Many California prisoners find gratifying work fighting wildfires. Roughly 20 percent of the state’s fire crews are inmates, according to a CBS News report. “They’re among the first to hit the front lines of California’s dangerous wildfires. The … [Read more...]
Archives for March 2017
Looking back on 42 years of service at San Quentin
In June 1975, Donald Graham left the California Department of Corrections’ training academy after two weeks and took his first job assignment at San Quentin State Prison. An Air Force veteran with college degrees in computer science and mathematics … [Read more...]
DDS Morley’s heartfelt goodbye after 19 years at SQ
‘The dental department is going to lose a wonderful dentist’ Making people smile is something Jerry Morley is good at; it is something he does for a living. He is not a therapist, and he does not work in a pharmacy. He is San Quentin’s longtime … [Read more...]
Consulado Mexicano visita San Quentin
Prisioneros Mexicanos e hispanos de diferentes nacionalidades en California enfrentan grandes retos para rehabilitarse y cambiar sus vidas. Esa fue la impresión que se llevaron los oficiales del Consulado Mexicano de San Francisco quienes … [Read more...]
Mas vivir y menos sobrevivir: la Justicia Restaurativa y el perdón humano
La justicia suele personificarse con la imagen de una mujer con los ojos vendados, sosteniendo una balanza y una espada. La mujer, inspirada en la diosa griega Temis (algunos dicen que proviene de la diosa Maat del antiguo Egipto), representa el … [Read more...]
Two views of how Prop. 47 is working out:
Positive: Barriers to employment were reduced Proposition 47 has allowed many former offenders access to better jobs and opportunities. The voter-approved initiative downgraded drug possession and some thefts from felonies to misdemeanors. “This wave … [Read more...]
Negative: Parolees leave prison homeless and jobless
By David Eugene Archer Sr. At least 13,500 low-level drug offenders were freed from prisons and jails by California voters in 2014, reported USA Today. “Did Prop 47 help?” the newspaper asked. The answer appears to be “not much.” Thousands are now … [Read more...]
Employment still the biggest obstacle for parolees
One of the biggest obstacle prisoners face upon release is finding a job. This applies to both violent and nonviolent offenders. “Recently the American Bar Association estimated that there are 44,000 different barriers to re-entry at the state and … [Read more...]
Louisiana lacks funding in juvenile LWOP sentencing hearings
‘The state public defender’s budget has been “stagnant” at about $33 million’ Louisiana public defenders lack funding to represent life-without-parole (LWOP) juvenile offenders at sentencing hearings, the New Orleans Advocate reported. In 2012, the … [Read more...]
Forty Million Dollar Slaves: The Rise, Fall, and Redemption of the Black Athlete by William C. Rhoden
Professional athletes have always earned higher salaries than the average wage earner. Yet, the lack of African-Americans in sports team ownership is a carefully crafted plan, according to Forty Million Dollar Slaves: The Rise, Fall, and Redemption … [Read more...]