California needs to continue reducing prison overcrowding and focus more attention on education and communities, according to a recent university symposium. The University of California Merced’s Center for the Humanities sponsored the event, titled … [Read more...]
Archives for October 2014
‘DARKNESS IN THE GOLDEN STATE’
A well-attended fundraising event sponsored by Legal Services For Prisoners With Children (LSPC) was held in August at the Luggage Room Gallery on Market Street in San Francisco. LSPC is a nonprofit organization located at 1540 Market St. in San … [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...]
CDCR Puts Spotlight on Gender-Responsive Strategies
Women are different from men. While this may seem like a simple statement, it’s a fact many people, businesses and organizations have long ignored. The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR), however, takes the needs of female … [Read more...]
A Story I Knew All Too Well
Recently, I ran into a childhood friend and asked what he’d been up to. “Just came back from another funeral,” he answered. I shook my head, wondering what violent act had cursed our community this time. You see, for many in South Los Angeles, it is … [Read more...]
Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows
Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows is a movie that entertains, but its plot is close to slipping into absurdity. Professor James Moriarty (Jared Harris), the most brilliant criminal in Europe, murders and buys his way into control of key business … [Read more...]
Once Upon a Time at San Quentin
Imagine sitting in a waiting room, and you pick up this over-sized beautiful looking coffee-table book. You open it up and read about a horrific murder. This scraggly faced guard stares at you and you then realize—this is the beginning of a journey, … [Read more...]
Transparency Lacking in Private Prisons
The increasing use of private prisons in the United States has created a growing problem: contracting away transparency and government accountability by federal and state governments, said a reform advocacy report. A recent report by the Citizens … [Read more...]