The longest serving general manager in the history of the California Prison Industry Authority (CALPIA), Charles L. “Chuck” Pattillo is stepping down from that post, but will still assist incarcerated people prepare for good jobs, once released. Pattillo’s effort continue to save taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars in incarceration cost, yearly. Pattillo supervised all 27 CALPIA activities for 14 years. It employs 8,000 offenders throughout California’s 36 prisons. Chuck Pattillo walking with Mark Zuckerberg in San … [Read more...] about CALPIA GM Chuck Pattillo retires
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Kid CAT banquet honors the forgotten voices of youth
Kid CAT celebrated the “forgotten voices” of youth at its 2018 annual banquet. “Tonight’s Banquet was about bringing awareness to the youths, who think that their voices are not being heard and are afraid to express how they feel to their parents or caretakers,” said Si Dang, Kid CAT chairman. Kid CAT is a group of men who committed their crimes as juveniles and are serving adult sentences. Capturing the night’s theme of “forgotten voices” was a series of speakers, actors and musicians who dug into the topics of foster care, … [Read more...] about Kid CAT banquet honors the forgotten voices of youth
21st century solutions to 20th century problems
They came from all over the prison and the nation. Scholars dressed in standard blue prison uniforms walked down a staircase that leads from the cellblocks, while a group of civilians hiked down a ramp that leads from a courtyard just inside the entrance to the prison to meet on the San Quentin Lower Yard for the Prison University Project’s first ever academic conference. The conference, called Corrections, Rehabilitation and Reform: 21st Century Solutions to 20th Century Problems, was organized by Amy Jamgochian and consisted of nine … [Read more...] about 21st century solutions to 20th century problems
Queens of the Stone Age, Deadsy & Queeny King rock out at SQ
San Quentin is still on many great musicians’ “must” list of places to perform. Queens of the Stone Age, Queeny King and Deadsy are now among the legends such as Johnny Cash, Carlos Santana and Metallica that have rocked the prison. The Nov. 16 rock concert was the final leg of the “Villains World Tour 2018” for the Queens of the Stone Age. Villains is the name of the band’s latest album. The band just returned from Australia. Prisoners filed into the Protestant Chapel by the hundreds, anticipating the powerful guitar riffs and a spectacular … [Read more...] about Queens of the Stone Age, Deadsy & Queeny King rock out at SQ
Senator and author share challenge of passing SB 1437
It’s hard to get laws changed, even harder to make any revisions applicable to people already serving their time, nevertheless Senator Nancy Skinner (D-Berkeley) retroactively transformed California’s felony-murder law with the help of the Re:store Justice organization and others. “Retroactivity was the hardest part, yet it was essential because how can we fix the law, how can we tell people convicted under the unfair rule, sorry stay in prison,” Senator Skinner said. “It’s not right.” Re:store Justice Policy Director Professor Kate … [Read more...] about Senator and author share challenge of passing SB 1437
Florida hosts prison reform conference – FICPFM
More than 50 social justice organizations led by formerly incarcerated people met in Orlando, Fla., last month. The occasion was the second national gathering of the Formerly Incarcerated, Convicted People & Families Movement ( FICPFM ). The first national gathering took place in Oakland in 2016. By Andrew Beale Contributing Writer The conference’s theme this year was “A Quest for Democracy,” and its location allowed attendees to pursue that quest by getting out the vote for Amendment Four, a ballot item that Floridians will vote on … [Read more...] about Florida hosts prison reform conference – FICPFM
50 men graduate from California Re-entry Institute
The idea behind the California Re-entry Institute (CRI) is to begin the re-integration process in prison and continue support services once released. The 18-24-month-to-the- gate program recently graduated more than 50 men in San Quentin State Prison’s Garden Chapel on Sept. 7 from its two programs of Crime Impact Awareness and Empowered Re-entry. “It’s amazing the work they’ve done,” CRI executive director Collette Carroll said. “They come every Saturday. They work hard. They share. They ask for case management. “They are always … [Read more...] about 50 men graduate from California Re-entry Institute
CCWP advocates mount a fight to end LWOP
Advocates are mounting a fight to end the other death penalty—life without the possibility of parole. These “hidden death sentences” mean prisoners must live the rest of their lives in “prisons with extraordinarily high suicide rates, with substandard medical, dental, and mental health care and with scant rehabilitative programs. Prisons rife with gang violence, racism, and despair,” said Kenneth Hartman in a Truthout article. Hartman was recently released from a life without possibility of parole sentence by the California Parole Board, … [Read more...] about CCWP advocates mount a fight to end LWOP
Law enforcement and prisoners come together in Barbershop Dialogue
Law enforcement personnel and incarcerated men met in San Quentin’s Protestant Chapel on Sept. 21 for a first-of-its-kind forum. The idea came from the 2009 New Year’s Eve killing of Oscar Grant by a BART police officer. Jack Bryson’s two sons were with Grant. “That incident made me become a community organizer,” Bryson said in an interview with San Quentin News. “But when I got into the community and met with the people call- ing themselves working to bring justice to Oscar’s death, I didn’t like what I was seeing. Everyone had their own … [Read more...] about Law enforcement and prisoners come together in Barbershop Dialogue
Project Avary march
When a parent winds up behind bars, the children suffer the stigma of that incarceration. That was the message from Project Avary attending San Quentin’s 2nd Annual “March for the Next Generation.” The Sept. 8 march brought together prisoners and young adults, who have been affected by having an incarcerated parent. Project Avary (Alternative Ventures for At-risk Youths) teamed up with San Quentin’s Kid CAT (Creating Awareness Together) youth offender program in organizing the march. “Growing up, the family tells you not to talk about … [Read more...] about Project Avary march