University students, who are formerly incarcerated, are changing life and perceptions on their campus by taking over a college classroom to challenge traditional teach- ing methods and holding informative seminars to bring awareness to who they are as students. Beyond the Stats (BTS), an organization of formerly incarcerated and system impacted students at the University of California Davis introduce a panel discussion and a class course title Education as Freedom: AKA “Amerikkka This is How You Made Me,” last year and continues to grow. … [Read more...] about Students have great impact on UC Davis after prison
Education
Dr. Gabor Maté lectures at SQ’s Enneagram event
Susan Olesek, Jason Griffin, Ronell “Rauch” Draper, Dustin M. Baldwin and Dr. Gabor Maté Once a week, Susan Olesek comes inside San Quentin to help incarcerated men discover the roots of their personalities and how it plays into the way they see everyday life. The program she oversees helps men realize how life experiences mold personalities and how negative experiences create behaviors that turn into serious problems. Gabor Maté was invited to San Quentin, on March 1, to lecture on brain development, trauma and addiction to an … [Read more...] about Dr. Gabor Maté lectures at SQ’s Enneagram event
Stanford joins with SQ in collaborative engineering project
Stanford and TLM students of the Unlocking Innovation Inside Prison project Stanford students and prison inmates joined forces by participating in a ten week engineering course aimed at finding solutions to social problems. The collaboration grew out of a chance encounter, about 10 years ago, between Stanford Professor Tina Seelig and venture capitalist Beverly Parenti. The two stayed in contact and floated around ideas. Seelig came to San Quentin about four years ago to observe The Last Mile (TLM), an entrepreneurial program and a … [Read more...] about Stanford joins with SQ in collaborative engineering project
Prison artists display their work in San Rafael’s Bartolini Gallery
Lamavis Comundoiwilla painting “Kufu” and “Candice” done in a style he calls Fusion William James Arts and Corrections sponsor Carol Newborg Incarcerated artists under the tutelage of the William James’ Arts & Correction program produced “museum- quality” paintings that were displayed at the Bartolini Gallery in San Rafael from Jan. 16-March 28. “It’s just truly museum quality in so many ways,” said Libby Garrison, who cu- rated the exhibit. “They [the artists who are incarcerated] maybe have never been to a museum or never … [Read more...] about Prison artists display their work in San Rafael’s Bartolini Gallery
Addiction Recovery Counseling Director moves on
Rick Baez leaves San Quentin after 13 years Michael Kirkpatrick, Nou Phang Thao, Edward Scott, Rick Baez, Quinten Walker and John Lam Recovering addicts in San Quentin said goodbye to long-time volunteer Rick Baez in the Addiction Recovery Counseling (ARC) program. “A lot of people in society tend to think people in prison are throwaways, especially those with addiction issues, but that hasn’t been my experience work- ing here,” said Baez, 74, director of the ARC program. “It has been my experience that men with the opportunity … [Read more...] about Addiction Recovery Counseling Director moves on
Prison University Project celebrates the year with Open Mic
David Schiltz Personal stories, comedians, singers and dancer entertained an audience made up of about 300 incarcerated men and 40 local volunteers late last December at the Prison University Project (PUP) annual open mic. San Quentin State Prison’s Christmas decorations were still on display in the Protestant Chapel as more than two dozen inmates, who attend PUP classes, entertained the audience that included many of their teachers. Jonathan Chiu (San Quentin News staffer) began the show with a standup monologue that about … [Read more...] about Prison University Project celebrates the year with Open Mic
UC Davis launches social media campaign to combat ex-prisoner perceptions
A group of formerly incarcerated university students is launching a social media campaign designed to combat society’s negative perceptions of ex-prisoners. The University of California at Davis students call their campaign “We Are All Students” (WAAS). The aim is to help others to respect former inmates for who they are as people. “We are producing a year-long social media campaign that conveys the social situations and experiences of people who attend higher education in the shadow of incarceration,” Zach Psick told the San Quentin … [Read more...] about UC Davis launches social media campaign to combat ex-prisoner perceptions
Wake Forest University gains experience with Prison Letter Project
Wake Forest University law students are providing North Carolina prisoners legal help through its Prison Letter Project and gaining experience in the process. The letter program is a part of the school’s Pro Bono Project. The school’s law library is the only publicly accessible law library between the state capitol and the Tennessee border. “We’re not allowed to give them legal advice and give an opinion,” Suzanne Cavanaugh, Prison Letter Project coordinator, told San Quentin News. “But I can bring the horse water and hope that it … [Read more...] about Wake Forest University gains experience with Prison Letter Project
Incarcerated student challenges educators at national conference
An incarcerated Black college student challenged the nation’s prison educators to rethink how they consistently force predominant White cultural perspectives onto the non-Whites who fill their classrooms. James King’s voice reached across the country to Indianapolis by way of video, where he introduced an academic paper he co-authored with Prison University Project (PUP) colleague Amber Shields at the National Conference on Higher Education in Prison. Amber Shields with James King (video screen) presenting their … [Read more...] about Incarcerated student challenges educators at national conference
El Ingles es un obstáculo para Latinos en segregación
El lenguaje se ha convertido en un obstáculo para los latinos que se encuentran en aislamiento en cárceles de máxima seguridad, según un artículo en el Washington Post. Prisiones estatales y federales de los Estados Unidos usan unidades de máxima seguridad para albergar a miles de reos relacionados con pandillas o por razones de seguridad. Abogados de La Unión de Libertades Civiles (ACLU) y el Centro de Justicia MacArthur están representando a Nicolás Reyes, quien dice que la barrera de lenguaje ha sido un obstáculo para que … [Read more...] about El Ingles es un obstáculo para Latinos en segregación