San Quentin News

Written By Inmates - Advancing Social Justice

California legislators consider voting rights for parolees

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Right To Vote

This year, California legislators will decide whether a constitutional amendment to restore voting rights to people on parole can be on the ballot for the 2020 elections.

According to an article in the Sacramento Bee, Assembly Constitutional Amendment 6 (ACA 6), also known as the Free the Vote Act, was introduced by Assemblyman Kevin McCarty.

ACA 6 will pave the way for a 2020 ballot measure that would restore the voting rights of about 50,000 parolees.

Under Article II, section 4 of California’s Constitution “The Legislature shall prohibit improper practices that affect elections and shall provide for the disqualification of electors while mentally incompetent or imprisoned or on parole for the conviction of a felony.”

“ACA 6 will eliminate an arbitrary barrier to voting, reduce recidivism and give formerly incarcerated people an opportunity to demonstrate their ability to become productive, contributing members of our society,” McCarty said, according to a witness- la.com article.

In an interview with San Quentin News, Eric Henderson of Initiate Justice said that the idea for ACA 6 stemmed from conversations between Taina Vargas-Edmond, Executive Director of Initiate Justice, and incarcerated people.

According to a Common Cause report titled “Democracy Behind Bars: How money in politics, felony disenfranchisement and prison gerrymandering fuel mass incarceration and undermine democracy,” the practice of felony disenfranchisement was brought over by the original colonists as the British practice of “civil death,” which included the loss of property, voting, and other civil rights.

Common Cause also noted the racial legacy when felony disenfranchisement was used to bar free black men from voting after the Civil War.

In November of last year, Floridians passed Constitutional Amendment 4, which was supposed to restore the voting rights of more than half a million convicted felons, according to an article in Politico.

However, Florida’s Republican-controlled Legislature is maneuvering a bill through the legislative process that would limit the voting rights gained by the 64% voter-approved Amendment 4.

“This is exactly what we were worried about from the beginning—legislative at- tempts to undermine the will of the people who voted for second chances and to rid Florida of the last vestiges of its Jim Crow-era past,” said Kirk Bailey, political director of the American Civil Liberties Union in Florida, according to Politico.

An article in the Washington Post, “What gets ex-prisoners politically and civically involved?, Credited Florida’s Amendment 4 with re-enfranchising “more than one-fifth of the state’s African American population.”
The Republicans’ pro- posed bill includes a list of crimes that would disqualify someone from being allowed to vote and also requires the formerly incarcerated to pay court costs, fines, and fees as part of completing their sentence before they can vote.

“When partisan politics gets involved, the people lose,” said Neil Volz, political director with the Florida Rights Restoration Coalition in Politico.

Under Amendment 4, people convicted of murder or felony sexual assault still are barred from voting.

According to the witnessla. com article, in the last two decades there have been nationwide voting reforms that have reinstated 1.4 million Americans on either the local or state level. However, there are another 6 million are still barred from voting because of their criminal past.

“Civic participation is foundational to a sense of community—and it can play a major role in reducing recidivism,” said California Secretary of State Alex Padilla, who supports the new ACA 6 bill.

If ACA 6 passes through the Legislature, the 2020 ballot proposal would restore the voting rights of people on parole, leaving disenfranchised the mentally incompetent and the incarcerated.

Starting off 2019’s resolution by being their best self

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I am motivated when people believe in me. I used to do things to please others

Every year starts with so much promise. During the first quarter of the year, everyone believes in their full potential, especially me. 

New Year’s resolutions are a person’s desire to be different — better.

Everyone starts the New Year with at least one resolution. Some want to lose weight, others want to exercise more, some want to spend less and others want to make more. 

I have noticed that most resolutions that involve weight control and exercise help boost gym memberships but not necessarily gym attendance and participation. 

I have discovered that although the desire for improvement is present, the will power to see it through can wane depending on the day, mood, and weather.

New Year’s resolutions are not the only thing that fluctuates, criminal justice reform ebbs toward leniency or floods toward severity depending on what is ‘politically correct’ and ‘socially acceptable.’

Resolutions can be misconstrued as lasting improvement instead of the beginning of a process toward improvement. Similarly, justice-system reform is mistakenly seen as a solution without actually dealing with the systemic issues that led to the conditions in the first place.

New Year’s gym membership offers and criminal justice reform efforts are opportunities that can promote personal initiative, accountability, and responsibility but they are no guarantee of success.

Individuals are the only ones that can guarantee their own success. They have control over whether or not something benefits them, and to what extent.

However, resolutions and reform efforts pave the way because they embody our hope in our capacity to change and improve.

I believe that we are all incentivized to perform better, and be better, when others believe in us.

I am motivated when people believe in me. I used to do things to please others. 

In fact, I made a lot of bad choices because at the time I felt it was what I needed to do to belong.

However, eventually I met people who believed in me even when I did not recognize my own potential; their encouragement paved the way for me.

I discovered that small incentives empowered me because I felt validated and that I mattered in spite of my circumstances. 

I made small behavioral changes like waking up earlier so I could read more or going to bed later so I could write one more letter. 

Through those small changes, I reaped significant benefits such as better reading comprehension and enriching correspondences with family and friends.

No one could have told me that those extra hours of reading and writing were preparing me for the role I have now for the San Quentin News.

Nevertheless, none of this would have been a reality without the support of many people and the reforms that planted a seed of hope and the possibility of social redemption.

I am convinced that New Year’s resolutions and justice reform will benefit those that position themselves for success by surrounding themselves with people who believe they can be better, and do better not just for the first quarter of the year but for life.

Returning citizens tend to be more politically involved

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Political science professors Hannah L. Walker and Michael Leo Owens allege that formerly incarcerated individuals tend to be more politically involved in regions with abundant non-profit organizations that support their re-entry efforts.

In an opinion article posted in The Washington Post, Walker and Owens chronicle their study and explain their conclusion.

They used data that had been gathered through an online survey done by the Institute of Government and Public Affairs at the University of Illinois during August and September of 2014. According to the article, the study focused on a sampling of 1,275 eligible voters from Chicago “because, as Harvard sociologist Robert Sampson once observed, the city’s patterns ‘are broadly consistent with trends in crime and incarceration throughout the United States.’”

The survey asked participants about their contact with law enforcement and involvement in the criminal justice system: 11 percent acknowledged having been either stopped or questioned, and 5 percent had been on probation or parole, in jail or in prison.

Those surveyed claimed to have taken part in some sort of political activity or civil action.

For instance, 49 percent of those questioned by police signed a petition, and 14 percent attended a protest, according to the article.

The professors found that former prisoners with ties to nonprofit organizations were more politically involved than those with no ties.

The professors reviewed records from the Chicago Police Department’s 270 police beats, subareas within the 25 districts. They measured the number of nonprofit felon-friendly groups, felony conviction rates, and the extent to which the community participated and collaborated with the police.

They also discovered that areas with more nonprofits and high rates of felony convictions had more collaboration between the community and law enforcement.

They believe that their findings show that “involuntary contact with the criminal justice system reduces voting, for individuals and communities. [However], results suggest that civic groups may help citizens re-engage with politics after having been incarcerated.”

On Sept. 21, members from different nonprofit groups, officers from the Alameda County Sheriff’s Department, and numerous other Bay Area police departments ventured into San Quentin State Prison to build community ties that promote public safety and civil engagement with people still incarcerated.

San Quentin News collaborated with KTVU’s Paul Chambers, who hosts these community-law enforcement events called “Barbershop Dialogues.” The objective is to build relationships between citizens and the police that serve their communities.

“I’ve never seen anything like this, where cops want to help you,” said Louie—-, an inmate participant. “I didn’t know that there were so many resources that law enforcement has to offer.”

The Bay Area has an abundance of nonprofits dedicated to human rights, civil rights and equal opportunity, which also help promote public safety by addressing community concerns.

“These people actually heard us out and had some answers to my questions,” said David Navarez, another inmate participant. “I definitely want to get involved in whatever group activities they got to help prevent gang and gun violence in the neighborhoods.”

Incarceration rates influence special-interest money in politics

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A report by Common Cause, Democracy Behind Bars, alleges that political elections and monetary incentives increase incarceration rates and undermine democracy in America.

Common Cause is an organization dedicated to reducing the influence of special-interest money in politics.

According to Karen Hobert Flynn, president of the organization, the report is “an effort to build on Common Cause’s longstanding commitment to serve as a watchdog on government, defend and strengthen voting and civil rights and the ability for everyone to participate in our democracy.” The report claims that political forces that rely on special- interest campaign funds shape the modern criminal justice system.

For instance, “Since 1989, the two biggest for-profit prison companies in the U.S.— Corrections Corporation of America (CCA) and the GEO Group—have spent more than $35 million on lobbying and campaign contributions,” according to the report.

During the 2016 presidential election, “the GEO Group donated $225,000 to a super PAC supporting then-candidate Donald Trump.”

According to its website, GEO Group manages “approximately 75,000 beds in 71 correctional and detention facilities…. [and] provides services on behalf of the Federal Bureau of Prisons, U.S. Marshal Services, and [the] U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.”

The Common Cause report says that “65 percent of private prison contracts have ‘occupancy guarantee’ clauses, [which function as] promises by the state that a specific number of people will be housed there.”

Therefore, the report alleges, politicians promote tough-on-crime policies to generate profits for campaign contributors.

Currently, 5.2 million people nationwide are supported by prison facility jobs, at a $182 billion annual cost to taxpayers, the report said.

Underfunded police departments that rely on federal grants are obligated to increase the number of arrests in order to qualify for grant money.

For instance, according to the report, “federal support frequently is determined by arrest statistics and the value of confiscated contraband, which pressures police to arrest more low-level offenders.”

In an opinion article published in The Washington Post, Radley Balko cites an American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) survey conducted in 2014 that claims,

“SWAT teams and paramilitary tactics are disproportionately used against Black and Latino people…suspected of low-level drug dealing.”

Balko also cites an ACLU 2015 study that examined four cities in New Jersey, which showed that “Black people were 2.6 to 9.6 times more likely to be arrested than White people for low-level offenses.”

According to Common Cause, felony convictions further undermine democracy because felony disenfranchisement laws disproportionately affect poor, Black and other minority communities.

Common Cause argues that former felons are expected to be good productive citizens while not allowed to participate in the democratic process.

Most states have procedures to regain voting rights after completing probation or parole periods, but 12 states bar former felons from ever voting, the report said.

According to Common Cause, for these reasons, “A society that unjustly criminalizes and imprisons so many people, devastating our families and communities, and disproportionately targeting people of color and those impacted by poverty for policing and punishment, is not a society living up to its claim that everyone’s voice matters.”

Dr. Downey overcomes hurdles

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Dr. Downey, a staff psy­chologist at San Quentin, is no stranger to overcoming obstacles in life.
“I fell behind in grade school because no one knew I was deaf,” Downey said. “It wasn’t till middle school that I got the resources that helped me adjust.”
Her hearing disability be­came something that gave her a distinct perspective.
“I like the silence because you can be with yourself, but there is a need for the chaos that is in the world,” she said. “Coping with the strug­gles is what helps mold us.”
There were times when Downey felt like no one un­derstood her, which moti­vates her work now.
“I grew up struggling be­cause I was deaf and no one knew what to do with me,” she said. “I want to help people understand that there is hope and resources to help them through whatever they’re struggling with.”
She learned sign language, started speech-therapy class­es and got her left-ear hear­ing aid after graduating high school.
“I’m rewarded when my patients come back with a success story about how they were able to use the coping skills that we discovered through therapy”
Downey decided to be­come a psychologist because her disability barred her from joining the family lineage of civil and public servants such as law enforcement and mili­tary.
During college, she relied on sign language tutors and visual aids to help her stay on track with the classes.
“I had one professor that said he didn’t know how I would make it as a psycholo­gist,” Downey said. “I was discouraged at first, but then I used that as a motivator.”

Two weeks into graduate studies, Downey got Ava, her first service dog and compan­ion.
Ava is trained to alert Downey to environmental hazards and situational dan­gers that Downey would oth­erwise be unaware of.
“Ava went to school and ev­erywhere with me,” Downey said. “When I graduated, she walked the stage with me.”

Downey later discovered a school that offers resources and support for deaf people, the California School of the Deaf , in Fremont, California.

There is a community of deaf people with a rich cul­ture of theater, performing arts, and support groups.
“Obviously not everyone is affected in the same degree: some were born deaf, others went deaf, some can talk, and others have trouble com­municating,” Downey said. “I went through seven years of speech therapy, and I still struggle daily because it’s a lot of work paying attention.”
“Most of the depictions of deaf people in the movies are just a narrow interpreta­tion of reality,” Downey said. “No deaf person is as helpless as Hollywood makes them seem. I wanted to challenge that stereotype.”
Downey has been working at San Quentin since 2012.
She facilitates group ther­apy and conducts individual sessions to help as many peo­ple as possible.
Unlike social psychologists of the 1990s who promoted “positive illusions” as the means to maintaining mental health, Downey emphasizes the need for personal respon­sibility and the development of proper coping skills.
“I’m rewarded when my patients come back with a success story about how they were able to use the cop­ing skills that we discovered through therapy,” Downey said. “Mental health is about personal growth and adapt­ing to life’s challenges.”
Downey’s patients first learn to adjust to Ava’s pres­ence.
“I didn’t know how people would respond to Ava when we first came in,” she said. “Some guys thought that she was a narc dog when they first saw her in the prison.”
Ava just celebrated a mile­stone, her 13th birthday.
“She’s retired now but still very active in my life,” Downey said. “She has ar­thritis in her left hip and her right leg is overcompensat­ing, so our walks aren’t as long.”
Downey is expecting to retrieve her new service dog, Cinder, this autumn from a prison training program in another state.
“I’ve adjusted to life with­out my hearing because I’ve learned how to utilize the resources that are available,” she said. “I want to help my patients realize that there are resources and help for them as well.”
If you think you could ben­efit from Mental Health ser­vices, please fill out a medical slip requesting assistance or contact a community mental health clinic.

San Quentin musical event showcases lyrical artists

Crisis and suicide prevention Brothers’ Keepers mission

Last RISE inmate graduation for Dante Callegari

SQ's 2018 graduating class thanked D. Searle

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Families gathered to celebrate their loved ones’ accomplishments at the Robert E. Burton Adult School annual graduation ceremony, held on July 20 in San Quentin’s main visiting room.
“This is the first time I’ve been able to complete any type of vocational program,” said Francisco Ortiz, a graduate from the Vocational Plumbing class. “I’m proud because I was able to participate in some- thing that will help improve my chances for success.”
The students completed a vocational training course, passed a High School Equivalency test, received a General Education Diploma, or earned a college degree.
“Graduation represents a significant milestone in your lives. You have experienced challenges beyond measure to achieve this goal,” said Ms. D. Searle, an academic instructor and emcee for the event. “You have learned to turn obstacles into opportunities.”

The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation is going through a rehabilitation revolution and education opportunities are a top priority, according to keynote speaker Shannon Swain, Superintendent of the Office of Correctional Education.
“I’ve been volunteering on the set-up crew for two years now, and I’ve been in- spired,” said Juan Gonzalez, a vocational Building Maintenance student. “I hope to be in next year’s graduation.”
The curriculum and courses that the students completed meet the College and Career Readiness Standards, which means that they are designed to prepare individuals for success in college, technical training opportunities, and work.
“A RAND Corporation study found that the single most cost-effective method to reduce recidivism ― the rate that people return to prison ― and incarceration is education,” Swain said. “I anticipate that in five years we will have education resource centers, where you can learn anything you want.”
More than two dozen students completed either their General Education Diploma (GED), a High School Equivalency class.
Almost a dozen students received a college degree, and close to 30 finished a vocational training course.
“I’m excited because I feel that I have accomplished something good,” said Hieu Nguyen, a graduate from
Vocational Building Maintenance, “but, I’m also sad be- cause today is the 18th year since I committed my crime. My victim, Jeffrey Rogers, would be about 35 years old and probably would have done more by now.”
Graduate speakers shared stories of what the graduation meant to them and the struggles they encountered along the way.

CTE-Vocational Plumbing graduate Lee Goins spoke about his dropping out of high school and his troubled adolescence in New Orleans.
“When the consequences of my life of crime caught up with me, I was forced to participate in their education department so I decided to pursue a GED,” Goins said. “The first time I failed the test. I felt like it was a waste of time, but a teacher encouraged me to continue until I passed.”
Harry C. Goodall Jr. received an Associate of Arts degree in Social and Behavioral Science from Coastline Community College.
“I can remember times that the course I was taking didn’t have a book available in the college library,” Goodall said. “I had to choose between getting a quarterly package or the book I needed.”
One of Ms. Searle’s students, Peter Shui, struggled with the Reasoning Through the Language Arts section of the GED test because his first language is Mandarin. However, he wrote every paper in Mandarin and English until he passed.
“I’m so proud of what these guys were able to accomplish because the standards are so much higher than before,” Searle said. “The essay used to be the five-paragraph type. Now they have to write an argumentative essay to show that they can reason their way with the language.”
Most of the students are planning to further their education.
Shui, who received his GED, has enrolled in college, and Ortiz plans to move on to another vocational trade.
“Think very seriously about the opportunities that exist to improve your lives,” Swain said. “Utilize the resources that are available to your benefit because education is a gift that no one can ever take from you.”

 

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Searle Searle Searle Searle Searle

Center Point graduates 100 San Quentin men

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Packing the house in recognition of their achievements

Graduates of Center Point holding up their certificates with Ms. Winston

Graduates of Center Point holding up their certificates with Ms. Winston


San Quentin’s Garden Chapel was filled to near-capacity, with almost 400 seats occupied during Center Point’s annual graduation ceremony.
One hundred men received recognition for their participation and successful completion of a Center Point program.
“This program has helped me see addiction in a new light,” said Troy Dunmore, a graduate of the Substance Use Disorder Treatment class. “I understand now that I used drugs to cope with the pain of reality.”
According to Dunmore and other graduates of Substance Use Disorder Treatment, the Center Point approach to recovery is a bit more comprehensive than other programs because it lays out the connection between thoughts and behavior.
“My group had a great facilitator that actually had lived our experience, which kind of helped her make the material practical to us,” Dunmore said of Ms. McGuire, also known as Ms. Mella to her class.
Reality TV host Andrew Zimmern giving a speech

Reality TV host Andrew Zimmern giving a speech


Celebrity speaker at the graduation, reality TV host Andrew Zimmern, shared his story of struggle and the road to recovery.
Most of the incarcerated audience found out that Zimmern was a celebrity chef after the event because San Quentin State Prison does not have Cable TV. “One day I realized I was a loser,” Zimmern said “[Addiction] is a progressive disease; it will lead you to jail, hospitals and it will kill you.”
Zimmern emphasized the need for addicts to stick closely to the steps of their recovery program.
“I have come to realize that the road to recovery is body, mind and spirit and the road out of recovery [also] is spiritual, mental and physical,” he said.
Center Point’s curriculum is a cognitive-behavior therapy model, which helps participants reprogram their thinking by learning new coping skills such as: identifying risky lifestyle factors, thoughts, feelings, and actions associated with high-risk situations and warning signs.
Ms. Ashley smiling as the graduates celebrate their achievements

Ms. Ashley smiling as the graduates celebrate their achievements


“Life is about taking advantage of the healthy opportunities that are available,” Program Director Mike Davila said, “The state is committed to giving you the best resources so that you can succeed.”
This year’s ceremony included San Quentin’s first Denial Management graduation.
“The curriculum challenges our belief systems,” Denial Management facilitator, Mr. Bradley said, “Dealing with denial is tough but these were very forthcoming individuals.”
It took the 10 participants in Mr. Bradley’s class 78 hours of introspection and dialogue to complete the course.
Zimmern also underscored the importance of group support and dialogue.
“Once I put away the chemicals I realized I needed the ‘We’ of this program,” Zimmern said. “The support made a big difference.”
Phirak Kim, who struggled with substance abuse issues since he was 11 years old, said that his group counselor, Ms. Jackson, encouraged him to work through the material when he wanted to quit.
Center Point staff smile after the graduation

Center Point staff smile after the
graduation


“I’m glad they didn’t give up on me because now I have a coping strategy that is going to keep me from relapsing,” Kim said. “I finally understand the chain of my behavior that kept me trapped in the cycle of addiction.”
There were 48 graduates from the Substance Use Disorder Treatment class, 28 from the Criminal Thinking class, 22 from Anger Management, nine from Family Relations and eight from the Victim Impact group.
“I am privileged to oversee In-Prison Programs throughout the state of California,” said Landon Bravo, Chief of Program Operation, Division of Rehabilitative Programs,” “What you have acquired are tools to take with you in order to be a success.
“Remember to have a positive mental attitude because it changes everything.”
More than 50 men received recognition for their participation and successful compete of a Center Point program.
Center Point staff smile after the graduation Center Point graduates posing with their certificates

Center Point staff smile after the graduation Center Point graduates posing with their certificates


 

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San Quentin News & Wall City Merchandise

Reducing mass incarceration may reduce hunger and poverty

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An analysis of multiple studies found that reducing mass incarceration could reduce hunger and poverty in the United States.
Research analysts claim that if the U.S. had not escalated incarceration rates, poverty would have dropped by 20 percent between 1980 and 2004.
Hunger and poverty in America are collateral consequences of mass incarceration, according to a report from the Bread for the World Institute (BWI), Mass Incarceration: A Major Cause of Hunger.
Marlysa D. Gamblin, domestic advisor for policy and programs at BWI, highlights the educational, social and economic connections associated with mass incarceration.
Over-policing in the inner cities, longer sentences for minorities and the ongoing restraints and restrictions after release are identified as main factors that contribute to higher poverty and hunger rates.
There are more than 46,000 local, state and federal civil laws and regulations, known as “collateral consequences” of convictions that restrict ex-offender activities, according to a report by the Heritage Foundation.
Some of the better-known restrictions include partial or complete exclusion from food stamp programs, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), affordable housing, Medicaid/Medicare, and Pell grants.
One study found that almost 70 percent of households with an incarcerated family member had trouble meeting basic needs such as food and housing.
The National Institutes of Health says that 91 percent of formerly incarcerated individuals were food-insecure and 75 percent found it difficult to find work.
One out of every four households with a formerly incarcerated person lives in deep poverty.
According to the article, families with an incarcerated family member owe an average of $13,000 in fines and court fees, which is almost half the gross income of a family of four living at the poverty line.
The Institute for Advancing Social Justice Research and Innovation at the George Warren Brown School of Social Work, Washington University in St. Louis, estimates that mass incarceration costs local communities more than $244 billion altogether.
Some of the monetary costs associated with incarceration are loss of wages and employment, depression of property values, mental and healthcare costs, eviction and homelessness and the cost of travel to visit inmates.
Although mass incarceration does not reduce crime or recidivism, the United States spends an estimated $140 billion a year to incarcerate more than 2 million adults and half a million juveniles, the report said.

Lincoln Memorial


The report also identified evidence-based approaches such as youth employment programs, social activities, adult job training programs, mental health services and public health programs that have reduced crime by between 32 to 51 percent.
Rehabilitation and reentry are two of the four priorities outlined in the report as long-term solutions to reduce crime, poverty and hunger.
According to the Bureau of Justice statistics, prisoners who participated in job training programs were 28 percent more likely to be employed after incarceration.
Individuals who earned their high school diploma or GED were 43 percent less likely to return to jail or prison.
According to The Urban Institute’s Justice Policy Center, formerly incarcerated individuals who earned more than $10 an hour were less likely to return to prison.
Gamblin concluded that public policies should help returning citizens secure jobs, food and housing so that the poverty cycle slows down.

San Quentin News & Wall City Merchandise


https://sanquentinnews.com/optionb-org-support-group-overcoming-effects-incarceration/

USSC rules bail hearings undocumented immigrants

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US Senate focusing on alleviating mass incarceration

San Quentin’s big transition as non-designated facility

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San Quentin State Prison’s transition from a General Population (GP) facility to a non-designated programming facility has uncovered old prejudices and uncommon collaborations.

San Quentin back in the day

The inmate response to the new housing designation is as diverse as the prison population.

Most inmates have been indifferent to the inflow of newcomers, while others have been cautious and alert.

Some prisoners transferred out of San Quentin because they did not want to deal with the unknown.

Few inmates, and administrators, could predict what was going to happen when GP inmates and Sensitive Needs Yard (SNY) inmates were united into one community.

“Some people that are here at San Quentin are old-timers, and they have a hard time changing their perspective about people,” said Anthony A., a former gang member, “I think it’s because the past is all they have.”

Most of the new arrivals are former gang members who decided to make a change in their lives’ direction; their decision is also making a difference in the prison.

Although the majority of the population remains race and gang segregated, the newcomers have formed a multicultural group of prisoners.

“What to outsiders looks like sheer depravity is understood to preserve order, and protect the group,” Prison University Project says Jody Lewen of the in the Spring 2018 Newsletter Volume 13, No.1

“Whenever someone shows up off the bus, we try to embrace them because whether people are active or drop-outs from a gang—everyone is uncomfortable when they arrive,” Michael R. said. “I want to give these guys the opportunity I didn’t have when I first came to prison.”

San Quentin offers the same opportunities and programs as before but as a non-designated programming facility, there is zero tolerance for prison politics and gang activity.

“We are creating a system where the inmate is treated as an individual”

“I decided to drop out of the gang because I didn’t want to catch a life sentence,” said Sergio C., a former Bay Area gang member. “My supposed homeboys told me I had to stab somebody and get caught with the knife. I think my life is worth more than those kinds of friends.”

Many of the new arrivals say that in order to prove their loyalty, gang members are expected to do things that could earn them extra prison time, in some cases even a life sentence.

“I thought a lot about what I wanted for myself before I decided to step away from the gang lifestyle,” Michael R. said. “When I talked to my wife and my children, I knew I couldn’t do this prison stuff anymore.”

Michael, Anthony and others are helping steer new arrivals into programs, education, and introspection.

The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) has received some criticism for its shift in housing policies that to outsiders seems arbitrary.

“According to a RAND analysis, every $1 invested in such [inmate] education generates at least $4 in economic return,” reports Fast Company.

Earlier this year, the CDCR outlined its methods to curb prison-gang influence and promote rehabilitation through the implementation of non-designated programming facilities and Restrictive Custody General Population (RCGP) yards.

“These non-designated yards are the long-needed solution to our problems,” Sergio C. said. “Before, I was too busy trying to keep up with yard politics and fighting for our fair share of state property, so I didn’t focus on preparing for release and staying out, I ended up coming back.”

In April, Scott Kernan, Secretary of the CDCR, wrote in the Secretary’s Corner that significant criminal justice reforms that provide incentives for rehabilitation have also given the department an opportunity to expect more from offenders.

“We are creating a system where the inmate is treated as an individual, and with that change we have to expect conformance to behavioral standards just like in the community,” Kernan wrote.

Most of the new arrivals at San Quentin are taking advantage of the available opportunities.

“I’ve never seen a prison like this,” said Mario, a Hispanic from southern California, who decided to stay. “I was planning to leave because of what my homies might think, but then I thought I better get my life in order instead of worrying about what others think.”

Restorative Justice’s role in the #metoo movement

SQ Health Care program sets the bar

More inmates taking meds for mental health issues

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The number of offenders in county jails  on psychotropic medications increased 25 percent in 45 California counties in the past five years, reports California Health Policy Strategies (CHPS) for Kaiser Health News.

The Kaiser Health News report shows that a shortage of community-based treatment centers have made county jails a warehouse for mentally ill people.

Pedro Cruz David Clifford Captain Spencer and Rolon Morris are on the job in front of SQ medical center.

Pedro Cruz David Clifford Captain Spencer and Rolon Morris are on the job in front of SQ medical center.

A separate report by the Council On Mentally Ill Offenders (COMIO) found that the mental health prison population grew from 19 percent in 2006 to 30 percent in 2016.

Since the report was released, COMIO swapped names, becoming the Council on Criminal Justice and Behavioral Health (CCJBH).

CCBJH also notes that the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) estimates that 25 to 40 percent of people with mental illness will be jailed or incarcerated at some point in their lives.

“64% of California’s jail population is awaiting trial or sentencing as of December 2016.” Most remain in pretrial custody because they cannot afford bail.  Jail Profile Survey, http://www.bscc.ca.gov/

Each year, there are an estimated two million jail admissions in the United States that involve individuals with acute mental illness.

“Jails are not conducive for real recovery,” said Zima Creason, president and chief executive officer of Mental Health America of California, “We are never going to put a dent in the numbers unless we provide a therapeutic environment.”

Kaiser Health News, however, reports that California jail officials believe they are getting better at identifying inmates that can benefit from medication.

Medications are the most critical part of treatment, says H. Richard Lamb, professor emeritus of psychiatry at the USC School of Medicine, but “you need enough mental health professionals to treat the very large numbers of mentally ill people in jails.” 

Advocates for the mentally ill are concerned that psychiatric medication may be prescribed inappropriately.

Ron Honberg, senior policy adviser at NAMI, said officials with limited resources and the large number of inmates may cause psychiatric medications to be administered to “keep people calm and sedate.”

The Los Angeles County jail is described as the largest mental institution in the country.

Kaiser Health News also reported that Joseph Ortego, chief psychiatrist for correctional health in L.A. County, said that the county has improved identification and treatment of mentally ill inmates.

Creason said that jails should provide more individual and group therapy, more time outside of cells and sufficient recreation for mentally ill inmates.

Ortego said jails do not have the necessary space for therapy.

“Sadly, they just throw a bunch of pills at them because there is nothing else,” Creason said.

http://sanquentinnews.com/the-100th-edition-san-quentin-news/

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