Corporate executives and administration officials have a high turnover rate, but secretaries tend to stick around, and some have interesting stories. Ms. Garcia, the office technician for Robert E. Burton Adult School at San Quentin, almost became a parole officer. She studied criminal justice in college because something in society caught her attention. “I wanted to work with parolees because most of them have more motivation in bettering themselves after being incarcerated for so long,” Garcia said. However, while in college, Garcia … [Read more...] about A path of criminal justice takes an educational turn
US Senate focusing on alleviating mass incarceration
In early February, national government officials grappled with trying to implement cost-effective strategies to alleviate mass incarceration. The U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee is focusing on reducing sentences for nonviolent drug offenders and facilitating reentry for the formerly incarcerated. Columbia University’s Justice Lab discovered that since the 1980s, an increase in county supervision programs, like probation and parole, without an increase in funding, has contributed to an increase in incarceration. According to a 2009 Pew … [Read more...] about US Senate focusing on alleviating mass incarceration
Trump credited with expansion of hate groups
A recent report credits President Donald J. Trump’s administration with boosting the recruitment and expansion of hate groups in America. The Southern Poverty Law Center’s (SPLC) Year in Hate and Extremism report identified 954 hate groups in America, more than 600 of which are devoted to some type of White supremacy. “President Trump in 2017 reflected what White supremacist groups want to see: a country where racism is sanctioned by the highest office, immigrants are given the boot and Muslims banned,” said Heidi Beirich, director of the … [Read more...] about Trump credited with expansion of hate groups
Female inmates help battle fires
California’s female inmate firefighters appreciate the opportunity to grow and give back to the community. There are about 200 females in California’s Conservation Camp program, which operates in collaboration with Cal Fire throughout the year. “You get to save people’s houses,” said Melissa Logan, an inmate volunteer firefighter, who was at the Malibu Conservation Camp #13 according to NBC News. “You get to help people. It’s really gratifying and empowering when you’re driving by and people are holding up signs saying ‘Thank you, … [Read more...] about Female inmates help battle fires
Un legado de Comunicación Noviolenta
Un programa de sentimientos y necesidades no es algo que esperarías encontrar en una prisión para criminales rudos, pero este ha hecho una diferencia en la vida de muchos hombres. Comunicación No violenta o CNV, una clase de un ano que ha estado corriendo en San Quentin por casi 16 años, le ayuda a los participantes desarrollar un sentido personal que puede enriquecer sus vidas a través de la comunicación efectiva. La prisión es uno de esos ambientes donde la gente tiene que interactuar. Los reos tienen que acostumbrarse a una variedad de … [Read more...] about Un legado de Comunicación Noviolenta
Program celebrates 50 years of success
Project Rebound celebrates 50 years of giving former prisoners a second chance and promotes public safety by providing college educations to the formerly incarcerated. Project Rebound functions as a supportive service for ex-offenders as they adjust to life on campus. They provide food vouchers, mental health support, counseling, and a variety of other pro-social services designed to ensure success. “I found personally that it helps having a support system with men and women who have been through some of the same experiences that I have, in … [Read more...] about Program celebrates 50 years of success
A legacy of Nonviolent Communication
A program about feelings and needs isn’t what you’d expect in a prison for hardened criminals, but one has made all the difference in the lives of countless men. Nonviolent Communication (NVC), a yearlong class offered in San Quentin for about 16 years, helps people develop a personal awareness that can enrich their lives through effective communication. Prison is one of the most difficult environments in which people must interact. Prisoners adjust to an array of housing arrangements: cells smaller than a dog kennel and dorms that resemble … [Read more...] about A legacy of Nonviolent Communication
San Quentin’s annual Christmas caroling revives special memories
Nostalgic feelings dampen many inmates’ lives during the holiday season, but Christmas caroling in San Quentin State Prison revives happy memories of home and lightens everyone’s mood. A few weeks before Christmas, prison volunteers, the Protestant Church choir and other inmates parade from building to building sharing the joy of the holidays. “We’re so happy to get into San Quentin. Some of our neighbors think we’re crazy because we tell them we love coming into the prison,” said Kim Lam, a Christian volunteer from Open Arms Church “I love … [Read more...] about San Quentin’s annual Christmas caroling revives special memories
Study shows government uses distorted data to justify policies
A recent study by the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) explains how the government uses distorted data to justify its policies. The study focused on the Center for Immigration Studies (CIS), which is cited by elected officials and the media as a legitimate source of information. The Center was founded by White nationalist John Tanton and serves as an anti-immigrant think tank, reported the SPLC. “Oh, I’m convinced that he’s wrong about all the facts and issues. They’re wrong about the impact of immigration on the U.S. economy and on U.S. … [Read more...] about Study shows government uses distorted data to justify policies
A question of law and prison investments
Ethical questions are being raised about an immigration judge whose husband has invested in private prisons, Mother Jones magazine reports. The issue involves Chief Judge Linda R. Reade, whose husband, Michael Figenshaw, bought between $30,000 and $100,000 worth of additional private prison stocks before a massive immigration raid (in 2008) on a kosher slaughterhouse in Postville, Iowa, the magazine reported Aug. 24. The nearly 400 immigrants charged in the raid were then sent to Iowa’s northern jurisdiction to be sentenced by Reade and … [Read more...] about A question of law and prison investments