Pendarvis Harshaw recently spent some time inside San Quentin showing inmates creative ways to tell their personal histories. He used OG Told Me, his own memoir, as an example. It reads like a graphic novel. Its photo gallery of Original Gangsters (OGs) includes quotes of streetwise advice. Harshaw’s “turf,” East Oakland, serves as the backdrop. Your turf was where you grew up. Some of us had parents or grandparents who actually owned the land. For others, that land was nothing more than where your mother’s Section Eight voucher was accepted. … [Read more...] about Pendarvis Harshaw share tales of Oakland’s history
Abogado señala: ‘prepárense para su libertad’
Abogado señala: “prepárense para su libertad.” El camino a la libertad es riguroso para los hombres y las mujeres encarceladas en las prisiones de California, comentó Mike Romano, Profesor de leyes de la Universidad de Stanford, ante una audiencia de aproximadamente 150 presos que se reunieron en la Iglesia Católica, el 19 de enero. Kevin “Bilal” Chatman, quien acompañó a Romano y a dos de sus colaboradores, comentó: “sé que no es fácil que Mike venga a esta prisión y les diga estas cosas. Tenía seis sentencias de vida y 150 años. Pensé que … [Read more...] about Abogado señala: ‘prepárense para su libertad’
Taking on the task to teach a new way of thinking in coding
In spite of the monumental challenges, Jon Gripshover, a supervising instructor, without fail, walks to a classroom in prison industries four times a week to teach incarcerated men computer coding. “This was one of the first times in my life that I saw hard work and determination not get the results sought after, even after 110 percent effort,” Gripshover said. “That was one of my profound moments in teaching” Gripshover notes that in coding, “you’re wrong 90 percent of the time. You have to get used to it. You have to see mistakes as … [Read more...] about Taking on the task to teach a new way of thinking in coding
Bureau of Justice Statistics issues 2016 prison report
The federal government has been tracking prison populations across the nation since 1926. This year marked the 91st time the Bureau of Justice Statistics issued a report detailing its results. Key findings This was the third consecutive year that the number of prisoners with sentences of more than one year in prison declined. There are an estimated 1,505,400 prisoners in state and federal prisons as of Dec. 31, 2016 — 21,200 less than 2015. State prisons held 13,900 fewer prisoners in 2016 than in 2015, and the federal prison population … [Read more...] about Bureau of Justice Statistics issues 2016 prison report
Sci-fi thriller of first alien contact in the future
Last month’s review, The Left Hand of Darkness, dealt with earthlings’ effort to increase the human galactic footprint. Ursula K. Le Guin took readers way, way into the future to tell a tale about humanizing other worlds. By comparison, authors of Saturn Run, John Sandford and Ctein peered just around the corner of time in Saturn Run, (2015) to tell a tale about Earth’s first alien contact. Everything takes place in the late 2060s after a large object headed to Saturn is spotted and is decelerating. What follows is a space race between the … [Read more...] about Sci-fi thriller of first alien contact in the future
Detailed report about prison healthcare
On any single day, more than a million people are held in state prisons across the nation where substance abuse, mental illness, and contagious diseases are widespread. Fact: Nearly all people complete their prison sentence and return to the community. A first-of-its-kind report requested detailed information from prison officials about their prisons’ inmates and healthcare delivery systems, such as how they fund and deliver the prisoners’ healthcare, how they make their budgets, how they compare with one another, and some reasons for … [Read more...] about Detailed report about prison healthcare
By day, she interviews scientists, by night, a dystopian novelist
A 2018 Elizabeth George Grant for her novel-in-progress, The Clearest Way into the Universe Mackenzie Smith spends her days at a university interviewing scientists. Her nights are devoted to revising her dystopian novel. It’s about two sisters, on opposite coasts, trying to reunite. She spent Feb. 28 in a nonfictional place—San Quentin State Prison. There, she shared stories with inmates in Zoe Mullery’s creative writing workshop. “The writers are engaged, talented and committed to their writing—far more than I’ve experienced,” Smith … [Read more...] about By day, she interviews scientists, by night, a dystopian novelist
CBS’ Ted Koppel visits Ear Hustle
As part of a 1961 class project, a Stanfrd student named Ted Koppel, age 21, went inside San Quentin to study the U.S. criminal justice system. And 57 years later, he came back, this time as a correspondent with CBS Sunday Morning. “It’s that we incarcerate more people than any other nation,” Koppel said referring to the high incarceration rate in the United States (700 prisoners per 100,000 population). He added, “That seems to be contradictory to who we are as a nation. The U.S. has 5 percent of the world’s population. However, 25 percent … [Read more...] about CBS’ Ted Koppel visits Ear Hustle
60’s science fiction ahead of its time dealing with sexuality and imperialism
When Ursula K. Le Guin died earlier this year, she left her fans a rich history of literature. In much of that literature she tackled humankind’s quest for dignity. Her stories make us think deeply about how we treat each other — most famously in her groundbreaking 1969 science fiction masterpiece, The Left Hand of Darkness. Le Guin was a courageous writer -- she wrote about sexuality, truth to power, and imperialism at a time when these topics were considered revolutionary. The plot of The Left Hand of Darkness centers on inter-galactic … [Read more...] about 60’s science fiction ahead of its time dealing with sexuality and imperialism
Prison University Project wins ethics debate
A team of philosophy students from University of California at Santa Cruz ventured inside San Quentin on Feb. 13 for an ethics debate against inmates from the prison’s college program. Nearly 100 people sat in the audience, including fellow inmates, more than a dozen volunteer teachers from the Prison University Project (PUP, also known as Patten College), Deputy Warden Ron Broomfield and Warden Ron Davis. Davis acknowledged the volunteers and their contribution to public safety. “As a warden, who comes from a security background, when we … [Read more...] about Prison University Project wins ethics debate