San Quentin News

Written By Incarcerated - Advancing Social Justice

CDCR Struggles to Stop The Flow of Contraband

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The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) continues to struggle in its effort to stop the introduction of contraband inside its 35 prisons.

In a recently released Notice of Change to Regulations (NCR 20-01), the Department’s Regulation and Policy Management Branch stated, “Current strategies have been effective overall,” but CDCR still expects that it will expand its search methods.

“ION scanners and low-dose, full-body x-ray scanners as supplemental inmate search options will increase the Department’s ability to discover illegal drugs and contraband that are being introduced into and throughout the institutions,” the NCR’s Initial Statement of Reasons stated.

The CDCR is proposing to amend the California Code of Regulations, Title 15, Section 3287, which governs inspection of property and inmate body searches. It will include ION scanners as search options, according to the NCR.

The NCR stated that the existence and use of contraband inside the state prison system causes death, damages rehabilitation efforts, and facilitates criminal activity within the institutions and the community.

“Without the use of the many layers of interdiction devices and strategies available, inmates will continue to die from drug overdoses,” the NCR said, adding, “Staff and visitors will continue to be compromised by being pressured by inmates to smuggle illegal drugs and contraband into the institutions.”

To underscore its point about contraband, deaths and prosecutions for these crimes, the CDCR released some of its most recent numbers on its findings below:

Type of Contraband Discovered                 2017                            2018

Cellular Telephones                                       13,195 phones             11,715 Phs

Heroin                                                             28.83 pounds              30. 8 pounds

Marijuana                                                       91.77 pounds              131.9 pounds

Methamphetamines                                      43.55 pounds              44.22 pounds

Tobacco                                                          635.8 pounds              527.9 pounds

Data obtained from CDCR’s Office of Research.

Year    Overdoses Resulting In Death

2016    28

2017    39

2018    61

Total   128

Data obtained from California Correctional Health Care Services, Medical Services Division.

Number of People  Prosecuted for Attempting to Introduce Drugs, Alcohol, or Contraband

Fiscal Year     Staff    Visitors           Non-Visitors  Totals

2014-15           6          211                  51                    268

2015-16           7          224                  51                    282

2016-17           9          221                  32                    262

2017-18           4          269                  57                    330

Totals             26        925                  191                  1142

Data obtained from CDCR’s Office of Research.

The importing, trafficking and use of illegal drugs and contraband pose many problems in an institution setting, including an increase in inmate violence, power struggles within the inmate population, the establishment of an underground economy, staff corruption, and inmate death due to overdose.

SQ Music and lyrics workshop attracts professionals

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Song Writing Workshop members perform for the incarcerated in the Catholic Chapel

Twelve songs, featuring music and lyrics written and performed by inmates at San Quentin turned the prison’s Catholic chapel into a concert hall in January.

Musicambia Composition Workshop was an intensive four-day event facilitated by the New York-based nonprofit Musicambia, the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, and the William James Association. It offered space for inmates to collaborate and compose original music.

Students and faculty from the Conservatory worked nonstop with Musicambia’s Brad Balliett to guide inmate artists through the process of creating music.

“From the minute I walked into this room, I knew we were going to have a great week,” said Balliett, a bassoonist, songwriter, composer and teaching artist.

Zoe Lee, SF Conservatory of Music

“I feel everyone benefits in the end,” said Matthew Gamboa, a conservatory student and electronic music producer, who plays jazz guitar, bass and piano. “It’s a learning experience that goes two ways.”

On the first day, inmate Jason “Jukebox” Griffin, 42, commented, “It would be cool to write music and connect with people.”

“I teach people how to sing,” said Matthew Worth, a faculty voice teacher at the conservatory, who led the workshop with vocal exercises.

“This is a song writing project,” said Balliett. “Our goal is to bring your ideas to life.”

He had the group begin by writing songs in groups. By the end of the first five-hour day everyone was writing “their” song.

One song, “No More,” emerged on day two. It packed the chapel with energy. Inmates Griffin and Quincy Paige, 32, wrote and performed the song together. The conservatory backed them to give the song weight that became heavier when Balliett came in on the keyboard.

Jim Turner showing off his key board skills

Paige said “No More” was inspired by a phone conversation that he overheard in prison.

“I can’t take it anymore,” the caller had said before slamming down the phone.

“This is the only joyful experience I’ve had in over three years,” said inmate Anthony Beamon, 38. “With this kind of collaboration — this is where music gets created.”

Inmate Dwight Krizman said that, despite the restrictions of prison, the workshop was “a place where the musical community of San Quentin can gather regardless of musical background, skill level and talent to come together and create.”

In an environment where many men self-segregate themselves, music is an equalizer and bonding agent. At the workshop it transcended boundaries between musicians and non-musicians, young and old, rapper and rocker, LGBTQ and straight, Asians, Whites, Blacks, Hispanics and others.

Men from all walks of life worked together on the song “On My Own.” The chorus told all their stories: “I am never so alone, than surrounded by broken souls…” Balliett worked as musical director on this tune and played the bassoon as Worth sang lead. Michail Thompson, a conservatory student, added a poignant sound with his trumpet.

“I’m excited about what we have to offer together,” Thompson had said on day one. His skill playing classical jazz added an unanticipated but bright layer of sound to the workshop’s music.

The guidance and encouragement from Musicambia, the conservatory and the talent displayed throughout the workshop revealed that prisoners can perform at professional levels in music and beyond.

“I’m really proud of everybody,” said Worth.

He said by day two people stepped on the stage with confidence and started to sing with authority.


Matthew Gomba, SF Conservatory of Music

“It was great to see the rough draft,” said Rachael S. a composer on faculty with the conservatory. “We’ve done so much work in two days, and there’s so much more to do.”

Rehearsals looked like scenes from American Idol as groups of performers and musicians gathered in the pews and in various corners of the chapel to collaborate. A cacophony of music and singing could be heard from all directions.

Underneath the inmates’ hard work were the dreams, struggles, aspirations and disappointments of confined men taking advantage of the opportunity to reconstruct broken pieces of a past life. In four days, the men were able to repair a small part of themselves and discover the talent lost or overlooked.

Everyone was serious, but notes, chords, charts, writing and vocal exercises could not contain the impulse of their creative nature. Following a break one afternoon, the men and the conservatory students performed an impromptu spiritual song.


Brad Balliett, Musicambia

Inmate Michael Adams led the groove and encouraged each musician to perform an improvised solo as he assumed the role of conductor. Conservatory students Gamboa, Thompson, Parsa Mirzaagha (guitar), Gavin Harris (drums), and inmate Mark Kinney all took turns showcasing their talent as they communicated with each other in a language only musicians understand.

Later, Adams and Beamon sang “I Can Feel Your Pain.” Adams delivered a soulful performance as he expressed “feeling all the world’s sorrow…”

As the workshop moved into the night, some conservatory students appeared drained and exhausted, but they hung on like professionals.

By day three, an official set list of songs was created for a concert the following evening.

“There’s going to be a lot of down time,” said Balliett. By then they were preparing for the show, but that didn’t stop the men from perfecting their songs.

Rehearsal moved quickly and once it was determined a song was on track the singers were stopped for the next group to take the stage.

On day four, Balliett said, “My worst nightmare is that we get to 8 p.m. and we have three songs left.”

The show started with Michail Thompson leading the charge with his trumpet on “Pattie’s Wish Dragon,” written by Ronnell “Rauch” Draper. The men sang a chorus that delivered an emotional message with rap and speech as the band accentuated the song.

“Believe it or not, on Monday morning that song did not exist,” said Balliett.

Inmate Richie Morris took the stage at San Quentin for the last time. “After 34 years in prison, the governor in his wisdom decided I can go home,” he said.

The song “Trying To Carry On” was a soulful piece written by Morris and performed previously.

Balliett played piano on “Grace Of God,” a song written by inmate Kahlifah. Rachael S. sang a soft verse and conservatory student Julio Cesar Martinez used the warmth of his deep baritone voice to sing the low end of the song. Inmate Gary Harrell played harmonica on the song, followed by conservatory students Zoe Jo-Yun Lee on cello and Luke Chiang on violin.

On the song “My Life,” Paige engaged the crowd, and they clapped to the beat as he rapped. The horn sounds were the most prevalent throughout the chapel as the percussion instruments held a steady beat.

The music and chorus to “When You Think About Me,” written and played on the piano by this author, sung by inmate Kerry Rudd, who wrote the verses, received an earnest show of appreciation.

The crowd seemed moved during “A Christmas Hallelujah,” especially when Thompson soloed on his trumpet. They applauded in the middle of the song to show their gratitude.

On “Free My Dogs” Luke Chiang steered the song with his violin. Inmate Thanh Tran, 26, sang before the band punched in, like a track triggered from the mixer, as people in the first three rows of pews stood, bounced and applauded.

Derry ”Brotha D” Brown and the choir performed “Everybody Needs Love” to end the night and leave everyone in a serene and thoughtful mood.

“This was awesome,” said Brown. “Hookin’ up with the San Francisco Conservatory of Music was an inspiration. I never worked with my vocals, but meeting Matt (Worth) helped me exercise my vocals so I could fluctuate my range. He assured me I was on the right track.”

“This is my first time playing rock and jazz,” said Lee.

“It’s a different genre for us,” said Chiang. “The energy in here was fantastic – not your typical audience.”

“We started talking about (doing) this in 2018,” said Rachael S. “We didn’t know where or what, but it’s been a long time coming.”

“I’ve been amazed at how Brad (Balliett) and the group have been collaborating,” said Carol Newborg, Program Manager for Arts in Corrections at San Quentin. “It’s been really high quality and seemed to involve everyone.”

“I had so much fun tonight watching everyone perform,” said Rachael S. “I’m really grateful people made time and space for us.”

“I couldn’t believe it,” said inmate Bill Harwood, 65. “Three days got us here, and it lifted the roof off this place.”

“It was very inspiring,” said inmate Larry Williams, 54. “I loved it, and everybody did so good. My heart feels so much better. I can sleep good tonight.”

“It’s my hope that Musicambia will come back here,” said Balliett.

The crowd cheered him on, applauding their endorsement for him and the conservatory to return to California’s oldest prison.

Rock guitarist Craig Bartock shares his talent in prison

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Guitarist Craig Bartock

Rock guitarist Craig Bartock, who plays for the band Heart, earned a star for com- ing to prison. In December he visited the Thursday afternoon guitar workshop sponsored by the William James Association and taught by Kurt Huget.

One of the many treats participants get out of attending the guitar workshop is meeting great musicians like Bartock, who gave the men ad- vice and showed them a few tricks on the guitar.

“The most important part of playing the guitar is having fun,” Bartock said to the nine students in attendance. Their skill levels ranged from beginner to advanced. “Just enjoy playing the guitar is the best thing I can tell you.”

The class and Huget strummed chords to the song “Let The Good Times Roll,” and Bartock joined in casually, firing off lead guitar licks and improvised rhythms. Af- terword, he answered a variety of questions.

“I’m a Fender Tele-Strat kind of guy,” said Bartock, when asked what kind of gui- tars he plays. “I prefer play- ing electric guitar.” Then he showed the class a few more licks as he played an Arts in Corrections black Fender Squire Stratocaster through a small Fender amplifier that he dialed in to get the tones needed to make his impres- sion.

“I use a Vox AC 30 amplifier,” said Bartock. “I think they’re like the perfect amplifier for rock.” His taste in instruments and equipment comes from playing guitar for what he said has been more than 50 years.

Bartock didn’t look old enough to be a musician for half a century; dressed in a black hoodie, black shirt, black pants, brown boots wearing tinted glasses that matched his brown hair. His years playing easily connects importance of a guitar’s “action” (the height of the strings from the fret board) and the gauge of strings when performing. He said he uses medium strings (9 to 11 gauge) on electric guitar but heavy and medium can vary from electric to acoustic guitar.

“You can never go wrong playing on an acoustic because it builds up your fingers,” said Bartock. He said he plays a 12-string acoustic guitar, and when touring he takes 14 guitars on the road with him that are cared for by a guitar technician, who keeps them tuned and maintains his amplifiers.

Bartock explained alternate guitar tunings like drop-D tuning (D, A, D, G, B, E) and double drop-D tuning (D, A, D,G,B,D).Thenheuseda ball point pen to demonstrate how to play slide guitar blues songs using those tunings. He said musicians Richie Havens and Joni Mitchell use these al- ternate tunings.

One of the students asked about the hit song “Barracuda” by Heart. Bartock answered the question by showing the class how to play

the opening galloping rhythm of the song using the “power chords” E, F sharp, and G ending on two harmonics. He explained the usefulness of bar chords and variations of them on the neck of the guitar.

Huget discussed some of the songs the class was working on. Then the class and Huget played “The Joker” by the Steve Miller Band, followed by “Ram- blin’ Man” by the Allman Brothers as Bartock played lead guitar.

his longevity to the time when rock legends such as Jimi Hendrix, Led Zepplin and The Rolling Stones ruled the airwaves.

“I got so excited about the class today, I almost forgot to sign in,” said Louis Calvin whose been play- ing guitar for al- most two years.

Because some of the men in the workshop were beginning guitar students, Bartock discussed the im-

The questions kept coming, and at one point Bartock was asked to repeat a lick he did in passing on the song “The Wind Cries Mary” by Hendrix. He also demonstrated how Hendrix used his thumb to play bass lines on chords to get a unique sound from bar chords leaving the G string to ring open.

When asked about play- ing the bass, Bartock said “The best thing to do is lock in with the drummer.” Huget then played a blues rhythm on the guitar as Bartock played a bass line to demonstrate for the class.

Bartock’s visit turned out to be a crash course in equipment, guitar playing and on-the-road touring with other bands. He discussed audiences, monitor mixes, the loudness of music during shows and how “so many mu- sicians are almost deaf.”

“It’s like three companies coming together for a show and going their separate ways,” Bartock said when de- scribing a tour. “Sometimes you don’t hear the audience” with the in-ears headphones, he said adding, “It’s really easy to let your mind wan- der,” but “You can save your hearing so much better.”

“It’s a real pleasure to have him come in and share his talent,” said Huget, who oc- casionally brings in guests to inspire the men.

Bartock was cool and laid back. Unlike some newer young artists, he wasn’t pre- tentious and didn’t put on any airs. Over the decades, he’s seen it all. It wasn’t his first time visiting San Quentin. He’s performed at shows here with the organization Bread & Roses.

“Hey, man, I love it,” said Bartock. “I’ll be back.”

Hội hổ trợ tù nhân chung thân

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Sự chuẩn bị và cách làm việc của luật sư tại những phiên xử tha tù là một vấn đềlớnđốivớinamvànữ đang bị tù chung thân tại Cali, theo một sự thăm dò của một hội hổ trợ tù nhân chung thân, Life Support Alliance (LSA).

“Tuy cuộc thăm dò này không phải là một kết luận dựa trên sự phân tích khoa học, nhưng nó rất thú vị và xác định cái khuynh hướng và phạm vi quan tâm.” LSA phát biểu trong tin thư Lifer- Line.

LSA báo cáo hơn một nửa tù nhân trả lời cuộc thăm dò nói họ “không cảm thấy luật sư chuẩn bị đại diện họ tại những phiên xét xử này. Lý do đưa ra là phần lớn luật sư không bỏ đủ thời gian và xem xét lại hồ sơ của thân chủ.

“Tù nhân nói rằng luật sư thường gặp họ chỉ có một lần vài ngày trước phiên xử. Thời gian gặp thường ít hơn 20 phút, có lúc ngắn chừng 10 phút.”

Kết luận của sự thăm dò đã được đề trình lên ban điều hành tha tù, Board of Parole Hearings (BPH) trong một buổi họp mà quần chúng có thể đóng góp ý kiến.

Một cuộc thăm dò không chính thức đưa ra những vấn đề quan tâm của tù

nhân chung thân như sau: 73% của những người trả lời cuộc thăm dò này bị từ chối không được tha ra, 26% được thả, và 1% đồng ý không thích hợp được thả. BPH đang trong quá trình thẩm định lại việc chọn lựa luật sư cho tù nhân.

“Tù nhân cho biết một phần ba

của số luật sư

bổ nhiệm, sau khi gặp riêng với hội đồng xét xử, khuyên họ nên đồng ý rằng họ chưa thích hợp để được thả ra”

Theo CCR Title 15, “Một tù nhân có thể tình nguyện từ bỏ việc cứu xét được thảravớibấtcứlýdonào, nhưng phải trình lên bằng văn bản.”

Theo sự thăm dò của LSA, có rất nhiều luật sư do chính phủ bổ nhiệm để đại diện tù nhân đến những phiên xử thiếu chuẩn bị và thậm chí không mang theo giấy tờ mà thân chủ đã gửi cho họ. Vài luật sư thú nhận rằng họ không có thời gian

để chuẩn bị chu đáo. Một số khác thì không thông hiểu những điểm tế nhị của phiên xử. Một luật sư đã nói với thân chủ của mình rằng, “Tôi đã làm hỏng việc.”

Tù nhân cho biết một phần ba của số luật sư bổ nhiệm, sau khi gặp riêng với hội đồng xét xử, khuyên họ nên đồng ý rằng họ chưa thích hợp để được thả ra. Khuynh hướng này gây ra mối lo ngại cho tù nhân.

LSA nói rằng không phải tất cả luật sư bổ nhiệm làm việc thiếu hiệu quả. Thật ra, có một luật sư bổ nhiệm được đánh giá rất cao, thời gian dành cho thân chủ của cô là 90 phút.

Một luật sư khác nói với thân chủ rằng, “cứ nói những gì họ muốn nghe, bất chấp đó có phải là sự thật hay không.”

Sự thăm dò cũng cho biết rằng có vài luật sư riêng cũng thiếu kiến thức, chuẩn bị, và hiệu quả bởi họ chưa có kinh nghiệm trong những phiên xét xử này.

Trong tin thư Lifer-Line tháng 9 vừa qua, LSA đã nói rằng, “cho dù luật sư có giỏi đến đâu, nếu tù nhân tự mình thiếu chuẩn bị thì không có cơ hội thành công được thả ra. Trái lại, luật sư có dở đến đâu cũng không đánh chìm cơ hội của những tù nhân chuẩn bị kỹ càng.”

— Dịch giả: Dũng Trần

The value of Prison to Employment Connection on returning citizens through job opportunities and connections

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Prison to Employment Connection’s Employer Day in November

Prison to Employment Connection (PEC) reached a milestone at San Quentin, completing its 10th session and graduating 44 men, who learned how to present themselves to future employers.

One of the highlights of the program was Employer Day in November, where 196 interviews took place with inmates inside the prison’s Protestant chapel. They were conducted with potential companies that hire the formerly incarcerated. A subsequent graduation ceremony was held two weeks later for the Session 10-44 graduates.

Keeping with tradition, Diana Williams, PEC executive director, spoke to the audience comprised of inmates, guests and PEC volunteers. She said the rate of recidivism in California is more than 60%. “That means 26 of the men in this room would come back to prison within three years of their release.” She offered employment as one of the key solutions to reduce recidivism.

According to Williams, recidivism is cut in half when those who are formerly incarcerated find employment. For those who have jobs upon release from prison, recidivism is 3.3% to 8 %, she said.

“To date, 253 men have graduated from PEC,” said Williams. “Of those, 153 have paroled and only one has returned to prison,” leaving her program with a 1% recidivism rate.

Diana Williams giving a speech to the audience

“This is a blessing to me, something I’ve been needing my whole life,” said Edmund Johnson, 47. He’s been incarcerated 24 years. “I think the program is excellent. It’s teaching me to use my transferable skills. It’s teaching me how to talk to employers.”

Williams explained how during months of preparation the men learned personal and work related interests. They studied work values, resume writing, interview skills, their incarceration history, and used it all to create “packages of success.” She said they also worked on learning how to reframe rejection.

“It’s designed to connect the men to themselves,” Williams told the audience of employers and career specialists. “Men in this program experience a renewed hope.”

Returning citizen Nelson Butler speaking with a student

She said 68 men started the class in August. Two weeks later, the Session 10-44 graduates attended a ceremony in the Catholic chapel, where they received certificates and other paperwork that will allow them to find employment upon their release from prison.

“I’ve never seen anything like it,” said Michael Belton, 58. “I signed up, and I wasn’t sure, but I said ‘what do I have to lose?’ I actually gained something from it.”

He said PEC taught him to be open about his criminal history.

Gary Falxman came in from Realty One and the Oakland Rotary Club. He had toured the prison previously and said he learned about the programs in prison, and it made an impression on him. “I’m back here to help others find what they’re passionate about,” he said.

Checker is a San Francisco-based company working to modernize the background check process.

A participant interviewing with City College of San Francisco

“Our mission is to promote fair chance hiring,” Rebecca Rabison said. “We do that by trying to provide more employment opportunities for people with conviction histories.”

“Socializing” the idea of second chances, Orrian Willis works for the City of San Francisco’s Office of Economic and Work Force Development. It funds 45 job training programs, 13 of which focus on technical training. It was his third time attending Employer Day. “In our labor market, the demand is starting to recognize the talent” (of the formerly incarcerated)”.

Willis asked, “If people do their time why are we still punishing them when they get out?” Adding, to give them employment, “I think it’s our fiscal responsibility.”

“I was nervous and excited, not to mention I almost fell off the chair for giving me such an opportunity of a lifetime,” said Edwin Chavez, 44. He said he’s never had a job interview in his life. He’s been incarcerated for 25 years.

“I love it,” said Steve Garrett, 34, who’s been incarcerated for 18 months. “I think it’s a great program. The opportunity and skills that they’re giving us is what we need to stay out of prison.”

Elizabeth Toups, of the Jewish Vocational Service, had visited the prison previously during a graduation ceremony. “I was so impressed with what everyone was doing here,” she said.

The San Francisco-based organization works with people from all backgrounds to help them get jobs.

“Sometimes that involves connecting them to training, “she said.

Participants greeting employers as they come into San Quentin

When the interviews were completed, the guests reconvened to seats on the stage in the chapel. Williams commented that this 10th PEC session had the largest group of supporters attend Employer Day. Twelve of them stood up and received a warm applause from the men.

Jay Minteer was one of those supporters. He said another supporter, Tom Lacey, introduced him to PEC. He said it’s a worthy cause to make sure people don’t come back. It was his first time inside of a prison.

“I was impressed when I walked in and shook everyone’s hands,” said Minteer. “It works when you shake someone’s hand and look someone in the eye.”

“Thank you for believing in these men and this program,” said Williams. She introduced and thanked the inmate PEC volunteers who’ve also gone through the program and come back to help others. “As outside volunteers, we can only do so much for the program.”

Williams explained how the program was started before introducing Nobel Butler, who came up with the idea to provide inmates a head start on employment before parole. When he was incarcerated, he wanted to know how to get a job and to present employment prospects to the parole board.

“I just really wanted to come back and say things that other people (said to) me, so I really wanted to give back. This is my opportunity,” said Butler. He paroled and said he’s been gainfully employed ever since. The audience applauded his success. “My purpose here today is to give you guys hope. I think maybe I did something half right.”

“I realize life is an interview,” Williams, a PEC graduate now on parole, told her. She acknowledged and thanked PEC volunteers Lisa Trustin and Gabrielle Nicolet.

This was Trustin’s second session. “It’s not different because we experienced the same transformation the men make connecting with their own hope,” she said.

“It’s always different,” said Nicolet. “There are different challenges, like lockdowns, that present challenges. The prison population is different than it was a year ago.”

She said the core of why she volunteers is because prisoners need help. It was her sixth session.

As the guests sat on the stage, they received feedback from many of the inmates.

“I want to thank you for your friendly demeanor,” said Richard Richardson. “This program is everything I thought it would be. You guys treated me like a human.”

The employers and guests also shared their comments with the men.

One said, “This is the second time I’ve come, and each time there’s a new excitement.”

Another said, “You all should be teaching people how to interview.”

Their remarks kept coming.

“I’ve looked at a lot of resumes, and I can’t tell you how much I’d like to see more of these,” said another guest.

Employees of Checkr meeting with participants

At the graduation ceremony, Williams asked, “How many of you would have taken this class if you weren’t getting RAC (Rehabilitation Achievement Credits) credits?” About 90% of the men raised their hands. Then she read the interview results of the PEC graduates and said they did as well or better than people on the outside. The percentages from low to high:

5 Excellent 42%

4 Above average 39%

3 Average 19%

2 Below 0%

1 Poor 0%

Derry Brown said someone suggested he take the program. He went through the class and has now become a facilitator for the program’s 11th session. He said he’d never completed a resume or had many jobs and that his youth was swallowed up with incarceration.

“I didn’t have any of these skills,” he said. “So for me to go through this process was inspiring.”

In addition to Williams, Angel Falcone has been a volunteer for all 10 sessions. He told the men, “Every job is your business school” and advised them to do the best they can on every job.

“Everything we learn, we’re going to need,” said Dwight Kennedy, who volunteers for the program. “Take what you’ve learned and apply it to your life.”

Attorneys' preparedness for parole hearings under review

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Changes are underway to correct attorney preparedness and performance at parole board hearings for men and women serving life sentences in California, according to a survey by Life Support Alliance (LSA).

“We don’t represent this as a conclusive survey, an empirical study of great depth or precise scientific analysis,” LSA stated in its newsletter, Lifer-Line, “but it is interesting and definitely shows some trends and areas of concern.”

LSA reported that more than half of the prisoners who responded to the survey said they “didn’t feel the attorney was prepared to represent them” at their parole board hearing. The reason given was largely because of “the lack of time spent with the client” and reviewing the client’s file.

“Prisoners report that attorneys often meet with them only once prior to the day of the hearing, sometimes only a few days before the hearing, rarely more than the requisite 45 days,” LSA reported. “And those meetings are usually less than 20 minutes, often as brief as 10 minutes.”

During a public comment period at the Board of Parole Hearings (BPH) executive board meeting in September, the conclusion of the survey was reported to the BPH at its executive board.

The informal survey presented issues of concern to prisoners serving life sentences. For example, “73% of those responding to the survey were denied parole at their hearing,” LSA reported. It also reported 26% of hearings resulted in findings of parole suitability, and that 1% of the hearings were stipulations to unsuitability, waivers or continuances.

“A prisoner may request to voluntarily waive his or her life parole consideration hearing for any reason, the California Code of Regulations, Title 15, Div. 2, § 2253. “Requests shall be made in writing to the board and shall state the reason for the request.”

According to the LSA survey, a lot of the state appointed attorneys who represent prisoners at Board hearings are unprepared and arrive at hearings without required forms and documents mailed to them by their clients. Some attorneys even admit they did not have time to properly prepare or are overburdened with other cases. There are also attorneys “unfamiliar with some of the finer points of parole hearings.” According to LSA, one attorney told a client “I dropped the ball.”

“About a third of the time inmates reported their attorneys, always appointed, recommended they stipulate to unsuitability,” LSA reported, adding that it was troubled by what appears to be an “upswing in this trend,” and that some attorneys advised clients to stipulate “after meeting alone with commissioners.”

LSA did not say, however, that all Board appointed attorneys were ineffective. In fact, “…one state appointed (attorney) got 80% thumbs up rating, spending an average of 90 minutes with her clients,” it was reported.

At least one attorney “told his client to just say what the panel wanted to hear, regardless of whether or not it was the truth,” according to LSA. “We believe the phrase for that behavior is suborning perjury.”

The survey said some private attorneys were no better: for example some of these attorneys who were not prepared or effective were simply not informed. These were attorneys that LSA said were apparently new to parole hearings.Those attorneys probably came from prisoners’ families hiring a “friendly attorney.”

In response to the poor representation, BPH Executive Director Jennifer Shafer, has drafted a new program for state appointed attorneys to better serve their clients. LSA outlined some of the goals of the new program:

• Strengthen the attorney client relationship

• Modifying time frames

• Increasing compensation (pay) to attorneys

For example, under the new program, once an attorney is “hired” by the BPH, he or she will be required to meet with the client within 30 days. A second meeting is required about two weeks before the board hearing.

Compensation will increase from $400 to $750 per client. “And there is a real selection process in the works,” LSA reported, “…not just apply and be lucky at the lottery selection used in past years.”

According to LSA, the BPH will also be working with the Parole and Justice Education Project at Southern California’s Post Conviction Justice Project (PJEP) which “will provide legal training, review and reporting and create what has been termed ‘reasonable expectations of representation.’”

“It bears noting that we do not believe any particular attorney can achieve a grant of suitability for an unprepared inmate, no matter how good the attorney,” LSA stated in its newsletter. “Nor can an inept attorney sink the chances of a well-prepared inmate.”

What happens when the power goes out in prison?

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The power went off at San Quentin State Prison, leaving thousands of prisoners and custody staff together in a dark and perilous situation in October.

In the prison’s North Block and West Block, about 1,500 men were moving around outside of their cells inside the two five-story buildings when the power outage caught them and about a dozen correctional officers off guard.

Some inmates were taking showers when they became enveloped in darkness. Initially, everyone waited for the power and lights to be restored in a few seconds as a matter of routine, but it did not happen.

In the prison’s H-unit dorms, prisoners reported a ratio of two correctional officers to one hundred prisoners in the dark.

According to the California Code of Regulations, Title 15, Article 4 Disorders and Emergencies, Section 3301, Emergency Operations Plan, “Each warden must have in effect at all times an Emergency Operations Plan, approved by the Emergency Planning and Management Unit, to assist in the preparation for response to and recovery from ‘All Hazards’ incidents. All hazards incidents are defined as any disrupt institutional operations or programs.”

PIO Statement: Gardea waiting for plant operation’s. He emailed them and has also said that Lt. Robinson has the answer.

There are no battery powered emergency flood lights activated in the West and North Block housing units because they don’t exist, and the backup generator system failed to provide standby power as it was inoperable for more than six hours.

The correctional officers in West Block had to use small handheld flashlights and one portable floodlight to help guide hundreds inmates to their cells with limited visibility in pitch black darkness.

As the building grew silent, correctional officers’ radio transmissions could be heard: “All officers are instructed to walk in pairs or groups of three or four.”

The power went out around 8:40 p.m. and didn’t come back on until shortly after 3:00 a.m.

When the power went out, inmates who required CPAP machines for breathing couldn’t use them. Toilets in the cells at San Quentin could not be flushed because they’re connected to timers that control the number of flushes per hour. The water in the showers and sinks went cold within minutes.

What appeared to be a dangerous and volatile situation for correctional officers and inmates ended without a major incident or injuries. In the first minutes, some inmates shouted and made jokes, but as it became apparent the lights were not turning back on, they found their way to their cells on their own as the public address was de-energized and of no use.

Some inmates assisted others by taking their portable battery-operated reading lights out on the tiers and to the shower area to help each other see their way safely back to their cells.

“I waited an hour for the generator to kick in,” said Lonnie Morris. “I just knew the power was going to kick back in. After an hour, I knew the generator wasn’t coming on, so I went to sleep.”

The stalled generator response to the power outage came several months after the Associated Press reported on a state-commissioned study that said California’s 12 oldest prisons are in “need of major repairs or replacements if they are to continue housing a third of the state’s inmate population…”

“What the state has done is ignore the need to routinely replace some critical infrastructure for decades,” said Don Specter, director of the Prison Law Office, a nonprofit organization that works on lawsuits involving the welfare of inmates. “Decades of deferred maintenance have led to this.”

An unidentified inmate who was returning from another area of the prison outside could be heard in the cell block saying “the hospital stayed lit.” Others speculated that the hospital must have a backup generator that works separately from the rest of the prison’s backup power.

“I don’t know who lives in those houses out there, but they’re all lit up,” said a volunteer at San Quentin who did not want to be identified. He said the houses on the right-hand side of the prison entrance all had their lights on. “Even the post office was all lit up.” He said he went to pick up his mail there the following day and that the generators at the prison could be heard.

Forty-eight hours after Pacific Gas & Electric cut the power to San Quentin, the prison was still running on generators. Even then the power cut off at least three times but came back on seconds later. At about 8:00 p.m., after the third time, however, the prison did an institution lockup, recalling prisoners back to their cells.

A profile of success: Antwan "Banks" Williams

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Ear Hustle cofounder has lasting impact on his community – both inside and out of prison

Antwan “Banks” Williams

Antwan “Banks” Williams, 31, one of the co-founders of the celebrated podcast Ear Hustle, paroled from San Quentin in October. Imprisoned at the dawn of adulthood, he had to mature behind bars.

Williams said he “can’t fathom” what it’s like to be outside prison. “The sad reality is there are people in here that I may never see outside these walls.” He said he’s leaving with a heavy heart.

“A big part of who I am stems from the people in here,” said Williams. “All of you have shaped who I am. You guys have been my family.”

“I grew up in prison,” he added, “ and I don’t know what my life is going to look like without it.”

Antwan “Banks” Williams, Nigel Poor and Earlonne Woods

Most of the men at San Quentin know Williams by the moniker “Banks,” a name given to him in the Los Angeles county jail by other prisoners who thought he was arrested for robbing “banks” because his bail was set at $7.3 million.

“I couldn’t bail out,” said Williams, convicted of one count of robbery, but with a gun enhancement.

Williams told a gather- ing of admirers in the San Quentin Media Center the day before he walked out: “I’ve been in this place longer than I’ve lived in any place my entire life.”

Tears flowed and emotions ran high as the men, volunteers and staff shared their stories of how they came to know Williams and their working relation- ship, friendships and bonds formed over the years.

Brian Asey first met Williams in 2011 when he transferred to San Quentin from Old Folsom. “I watched (Williams) grow from the hot-headed, emotional, hard person that he was to the mature and thoughtful man that he is today,” said Asey.

“I grew up in prison and I don’t know what my life is going to look like without it”

“It’s been amazing, and when I think about him leaving, I think about all we’ve gone through to put the pod-cast together,” said Sacramento State Professor Nigel Poor, a volunteer, co-host and co-creator of Ear Hustle. She said Williams was part of the creative influence and now that he has paroled, “I don’t know who’s going to be that creative person.”

Williams, like the other men who work in the media center, started out as a volunteer when there was little opportunity. “You have to gently fight your way into the media center and make it work, but there’s a camaraderie,” said Poor. “It’s going to be interesting to see how the media lab will be changing as more and more people get out.”

“I hope that (Williams) works with young people,” said Poor. He can inspire them, she said, adding, “I feel like that’s his calling.”

“When my specific tal- ents weren’t needed, people kept telling me I need to be there” (in the media center), said Williams, so he stuck it out by providing artwork and music, while keeping the workplace positive with his easy-going personality.

“He made this prison a better place and now he’s going to make this world a better place,” said Rahsaan (New York) Thomas, co-host of Ear Hustle. He described Williams as “talented and humble.”

“Banks (Williams) is like the talented little brother that I never had,” said Greg Eskridge, an inmate who volunteers at SQ Radio. “We all started this radio program together in this little room.”

Williams was sentenced to 15 years. He served 13 years, eight of which were at San Quentin, where he arrived on November 8, 2011. He left Old Folsom for San Quentin as a result of Assembly Bill 109, California’s plan to reduce its prison population. A number of San Quentin inmates had been moved to county jails. After his arrival, Williams met Earlonne Woods, the other Ear Hustle co-founder, who paroled last year.

Prior to his arrival at San Quentin, Williams served time at Kern Valley State Prison, California State Prison Corcoran, and Folsom State Prison.

Before his last day in prison, California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) public information officers Alexandra Powell and Ike Dodson arrived to videotape Williams. They planned to video him parol- ing the following morning as well.

“A big part of who I am stems from the people in here. All of you have shaped who I am. You guys have been my family”

“We’re here to capture Antwan’s (Williams’) experience as he prepares to leave prison,” said Powell. “We’ve been trying to tell stories of both those in prison and the people that make programs work.”

Powell said the CDCR is very interested in what pro- grams work inside of prison to influence successful reentry back to society.

Williams said it’s not the groups, programs or self- help groups that make San Quentin though. He said it’s the men that make it a “community.”

Dodson said he got to know Williams the first time the CDCR’s Office of Public and Employee Communications came to San Quentin to cover a story about Ear Hustle.

“I thought it would be cool to share that story,” said Dodson. “When you get to know people inside, you build a relationship. This is a very important moment for Antwan.”

“Anybody would miss where they’ve grown up,” said Poor, who teaches art at the Sacramento campus, in reference to Williams spending so much of his adult life in prison. “I hope (paroling) will be everything that he dreams it to be. It’s going to feel empty when I come to work tomorrow.”

Alameda County top prosecutor in favor of rehabilitation

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Alameda County District Attorney Nancy O’Malley

One of California’s top prosecutors says it’s important to keep deserving persons out of prison and to help deserving incarcerated people build a successful life upon release.

Progress toward rehabilitation and strengthening reentry programs for “justice involved” people was discussed at San Quentin by Alameda County District Attorney Nancy O’Malley on Oct. 13.

O’Malley visited the state prison to converse with incarcerated men about some of the programs she supports on the outside. One of those programs is Developing Impacted Lives (DIL).

“A lot of young people who would otherwise go to jail would go to the (DIL) program,” said O’Malley. “Part of what we do with DIL—we meet every month. This is for peer support.”

O’Malley said her office is also trying to help stop people from becoming involved in the criminal justice system. To help reduce crime and recidivism, she also recruits organizations to hire justice involved individuals whose lives are impacted by a criminal conviction.

“By year three, more than 50 percent of those put on felony probation are committing new crimes,” said O’Malley. “We had to own the failure.” In the post tough-on- crime era, programs like DIL have become an important component for prosecutors like O’Malley who are trying to increase public safety. “I’m very happy to be lifting it up” and supporting the program, she said. O’Malley acknowledged that just because someone gets out of jail or prison, it does not mean things will be different. She said, however, DIL is not always the starting point.

Someone without structure may not enter the program immediately, O’Malley said. “It’s not to tell them what to do with their life, but to get them to figure it out for them- selves.” She said the Family Justice Center allocates resources with justice-involved individuals to help them.

One example is Doug Butler, a former Oakland police officer who was convicted of murder and served 20 years in prison. He works with O’Malley’s office and other organizations to help others whose lives have been impacted by the criminal justice system.

“It’s a very intense program,” said O’Malley. “Mr. Butler interviews (justice-involved people), but what we really want to know is if they’re ready for the program.

“I do believe there are a lot of programs that understand the value of those who have lived experience,” said O’Malley. She said people like Butler can identify legitimate groups that work for those who are turning their lives around.

“Prepare yourself to be paroled,” Butler told the audience of about a half-dozen men. “We’ll provide you with the training.”

What O’Malley’s office does differently is direct inter- action by aligning individuals with programs like DIL. “In Alameda County, if they get known to us, they’re going to get linked in,” she said. “It doesn’t matter where they come from.”

The meeting included O’Malley, some of her staff, SQ News staff, and about a half-dozen students from the University of California at Berkeley along with their professor, William Drummond. They discussed other social issues such as the impact language has on those who are justice-involved.

“How do you build in a program that deals with addiction?” asked Drummond.

“We work with the community,” said O’Malley. “We try to identify the issues they may be having.” At that point, programs like DIL can pair individuals with those who have the same “lived experience” and are “justice involved.”

O’Malley did, however, caution that she has a primary duty beyond helping those who have been convicted of crimes. “I have to be very aware because we also have victims,” she said.

“The governor has put a lot of money into ‘Realignment’ (Assembly Bill 109) and reentry funds,” said O’Malley. She said grant money and Realignment money can be used to support programs like DIL.

“We can put together what it takes,” said O’Malley. “Hopefulness is a lot of what we’re trying to do. The more I talk about this the more I see the wider opportunity.

“I’m happy to do all this stuff,” O’Malley said about her willingness to collaborate with those who are incarcerated. Her reason: to put an end to “Death by hopelessness.”

Around the nation, there are organizations that advocate to stop using what some believe to be belittling language that describes people with criminal records. “Justice involved” are those who are incarcerated or formerly incarcerated, but the term can sometimes be interpreted to mean people who work within the criminal justice system.

At no time during the discussion did O’Malley use the words inmate, prisoner, offender, felon, parolee, formerly incarcerated or any of what some call disparaging words used to describe those who have been convicted of a crime.

O’Malley joined the district attorney’s office in 1984. She has been the chief law enforcement officer in Alameda County since her appointment by the Board of Supervisors in September 2009, according to the county’s website. She was elected to the position in November 2010, 2014 and 2018.

The District Attorney’s Office jurisdiction covers more than 800 square miles and operates out of nine offices, according to the DA’s website. Its mission is to “review and prosecute criminal violations of the laws, to protect consumers and the environment and to support and protect victims of crime within the County on behalf of the people of the State of California.” It has a staff of more than 150 attorneys.

The visionary who resurrected San Quentin News

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Former Warden Robert Ayers Jr.

Eleven years ago, former San Quentin warden Robert Ayers Jr. pulled the San Quentin News from the dust heap and revitalized the inmate-run publication more than 20 years after it had been officially suspended.

Ayers’ decision was a gamble. But it paid off to the benefit of thousands of prisoners and other readers around the world who learn about criminal justice, incarceration, rehabilitation and reentry from stories advancing social justice, written by incarcerated journalists.

“At that time, I wanted to get some quality journalism out and hopefully have other institutions do the same,” said Ayers during a recent visit to SQ News. He said as warden, he was used to doing things without a lot of oversight. So in 2008, when the News was restarted, the California Department of Corrections allowed it, as long as it stayed at San Quentin.

“I believed at the time good things were going to come of this,” said Ayers. “I saw this as a vehicle for people to know who inmates are.” He said he wanted to take the mystique out of who inmates are because “inmates are not a subset of humanity.”

In October, Ayers and his wife Peggy accepted an invitation to visit SQ News and attend one of its weekly staff meetings with some of the newspaper’s volunteer advisers. It was the first time he’d seen the newsroom since it relocated to the prison’s media center.

Ayers greets SQN Advisers Linda Xiques and Joan Lisetor

The celebrated podcast Ear Hustle was far in the future when Ayers brought SQ News back to life. Ayers said, “I didn’t have any notion of a podcast or anything else.” (The newspaper and Ear Hustle share space in the media center, but have separate staffs.) Ayers said when he revived the newspaper, he did not envision a journalism guild to teach new writers or that the SQ News would become so big.

Ayers became a correctional officer at San Quentin in 1968. Then, he said the SQ News was a four-page paper. “There was very little news.” It was a publication about news on the prison yard.

According to Ayers, rumor had it that outside influences tried to guide the content of SQ News in the turbulent 1980s. The paper was shut down in the mid-1980s, along with every other prison newspaper in the state. “The reason it was stopped is because it couldn’t be censored anymore,” he said. “That’s the truth.” California courts had sided with inmate journalists in a number of cases in which prison administrators attempted to censor content.

Ayers left San Quentin in 1986 as a lieutenant. Over the years, he’s worked at Pelican Bay State Prison, California State Prison Sacramento, and filled in as warden at California State Prison Los Angeles. When he was offered the job as warden at San Quentin, he said it took him about 30 seconds to make his decision.

Ayers returned to San Quentin in the spring of 2006. He said it was a place that he had “kinship with.” But it was known for doing things its own way. “I wanted to change that, but I also wanted to do something about the inmate population.”

Ayers: “if it can be broadcast and printed out there, why can’t it be printed in San Quentin News?”

When SQ News was publishing in the 1980s, it didn’t do much for the prison population, according to Ayers. Upon returning to the prison, he wanted to “get the staff respect back” and do something that would benefit the entire inmate population. He said he wanted to provide a means for people to build other useful skills in another venue.

Ayers said he believed the newspaper needed to be under the education department. “It was a hard sell to the principal at the time,” he said, so he went to the vocational printing instructor, John Wilkerson. “He was on it.”

One of Ayers’ key objectives was to provide good guidance. He said he wanted to build ethics. “Once you build that, a warden is not needed.” He said the advisors to the newspaper are providing role model status to the men who associate with and learn from people who are productive. He said when the men can look to people like that and form their own mind, that goes a long way because “the media is still a pillar of our society.”

Warden Ayers invited retired journalist John C. Eagan to spearhead the rebirth of the newspaper. Later, Ayer’s assistant, Lt. Rudy Luna, brought on retired journalists Steve McNamara and Joan Lisetor on board. McNamara was former owner and publisher of the Pacific Sun. Lisetor was an adviser to the newspaper in the 1980s. They all answered the call and are still volunteers with the SQ News along with dozens of others.

“This was not a small thing to take on,” said Ayers. “I’m not saying all of the resistance (to starting a newspaper in prison) was unfounded.”

When the News was being revised, Ayers said there was early dialog with the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) about what it was going to allow to be printed.

Ayers argued that the men watch television, listen to radio, subscribe to newspapers and magazines so they already had access to information. “What are they going to print that’s going to set the world on fire?” he said.

When the newspaper was revived, “We were basically ignored because they (CDCR) didn’t know we existed,” said McNamara. “Since we’ve become much more visible, we’ve reached a good accommodation.”

Ex Warden Ayers, Steve McNamara and San Quentin News staff outside the SQ media center

Ex Warden Ayers, Steve McNamara and San Quentin News staff outside the SQ media center

The role CDCR represen- tatives have with SQ News:

• Check the factual content of material sourced directly or indirectly from CDCR or relating to the California criminal justice system.
• Check for content that actually or potentially endangers the safety of prisoners, CDCR personnel, the prison system or the public.

• Content deemed questionable is flagged with observations or suggested changes. Warranted revisions are made by the newspaper staff with the guidance of its professional advisers.

The SQ News requested that review of the paper by the CDCR, before publication, to not include re-writes or calls for changes in the newspaper’s content selection, writing style, balance, identified opinions or other aspects of journalistic choice. These are the purview of the newspaper staff with the guidance of its professional advisers.

“People all fear what they don’t know,” said Ayers. “One of the fears of starting a paper is there are those who think it will be an inmate rant rag. But when it’s the truth you can’t swat that away.”

There was never a story he worried about. “As far as I’m concerned, if it can be broad- cast and printed out there, why can’t it be printed in SQ News ?” said Ayers. There was, however, a story about administrative segregation that raised concern. Some people didn’t want it called “the hole,” but he asked what sense does that make because everyone out on the yard calls it “the hole.”

Regarding humanizing the men, Ayers said he wanted the men to humanize each other. “Everybody in prison, whether it’s staff or prisoners, tend to buy into the notion that men are inmates.”

When Ayers restarted the paper, he wanted people to be proud of it and to “remain open.”

“You’re doing your job,” he said to the News staff. “I think you’re part of that” (prison reform). “My only recommendation is to be open to growth.

“I still look at it online,” said Ayers. “This is certainly not something we were doing 11 years ago, and it won’t be the same two years from today.”

The staff and advisers all thanked Ayers and applauded his “courageous decision” to restart the newspaper.

“I think a lot of running a prison can be, and usually is, a mine field,” said Ayers. “You don’t always know where those mines are hidden. You don’t want to be the one to step on one and have it blow up.” He warned that once you take that big step into the unknown, “Have clarity in your own mind.”

Former SQ Warden Robert Ayers, Peggy Ayers, and SQN Adviser Steve McNamara

Ayers stepped off, and left a legacy that he now shares with his predecessor, Clinton T. Duffy (SQ warden 1940-1952), who established SQ News in 1940. If not for Ayers, though, the News may have remained dormant for decades longer.

Editor’s Note: Today, SQ News prints 30,000 newspapers each month and distributes them to all 35 CDCR prisons, four juvenile facilities, university and public libraries, to hundreds of donors that include individuals outside of California. It publishes the quarterly magazine Wall City, the newsletter Inside SQ News and the website sanquentinnews.com. The state of California does not fund the paper. It is funded by grants from foundations and generous private donations. You can follow us on Twitter: @SanQuentinNews.

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