CNN commentator Van Jones, Jones was at San Quentin on May 10 working on his latest show, The Redemption Project. It consists of eight episodes that feature restorative justice in action. Jones, a political pundit and author of Beyond the Messy Truth: How We Came Apart — How We Come Together seeks to tackle Americans’ toughest challenge — how to get Americans working together in the age of Trumpism. “We need a positive populism,” Jones said. “Right now, Donald Trump is using negative populism that divides people with a neo-Nazi … [Read more...] about Van Jones’ Redemption Project
New bill would keep youth offenders out of adult prisons
Human Rights Watch (HRW) continues to back legislation that gives youthful offenders a second chance at life after committing serious crimes. Most recently, law changes in California have allowed offenders who were under age 25 when they committed the crime to seek a sentence review after serving between 15 and 25 years— depending on the category of crime. HRW is now working on new legislation geared to stop offenders 16 years old and younger from ever being sent to adult prisons. Currently, when an offender under age 18 is sentenced as an … [Read more...] about New bill would keep youth offenders out of adult prisons
Use of force bill underway
State Sen. Nancy Skinner (D-Berkeley) plans to introduce a bill that would require the public disclosure of investigations of serious uses of force within police departments, including police shootings. Some of the most rigid laws that block the public from police personnel records are in California. California’s rules are so tough that last year a state appellate court ruled the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department can’t tell prosecutors the names of deputies with confirmed cases of misconduct, the Los Angeles Times reports. The case is … [Read more...] about Use of force bill underway
BOOK REVIEW
Beyond the Messy Truth: How We Came Apart*How We Come Together (2017) is a frank reading of American-style democracy that encourages an honest debate on how to shape the country. Author Van Jones travels around the country, touting The Beautiful Work: Four Solutions that he says would clean up the “Messy Truth” concerning the way Americans came apart and what conservatives and progressives could do to find unity. Beyond the Messy Truth takes readers through a fact-based history that is hard to dispute. In 2016, American voters were fed up … [Read more...] about BOOK REVIEW
Pendarvis Harshaw share tales of Oakland’s history
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