San Quentin News Staff

Local television station honors three with the Jefferson Award for their public service at San Quentin

October 23, 2019 by San Quentin News Staff

San Quentin employee Raphaele Casale has been presented The Jefferson Award for Public Service for her behind the scenes community work.

Raphaele Casale

Casale is an office technician who works in the San Quentin warden’s office.

She also runs the prison’s music program and is one of the staff sponsors for the SQUIRES (San Quentin Utilization of Inmate Resources Experiences and Studies) program that allows inmates to mentor at-risk youth. “I love kids,” she commented.

Allen Martin from KPIX channel 5 interviewed Casale for a news broadcast in September.

“I get to work with a lot of wonderful people,” said Casale. “I was blessed to be assigned to two differ- ent groups. I want to make the groups better.” She said there’s therapeutic value in both programs.

UNSUNG HERO

Casale also provides support to staff in other parts of the prison, to volunteers, and to inmates who work in the prison’s media center. To many, she’s one of San Quentin’s unsung heroes, or in her case “Shero.”

As a sponsor, Casale is recognized by many inside and outside of the prison for the work she does beyond the scope of her day job.

“How can you put money on things that change someone’s life?” said Casale. “How could I not support that?”

Casale said inmates who work with youth in the SQUIRES program become aware of why they made a choice to commit crime and get to know themselves better. She said the kids open up to the men.

By talking to the kids “they (inmates) get a snapshot of their life,” said Casale. The men feel good about being able to help the kids. “It’s really healing. It’s a win-win for both.”

“There are people here at San Quentin who work traditional prison jobs … She is one of those people who looks beyond the eight hours and gives more of herself”

“Just one person can make an absolute difference in their (the kids) life,” said Casale. “Many of them have experienced being beaten or worse.” Because many inmates have suffered the same type of early childhood trauma, “when these kids come in, they’re talking to men who already know them.”

“There are people here at San Quentin who work traditional prison jobs,” said Lt. Sam Robinson, the prison’s public information officer. “She is one of those people who looks
beyond the eight hours and gives more of herself.”

Robinson said Casale, affectionately known as Raphie, “brings all the energy to these programs that she brings to the warden’s office.”

NOMINATION

Brian Asey, the inmate who nominated Casale for the award, said, “She’s a very unique person. I can only imagine what it’s like being in her shoes. I know that she does a lot around here.”

Asey said during a recording of a Youth Offender Program (YOP) audio mix, he observed Casale leave on a Friday night and re- turn on a Saturday morning for another project.

He said he wanted her to know that what she does is appreciated by the inmates at San Quentin.

Inmate David Jassy, who produced a mix tape for some of the YOP inmates, said to have Casale come from the warden’s office and sit with them gets them enthused, and her support means everything. “When they see that she likes what they’re doing, it adds to their confidence,” he said.

Casale explained that the YOPs, like those who participate in SQUIRES, have to be honest with themselves and vulnerable. No negative content, derogatory or abusive language is allowed in recordings. “It takes a lot of bravery,” she said. “A lot of people don’t have that or the humility.”

The SQUIRES youth program takes place on Saturdays, so Casale wasn’t able to demonstrate her hands-on approach with the kids. The KPIX news crew was able to follow her to the loft above the prison’s Arts in Corrections building. There they observed a typical rehearsal with the hip hop band Contagious, where Jassy and the band performed three original songs.

“It’s been really important to be able to build that program,” said Casale. She said there’s a lot of stress in prison and music can re- lease the stress. “It opens your mind up to some things you’ve never thought of.”

Casale started working at the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation as an offsite medical scheduler and was later hired to work in the war- den’s office. She’s worked at San Quentin for 11 years.

“Being a self-help sponsor, I do get paid for it, but that’s not all of it,” said Casale. “I’m becoming a better person, too. I’m learning about myself. If I were to get another job, I would always come back as a volunteer.”

By Kevin D. Sawyer Associate Editor

The Jefferson award is given annually by local television staion KPIX.

————————————————————————————————-

Helaine “Lainy” Melnitzer

By teaching the incarcerated men of San Quentin high-end culinary skills, Lainy Melnitzer and Lisa Dombroski earned the Jefferson Award for Public Service on Aug. 28.

The program they founded, Quentin Cooks, will help the men find gainful employment upon their release. “Our receiving the Jefferson Award is more a testament to the grassroots nature of this program,” said Dombroski, “I feel we, as volunteers, get as much out of the program as our students. While we are solely volunteers, it is the men we serve that continue to make our program successful.”

Dombroski developed a true appreciation for food while traveling through Patagonia in South America. She realized that at each mealtime, conversations, stories and community were all centered on the food.

Lisa Dombroski

Later she was inspired to bring her love for the culi- nary arts to those who are often overlooked and underserved.

Teaming up with Melnitzer, who was already volunteering at San Quentin with a group that connects inmates with the local community and a reentry program, they decided to start the Quentin Cooks program.

“My vision for Quentin Cooks is that there will be a continuous flow of graduates from the program that we are able to place in meaningful employment,” said Melnitzer, “I feel that the program is so good due the Chefs Huw and Adelaar who teach the class.”
“It’s so humanizing to be in the Quentin Cooks class. They really treat us like we have the ability to succeed,” said Nathaniel Reichert, a current participant in the program, “I’ve always loved good food, but I never knew I could make good food. Being a part of this class is helping me realize my potential.”

The 12-week class meets on Wednesday mornings for five hours.

Throughout the class, the men democratically decide the dishes that they will make. Chili, curries and homemade cheeses are just a few of the dishes that the student cooks learn to make.

The Chef’s Warehouse donates dry goods and equipment for the program, while VegiWorks donates all of the produce and meat.

The class culminates in a graduation banquet, during which the incarcerated cooks prepare a several course meal for visitors from the Bay Area culinary community.

“I go into all of this believing that one person can help the world. If you’ve helped one person, you’ve helped the planet,” said Melnitzer, “You never know the extent of the ripples from a pebble that you throw in the pond.”

By Aron Kumar Roy Staff Writer

Wall City Volume 2 Issue 2: THE WOMEN’S ISSUE

October 21, 2019 by San Quentin News Staff

Editor-in-Chief Marcus Henderson

Staff Writer Kate McQueen

Staff Writer Molly Kittle

Art Director Jonathan Chiu

SQ PIO Lt. Sam Robinson

Warden’s Office Raphaele Casale

CDCR Information Officer Bill Sessa

Adviser William Drummond

Adviser Sarah Horowitz

Adviser Doug Levy

Adviser Dan Fost

Adviser Alastair Boone

Adviser Alissa Greenberg

NEWS BRIEFS

September 16, 2019 by San Quentin News Staff

1. USA — After a nearly two decade lapse, United States Attorney General William P. Barr is clearing the way for the federal government to re- sume capital punishment for five death row prisoners. Federal executions follow protocols that replace a three-drug procedure with a single drug, pentobarbital.

2. USA — The national death row population went down for the 17th straight year in 2017, while the period from sentence to execution increased to 20 years, three months, according to the federal Bureau of Justice Statistics. The number of individuals sentenced to death fell by 94 to 2,703, which would be lower if included were the more than 900 condemned prisoners in Colorado, Oregon, Pennsylvania and California (moratoriums on executions). The 23 executions in 2017 were half the number in 2010. Only eight of the 32 states with capital punishment conducted executions in 2017. There were 34 new death sentences imposed in 2017 with 23 executions, 21 died of natural causes, two died by suicide and one died in a traffic accident.

3. USA — Justice Department officials announced that 3,100 inmates are being released from federal prisons across the country because of a change in how their good-behavior time is calculated, The Washington Post reports. In addition, $75 million was redirected for a new system to assess prisoners’ risk of reoffending as well as a program that would bring earlier releases.

4. Lansing, Michigan — Sharee Miller, 47, went to court to assert her First Amendment right to report prison abuse, the Detroit Free Press reports. Miller says she saw a prisoner “stripped naked and painfully hogtied for hours and another, also left naked, deprived of food and water until she foamed at the mouth and went into cardiac arrest,” according to a 2015 lawsuit. Miller complained, first to officials at Women’s Huron Valley Correctional Facility, where she is serving a life sentence for first-degree murder, and then to prison watchdogs on the outside. The Michigan Department of Corrections responded in 2014 by firing Miller from her job as a prisoner observation aide, a job that requires her to watch troubled prisoners 24 hours a day and keep detail recorded notes, every 15 minutes, of what they observe. Miller sought $200,000 in punitive damages, plus more than $2,500 in lost wages. She also wanted U.S. District Judge Sean Cox to prohibit prison officials from punish- ing prison observation aides who report abuse and to order them to give her back her for- mer job. The trial was set, but under a settlement, observation aides will be allowed to report mistreatment to a government oversight agency or state-designated protection and advocacy organization. Miller will be reinstated to her position, compensated for her lost wages, and have her record cleared of having been terminated for violating prison rules.

5. Philadelphia — District Attorney Larry Krasner, who took office in 2018 and vowed that he would “never” seek the death penalty, is asking the state’s highest court to make the death penalty un- constitutional because it is racially biased, is arbitrary, and discriminates against the poor, The Philadelphia Inquirer reports. “The most jaw-dropping statistic is that out of 155 Philadelphia death sentences, 72 percent of them have been overturned,” Krasner said after reviewing every case in which a Philadelphia defendant was sentenced to death over a 40-year period ending in December 2017.
6. New York City— In a letter to Department of Correction Commissioner Cynthia Brann, the Legal Aid Society asked that prisoners in city jails be protected against heat waves, HuffPost reports. “Most crucially, we ask that the city move all individuals confined to their cells to air-conditioned units,” the letter said. “This includes individuals held in Enhanced Supervision Housing, who are typically locked into un- air-conditioned cells for a minimum of 14 hours, and up to 23 hours. When people are not in air-conditioned areas, the city must provide free access to cool showers and ice to all persons confined in non-air-conditioned units.”

7. Arizona —Attorney General Mark Brnovich wrote a letter to Gov. Doug Ducey in support of rein- stating capital punishment, KVOA reports. “I’m worried about the lack of transparency that Arizona has shown in the past with regard to where it was getting the drugs, what drugs it was using and the qualifications of the people who would be administering the drugs,” said Emily Skinner, Assistant Director of the Arizona Capital Representation Project, a nonprofit that works with death row inmates to improve their defense.” More than 100 people are on the state’s death row — 14 have exhausted their appeals.
8. Pennsylvania — Prison- ers held in solitary confinement at a state prison are reportedly on hunger strike to protest health and living conditions and to bring an end to long-term isolation.

Demonstrating great achievement under difficult circumstances

September 16, 2019 by San Quentin News Staff

By David Ditto and Michael Johnson, Staff Writers.

Graduating class of Robert E. Burton and Coastline, Feather River and Lassen Community College

Tasseled caps and gowns flowed as diplomas, degrees and certificates were conferred in San Quentin’s visiting room during Robert E. Burton Adult School’s 2019 Commencement. College, high school, and vocational program graduates celebrated their accomplishments with family, friends, teachers, and administrators at the annual ceremony on July 26.

“We’re so proud of all the incredibly hard work you have put in,” said teacher and emcee H. Lucas to the graduating class. “Not everyone in your block put in the blood, sweat, and tears you have,” she added. “What you have overcome to get to this place is no small thing.”

Top: SQ PIO Lt. S. Robinson, Wickerd’s wife Marion, Wickerd’s mother Linda, sister Judy Herrera Bottom: Wickerd’s nephew Robby Herrera and GED Graduate Tommy Wickerd

25-year-old Tye Barker was the first graduate speaker at the ceremony. He described growing up while his father was in and out of prison, “I lost out on so much because I didn’t graduate.”

Later, imprisoned as a young father himself, Barker realized he was headed in the wrong direction. “My kids needed me to change,” he said to the audience. Barker was one of eight graduates from San Quentin’s new High School Diploma program.

“Tye really turned his life around,” said Ms. Anita Kaur Sufi, the teacher for the program. “Now he’s ready for college, a career, and anything he sets his mind on.”

Adamu Chan, Correctional Counselor III Ian Palmer, and Associate Superintendent for the Northern Region, Jennifer Winistorfer (Office of Correctional Education)

Sufi said that the diploma program is an alternative to the equivalency program. She explained that it began after Brant Choate, Director of the Division of Rehabilitative Programs, saw the need for another pathway for students who already have many credits to acquire a certified high school education.

Receiving a six-month education credit, Barker went home two weeks after graduating.

“I came to San Quentin with a third- to fourth-grade education,” said Tommy Wickerd, the second graduate speaker. He said he confessed to his teachers that the 12.9 grade-level test scores on his record were actually from cheating when he first came to prison. “I slid through the cracks for 15 years.”

“At San Quentin I learned how to set and achieve goals,” Wickerd said. He ran three marathons and earned his GED in his almost four years at the Q. “On the final math test for my GED, I got a 149– four points more than I needed. Now I know what an over- achiever feels like! Now the 12.9 is mine – and the GED!”

Graduate Watson Allison and attorney Michael Clough

“This is monumental,” said GED graduate Earl Orr’s sister Patsy Orr. “He’s my first brother to get his GED.” She said their older brother spent about 10 years in and out of San Quentin in the 1970s after serving in the Vietnam War. “In San Quentin back then, they worked out and smoked. That’s it. No classes, no groups,” Patsy said. “I wish they had this quality education program back then. Earl has found himself again through education. I’m so amazed at the change.”

Earl met his 19-year-old granddaughter Ariel Klimpel for the first time at the gradu- ation. She said: “I walked right up and hugged him. It felt so good!”

Coastline Community College graduate Adamu Chan obtained his A.S. degree in Business. Chan said that the experience taught him responsibility, follow-through and self-motivation.

Niece Toby Hutchens, sister Patsy Orr, Graduate Earl Orr, granddaughter Ariel Klimpel, and friend Sherry Reynolds

John Bergeron, a Feather River college graduate, obtained an A.A. degree in Social and Behavioral Science. “I never really finished anything in my life,” he said. But now, he said, he is the first person in his family to finish college.

Graduate Watson Allison received his A.A. degree in Social Science from Lassen College. He was the speaker for the college graduates. He started his speech with a quote from Malcolm X, “‘Education is our passport to the future, for tomorrow belongs to the people who prepare for it today.’ I’ve heard that quote many times as a youth. How- ever, it didn’t make sense, but today it does.” Allison spent 30 years on Death Row after a murder conviction at the age of 23. In 2013 his death sentence was overturned. “Then I was transferred to Solano Prison, where the CC3 counselor assigned me a mentor to help me adjust from death row living. By May 27, 2014, I passed the test for my GED. It was the first positive accomplishment in my life.”

Vocational Plumbing graduate Vadim Zakharchenko said, “I wanted vocational training because I want a career in the construction industry.” He plans to work for his brother-in-law doing prefab homes when he gets out.

Plumbing instructor Pryor said that his vocational class has a lot of math and isn’t easy, but has tutors in the class to help. He said that he “has had five guys parole and make a career out of this training.”

Machine Shop instructor J. Johnson said, “These guys can take this experience and apply for good paying jobs.”

College proctor Mr. Young said, “The guys here today have overcome all their fail- ures of the past…This is the happiest day of the year.”

Principal Wheeless said, “It takes a lot of hard work by the students to get to this day of celebration and I commend them.”

Educator D. Searle and H. Lucas with Graduate George Moss and Graduate Quincy Paige

“I feel so encouraged – full of joy and a sense of accomplishment,” said graduate George Moss the day after he passed his final GED test – just a week before the graduation. Moss persevered through the flu, surgery, lockdowns and administrative segregation during the two years he worked on earning his GED.

Incarcerated for 14 years, he wanted to quit school and learn plumbing when he arrived at San Quentin.

Principal Wheeless told him, “No. Just knock this GED out first.” “I thought it was punishment,” said Moss. He said that now he is grateful to the principal, his teacher D. Searle and tutor Quincy Paige.

Now, after earning their high school equivalencies, both Moss and Paige are en- rolling in Vocational Plumbing.

Andrew Smith is a GED graduate from the Voluntary Education Program (VEP). He said he received excellent one-on-one tutoring from the Teachers’ Aide and said, “Thanks to my teacher, Dr. Marez, for pushing me in the right direction.”

“I never thought I would do it because of my incarceration,” said graduate Luis Ojeda. “But look – now I got my GED!” He said that Mr. Kaufman, the teacher in the ABE I class where he began, was always there to help him and motivate him to get to the next level.

“Now I’m confident,” Ojeda said. He will go home in about a year. “Inside or outside – I’m going to get my college degree.”

Twenty-three-year-old Raiveon Wooden received his high school diploma at the ceremony. He acknowledged help from his teachers M. Ficarra and Mr. Santos to get him ready for the diploma program. Wooden said that with his high school diploma, now he envisions a better job, a brighter future and college.

The 2019 class included 78 graduates, about half of whom attended the graduation. Many had already paroled.

Total number of Graduates:

High School: 8
GED: 43
Coastline: 7
Lassen: 1
Feather River: 1
CTE: 18

Examining the spectrum of education and incarceration

September 11, 2019 by San Quentin News Staff

Students, teachers and SQNews staffers exchange ideas during the Teachers’ Forum

Norberto Andino, 53, sat in a circle of about 25 people that included his classmates and teachers. The Colombian-born man came to prison without the ability, he said, to write even two sentences in English. It was the first time that the life-term prisoner reconsidered his educational journey.

“When I went to school in Colombia, I was so ashamed,” Andino said on July 15 at the third San Quentin News Teacher’s Forum. “My mother didn’t have money for me to eat. I had to walk for an hour to get to school in 102-degree heat almost every day. I felt embarrassed.”

Ms. H. Lucas is one of Andino’s teacher. Many of her students at San Quentin have lived in economically disadvantaged communities that are plagued with violence and other hardships.

Dana Morgan and Marisa Villega hear as Norberto Andino Photo by FirstWatch opens up about his educational experiences

“I have to understand the impact and added stress that these factors might bring to a student,” Lucas said in a previous interview. “I don’t know what they’ve endured or what they are going through, so it is important to be patient and understanding of each person.”

The forum’s aim was to give educators from the San Francisco Bay Area the opportunity to meet students who didn’t complete high school and wound up in prison – students who are in the process of obtaining their high school diploma or its equivalency.

Anthony Coleman listens as Lorenzo Romero shares his struggles with reading

For decades, The Rand Corporation has studied educational opportunities for the incarcerated and found, participation in any kind of education program, independent of the prisoner’s offense, or topic and level of the intervention, increases employment post- release and reduces recidivism by up to 43%.

Another study in 2019, Prison-based Education: Programs, Participation and Proficiency in Literacy/Numeracy found retaining employment post-release is “critical” to reduce recidivism.

“Every dollar invested in correctional education saves nearly five dollars in re-incarceration costs over three years,” Rand concluded.

Kita Grinberg teaches in Mendocino county jail.

Grinberg says she sees how academics and healing support each other.

“Opening the doors to edu- cation is what’s needed to stop recidivism,” Grinberg said.

“We use the time in the jail positively.”

San Francisco State University Professor Richard Ayers talked about former students of his, who’ve been killed or are in prison.

“I feel very strongly when I hear about the failures,” Ayers said, “not just as individuals, but as institutions. But, what are we going to do about it?”

Elaine Bryce’s high school students emailed questions about incarceration. The responses from SQN staff about the realities of prison negated their preconceptions. Bryce said that their honesty changed the trajectory of her students’ lives. “For that I will be forever grateful. I’m here to learn from you guys.”

Bryce and her students are scheduled to tour the prison on a later date.

The incarcerated men presented the teachers with brief stories about their educational experiences inside and outside of prison. Many of the stories indicated that childhood trauma, family separations, substance abuse and violence played a large part in disrupting their education. A common theme about their educational opportunities at San Quentin was the caring classroom environment that the teachers provided.

Lorenzo Romero said that when he came to prison he didn’t know how to read or write because his learning disability prevented him from pronouncing words or understanding definitions of words.

“I never found a teacher who believed in me in the other eight prisons,” Romero said. When he enrolled in the education classes at San Quentin, he said, the teachers gave him the confidence that education could work for him.

Anthony Coleman, a self- described first-generation gang member who is now an ex- gang member, once worked as a teacher’s aide. He now mentors young individuals in math, English and life skills.

“I like to help the ones who won’t come to the education classes here.” Coleman said, referring to San Quentin teachers. “I’ve never seen the loyalty that the teachers apply here.”

Charles Brandon, an 11th-grade dropout, said participating in the forum was encouraging.

“Being a part of that made me look at my life and want to do better,” he said.

Norberto Andino, who can now speak and write English fluently, added, “I want to put all my effort into getting a GED. It’s gonna take some time, but I know I’m gonna get it.”

By Juan Haines and Joe Garcia, Staff Writers

In Remembrance

September 11, 2019 by San Quentin News Staff

Brothers George Grifall and Chris Koppe

More than 60 men of all nationalities, races and origins gathered in San Quentin’s Catholic Chapel to celebrate the lives of George Grifall and Chris Koppe. The two well-known incarcerated men passed away in San Quentin in the month of June.

“I love you, brother,” was the catchphrase for Grifall. Koppe was lovingly known as Colonel Sanders or Colonel Crispy.

After the evening meal on July 18, prisoners mingled and listened to the blues, led by the smooth drumming of Darryl Moody Schilling. As the chapel began filling up, Schilling picked up the pace with a livelier beat.

“He told me he loved me, and then I climbed in my rack,” recalled Michael “Doc” Dickman, his cellie, about the night Grifall passed away. “George told me not to wake him for the Saturday breakfast — he hates CDCR pancakes, plus we had plenty of food.”

Grifall had a “bad habit” of hanging his hand over the ledge of the bed, Dickman explained. He said that the following morning he kept bump- ing into Grifall’s hand and after a couple times, Dickman yelled for Grifall to move his hand, but he didn’t respond. Dickman became concerned.

“When I felt his hand, it was ice cold,” Dickman said. “He died in his sleep. Don’t believe the rumors out there.”

Walter Sprakea talked about meeting Grifall while incarcerated at Corcoran in 1999.

“I thought then, he was too friendly,” Walter said. “Back then, prison was harder to do time in, and you’d see him and say, ‘what’s wrong with that guy?’ He was always respectful and of course, would say, ‘I love you, brother.’”

Larry Ryzak added, “George was my friend. He was one the most loyal people I ever knew. I could still hear him, ‘I love you, brother.’ He never changed. He had good morals. He wasn’t perfect, but nobody is or we wouldn’t be standing here.”

Anthony Thomas read a poem that he wrote in honor of Grifall.

Richie Morris said that he didn’t know George well, but “his absence leaves a hole in my life. I always saw him be- ing kind.

“Now, Colonel Crispy looked like Colonel Sanders,” Morris continued. “We spend our time with people passing by us and never notice who they are. We got an opportunity here to record we stand among giants. I want you to recognize that.”

SQNews Staffer, Aaron Taylor talked about guitar lessons he got from Koppe.

“One day I see this dude in the rotunda playing the blues, who looked like Colonel Sanders bending the strings,” Taylor said. “Chris told me that he’d teach me how to play rhythm guitar,” However, Taylor said that he was slow picking up the lessons. “Chris told me he wouldn’t play with me because he said he never met a Black man who didn’t have rhythm.”

The incident, Taylor said, invigorated his willingness to learn guitar, and he practiced until Koppe later agreed to play lead guitar with him at an open mic.

In between men taking the stage to talk about their friends, Quentin Blues entertained the audience: (Dwight Krizman (Bass), Richie Morris (Guitar and Vocals), Chris Thomas (Mandolin & Vo- cals), Mark Kinney (Piano), Joe Thurson Percussion); An- drew “Boots” Hardy (Guitar and Vocal).

A recording of “Now I Can Rise”, with Koppe on lead guitar was also played.

Brian Holliday talked about his relationship with Grifall.

“Every time he saw me, he’d stop and say, ‘What’s up?’ You don’t see that in people too much,” Holliday said. “I really miss him.”

Quentin Blues closed the memorial with two songs for Koppe: “Full Tilt Boogie” and “Upward as I Fall”.

For Grifall, Quentin Blues played “Feet Don’t Fail Me Now”. Then “Boots” per- formed a song he had writ- ten the previous morning and dedicated to George.

“I dropped my pick inside my guitar and this song fell out,” Boots said. “This song is about the stories I heard about the man after he passed, the love and the handshakes.

By Juan Haines Senior Editor

Correctional Officer L. Griffin

San Quentin State Prison lost a great treasure on Aug. 23. After a lengthy battle with cancer, Correctional Officer L. Griffin passed away.

Griffin’s passing hit the men-in-blue like a boulder. Griffin had worked at San Quentin since Feb. 14, 1998.

“Once I heard about C/O Griffin’s passing, I was instantly saddened, being that we worked together for four years,” said Anthony Ammons. “One of the most important things that Griffin taught me was to always say ‘thank you’ and ‘you’re welcome.’”

Harold Meeks added, “The wisdom and words of encouragement Griffin gave to me empowered me to keep mentoring the youth inside these prison walls. Griffin always reminded us that we can change, and it is possible.”

Griffin was well-known to younger inmates, who wore their pants too low—they’d catch hell for it. “Stop sagging your pants,” Griffin would tell the youngsters, and rightfully so. Griffin never missed an opportunity to speak candidly and directly and never worried about who listened or their opinions.

The prison staff, as well as the men-in-blue, knew Griffin for being cheerful in nature. Many say that laughter would fill the room whenever Griffin appeared— filling every corner in every inch of San Quentin.

Here are just a few of the things said about Griffin: “Griffin wasn’t just a correctional officer; Griffin was a mentor, a teacher and a pure hearted genuine soul, who always offered you the truth.”

“If you never knew what a real angel looked like then you never saw Griffin.”

“Griffin told stories filled with a wealth of knowledge but also with an abundance of joy, laughter and smiles.”

“It didn’t rain on Aug. 23, 2019; the sun shined, just like Griffin’s smile.”

Without a doubt, the atmosphere here at San Quentin will never be the same.

By Richard Richardson Executive Editor

NEWS BRIEFS

August 14, 2019 by San Quentin News Staff

Alabama — In response to a call to action from a coalition of prisoners, including the Free Alabama Movement and Unheard Voices OTCJ, Kinetik Justice and Swift Justice, four prisoners went on a hunger strike at the Limestone Correctional Facility in protest against corruption, abuse, and the lack of accountability for the inhumane conditions in the state’s prisons, Truthout reports.

Pennsylvania — As part of the Clean Slate law passed last year, state officials began seal- ing 30 million records that did not result in convictions, summary offenses and low-level misdemeanors committed by people who have not had any other charges within 10 years, The Philadelphia Inquirer report.

California — Detainees at the Yuba County Jail have gone on a hunger strike for the third time in 10 months, the Sacramento Bee reports. The immigration detainees are demanding newer facilities, better medical care and they are complaining that they should not be treated as criminals, like other inmates in the jail.

California — San Francisco-based Parole Agent Super- visor, Martin Figueroa helps former incarcerated people re-enter society through Peer Re-Entry Navigator Network, KPIX reports. PRNN provides life skills such as money management, job placement and addiction recovery support. Figueroa says he’s served about 700 people with a 95 per- cent success rate for keeping people from returning to jail.

Kansas — Over the past 15 years, prison officials have banned about 7,000 books, including A Clockwork Orange, Invisible Man, Twelve Years a Slave as well as issues of Bloomberg Businessweek, Us Weekly and Elle, KCUR reports.

Arizona — Because Choke- hold: Policing Black Men criticizes the U.S. criminal justice system corrections officials considered it “unauthorized content,” National Public Radio reports. However, in the face complaints and lawsuits, prison officials reversed the ban.

Georgia — Marion Wilson Jr. was executed on June 20 by lethal injection. Wilson was the 1,500th person to be executed in the United States since the return of the death penalty in 1976 according to the Death Penalty Information Center.

Kentucky —A proposed amendment on crime victims’ rights was voided by the state’s Supreme Court last June The Associated Press reports. The court ruled that the General Assembly is required to submit the full text of a proposed constitutional amendment to the electorate for a vote.

Florida — There have been more exonerations of death row inmates than any other state in the country – “in fact, there’s been one exoneration of a death row prisoner for every three Florida executions over the past four decades,” Florida Phoenix reports. Clifford Williams Jr., was sentenced to death and spent 42 years behind bars for a crime prosecutors now say he didn’t commit. His nephew was also exonerated. After his re- lease, the 76-year-old Williams earned a new ranking: He is the 29th person to be exonerated from Florida’s death row since the 1970s.

Washington, DC — Thousands of sick, dying, and elderly federal prisoners who are eligible for early release will now have access to free legal representation in court through the newly established Compassionate Release Clearinghouse. The clearinghouse, a collaborative pro bono effort between FAMM, the Washing- ton Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights and Urban Affairs, and the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (NACDL), is designed to match qualified prisoners with legal counsel should they need to fight a compassionate release denial or unanswered request in court.

Nevada — Gov. Steve Sisolak signed into law a bill which would ban the use of private prisons for services, such as housing and custody. Nevada now joins Iowa, New York, and Illinois in establish- ing this type of prohibition, The Laughlin Nevada Times reports.

New York — The state has been leading the way with respect to the private prison industry, having taken three actions against private prisons, Forbes contributor, Morgan Simon reports. First, prohibit private prisons from operating within the state; divesting state pension funds from the largest private prison companies, GEO Group and CoreCivic, and passing a bill that would prohibit NY State-chartered banks from “investing in and providing financing to private prisons.”

Utah — The state’s prison population growth rate is among the highest in the nation, despite recent criminal justice reform efforts aimed at diverting both adults and juveniles to alternative programs, The Salt Lake Tribune reports. In the past 18 months, the prison population has grown by 362 inmates, bringing the total count to 6,766 people. Accord- ing to prison officials, the state only has 199 beds available within the prison system.

LET THE PEOPLE SPEAK: letters to the editor

August 14, 2019 by San Quentin News Staff

I’m a woman on California’s Death Row. I have been on Death Row for over 23 years. I think this newspaper does a lot of good and I like that you write about women on Death Row. But before people make assumptions about us, they should talk to all of us. There are women here who were horribly abused by men and that caused them to be here. They need a “voice” too. I worry that they are forgotten. If you speak for us, I feel that you should include our voices.

Sincerely,

Kerry Lyn Dalton

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I just finished reading Kunlyna Tauch’s article “An Inter- view with former Death Row prisoner”(May 2019) and I just gotta write…

I’ve had this just gotta write feeling several times while reading this issue, but this time I actually picked up my pen!

This is an incredibly fabulous, down-to-earth, intelligent, heart-opening newspaper- The San Quentin News.

It’s shocking: the depth yall communicate. Article after article… all relevant to humanity.

Thank you and God bless you!

Nyla Blair

“Crimmigration” law can be very complex, so it receives less attention from the advocacy community than its relevance war- rants. There are not a lot of low- cost immigration legal services in the Bay Area that have the capacity or expertise to manage cases with criminal convictions. This is definitely an area that needs the investment of many more allies,

training, and resources. It would be great to see an immigration system that allows for more community participation, so there is space for the families and friends of people in proceedings to have a say in the defense of their loved ones. I think it is important that the communities of incarcerated immigrants be included in expressing their stake in the outcome of the cases, and influence the decision-making process.

It would be great to see Bay Area organizations re- imagine ways they can create equity in the current balance of inequity. Sometimes we only see our limitations, but there are many ways to be creative if we really put our heads together. Immigration and criminal justice issues are intertwined with housing issues, education issues, and public health issues, too.

Many people want to help but don’t know how. Collaboration is essential for an issue that so polarizes our country. On a micro-level, conversations are important to keep having. Our society needs to keep up, stay ahead, and consciously decide how to accept, reject, or transform messages that our government and media produce. Today, those messages tend to vilify immigrants, which can also distort messages about immigrants with criminal records in cynical ways. The mes- sages that pit immigrants against each other for the sake of political favor and appeal reveal our divisions and discourage strength in unity. Our country has a habit of dichotomizing immigrants in a “good immigrant vs. bad immigrant” scheme. This eventually undermines everybody who buys into that narrative. Many advocates still rely often on photos and stories about vulnerable women and children, which risks estranging people who don’t fit into the box (men, people with criminal convictions, etc.). It is always important to humanize any peo- ple we objectify; women and children are no exception. Our country fails to adequately care for women and children in so many ways already, so it seems far from being ready to care for everybody else, too. However, it’s important not to fall into this deficit mindset that make us pick and choose among many people in need. We should talk thoughtfully about the experi- ences of all immigrants, listen to them respectfully in all their complexity, acknowledge them as human, and build consensus about policy from there. The policy that we write and vote for needs to work for more people than the small populations it serves now, and not at any one group’s cost. Accounting for complexity is the key to building toward a vision that includes the voices of all people and validates everybody’s worth.

By Nayeon Kim

Dear San Quentin News

Last year I read an article about an Inmate Johnson

winning a scholarship from the Chung Ahm Scholarship Foundation. Thanks to that article, I applied for a scholar- ship and won one too. For that I am grateful.

Thank you, Sincerely, Alvarado

AROUND THE WORLD

August 12, 2019 by San Quentin News Staff

Sports Pic’s Around The Q

May 29, 2019 by San Quentin News Staff