On the west side of the San Quentin Lower Yard, Native Americans gather at their sacred sweat lodge to pray, study and perform ancient rituals of … [Read more...]
Archives for January 2013
Wedding Bells Rang in San Quentin
Three San Quentin prisoners were married in the Visiting Room last month. Here are some of their comments. George and Robyn Yacomb: “We wanted to bond … [Read more...]
Kids Shared S.Q. Christmas Joy
Ten days before Christmas, San Quentin News went to the visiting room where prisoners’ children received gifts collected by the Vietnam Veteran’s … [Read more...]
Liberal Pot Statutes Draw Attention
Laws criminalizing marijuana possession have been softening across the nation, and the data on the consequences are starting to come in. In 2010, … [Read more...]
CDCR Complaint Process Fails
California has overhauled its handling of prisoner appeals in response to numerous complaints, but key problems remain unaddressed, according to a … [Read more...]
Wellness Corner
Depression affects millions of people each year, but hits prison inmates especially hard during the holidays, says Dr. Ruth Bertrand, a San Quentin … [Read more...]
Phone Monopolies Score Profits
SELECT CORPORATIONS CHARGE PRISONERS INFLATED RATES TO CALL HOME A new report details how several corporations are driving prices up and increasing … [Read more...]
Federal Prison Population Sees 10-Fold Jump in Numbers
Since 1980, there has been an almost tenfold increase in the federal prison population. The current population is about 218,000 offenders and growth … [Read more...]
Poll Finds Americans Favor Life Imprisonment
A slim majority of Americans favor life in prison over the death penalty for murders, a recent poll disclosed. The margin was 50 to 48 percent. Even … [Read more...]
The Death of Ivan Ilyich by Leo Tolstoy’s
Condemned people, lifers, and those with long prison sentences can easily relate to the protracted demise of the main character in Leo Tolstoy’s The … [Read more...]