From the prison to the streets, the transformation of a man. That’s the subject of “A Man Like Me” – a play created by four former prisoners taking advantage of “The Dads Back!” Academy. The academy is a reentry organization, run by Friends Outside Los Angeles County (FOLA), using theater to reintegrate parolees and formerly incarcerated men back into society. The arts program is run in partnership with the TheatreWorkers Project, which provides theater workshops called “Moving Forward” twice a month, mostly in Southern California. This … [Read more...] about Transforming former inmates
Raising awareness of California’s ‘Life Without’ policies
More than 100 advocates, family members and friends chanted, “Drop LWOP, drop LWOP, commute all 5,000!” at an Oakland town hall on March 24, denouncing California’s use of life without parole sentences, also known as LWOP. The California Coalition for Women Prisoners (CCWP) hosted the event to educate the general public and raise awareness about the state’s LWOP policies. California has approximately 5,000 prisoners serving life sentences without the chance for parole, according to the CCWP press release. “We believe that all people in … [Read more...] about Raising awareness of California’s ‘Life Without’ policies
San Quentin baseball season opens as Elliot Smith retires
San Quentin opened its 2018 baseball season with both joy and sadness. San Quentin’s A’s defeated the visiting San Francisco Mission 11-8. But the retirement of long-time sponsor Elliot Smith was bittersweet for the free and incarcerated ballplayers. “Elliot carried this program for a long time,” said A’s sponsor, Steve Reichardt. “It’s tough seeing him walking off this field for the last time.” Smith, 75, started volunteering in San Quentin in 1995 and all the memories of those past seasons rushed through his mind as he threw out the … [Read more...] about San Quentin baseball season opens as Elliot Smith retires
Father and his sons minister through football
To the Jackson family, it’s about God, fatherhood and football. The three men will get in the mud – literally – to minister to San Quentin prisoners competing in flag football. For the past eight years, Andre, Antoine and their father, Pastor Wayne Jackson, have volunteered to come to the prison as a team called the “Chosen” to take on San Quentin’s flag football team, the All-Madden. The teams are evenly matched. “...although they have made a mistake in life, it doesn’t have to define their future” The Jackson men would stand on San … [Read more...] about Father and his sons minister through football
Valley State Prison holds inaugural YOP graduation
Valley State Prison (Chowchilla) celebrated a milestone earlier this year when it hosted its inaugural Youth Offender Program (YOP) graduation. The ceremony recognized 97 young prisoners who lived up to their commitments to complete various rehabilitative programs. The graduates successfully reached their goals of earning high school diplomas or general education diplomas (GED), learning vocation trades or enrolling into college courses, according to the prison press release. The young offenders personally selected the goals that they … [Read more...] about Valley State Prison holds inaugural YOP graduation
Folsom’s Insight Garden Project helps women connect back to nature
California women prisoners are learning to go “green” as they gain skills in garden design and environmental education through the award-winning Insight Garden Program (IGP). Folsom Women’s Facility (FWF) and Central California Women’s Facility (also known as Chowchilla) have been added to the IGP’s long list of prisons that are finding rehabilitation through connecting with nature. “Folsom was officially the first garden we’ve ever built in a women’s facility,” said Beth Waitkus, who founded the program at San Quentin in 2002. “It was a … [Read more...] about Folsom’s Insight Garden Project helps women connect back to nature
Girls of color overlooked in the school to prison pipeline
Girls of color, particularly Black girls, often are overlooked in conversations about the school-to-prison pipeline, making them more likely to be labeled early on as criminals. According to research and reports, one in four American girls will experience sexual violence by the age of 18. But, for Black and Brown girls, traumatic experiences of sexual violence often lead them to the juvenile justice system, the sexual abuse-to-prison pipeline. “When we fail to recognize and appropriately address their trauma, we deny girls the protections … [Read more...] about Girls of color overlooked in the school to prison pipeline
NY’s Hudson Link makes history with women graduates
Incarcerated women made history when they graduated for the first time from a prison college program in New York state. Five women prisoners and one formerly incarcerated woman at the Taconic Correctional Facility received their associate degrees bestowed by Hudson Link for Higher Education in Prison. The program is a partnership with Nyack College in New York. “We could not be prouder of the six graduates and the 37 women still pursuing their degrees,” said Sean Pica, Hudson Link’s executive director, according to a press release. The … [Read more...] about NY’s Hudson Link makes history with women graduates
Overview of inmate deaths in 2017 in CDCR
The thought of dying in prison is every inmate’s worst fear, be it the death from violence, old age or disease. It’s a nightmare. Nevertheless, inmates should keep their emergency information updated said Dr. Tootell, San Quentin’s chief medical officer (CMO). Unlike Charles Manson, the cult leader who died in November, the majority of prisoners won’t have people fighting it out in court over who gets their remains. In 2017, 11 men died serving time in San Quentin. “The men should consider using a younger family member to receive … [Read more...] about Overview of inmate deaths in 2017 in CDCR
Arizona breaks ground with first Prison Education Program graduation
Educational ground was broken at an Arizona penitentiary when a group of inmates became the first graduates of the Arizona Prison Education Project literary college course. The graduates went through the college preparatory writing and literary course at the Whetstone Unit in the Arizona State Prison Complex located near Tucson. The certificates of completion were presented by University of Arizona’s English department, which established the Prison Education Project. “I feel what we are doing here is like what they are doing at San … [Read more...] about Arizona breaks ground with first Prison Education Program graduation