the prison collect-call phone … [Read More...]
Grammy award winning Zuill Bailey performs in SQ
A Grammy Award-winning cellist, Zuill Bailey, performed an hour-long concert at San Quentin State Prison’s Protestant Chapel. Bailey is considered one of the premier cellists in the world, and yet he decided to play before an audience of prisoners, staff and volunteers in a place where few artists have ever set foot. After achieving so much renown, Bailey visited the prison on April 27 to share … [Read More...]
San Quentin News Launches Wall City Magazine
San Quentin, California – May 21, 2018 – The premiere issue of Wall City, a magazine that reflects the curiosity, intellect, dedication and professionalism of the men working as journalists inside San Quentin, will be released on May 29, the editors of San Quentin News announced. Copies of Wall City will be distributed to the libraries and administrators of every California prison. Members of the … [Read More...]
ROOTS Solidarity Run helps spirits of the community
While community volunteers ran in the Oakland Run Festival to raise money for an ethnic studies program at San Quentin State Prison, 33 incarcerated men ran in solidarity with them. The Asian Prisoner’s Support Community (APSC) ran to raise funds for the Restoring Our Original True Selves (ROOTS) program on March 24 and 25. “Our community and volunteers, in their free time, ran to raise money for … [Read More...]
Queeny King performs at SQ
At age 8, singer-song writer Queeny King sang in a Soviet Union prison. In March, she performed at San Quentin State Prison. Dressed in black bell-bottom pants with buttons along the side and wearing a black blazer with a shiny brown blouse, King put on a look that, on its face, could have been interpreted as belonging to rock, goth, punk or the pop genre of music. It became obvious none of that … [Read More...]
French journalist films San Quentin Death Row inmate
Keith Zon Doolin is on death row despite evidence of his innocence, according to Agnes Buthion, a French journalist who has directed a documentary called “20 Years on Death Row.” Interviewed by The Fresno Bee, Buthion said that she hoped to highlight Doolin’s innocence. In 1996, Doolin was convicted of a crime spree shooting six sex workers in Central California. The result of his conviction was … [Read More...]
Overview of inmate deaths in 2017 in CDCR
The thought of dying in prison is every inmate’s worst fear, be it the death from violence, old age or disease. It’s a nightmare. Nevertheless, inmates should keep their emergency information updated said Dr. Tootell, San Quentin’s chief medical officer (CMO). Unlike Charles Manson, the cult leader who died in November, the majority of prisoners won’t have people fighting it out in court over … [Read More...]