Kern Valley State Prison inmates donned various colored caps and gowns to mark the prison’s first graduation. The first commencement ceremony in … [Read more...]
Archives for March 2015
Honoring the Life of Judith Puchner Breen
Judith Puchner Breen, beloved San Quentin volunteer whose Video Literacy Project and passion for teaching touched the lives of many prisoners, died … [Read more...]
Christmas Banquet 200 Prisoners Inside Protestant Chapel
San Quentin has many different organizations that minister to the men through religion. The organizations hold banquets every year, each for their … [Read more...]
Undisputed True Champions
The man who fathered me said I was his champ. He told me I deserved that title because I had stood strong in the boxing ring of life. I had gone … [Read more...]
Revisiting San Quentin’s Notorious Seventies Era
Sept. 17, 1971—Mattress Factory Clerk Robert L. Higgs collapses from smoke inhalation while attempting to remove a burning cart full of Styrofoam … [Read more...]
New ‘Blueprint’ Aims to Reduce Mass Incarceration
A rare detailed plan to slash the 2.3 million population in the United States prisons and jails was published recently in a special issue of the … [Read more...]
Balancing Prison’s High Cost With Fines, Fees, and Restitution Payments
To offset the cost of imprisonment, the criminal justice system imposes fines, fees, and restitution payments. The system can burden an offender with … [Read more...]
Food and Electronic Vendor Companies Profit From Inmates
“There are 2 million-plus inmates incarcerated in America at this time. We haven’t tapped every one of them, but we’ve seen more sales every year,” … [Read more...]
Actor Pushes to Reduce Mass Incarceration
Actor Michael K. Williams has joined the American Civil Liberties Union’s battle to curb mass incarceration. “We’re at a critical moment in this … [Read more...]
The Bet by Anton Chekhov
The Bet, (1889) by Anton Chekhov, uses a philosophical argument about exploitation, greed, overconfidence, fear, and failure in a debate about whether … [Read more...]