San Quentin News

Written By Inmates - Advancing Social Justice

Donté Clark returns to SQ’s APEP with spoken word session

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Donté Clark returned to San Quentin last November for a spoken word session and to rap with students seeking to earn their GEDs and go to college. Clark is a poet, who mentors young writers in Richmond, Ca.

The Academic Peer Education Program (APEP) hosted Clark’s visit.

Peer educator James Metters talked about incarcerated educator, Bobby Evans, who envisioned opportunities for students to have access to GED studying after they get off work, and that’s what’s started APEP.

When Metters asked APEP students to address the class, an enthusiastic Charles Brandon told the group that San Quentin changed his life.

“I’m in computer literacy and on the waiting list for PUP. I want to learn coding, so I can work at Google,” Brandon said. “I want to rap, learn filmmaking and real estate. I want my own clothing line and hopefully one day, I’ll own a Starbucks.”

Michael Kirkpatrick added, “There’s a lot of positive talk around here. We don’t

tear each other down. We build each other up.”

Derry “Brotha Dee” Brown spoke about Clark’s influences on him.

“It’s what he’s doing for the community. He knows us well — he blends in with us,” Brown said. “There’s a few individuals that know poetry, and I see they will enjoy his work.”

Prior to Metters introducing Clark to the class, Brown and Raiveon “Ray Ray” Wooden performed a skit based on bullying, suicide and violence. Ray Ray’s part was that of evil while Brother Dee played the voice of reason. After a standing ovation Clark took the stage.

Wearing a bright sun yellow beanie tilted slightly back to cover shoulder-length dreads Clark performed one of his poems.

He began by pacing back for forth in front of the class- room with hand gestures that shuffled the air. Then he spoke the lines with the hook, “Life sings me sweet songs. Love is a sweet song.”

“Donté’s second visit to San Quentin motivates people and lets them know how far education and resilience can go, like he does as a writ- er—literacy helps us achieve our goals,” peer educator, James Metters said. “To me, he is a perfect example of what could be achieved de- spite stratified communities, drugs or violence.

Clark works with the youth in Richmond and encourages young writers to put on performances.”

“I just gotta write,” Clark said. “It’s hard to talk about. I just got to demonstrate it. Then people who see it, and they want to help.”

After high school, one of Clark’s college classes gave him the opportunity to work with youth. Writing was involved and “everything just fell into place.”

“When people told me that I was a gifted writer, it was inspirational,” Clark said. “I research a lot, read a lot and talk to people a lot. I also do a lot of listening and compare it to what I’ve read in books.

“Knowing how to connect with people makes me a better teacher.”

Tehachapi hosts 3rd Ethics Bowl against CSU Bakersfield

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Submitted by Dian Grier, CCI Press Release

CSUB and CCI Debaters of the 3rd Ethics Bowl

For the third consecutive year, CCI (California Correctional Institution at Tehachapi) has hosted the annual Ethics Bowl against California State University, Bakersfield (CSUB). This year was a tie breaker for CCI, with a 3-0 win. “Intellectual Sports” such as ethics bowls are gaining status and momentum throughout colleges in the United States. Every year, cases are developed by the Association for Practical and Professional Ethics and are used by all ethics teams nationwide. Ethics teams are given packets of case studies four to six weeks prior to the competition. These cases are real and hypothetical cases. The team prepares by considering the ethical implications of each case. At the competition, the two teams present their case, rebut and then answer questions from judges. This year the Ethics Bowl at CCI had judges including three doctorates, one MBA and a reporter from the Bakersfield Californian, who wrote an article that made front-page news in Bakersfield. See: for the full article with pictures.

The first case, in which CCI led, was called “A Miscarriage of Justice” and considered Alabama’s law that prosecutes pregnant women who the state feels have put their unborn child at risk. This case was presented based on a real case in which Alabama prosecuted a mother for the unexpected consequence of the death of her fetus. In this case, the mother started a verbal altercation, which turned into the other woman shooting her gun, which ricocheted and hit her fetus, killing it. The mother and victim of the shooting was brought up on charges for involuntary manslaughter by the state of Alabama. This case was complex ethically and CCI took the side that women should have rights over their own bodies, even during pregnancy, and that cases such as this one can be a slippery slope, ultimately denying too many women’s rights. CSUB agreed with CCI, adding their perspective to the case. CCI answered multiple questions from judges, clarifying their position and proving they had fully considered all aspects of the case.

Host giving opening remarks

The second case this year consisted of “Callout Culture,” which considered whether our “callout culture” or “cancel culture”—in which an individual is called out on social and regular media—is helpful in changing societal norms or hurting individuals who are put in the spotlight. The case considered if this behavior is activism or a dysfunctional new aspect of our social media-driven society. CSUB summarized that callout culture has some positives, but is not activism and is hurting society and individuals. CCI responded that there might be better ways to have conversations and foster a society of forgiveness instead of a society that points the finger and damages people’s reputation as well as careers. So again, the two sides agreed that this is not a positive for society, but both teams brought differing perspectives on how to address change.

Debaters going over debate topic

After the Ethics Bowl, CSUB went on to compete in regionals, which took place December 7 in Phoenix, Arizona. CSUB asked if they could use CCI’s research for their event, which CCI offered. CSUB’s team consists of third-year philosophy students who practice weekly based on what they have learned throughout their classes.

After the event, the philosophy students asked the inmates about their plans for their futures. All of the five team members from CCI have plans for higher education or are currently attending college through Cerra Cosa University here at CCI. Robert Price, the well-known reporter from The Bakersfield Californian, commented on how poised and intelligent CCI’s team presented, which is a common remark by outside observers seeing the CCI Ethics Bowl for the first time.

Debater at the podium giving his remarks

CCI’s team puts in four hours of class time per week, preparing through research and practice. The group was developed and is coached by Dian Grier, LCSW, and is considered a mental health group designed to stimulate thinking and perceive the world through multiple lenses. The time the men put into this group helps them in multiple ways. Many of the inmates see the group as a chance to increase social and presentation skills, decrease levels of depression and anxiety, and find purpose within the prison environment. The group consists of 25 inmates who helped prepare for the bowl, but only five were chosen for the presenting team. The other team members were in the audience, cheering on their colleagues. The group consists of all ages, races and viewpoints, which add to the therapeutic benefits of the program. The group continues to discuss and practice throughout the year, reflecting on new ethical viewpoints and enjoying the process of expanding their thinking regarding their own moral opinions as well as ethics within society. This program is an excellent representation of the type of innovative rehabilitation CDCR and CCI are inventing and offering. Congratulations to the CCI team for their effort and achievement!

San Quentin’s Prison University Project one step closer to full accreditation

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ACCJC panel members

Accrediting organization audits PUP classes to assess the university’s effectiveness

Representatives from the Association of Community Colleges and Junior Colleges (ACCJC) spent four days in October visiting and evaluating San Quentin’s Prison University Project (PUP).

PUP applied for independent college accreditation in August, and the ACCJC team came to scrutinize whether or not PUP actually fulfills the principles and procedures detailed in its application and institutional self-evaluation report (ISER).

“I don’t want to be called the accreditation police,” said the ACCJC committee’s Team Chair, Dr. Keith Curry, President of Compton College.

“I’m here to make organizations be successful. There are standards we have to review. We are validating questions of governance.”

Comprised of faculty from accredited colleges throughout California, the visiting Peer Review Team will process everything they learned and observed in order to generate a 40-60 page report, due within 30 days, for ACCJC consideration.

Curry welcomed students’ input, questions and thoughts during two open forums in the SQ chapel on Oct. 21.

In the first forum’s hour and a half, more than 20 incarcerated students spoke up about their PUP experience.

“My journey to education was a hard one. I wouldn’t let anything get in,” said Richard D. Lathan, pausing with tears in his eyes to regain his composure.

“It took me 17 times to pass my GED,” he continued. “For the longest time, I saw education as only consisting of books. But when I came to PUP, I felt the humanization.

“PUP humanized everything that you see, and today I’m a better person. It’s a new world, I know—but I can make it.”

Curry expressed his appreciation for all the students’ avid responses.

“We’ve done lots of these forums at schools throughout the state,” he explained. “This is the first time people raised their hands and were ready to talk to us right from the start.”

Curry also asked the students to speak briefly about a favorite paper they’d written during a PUP class and the research and resources available to them.

Almost every student in attendance described the impact their papers made on their intellectual growth. From the wealth of topics discussed, the ACCJC team gained a clearer picture of the doors PUP continues to open in students’ minds.

Tony Trinidad spoke about the ordeal he had writing on Marx and Nietzsche.

“It felt like a battle, but it felt good,” he said. “My girlfriend—she’s real educated, has her master’s. It gave me something to battle it out with her when we’d talk.”

“It feels good to hear about your research and what you’re doing in the classrooms,” Curry said to the students. “How you’ve all been able to articulate that says a lot.”

The first student to speak at the second forum, Rafael Cuevas, immediately turned the tables on Curry and the ACCJC panel.

“I came to challenge everybody’s thoughts on what education is. Is this a model?” he asked. “See, my experience in prison made me resistant, made me empowered.

“PUP gives me the chance to exercise that power. What does it look like outside in your spaces?”

Laurie Huffman, an ACCJC Peer Review member from Los Medanos College, quickly responded.

“Fabulous question. I’m around a lot of students of color, and one of the things we need to focus on is the equity piece,” said Huffman. “Everyone needs to have opportunities at education. Barriers need to be taken away.

“There’s a real community college movement going on right now. We’re starting to look at alternative ways of course delivery—nontraditional delivery. Yours is an example.”

“But it has to be centered on quality,” she said. “There’s a tremendous attention to quality at this prison—many things we see here that we wish we could do at other institutions, at community colleges.”

Curry appreciated the detour caused by Cuevas’ question. “I could philosophize about education all day,” he said. “There should be no barriers to success. We all want to see things like free tuition and the kind of support services that enable students to succeed inside and out.

“Our goal is to see the breakup of every single barrier—every single one, so any student can be successful. We have to figure out together what that new structure looks like.”

Curry then told the second forum what he’d learned from the first forum earlier in the day. “Listening to everyone talking about their papers, especially their research papers—you had limited resources but still wrote those papers,” he said.

“What I got today was a whole new set of possibilities. Don’t tell me you can’t do it—at SQ they’re doing it.”

PUP Executive Director Jody Lewen listened to the interactions with her student body and brimmed with pride. “It was mic drop after mic drop after mic drop,” she told SQNews afterward.

ACCJC’s Dr. Howard Irvin, Vice President of Los Angeles Southwest College, visited SQ years ago during a series of administrative justice classes for DeAnza College.

“I love all the history behind San Quentin, but this is my first time seeing the college program here,” said Irvin. “This is the only penal institution the ACCJC has ever considered for accreditation.

“It’s been very special coming here and seeing the passion, seeing the people that believe in this program.”

Irvin explained ACCJC’s emphasis on upholding high standards. “The goal of our report is to make sure our standards are being met, that everything is working well,” he said. “We’re going to say, ‘You either meet the standards or you don’t—here’s a couple of things to help you.’

“One thing I’ll say about PUP—it’s not about the X’s and O’s. It’s about the education. I’m very impressed with the humanity and humanness I’ve seen. Very impressed.”

Irvin said that once a school becomes fully accredited, the accreditation is good for six years. Renewal of accreditation requires an updated ISER and new on-site evaluation.

ACCJC conducts training sessions for potential Peer Review Team members and puts together different combinations of evaluators unique to each campus’ visit.

“Our report won’t reflect just one voice—it’s everybody’s voice,” said Irvin. “This is a very good group with me here at SQ. We all believe in what we’re doing.”

The four-day evaluation also included meetings and forums outside the prison at the team’s hotel in nearby Larkspur. PUP faculty, instructors and alumni attended these events to offer insight into the individualized attention paid to students, the volunteer model of team-taught classes and students’ transitions to college environments outside.

“It might not be perfect, but it works out,” noted Curry while absorbing the outside voices. “It always works out.”

After ACCJC completes the initial draft of their report, PUP will have 30 days to check it for corrections before the final draft is submitted.

The report will recommend one of three options: 1) grant PUP candidacy for accreditation; 2) grant candidacy and initial accreditation; or 3) deny candidacy.

On the last day of their visit, the ACCJC chair gave a brief presentation on what stood out to the team about PUP. Curry said he was only there to deliver their overall thoughts—not to take or answer any questions.

“We recommend the college work on their comprehensive systematic approach, focusing on outcome assessment, constituent roles and a regular evaluation process for effectiveness,” stated Curry. “And communicate these things to your students.

“Regularly assess the quality and currency of student outcomes.”

Stanford professor audited Creative Writing class

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Adam Johnson

Professor Adam Johnson of Stanford University came to San Quentin to sit in on a creative writing class for incarcerated men, facilitated by Zoe Mullery and sponsored by the William James Association. The Aug. 21 get-together between students and professor focused on: what led to Johnson’s writing career, what creates a compelling narrative, and a review of Fortune Smiles (2016), Johnson’s collection of short stories.

“He really encourages all of us, me included, to go to the difficult story – don’t turn away from it – go to the story that we don’t fully understand or have any understanding of,” said Mullery.

The Pulitzer Prize winning author, who worked as a mason in his youth, said building solitary confinement cells in Arizona changed his life.

“We’d bring the walls up, and then I’d think about who’s going to occupy this thing, and it was depressing the hell outta me,” Johnson said.

After that, Johnson took a creative writing class to boost his grade point average and “that’s that,” he said.

Johnson talked about what he learned from Ron Carlson, his first writing teacher.

“The secret to great writ- ing is learning to tolerate the not knowing of what might be and moving forward in a story in the face of uncertainty and that it might fail,” Johnson said.

The students had read Johnson’s collection of six short stories prior to his visit and were ready with comments about the stories. Dark Meadows is the only story Johnson said he did not research.

Johnson said it was about people “who could go down paths where they could do the unthinkable” and be redeemed.

“The character was in a situation of struggling every day in his life to do the right thing,” Johnson said. “He was a character that readers don’t want to like, but he had characteristics that readers find likable.”

Johnson said Dark Meadows challenges readers’ beliefs about good and bad.

He told the students that the space for fiction is getting smaller and smaller as publishers looking for longer stories are dwindling.

As an early writer, he says, he had great experiences with editors. But, as he developed, he has found his own voice, even if he has to labor to write a single paragraph.

“The act of writing is a noble endeavor,” Johnson said. “It’s meditative – I feel that I’m an average person, but to orchestrate my thoughts, I can say something above myself.”

Mullery noted later that she’s “picky” about people interacting with the class.

“The writers that I invite are people that I really re- spect, not only as writers, but also how they conduct themselves as a writer—not to just make a buck or be famous. And I think Adam Johnson is a great example of that,” said Mullery.

Working to shift philanthropic investments to include prison education

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Prison University Project students at work in class

“Education of incarcerated people must be included in the overall strategy to transform society,” said Dr. Jody Lewen Executive Director of San Quentin’s Prison University Project (PUP) in a July 23 interview with SQ News.

Dr. Lewen ‘s opinion is shared by an increasing number of educators, legislators and philanthropists nationally. Education is earning a position as a cornerstone for the incarcerated individual’s successful return to society.

Recently, the Vera Institute of Justice’s Pathways from Prison to Postsecondary Education conducted a study of 201 offenders from six minimum and medium-security prisons. In a June 2 report, Inside Philanthropy. com presented the results of the Vera study that confirmed education has now become the fourth characteristic vital to a successful reentry.

Previously, employment, housing and transportation were recognized as the three factors vital to a successful return.

The Vera Pathways study involved three states; North Carolina, Michigan and New Jersey.

The 5 year program, funded by the Ford Foundation, the Sunshine Lady Foundation, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the Open Society Foundations and the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, required participating states to offer inmates an array of courses and reentry tools that were to continue upon their release. The study’s mission statement included inmates receiving encouragement to continue their postsecondary education after they are released.

College programs for incarcerated people currently include academic institutions like Columbia University’s Justice in Education Initiative which is funded by The Andrew Mellon Foundation. That curriculum is designed to focus on current and formerly incarcerated persons in New York State.

Other top educational prison programs have expanded in the last decade and are vigorously competing for philanthropic dollars, albeit in an inclusive and supportive approach. According to Dr. Lewen most of the competitors in this field are “allied by common goals.”

Nationally leading incarcerated educational centers include the prestigious Bard Prison Initiative, a program which is affiliated with the Bard College of New York and California’s highly respected Prison University Project (PUP) at San Quentin State Prison. The Ford Foundation has aided in the growth of the two prominent colleges, allowing Dr. Lewen’s Prison University Project to become a leader in prison education for over 10 years.

Dr. Lewen stressed the need for donors to understand the critical role of education for incarcerated people in any strategy for systemic change. “The funding sources do not always get the importance of education,” she told the SQ News. “The great challenge is a lot of philanthropic foundations dichotomize between advocacy for the incarcerated versus education for them.”

The Vera Institute report supported Dr. Lewen’s educational beliefs when it found

inmates who complete a credentialed education program are more than 40 percent less likely to reoffend.

The study also stated that every dollar spent on educational programs results in a $5 cost savings when compared to re-incarceration.

Though Dr. Lewen’s col- leagues agree that education, along with other reentry efforts, can reduce recidivism, she is still unsatisfied with the level of direct commitment for incarcerated education.

Her vision includes formerly incarcerated people leading the march for social reform. “They (the philanthropists) often cannot imagine the potential of incarcerated students as advocates for social reform.”

“Changing the focus of philanthropic investment will only happen when we change the hearts and minds of society,” she emphasized.

Retail giant Alibaba gives workshop on working in E-commerce

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As part of an interviewing workshop, Peter Stern, from online retail giant Alibaba, told about two dozen incarcerated computer coders that learning Mandarin is a big plus, if they want to get a job with the E-commerce company.

Although the Chinese firm does not have a policy on hiring formerly incarcerated people, Stern said that his inspiration to be involved with San Quentin’s incarcerated population came after visiting the entrepreneurial program, The Last Mile (TLM).

TLM, established in 2012 by venture capitalists Chris Redlitz and Beverly Parenti, prepares prisoners for today’s business world by teaching them how to engage in social media and other new technologies. The nine-month program helps students develop business plans that are presented to corporate leaders during a Demo Day.

Redlitz and Parenti expanded TLM in 2014 by creating Code.7370, which is a computer-coding course. Since then, Stern has dropped into the Code.7370 class to inspire the students.

Prior to the Aug. 21 workshop, Stern prepared a PowerPoint presentation to show the incarcerated coders Alibaba’s rapid growth. It currently has surpassed Wal-Mart with over $1 trillion in sales.

The workshop began with Alibaba representatives using employer/potential employee role players to demonstrate the STAR system.

The STAR system role players show that when a potential employee understands an employer’s Situation (S) the job requirements are revealed. The role players then illustrate that potential employees must be able to identify the specific Tasks (T) that are needed to perform the job. Understanding the

Situation and Tasks allows a potential employee to understand what Action (A) he or she needs to take in order to secure the job. Successfully demonstrating these aspects would Result (R) in employers recognizing that the potential employees know the job and would be a successful hire.

At the end of the workshop, there was a question and answer session. Many of the coders’ questions centered on when to bring up former incarcerations to employers.

“When to bring up being incarcerated is important. Tell the employer what you’ve learned from your incarceration experience. Tell them about the programs that you’ve taken. Show them the change in your life. Look at it as an opportunity to demonstrate who you are at the time of your interview,” Stern told the incarcerated men.

Alibaba representative Tobie Louw told the incarcerated coders, “Thank you for letting us know about your world.”

Filmmaking team premierès College Behind Bars at SQ

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Bard Prison Initiative (BPI) graduates celebrate at Taconic Correctional Facility in June 2017

Acclaimed filmmakers Sarah Botstein and Lynn Novick brought their latest effort, College Behind Bars, to San Quentin for a premierè screening organized through SQ’s Prison University Project (PUP) on Sept. 18.

Shot on location inside several east coast correctional facilities, the documentary examines the struggles and triumphs of incarcerated students participating in the Bard Prison Initiative (BPI)—a college program much like PUP, under which instructors enter prisons daily to teach accredited courses.

Bard Prison Initiative (BPI) students in a literature seminar at Taconic Correctional Facility.

“This is a very special audience for us,” Botstein told SQ News before screening the film. “We’re very interested in having conversations with another student body getting their education in prison.”

Novick added, “We’re very much aware of this program and how tightly focused it is on its students—just like BPI. Jody Lewen’s why we came here today.

“Somebody should do a similar film about her and the program here,” said Novick.

Bard Prison Initiative (BPI) Debate Union defeats Harvard University in September 2015

Botstein and Novick are partners of renowned documentarian Ken Burns. In July Burns visited San Quentin and previewed his latest PBS special, Country Music. At that time Burns said he’d like the Botstein/Novick project to also be shown here.

Salih Israel and Elitha Smith—both central figures featured in the prison education documentary—came for the screening and participated with Botstein and Novick in a discussion afterward.

“I’m here to represent my brother,” Smith said to a packed PUP classroom. The documentary shows her visiting Rodney Spivey-Jones throughout his journey of achieving a bachelor’s degree while incarcerated.

“He’s all I have left,” Smith says in the film. “Those short visits—four to five hours long—every single word matters because it extends for months until the next visit.”

Bard Prison Initiative (BPI) students conjugate Spanish verbs at Eastern New York Correctional Facility.

A U.S. Army veteran and West Point graduate, Smith visited Spivey-Jones in between her deployments to Afghanistan. In the film, Spivey-Jones spoke about the ever-present danger of terrorist explosive devices and how that menace underscored the value of their time together.

“The film shows so many incarcerated people doing amazing things—inside and upon release,” Smith told the classroom. “It gives me hope that when my brother gets out this might be him.”

Starting at about 3:15 p.m., the preview included a 45-minute excerpt from the documentary. A corrections officer interrupted the ensuing Q&A presentation around 4 p.m. to conduct the mandatory statewide prisoner headcount.

Bard Prison Initiative (BPI) students at Eastern New York Correctional Facility in an advanced bachelor’s degree seminar.

“I did 20 years of counts,” Israel told the audience as everyone waited quietly while the count proceeded. “I know what it’s like to be in a place where you can’t be heard.”

Recently paroled, Israel graduated through BPI and now works for that same organization, Botstein, Novick, Smith and Israel traveled the country previewing the film segment at different venues in 15 cities.

Previews are planned at New York City’s iconic Apollo Theater and the National Black Caucus. The team also went inside Indiana Women’s Prison with the film.

SQ was the second correctional institution to view the film. “We try and get into facilities wherever we go and do screenings like this,” said Novick.

Botstein and Novick took their cameras inside three different BPI sponsored facilities in making the film. They spent more than four years filming classes, interviewing incarcerated students and BPI faculty, celebrating graduations and detailing families’ reactions.

Possibly best known for their epic documentary The Vietnam War, Botstein and Novick were immersed in that production when Novick got invited into a BPI class as a guest lecturer in 2012.

“As filmmakers, we already know that there’s an infinite number of stories out there that need to be told,” said Novick. “Right away, I saw for myself these really amaz- ing students and their amazing stories.

“Being a guest teacher, I experienced some incredibly nuanced and sophisticated conversations. Speaking with Sarah, we knew someone had to make this film.”

Once Vietnam finished production, Botstein and Novick turned their eyes back to BPI.

“Through her connections teaching, Lynn was able to get permission from the corrections people and Bard University,” said Botstein.

“When we first started filming,” added Novick. “It was just on a wing and a prayer— and a dollar.”

A powerful moment in the film captures student Tamika Graham’s mother and her expressed displeasure at how her daughter is somehow being rewarded for her crimes with a taxpayer-paid college education.

“I didn’t know the program was privately funded,” said Graham’s mother, Sonya, on film. “All I know is my daughter got a free diploma.”

Julia Louria, a BPI representative who came for the SQ screening, described how the program is actually funded. “It’s 80% privately funded, overwhelmingly by individuals and also foundations,” said Louria.

“There’s such an unfairness around the huge costs of college right now,” said Novick. “Everyone should have access to a college education—inside or out of prison.

“Of course, this film touches on the importance of prison reform—those politics are actually part of the story.”

BPI founder Max Kenner is shown in the film immersing himself within the incarcerated population and actively working to motivate correctional institutions to recognize the rehabilitative benefits of offering their prisoners higher education.

“The way Max came in and got BPI off and running—that stuff only happens because people like him take the time to actually start engaging with incarcerated individuals,” said Israel.

Elitha Smith spoke to SQ News on her way off the yard about her brother and how education affected him.

“I definitely saw, from the moment he went in, a difference,” she said. “I think my brother was a little bit arrogant before. He was always well spoken, but he didn’t understand how to really use his words. Incarceration didn’t help him.

“BPI immediately changed him. Now he’s more pensive— he listens more than he speaks. He asks more questions than he answers and considers others’ points of view.

“His life’s been catapulted, and I just pray to God he’s released in the spring of 2021.”

Rather than continue on the tour of scheduled screening events with the production team, Smith said she would be flying back East. She already had plans to visit her brother the next Saturday.

Demonstrating great achievement under difficult circumstances

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By David Ditto and Michael Johnson, Staff Writers.

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

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

Teacher Alex Naeve
Teacher Alex Naeve

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

PUP hopes to become nation’s first stand-alone prison campus

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The Prison University Project’s (PUP) quest for independent college accreditation— and what that may mean, exactly, for the San Quentin community—inspired an active conversation at the July 29 town hall meeting hosted by PUP.

With submission of its accreditation application complete in August, PUP’s transition from its partnership with Patten University to the nation’s first stand-alone prison campus moved a step closer to actualization.

“To become independent, we’ll become a better school,” said PUP Executive Director Jody Lewen. “We’ll have the freedom to innovate—and actually improve our program through our own design.”

Patten, a longstanding Bay Area private university, was purchased in 2012 by University Now, a for-profit online college. Since then, Patten has all but closed its brick-and- mortar campus. PUP intends to move forward and make a clean break.

Without independent accreditation, however, PUP may need to partner with an established, accredited, program. The short-term backup plan includes an interim agreement with San Diego- based National University.

“If we partner with a new school, in many ways we’d be handing our program over and saying, ‘Please do this well,’ ” explained Lewen. “There’s just no way to maintain the quality. That’s the tricky thing about partnerships.”

“Turning a profit is a strong motive for schools to come in and run things inside without concerns for quality. There’s a very big push right now for for-profit schools to get into prisons.”

Lewen scheduled the town hall meeting to offer SQ an open glimpse into the accreditation process and give the community a chance to ask questions and voice concerns. PUP board members, faculty and advocates joined Lewen to offer their own insight and support.

“This is an opportunity to build an even better model, to send a message to the world that people inside prison are worthy of this type of education,” said Lewen.

“Of course there’s the fear that if we create a school whose main campus is inside a prison, then the credibility of that diploma will be diminished.

“But from what I’ve seen, the reputation of a school is fostered by the reputation of its alumni and faculty—and that greatly outweighs these other factors.”

Incarcerated PUP tutor Clark Gehartsreiter expressed strong doubts that a college di- ploma unique to San Quentin could ever be well received by potential employers and out- side academic institutions.

“I’m opposed to independent accreditation—it’s a bad idea,” said Gehartsreiter. “It will create a prison school whose name and location will follow you around on your resume well beyond your sentence.

“That dynamic alone will instantly change the narrative about you, and make the primary point of the conversation that you’ve been to prison.”

To punctuate PUP’s impact and success since its inception in 1996, six formerly incarcerated alumni returned to the prison as town hall participants—Jason Bell, David Cowan, Pat Mims, Dmitriy Orlov, Curtis Penn and Leonard Rubio.

Mims, a director for the Reentry Service Center of Richmond, California, quickly rose to address Gerhartstreiter’s viewpoint. “We’re getting away from what’s so truly exciting about independence here,” he said. “We want to give incarcerated persons the type of quality education that employers will have no problem with.

“Once you begin to walk in your own skin with that education—people start recognizing that as a strength. You’re not hiding.”

Rubio, a former PUP valedictorian, also spoke. He currently serves as Insight Prison Project’s Executive Director. “Junior colleges are start- ing to help returning citizens continue their education,” he said. “There’s a lot of help out there—so if you’re try- ing to hide your background, you’re actually limiting your resources.

“I’ve always been upfront about my past with prospective employers. Because if they don’t want me there, I don’t want to be there anyway.

“Plus, if you lie, it always comes back. The idea that you’re going to hide your background—that’s not happening anymore.”

Besides starting to review PUP’s application, the Ac- crediting Commission of Community and Junior Colleges (ACCJC) has a site visit scheduled for SQ on Oct. 21- 24. On their first day here, ACCJC representatives plan to hold a student forum in the chapel before sitting in classes and observing PUP’s everyday operations firsthand.

At the close of the October visit, ACCJC will offer an open presentation to report the substance of its findings.

“ACCJC is the gold standard for higher education in the United States,” explained Melanie Booth, an accreditation consultant helping PUP draft its application. “Accreditation ensures that college credits are fully transferable and get acknowledged by graduate programs.

“It’s grounded in a complete peer review process that determines if everything is lined up and working like a college program should be.

“Because of these rigorously high standards, every student attending an accredited program is assured that their credits will transfer—and that they’re getting a consistent education.”

PUP Program Director Amy Jamgochian expressed her own observations at the prospect of independent ac- creditation.

“The accreditation world— they want hard data, so it puts us constantly in a state of self- checking, making sure we’re providing the excellent standards we’ve promised,” said

Jamgochian. “Are we doing okay in the various ways we want our students to be doing okay?

“Accreditation’s going to keep us on our game.”

Near the end of the town hall, after raised concerns were addressed, many students offered PUP gratitude for what’s been achieved so far.

“PUP’s more than just a college. We have a personal relationship,” said Gregory Coates. “The powers that be might not agree with that, but it certainly means a lot to us.”

“The education I received in the two years I attended PUP—it enabled me to criti- cally think and write well enough to be competitive for positions where other people have a Master’s or Ph.D.,” said Mims. “Talk to your peers about why it’s so important.

“You’ll have skills, trans- ferable skills for a career— not a job, but a career.”

“I’ve never been any- where that made me feel so much like a human being,” said Darwin Billingsley. “It doesn’t feel like I’m in prison anymore. I’ve been able to open up.

“And to see so many re- turning citizens come back in—I plan on being one of those returning citizens.”

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