San Quentin News

Written By Incarcerated - Advancing Social Justice

Archives for March 2020

Let the People Speak: Letters to the Editor

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To San Quentin News,

Happy New Year! I hope 2020 is filled with many blessings for the entire news team and that you guys con- tinue to do an amazing job reporting the news we need. I respect each and every last one of you for fighting the good fight, making a difference, and constantly having patience with me when I was young & dumb at times, but I’m learning along the way and that’s what counts, right?

I’m just writing to wish you all the very best and to stay in touch because I can’t forget about y’all! I will al- ways cherish & appreciate the times we had. I wish we could make some new memories, but unfortunately, I don’t think I’ll be making it back to SQ. I’m stuck up here at Pelican Bay and, no lie, it sucks LOL. Good news I have a few years till my release though! I still don’t re- ally know what I’m gonna do when I get out LOL. Well, I send mines to all of you. There’s too many names to list and I’m sure there are many new additions to the SQ News team that I don’t wanna leave out either.

Keep up the good work and don’t be afraid to give me a shout-out in the next issue of the SQ News! LOL For real though I miss y’all and I’m sending positive vibes y’all’s way so keep ya antennas up!

Sincerely,
D. Pariani
Pelican Bay State Prison

From Editorial Board and Staff,

Pariani is a former SQ News staff member. He was the youngest of us. We know what it means to be young and finding yourself while navigating prison life. Some of us have done decades of this life. So for you youngsters – we are called OGs for a reason – not all good, not all bad. But it is for you to learn. The choice is yours.

Pariani, we know your future is bright, but you must prepare for success or you will find yourself doing more of the same things.

Dear Editor

I’ve been incarcerated for 30 years and have been housed at various Level 4 prisons for the entire 30 years of my incarceration. As I began to lose hope of ever being free, I (started to) delve deep into the violent and criminal activities of prison life. I’ve spent a significant number of years in and out of Ad-Seg and the security housing units (SHU). After I discovered how and why I became a thug and a criminal, I began the hard and challenging process of reconstructing a new and positive way of thinking. I sought to change myself to become a better version of ME!

I’ve experienced a lot of both good and bad things in prison. The good things that I’ve experienced: engaging in efforts to rehabilitate myself within the past 10 years and being a mentor to other prisoners, working to motivate, inspire and encourage them to engage in rehabilitative efforts to change. The other good things that I’ve witnessed is the hard work by members of the Anti-Recidivism Coalition, Initiate Justice, Restore Justice, and other organizations play an instrumental role to help reform the California criminal justice system.

I’ve witnessed and heard about a lot of prisoners who were serving life sentences being granted parole, which was unheard of when I initially came to prison in 1989. They were granted parole because they did the hard work that it took to rehabilitate themselves. They became suitable to be granted parole, while I engaged in prison-related criminal activities that kept me in the SHU, with a classification score of 377 points. I’m now far removed from engaging in criminal activities. I’ve been on the road of rehabilitation for the past 10 years and I’m about to go home in a few months, thanks to SB 1437.

San Quentin News also continues to play a vital role for prisoners by providing us with important information and news relevant to our incarceration, rehabilitation and legislative news. The San Quentin News has given me, as well as other prisoners, hope for a better future. And I want to thank all the staff there that provides us prisoners with content that you publish.

For those of you serving a life sentence, DO NOT GIVE UP and DO NOT LOSE HOPE. Fight to get out and stop fighting to stay in.

Respectfully,
I. Tatum
Calipatria State Prison

San Quentin News,

I’m always looking for a reason to send a letter to the editor of San Quentin News. Thankfully I’ve now got a reason. Like many of us serving time I came to prison as a teen, and because of this there are many things in life I never got to do or experience. So I came in lost and lonely with lack of love.

As many of us do, I began to experiment and dabble in the life of drugs. I quickly became a heroin addict without even realizing I had. The first time I ever used, I found warmth, comfort, purpose and love. As my tolerance built up to it, I would lose the feeling and daily for five years straight I chased the drugs, making my body dependent.

As time passed, the unbelievable finally happened. Something I constantly told myself, “It won’t happen to me.” I overdosed in my cell. Thanks to the quick response of my peers, the CO’s and nurses I was brought back (something rare in the free world, “quick responses”).

Upon returning from the hospital I sought help from the medical staff and was offered it immediately. I was put into the MAT/SUD treatment program that set me on a recovery plan. Not only do they provide medical help, such as suboxone, they offer mental health services, including groups and counseling.

Thanks to God, my wife and this program, I have now been sober and living a day to day life upon recovery. If you find yourself how I once was — lost, depressed, addicted and living a life in rock bottom — don’t be embarrassed to seek help. Addiction is a disease that we can’t fight and win on our own. CDCR sees the problem and is providing us the help. We are already prisoners. Why be a prisoner and slave to this drug as well? Save yourself and seek the help if you need it.

My warmest regards, J.K. Avila
Calipatria State Prison

News Briefs

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1. USA — Last year, the state of Texas carried out the most executions in the US with nine. Alabama, Georgia and Tennessee followed with three each. Florida had two, and South Dakota and Missouri had one. Pending death warrants for 2020 as of Jan. 17 show that Ohio is leading the nation with nine, followed by Texas with seven, Tennessee with three and Georgia with one, the Death Penalty Information Center reports.

2. USA — Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, The Souls of Black Folk by W.E.B. DuBois, Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson, Dreams Of My Father by Barack Obama, The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison, She’s Come Undone by Wally Lamb, Kindred by Octavia Butler, and Mosby’s Medical Dictionary are among thousands of books banned by state and federal prisons in America, The Birmingham Times reports.

3. Washington, DC — Federal courts have cleared the way for more than 2,400 federal prisoners to have their sentences reduced while compassionate releases have been approved for another 124 seriously ill prisoners, the U.S. Justice Department reported last January.

4. Washington, DC—Incarcerated people doing time in a jail are publishing a six-page newsletter, called Inside Scoop, The Washington Post reports. The 81⁄2 by 11 publication usually has from 10 to 16 articles. There are articles about criminal justice reform and jail programs as well as poems and advice columns, including one about finances.

5. New Jersey —In a move he said was in honor of Martin Luther King’s legacy, Gov. Phil Murphy on Jan. 20 signed a trio of bills into law to further criminal justice reform, NJ.com reports. State officials say one new law could streamline the parole process and reduce the state’s prison population. The other measures change the rules on when authorities can seize valuables and money in the state and allocates taxpayer dollars to fund programs to reduce violence, NJ.com reports.

6.Florida —The state’s Supreme Court issued an advisory opinion Jan. 16 that felons must first pay certain fines and fees before gaining access to the polls, Mother Jones reports. The decision is not legally binding but could influence future rulings by federal judges and put the re-enfranchisement of potentially 1.4 million Floridians at risk.

7. Georgia — Jimmy Fletcher Meders was granted clemency hours before his scheduled execution Jan. 16, in part because jurors wanted him to be sentenced to life without the possibility of parole, CNN reports. Four years after his trial, the state added life without parole as a possible punishment.

8. Huntsville, Texas — John Gardner was the first person executed in the U.S. this year, The Texas Tribune reports. Gardner was executed with a lethal dose of pentobarbital at 6:20 p.m. on Jan. 15.

9. Nashville, Tenn.— State Attorney General Herbert Slatery is pursuing execution dates for nine death row inmates, all men, The New York Times report. Four of the nine are Black. Statistics show Blacks make up 17% of the state’s population but about half of its Death Row prisoners. There also is a geographic disparity: since 2001, only eight of the state’s 95 counties have imposed sustained death sentences. Almost half of the men on Death Row are from Shelby County, which includes Memphis and is Tennessee’s largest county but it includes less than 14% of the state population, according to a court filing asking the executions to be put on hold.

10. Vacaville, CA — The Jewish News Weekly of Northern California reports that James A. “Sneaky” White Jr., a Jewish prisoner convicted of murder and imprisoned for nearly four decades, stepped out of prison on Jan. 21. While incarcerated, he began community outreach programs, including a Vietnam veterans’ group while in San Quentin, one of several prisons where he spent time. At Ironwood, he convinced a warden to help him start the college program. At the time there was only one other program like it in the state, at San Quentin; now nearly every prison in California has adopted the format. White also created a culture of charity in prison, convincing fellow inmates and guards to donate to local organizations. Over the years, he helped raise several hundred thousand dollars for everything from seeing-eye dogs for veterans to a local girls’ softball team, all through in-prison fundraisers like walkathons and pizza sales.

11. Kentucky—Less than a month after Governor Andy Beshear signed an executive order restoring the right to vote to roughly 140,000 people with felony convictions who have completed their sentence, state Republicans introduced a bill that would make it hard- er for those people to vote, Truthout reports.

America stagnated by “compounding moral debts”

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Two essays that appeared in The Atlantic magazine set up Ta-Nehisi Coates as a voice for African-Americans. He wrote The Case for Reparations in 2014 and in 2015, he produced Letter to My Son.

In The Case for Reparations Coates cites, “Two hundred fifty years of slavery. Ninety years of Jim Crow. Sixty years of separate but equal. Thirty-five years of racist housing policy.”

Coates argues, “Until we reckon with our compounding moral debts, America will never be whole.” In the article, Coates uses the in-depth history of Clyde Ross, a real person, to support the case for reparations.

In Letter to My Son, excerpted before publication of Between the World and Me, Coates tells his 15-year-old,

“Here is what I would like for you to know: In America, it is traditional to destroy the black body—it is heritage.” The father cites his own life and compelling evidence to say that African-Americans live under a deliberately inflicted state of violence.

Since the publication of those works, there has been little movement to push for the US to consider its “moral debt” to the descendants of slaves. Since 2015, police have killed hundreds of African-Americans either wrongly or mistakenly, yet no laws were broken in doing so.

Coates’ latest focus on African-Americans combines all of his historical knowledge in, The Water Dancer (2019), a novel full of magical realism.

The historical fiction is set during the oppressive time of US slavery. The protagonist, Hiram, struggles against what it means to have a father and brother who are white, yet his darkened skin enslaves him. In the midst of subjugation, he has his eyes on a slave woman that his White uncle owns.

Coates uses his scholarly knowledge about the Underground Railroad, fugitive slave laws and the abolitionists as fodder to set up various dramas that his characters must navigate. In doing so, Coates created a world different from reality, while at the same time a believable world based on American history.

The following narration describes the feelings involved in Hiram’s enslavement. He fo- cuses most acutely on the sepa- ration from his family, another parallel to incarceration.

To sell a child right from under his mother, you must know that mother only in the thinnest way possible. To strip a man down, condemn him to be beaten, flayed alive, then anointed with salt water, you cannot feel him the way you feel your own. You cannot see yourself in him, lest your hand be stayed, and your hand must never be stayed, because the moment it is, the Tasked will see that you see them, and thus see yourself.

The following passage points to Hiram’s acceptance of the conditions that created his stark reality as well as his detachment from humanity: Slavery is everyday longing, is being born into a world of forbidden victuals and tantalizing untouchables—the land around you, the clothes you hem, the biscuits you bake.

Coates is able to capture Hiram’s docility and hopelessness that comes with slavery, which also is a condition shared with the incarcerated and rehabilitated: So many of us who went, went with dignity and respect. And it occurred to me how absurd it was to cling to morality when surrounded by people who had none.

Coates uses Hiram’s memory to recall events in great detail as a literary device to drive the novel’s plot, which translates to “freedom by any means

necessary.”
The Water Dancer is the product of Coates’ thinking in all of his works—that African Americans are integrated to all of US history, not just segregated segments that seem irrelevant today.

The story is a remarkably poignant exploration of oppression that has happened and can’t be changed. In The Water Dancer, Coates explores the possibility of what can be changed by using historical fiction and magical realism as a guide.

Peace movement takes root in all 36 California prisons

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mam Fasi, Rabbi Paul Shleffar and Chaplain Hector Frank Heredia of Native Services

California’s top prison official, Ralph Diaz, says as a society our differences are a good thing, and no matter what a person’s social background is, “They bring value to the world simply by being here.”

Diaz is secretary of the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR). His statement was delivered to San Quentin on the Day of Peace and Reconciliation observed in 35 prisons on Jan. 29. The event aims to support non-violent living and spiritual unity through an all-faith dialogue.

Chief Deputy Warden Brumfield greeted participants before delivering Diaz’s message inside the prison’s Protestant Chapel.

“I feel blessed to be at San Quentin; it’s a fresh breath of air. I came from a violent prison,” Brumfield said. “This is an amazing prison, and I want you all to embrace that. We need to elevate the desire for peace.”

Darryl “Champ” Hill emceed the event. He set the tone for the day asking 150 staff, volunteers and incarcerated persons to allow “this beautiful day to open minds, relax and enjoy everything each denomination has to say.”

Protestant Chaplain Mardi Ralph Jackson gave the opening prayer. She reminded the praying audience that Jesus glorifies everything in this world.

Chris Scull of the Inmate Advisory Council said, “Peace is more than a feeling. It’s actions of reconciliation.” He continued, “Mediation is a great tool to begin the process. For some it is God. When it was me getting in trouble by my parents, it was my grandmother,” he joked.

Chairman Steve Piscascio and Sergeant at Arms Tommy Wickerd of the Committee for the Day of Peace then taught the crowd the history of the event.

San Quentin created the first Day of Peace 13 years ago.

In 2006, a riot between the Mexican and Black populations occurred just before a scheduled yard event. Several volunteers were headed to the yard event when then-incarcerated (first name)Tong led them away from the riot to safety.

Frustrated, incarcerated leaders of all races came together and went to the administration. The request was to devote one day out of the year to peace and the rehabilitative programs at San Quentin.

“Now, all prisons in California participate because of our original committee,” Piscascio said.

The Rabbi (first name) Sheiffar said the Day of Peace will help us “grow together.” He then asked everyone to open their hearts to create a world more “awake and aware.” He said children of Israel should preserve the ‘righteousness of charity.

“The way to live life is service. We must act with love. Our community calls the Hebrew word for love, ‘al aba’ — which means ‘I give to you,’” said Rabbi Sheiffar.

San Quentin’s Muslim leader, Imam Fasih, reminded everyone, “God is our creator, (and) do not look up to others who have more. “

The Protestant Choir sang (TK), followed by the Catholic choir’s Christmas rendition of “Hallelujah.”

During intermission, No More Tears volunteer Eric Van Kleen noted, “This is a great way to express spirituality to all races, all walks of life.”

Dr. Dianna Kronstadt added, “This is very special for all communities. I was honored to be invited.”

Chaplain Hector Frank talks about his history

Chaplain Hector Frank of Indian Services followed. The nationally renowned spiritual leader, who walked with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Julio Cesar Chavez, talked about a 1,000-year-old prophecy he learned at age 14. (He is now 76).

Chaplain Frank spoke about:

• Prophets he sat with who had known Crazy Horse and Sitting Bull

• Seven generations back to a prayer that included the heaven’s brightest star — the North Star, “was red because…the red road is a spiritual path to peace.”

• The seven original tribes

• The four original colors of men—Red, Black, White and Yellow—depicting all races

• We are older than the Aztecs, Mayans, Olmecs

• We are Temax — People of Peace

• The road to peace did not happen. “We died for it.”

• 150 original medicine people; only two are left

• 1976 was the first sweat lodge in California prisons after the protest at Alcatraz

• He helped establish all sweat lodges in California’s prisons.

“Honor each other’s indifferences, because we all pray — we just use different languages,” said Chaplain Frank.

Incarcerated keynote speaker Michael Adams gave thanks to Lt. (first name) Carlton for the opportunity to represent all incarcerated around the state. The Catholic choirs’ singer quoted St. Francis of Assisi, “Let there be peace on earth, and let it begin with me. Men and women in blue…make peace within so the enemy does not win. Let peace on earth begin with us today.”

The Strobe Ensemble were the featured performers of the day

The Strobe Ensemble performed a piece from Mozart called, “The Oboe Quartet,” in honor of his 276 birthday. They then performed a song called “Water Colors.” The song was designed to visualize colors from Grass Valley’s ponds, and rivers.

Father George Williams spoke about responsibility, accountability forgiveness and self-forgiveness.

“When Christians pray the Lord’s Prayer, we pray for justice and mercy. These are the ingredients for forgiveness,” said Father Williams, who has been serving San Quentin for 17 years.

“We need justice for our offenders and victims, and yes we need places for punishment and for reconciliation/forgiveness; yet, the hardest thing to do is forgive ourselves,” said Father Williams. Reminding the incarcerated and volunteers how blessed they are to be at San Quentin, he asked, “Do all of you know how lucky we are?”

Harpist Christine Tullis pulling emotional strings

The father asked everyone to pray with more introspection, including:

• “Acknowledging San Quentin is proof of rehabilitation because of education, spiritual and volunteer mentors who come as peacemakers.”

• “When we harm others, we must be punished… we should not seek vengeance nor should our punishers…punishment should have clear purpose.”

• Jesus showed disappointment but rejected punishment, revenge and retaliation — by keeping love in spirit.

• Like Jesus, we must return to society whole and heartfelt.

• See Matthew 25 — Jesus, on death row, still asked for mercy and forgiveness for all at the time of his execution.

Leaders from the Buddhist community followed. Incarcerated person (first name) Roach said, “If you love that person so much, even the person that harmed you, I think we can take away from the trend of pain and suffering that we experience every day. Be willing to love.”

Ceremonies ended with prayer from Father Williams. The ceremony continued to in the Catholic Chapel with a harp recital by Christine Tullis.

Tullis, who performed six solos, told the remaining audience she has been playing for 30 years and the harp is “known to be a healing instrument since ancient times.”

This first CDCR sponsored Day of Peace promoted healing throughout the world. Lt. (first name) Carlton hopes the inspirational message will spread outside of San Quentin and that “the Day of Peace could resonate everywhere.”

–Staff Writer Kerry Rudd contributed to this story

Advocates in Oakland push to end LWOP

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Participants gather after the event for a photo

California has an estimated 5,000 people serving life without parole (LWOP), and their plight is almost never discussed—especially the way the sentence affects female prisoners.

A campaign to drop California’s use of LWOP received a public airing late last year. Kelly Savage, Tammy Cooper-Garvin, Brandi Taliano and Susan Bustamante shared their pain and the trauma of serving a LWOP sentence with a packed audience.

The Oakland event marked the first time the women were able to participate in a town hall meeting similar to one that first created public awareness of their situation. Then-Governor Jerry Brown commuted the women sentences.

Their stories and those of others still imprisoned are described in an audio storytelling project titled “A Living Chance,” released through the California Coalition for Women Prisoners (CCWP).

“The event was eye-opening; people really don’t know what LWOP is,” said Laverne Shoemaker, another panelist, whose sentence was commuted. “Once I was in a group of 23 San Francisco police officers, I had to explain and I mean really break it down to them what an LWOP sentence is and what a life sentence is.”

In criminal cases involving “special circumstances” a person may be sentenced to life without the possibility of parole instead of condemned to death in the penalty phase of a trial. The sentence is not restricted only to the person who pulls the trigger, but also to anyone else who was a participant in the crime as well, under California’s “felony murder rule.”

The advocates are fighting to have LWOP eliminated from the state’s penal code. They argue that it is worse than the death penalty, because it is really a living death sentence.

“I was praying that I wasn’t going to get the death penalty,” shared Taliano. “I was praying for LWOP, ironically—it seemed like the lesser of the two. Then I go to [prison]… and my counselor says, ‘do you understand that you’re going to die in prison?’ And it hit me. It literally hit me.”

Shoemaker said she was distressed to discover that many law enforcement officers have no idea what LWOP means, “I was frustrated and couldn’t understand it, because they really did not know. I had to ask them are you guys freaking kidding me? Am I being punked? They were really, like, shocked and flabbergasted.

Drop LWOP group addressing the audience about the struggles and problems they are facing

“I could see the confusion—they were perplexed and had mixed emotions that they could potentially be a part of giving someone ‘the other death penalty,’” added Shoemaker.

“We also needed to bring awareness to intimate partner battering,” Tammy Cooper-Garvin, told SQ News. “When I tell my story it makes me feel better and I pray that I am helping someone.

“There are many layers to my story and I get emotional when I tell my story, because I can still feel that little girl who wanted to be loved.

“I don’t regret coming to prison,” added Cooper-Garvin. “I needed to be incarcerated for that period of time to work on myself, and to show society that I was a changed woman who valued, and respected others, and also valued myself. Taliano and Cooper-Garvin both joined the Long Termer’s Organization, while incarcerated, a group of like-minded people serving LWOP supporting each other. They credit the program for helping turned their lives around.

“Prison taught me how to be a better person, it showed me how to deal with life,” said Cooper-Garvin. “I went to many self-help groups. I wanted to know what was different from me and my siblings. I knew I wanted to change, so I surrounded myself around positive lifers.

“I also knew I was a LWOP and that I had to make a life for myself. I didn’t have a good life in the world but with change I could have a life in prison, so I took full advantage of what CDCR had to offer,” added Cooper-Garvin.

With a second chance at life, the women are taking their stories and plight to Sacramento, lobbying for policy changes legislator by legislator. With support of other reform organizations such as CCWP, All of Us or None, Legal Services for Children and many others, the women are giving their time, energy and resources to change the narrative for all incarcerated and those finishing their sentences and returning home.

“We’re working on things like getting fair wages for all the incarcerated,” said Shoemaker. “We’re also trying to get the gate money raised to $1,000 (currently the funds upon release are limited to $200, unchanged for decades). We’re fighting for things that will make your conditions better in there and make your transition easier in the free world,” added Shoemaker.

CCWP hosted the “Drop the LWOP” event. Adrienne Skye Roberts moderated the affair and has work tirelessly to bring the “A Living Chance” campaign to Californians and legislators through the audio stories, portraits and postcards of the women who are still serving the LWOP sentence.

The newly released women thought they were supposed to die in prison. They felt they were held in bondage and captive to their shame and guilt, but have made that transition for success.

“If I could achieve my freedom anyone can,” said Cooper-Garvin. “It was hard work for me and it will be hard work for you also, but the pay-off is truly worth it.

“We may think people are closed minded about giving us a chance and it is just the opposite— they welcome us with our past because many see the good in us,” she concluded.

Adrienne Roberts examines portraits of female LWOPS

Pelican Bay’s new podcast ‘UNLOCKED’

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Pelican Bay’s UNLOCKED staff meets

Creators of a new Pelican Bay podcast look to build community and prisoner relationships—one story at a time, reported the Lost Coast Outpost. https://lostcoastoutpost.com/

“These guys just want to better themselves and create a stronger, more resilient, community,” said Paul Critz, a journalist who teaches inmate students the tools they need to record their personal stories.

Inspired by San Quentin’s Ear Hustle, https://www.earhustlesq.com/ Pelican Bay Prison’s https://www.cdcr.ca.gov/facility-locator/pbsp/ UNLOCKED became the first of its kind at a security level IV institution.

Created by Critz and about 30 incarcerated men, the podcast aims to bring together the men on the inside and to communicate with the residents of Del Norte and Crescent City.

“They’re Del Norters too, and they’re very interested in hearing from the community. They want interaction. They want to humanize themselves, “ said Critz.

Dubbed as the single most important project in his career, Critz uses a portable recorder, laptop and a hand-held microphone to show his students how to put together a narrative.

While given much room for choosing content, Pelican Bay’s Public Information officer John Silviera advised Critz not to “bash the institution.”

“There’s a lot of gray area all around that phrase,” Critz told the Outpost. “We have to figure out what that means because at what point does bashing your reality become bashing the institution that’s responsible for your reality?”

Critz credits what he calls “The Awakening” as the pivotal moment in Pelican Bay’s history that led to launching the podcast.

“The Awakening” refers to the 2015 Supreme Court decision that shut down Pelican Bay’s Security Housing Units in 2013, following a widespread series of hunger strikes that began at the prison.

Critz’ students chose “The Awakening” as the subject of their first podcast. “They wanted to talk about… the changes that have been happening at Pelican Bay and other prisons as a result.

“The real awakening is hope,” said Critz. “They’re able to think about a future, maybe getting out – certainly even with people who’ll never get out.”

Critz, experienced in freelance journalism and radio, is best known as the operator of Crescent City’s community radio station. He was tapped to head Pelican Bay’s UNLOCKED by Stephanie Wenning, former executive director of the Del Norte Association for Cultural Awareness.http://dnaca.net/

Of all the reviews Critz received, “The one that stands out the most,” he told the Outpost, was from the daughter of one of his students.

“I love listening to this podcast. It makes me happy to know my dad is doing something positive with his life. I can’t wait to hear more,” she said.

Storytellers polish their craft through the San Quentin News Journalism Guild

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Monica Campbell with the Spanish graduating class of 2020

The second annual San Quentin News Journalism Guild Graduation took place in the Garden Chapel on Jan. 17. Twelve graduates from November’s class combined with this current class of 11 to celebrate finishing the six-month course.

The event honored the graduates, recognized advisors and brought attention to the impact of programs like the guild on rehabilitation.

Richard “Bonaru” Richardson, SQ News’ Executive Editor and winner of the Arnulfo T. Garcia Leadership Award, spoke about the importance of the guild.

Having worked every position from print to layout to Editor-in-Chief, Richardson reflected how words began to change his life.

“At my last prison, a guy called me pessimistic, and I wanted to beat him up—even though I really didn’t know what the word meant,” said Richardson.

Inmates across the country can thank Richardson’s curiosity and intellect when he looked the word up and realized his own talent with words.

“Words mean a lot; we communicate with each other; we all have the ability to grow. Our newspaper allows people to grow—and will continue to do so,” said Richardson.

“Our graduates—know you were journalists before you picked up a pen. Remember, if no one tells your story, who will?” Richardson said. “Please use your voice; it’s the most powerful asset (weapon) you have.”

Lisa Adams, the newspaper’s development manager for two years, called her career journey from state and federal prison “empty, until I found my niche helping others.”

Adams is collaborating with Wells Fargo Bank executive Amanda Weitman to generate philanthropic donations for the news agency. “Inside and out, we give the world access to the understanding and awareness of social reform and its impact. This news agency reduces recidivism by giving hope to the incarcerated throughout the nation,” said the philanthropic executive.

Today, San Quentin News is a leading voice for incarcerated people in the country.

San Quentin News’ editor-in-chief, Marcus “Wali” Henderson, remarked upon the journalism program’s capacity to build bridges. “(SQ News and Wall City) journalists tell stories that people are afraid to tell.”

Henderson, who used to chair the Guild, then introduced keynote speaker Tracy Brumfield.

Brumfield has transformed from “a heroin addict in and out of jail and then prison” to founder of a women’s news agency called RISE.

She inspired the crowd, speaking about her addiction, “I’m beating its ass.” For the graduates she said, “The power of words—storytelling—includes talking about our journey. I found it extremely empowering to tell my journey…Write about what you know…your testimony!”

The Department of Juvenile Justice’s Ericka Mutchler celebrated the success of the incarcerated female population in California. Mutchler gave praise to Wall City’s third edition, which featured incarcerated females.

“The women featured on the back page of Wall City were my [juvenile] clients who co-wrote articles for the edition. I am pleased to announce all of them have been released with jobs,” said the counselor.

Henderson introduced former San Francisco prosecutor Marisa Rodriquez after he spoke about the social reform symposiums at San Quentin. The latest forum with the San Francisco Police Department was a “Blue on Blue forum [which] improved communication between law enforcement and incarcerated persons. It [forums] will allow us continue to build bridges that no one else can,” said Henderson.

In 2012, Rodriquez took a suggestion from her father to visit San Quentin.

“Now, I can’t shake this place,” said the former D.A. “It [the visit] was very, very moving, and I didn’t expect that. I shared the experience with my supervisor, San Francisco D.A. George Gascon.” She told Gascon there was something very special happening at San Quentin, and he needed to go in and see what was happening himself, if we are going to change justice.

Gascon’s office then collaborated with the late Arnulfo Garcia to create the first symposium. It focused on San Francisco Community Court prosecutors’ desire to investigate what drives youth to commit crimes.

The symposium was such a success, today the forums are a core of the news outlet’s brand.

Rodriquez said after Police Chief (Del Scott) brought in his team, it led to the creation of the nation’s first Formerly Incarcerated Advisory Board. The board includes San Francisco prosecutors and formerly incarcerated men and women, many of whom had life sentences before being paroled.

CDCR administrators who ensure accuracy and analysis for SQ News include), Terri Hardy, Krissi Khokhobashvili, and Ike Dodson. They received plaques of recognition and said, “No matter what happened in your past, who you are when you come out on the other side is what matters.” Henderson also praised the group of Wall City advisors in attendance. Kate McQueen, Sarah Horowitz, Doug Levy and Dan Fost represented the magazine’s advisory board of 12.

Marin’s Chief Probation Officer focuses on restorative justice

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Marin County Chief Probation Officer Mike Daly

Mike Daly, the chief probation officer in Marin County, believes in restorative justice, something he’s put into practice instead of talking about it.

During an interview with SQ News in January, Daly discussed pro-social thinking and how to “rewire’ people to be the best they can be after becoming involved in the criminal justice system.

“I want people to know that restorative justice does work, and there’s data to prove it,” said Daly. “It should be part of a forward thinking criminal justice system.”

To successfully undertake restorative justice as a model, he said, there has to be input from district attorneys, victims, offenders and other stakeholders.

In Marin County, “Cases are referred to the probation department for restorative justice only after being cleared by the Marin County District Attorney’s Office and the Marin County Public Defender’s Office,” the Marin Independent Journal reported

For three years, Daly’s office has been innovative in its approach to criminal justice.

“I think I’m the first in Marin to hire someone to do restorative justice,” he said. “We offer that if the victim is okay with it. We want to be careful not to re-victimize…”

Citing some of the failures mass incarceration has produced over the last 30 years, Daly said a change in the culture of corrections needs to take place as well. He acknowledged the increase in California’s prison population didn’t happen overnight but said the legislature was asleep at the wheel for two decades.

Between 1990 and 2005, a new prison opened in the United States every 10 days,” wrote Bryan Stevenson, attorney and founder of the Equal Justice Initiative, in his book Just Mercy. “Prison growth and the resulting ‘prison-industrial complex’ – the business interests that capitalize on prison construction – made imprisonment so profitable that millions of dollars were spent lobbying state legislators…”

“We didn’t examine or make adjustments,” Daly said of the years California’s recidivism rate was at 70%.

He said it was there for a long time, and every year the state budget kept going up. Eventually a federal three-judge panel stepped in.

When that happened, the courts instructed California to reduce and maintain its state prison population at a cap of 137.5% of design capacity in order to deliver adequate medical care to all inmates.

Shortly thereafter, in 2011, California lawmakers passed Assembly Bill 109, Public Safety Realignment, and implemented it to manage the state’s unprecedented growth in its prison population.

Other significant reforms followed in California’s criminal justice landscape. Changes in the law such as Proposition 57 are changing the situation, he said, while admitting it’s not perfect, “but it’s a start.”

Daly said he’s worked with Ralph Diaz, secretary of the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.

They’ve established a Skype program that allows inmates headed for post-release community supervision (PRCS) to communicate with their probation officer before leaving state prison.

Daly was president of the Chief Probation Officers of California in 2014. According to the Marin County Probation Department website, “(former) Governor Brown had placed a tremendous amount of responsibility on the shoulders of probation departments across the state. You don’t do that unless you have trust and confidence in your partners.”

Daly said he felt that trust.

“We will work with Governor Newsom and hopefully create the same trusting bond that we had with Governor Brown,” the probation department website states.

“We’re not a ‘lock ‘em up county,’” said Daly. “I’m happy that Marin has adjusted to Realignment very well.”

He said all of its criminal justice leaders who voted to allocate funding feel that strong rehabilitative programs are the best for public safety.

Assembly Bill 109 provides funding for many of Marin County’s support systems such as finding shelter for those on probation.

“We will pay for that free, for the first six months,” said Daly.

Daly noted that Senate Bill 678 also provides funding for programs that offset prison.

“This bill was introduced around 2008, and it’s still active today,” he said.

The Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant Program also funds Daly’s restorative justice service, the Independent Journal reported. Daly stressed that defendants who participate in this program are less likely to reoffend.

Daly was appointed as Chief Probation Officer in 2009 by the Board of Supervisors, but confessed he wasn’t ready to deal with the politics that came with the job. Since Realignment, the management of lower-level prisoners was shifted from the state prison and parole system to the county jail and probation system.

To promote justice, Daly said “We’re proposing that the age of jurisdiction for juveniles be 18 to 19,” citing the science behind brain development and the foundational reasoning that the brain is still in a stage of development between the ages 18 and 25.

“We all have our points of change,” said Daly. “What I’m trying to develop [in them] is intrinsic motivation. Sometimes guys don’t care about themselves so it’s hard to make those changes. When you make that move intrinsically you have a much higher likelihood of being successful.”

“I’ve seen guys who’ve turned the corner,” said Daly, adding “Extrinsic motivation doesn’t work on guys from the hood. You have much more success when you develop intrinsic motivation.”

Daly said statewide, 8% of those on PRCS violate their probation and return to prison, but in Marin County the number is 2%. “We’re considered a high performing county,” he said.

In 1990, Daly received his bachelor’s degree from Cal Poly in Social Science with a concentration in criminal justice—the same year he started his career with Marin Probation. In 1999 he earned a master’s degree in public administration from Golden Gate University.

“I’m super proud about (restorative justice) and I’m looking to expand,” said Daly. “I’d like people to know that we are the first department in California solely to conduct restorative justice for offender and victim. I’m pretty proud of the footprint we have in Marin.”

CDCR leader and others seek prison reform answers in Norway

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Secretary Diaz calls for a sense of urgency for prison reforms

CDCR Secretary Ralph Diaz (back row, 5th from right) and formerly incarcerated Adnan Khan (in center)

As they covered 5,000 miles and an ocean on an international flight on Sept. 14, CDCR Secretary, Ralph Diaz and Connie Gipson had plenty of time to consider their doubts.

“It won’t work here.”

“California is too big, too violent and plagued by prison gangs.”

Those thoughts soon gave way to excited optimism, as the pair, CDCR’s Secretary and Division of Adult Institutions (DAI) Director, bonded with senior staff from the governor’s office, formerly incarcerated people, peace officer union representatives and criminal justice advocates in a life-changing environment across the globe.

Over six days, Diaz and Gipson toured Norwegian prisons, training facilities and reentry programs, witnessing famed humanistic practices that deliver wellness, safety and empowerment to everyone involved.

The trip, funded by philanthropic programs and organized by an ambitious visionary at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), made significant impact on CDCR leadership. “The world shrunk,” Diaz explained. “I saw staff and inmates engaging in a very positive way, as if the environment belonged to all of them, not just inmates or staff.

“At that moment I saw aspects of this that can be done.”

The team

Diaz and Gipson were joined by California Men’s Colony. Warden Josie Gastelo and Salinas Valley State Prison Warden Matthew Atchley and Captain Edward Brown. Governor Newsom [sent] representatives Daniel Seeman, Deputy Cabinet Secretary, and Kelli Evans, Deputy Legal Affairs Secretary for Criminal Justice in the Office of the Governor.

Other attendees included formerly incarcerated advocates Adnan Khan (Co-Founder of Re:Store Justice) and Sam Lewis (Executive Director of the Anti-Recidivism Coalition), or representatives from the California Correctional Peace Officers Association.

“I think it was the right people in the room, and what was so fascinating was that we all came to our discoveries throughout the week,” Gipson said. “It was really beneficial to have so many different perspectives going through the same experience.”

“We chose Norway because they have a very public health approach to corrections. They say that people go to court to get punished and go to prison to become better neighbors,” said Williams. “Every single policy/procedure and contact with a program is seen as an opportunity to bring health and well-being to people who are incarcerated, and simultaneously this gives staff and correctional officers the opportunity to change people’s lives for the better.”

To make the trip happen, Amend partnered with the community-based nonprofit organization Smart Justice to raise philanthropic funds. The biggest contributors included The Jacob and Valeria Langeloth Foundation and the Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Foundation.

Advocates for all

In Norway, the only human right an incarcerated person loses is liberty. The system, including architecture and habitat, is designed to mimic the community those citizens will return to. Interactions with staff are specifically structured to champion wellness and safety.

“I believe we have segments of what is happening in Norway going on in our institutions,” Diaz said. “We have to line it up, put it on paper and give employees the permission to care about the inmate population and remind them that rehabilitation has been a part of their job since the day they signed up.”

There are clear benefits to the normalcy of the environment for staff as well as inmates. Williams said initial reports from Norway show health and life expectancy metrics for correctional staff mirror the outcomes of other citizens. She pointed to research in California that has highlighted a public health crisis among correctional employees, who are more prone to depression, suicide and poor life expectancy.

Khan, whose work at Re:Store Justice brings victims and offenders together for dialogue and forgiveness, said, “My advocacy has always been about crime survivors, bringing them in to prison, and currently/formerly incarcerated people, but when Brie talked about suicides and life expectancy of staff — that bothered me. I had to reevaluate my advocacy. Am I choosing to be the leader of a specific demographic of justice reform or an advocate for public health and humanity? Human rights and public health advocacy has to include correctional officers that are suffering and in pain.”

How Norway changed

Norway’s prison model, thriving at a reported recidivism rate of 20%, wasn’t built overnight. Advocates point to demands by the Norwegian Parliament that authorized a shift to rehabilitation and humanistic practices in the late 1990s.

Over time, accompanied by changes in sentencing laws, massive changes to all aspects of the correctional system began to take hold.

Those changes go far beyond the supportive housing units with private restrooms, couches, stocked kitchen units or even small forests in recreational yards that keep offenders connected to the world around them.

Officers interact warmly and respectfully on a first-name basis with incarcerated people and are trained much longer—two years versus CDCR’s 13-week Basic Correctional Officer Academy. They are schooled on psychology, criminology, human rights and ethics. The process includes a lot of perspective shifts, like placing an officer in the role of an offender and experiencing different custodial tactics.

“I always look at experiences, trainings with an open mind, but I admit, I was pretty apprehensive about this,” Gipson said. “Early on I felt like this was too good to be true, but the more I started to listen to their concepts and principles of normality, humanity, the more I bought in. Everything clicked, and I was just blown away. I came back excited because I feel there are a lot of possibilities for us.”

CDCR and CCPOA leaders at Norwegian prison

The California way

A theme understood by trip-goers and emphasized by Norwegian officials is the practicality of change.

Norway didn’t evolve into a better form of correctional care immediately, and uprooting the same system and dropping it into a vastly different population is not the solution for California.

“We are not trying to make it the Norway way or the European way but the California way,” Diaz said. “We are a unique, diverse populace with cultures within cultures, but that doesn’t mean we can’t make necessary changes.”

“We just have to make it the California way. That doesn’t mean saying no to security but yes to a different way of doing business that improves the workplace and makes a better life for people returning to our communities,” he added.

Diaz said he looks forward to collaborating with other states that strive for similar innovation and emphasized the importance of supporting an environment that both acknowledges the suffering of crime victims and delivers on a promise to create fewer victims in the future.

He joined Gipson in a presentation to CDCR wardens across the state on Nov. 6, highlighting the most impactful concepts and practices that simultaneously promote wellness, safety and rehabilitation.

“We have to look at our historic policies and ask ourselves about each one: Why? Is it humane?” Diaz said. “As policy makers it is our job to change policies and explain why, because in the end we have to create a more humane prison system.”

The insight inspires action.

“My first step is getting a workgroup together to look at what policies and procedures we have in play that escalate vs. de-escalate,” Gipson said. “I also want to look at our training and talk about giving staff the comfort to manage situations within their authority without fear of making a mistake.”

“My big takeaway is a sense of urgency to make these necessary reforms because we have witnessed positive impact for all those involved in a correctional setting and for those returned to communities,” Diaz said. “I know what can be done. I know the department’s abilities and the ability of staff to get things done.”

That’s the California way.

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