San Quentin News

Written By Incarcerated - Advancing Social Justice

The Early Warnings Of a Prison Pandemic

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Timothy Hicks wrote the following article well before the COVID-19 pandemic hit San Quentin. It foretells the disaster that would unfold at prisons generally and at San Quentin in particular.

The Corona Virus has hit the U.S., prompting a fear is that it may hit prisons, with many questioning its possible impact.

“Given the volume of incarcerated people in America, the conditions under which they are detained, and the current spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus, there is every reason to question whether American detention facilities, as a whole, are up to the challenge,” said Nina J. Ginsberg, the president of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers.

According to Business Insider, the US prison and jail systems have more than two million people incarcerated.

“They’re unique because these people are in tight confines, often tightly packed,” said Dr. Burton Bentley II, emergency medical physician and founder of the consulting firm Elite Medical Experts.

The respiratory virus has sickened almost 100,000 people worldwide, reported the Marshall Project. Almost 5000 people have died so far with many of the initial deaths in Wuhan, China where the virus originated.

At San Quentin, prison officials are taking preventive measures to stop the virus from spreading into the prison from the outside. They have shut down the visiting room at the prison, as well as all the volunteer-led programs.

“I’m going to miss my wife,” said Arthur D. Jackson. “But, she understands why they would do that, because if it got in here in this close environment it would spread like wildfire. Although, I am conflicted and I miss my wife I do understand and I know it is for the best,” said Jackson.

Earlier, college classes within the prison closed down because of the coronavirus.

“It’s disheartening,” said Jackson, who works as the main clerk for Mt. Tamalpais College   (formally known as Patten College.) “It’s going to stagnate a lot of guys’ programs and put their education on hold. Some people are working on their A.A. degrees and earning credits that can reduce their time they spend in prison.”

“The suspension is a hiccup but I really commend the college staff for making that move to suspend its program voluntarily. It shows how much they really care for us in this community in prison,” Jackson added.

According to local news agencies, schools and other social gathering places were recently shut down and those elderly and most vulnerable to the virus were advised to stay home. Now, everyone in the six Bay Area counties has been told to “shelter in place.” Only those in the most essential services will continue to go to their workplaces.

“There is no way to stop it in prison,” said Don Specter, executive director of the Prison Law Office. Specter has been briefed by correctional officials on plans how to handle the COVID – 19 behind bars. This theory is based on protocols on how the prison system handled the flu virus.

In China, the prisons have become a hotbed for the new coronavirus, reported the Business Insider. Iran has already had outbreaks in their prisons of the Covid-19 virus.

According to a Prison Policy Initiative report, some of the considerations to combat the coronavirus:

Release medically fragile and older adults from prisons and jails. Those with complex medical needs are more than likely to be affected. That will reduce the need of care for those who have chronic illnesses. It will also help prevent them from being infected by viral infections like COVID-19. Iran has already given temporary leaves to a quarter of its prison population, said the report.

Other solutions the report lists: Lowering jail admissions to reduce “jail churns.” To reduce the churns some state leaders are re-classifying misdemeanor offenses, reducing parole or probation meetings and even eliminating parole and probation revocations for technical violations altogether.

A joint statement by 31 elected prosecutors from jurisdictions throughout the US supports such changes and also advocates for immediately releasing those who are within six months of finishing their sentences, the San Francisco Chronicle reported.

Meanwhile, Yale School of Public Health epidemiologist Gregg Gonsalves blames the prisons for having many issues that are hazardous. “Prisons throw people into the paths of epidemics, whether it is TB or HIV or corona virus, said Gonsalves.”  He continued, “People without proper ventilation is a perfect breeding ground for quick transmission of any respiratory virus.”  

People who are incarcerated do have health care, but he doubts that it is adequate. “Prison healthcare isn’t what it should be,” said Gonslaves. “The question is whether the U.S., state and local correctional facilities are up to the task of preventing infections and whether they have necessary resources to care for the sick, and I’m not sure they are up to the task.”

CDCR leader and others seek prison reform answers in Norway

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Secretary Diaz calls for a sense of urgency for prison reforms

CDCR Secretary Ralph Diaz (back row, 5th from right) and formerly incarcerated Adnan Khan (in center)

As they covered 5,000 miles and an ocean on an international flight on Sept. 14, CDCR Secretary, Ralph Diaz and Connie Gipson had plenty of time to consider their doubts.

“It won’t work here.”

“California is too big, too violent and plagued by prison gangs.”

Those thoughts soon gave way to excited optimism, as the pair, CDCR’s Secretary and Division of Adult Institutions (DAI) Director, bonded with senior staff from the governor’s office, formerly incarcerated people, peace officer union representatives and criminal justice advocates in a life-changing environment across the globe.

Over six days, Diaz and Gipson toured Norwegian prisons, training facilities and reentry programs, witnessing famed humanistic practices that deliver wellness, safety and empowerment to everyone involved.

The trip, funded by philanthropic programs and organized by an ambitious visionary at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), made significant impact on CDCR leadership. “The world shrunk,” Diaz explained. “I saw staff and inmates engaging in a very positive way, as if the environment belonged to all of them, not just inmates or staff.

“At that moment I saw aspects of this that can be done.”

The team

Diaz and Gipson were joined by California Men’s Colony. Warden Josie Gastelo and Salinas Valley State Prison Warden Matthew Atchley and Captain Edward Brown. Governor Newsom [sent] representatives Daniel Seeman, Deputy Cabinet Secretary, and Kelli Evans, Deputy Legal Affairs Secretary for Criminal Justice in the Office of the Governor.

Other attendees included formerly incarcerated advocates Adnan Khan (Co-Founder of Re:Store Justice) and Sam Lewis (Executive Director of the Anti-Recidivism Coalition), or representatives from the California Correctional Peace Officers Association.

“I think it was the right people in the room, and what was so fascinating was that we all came to our discoveries throughout the week,” Gipson said. “It was really beneficial to have so many different perspectives going through the same experience.”

“We chose Norway because they have a very public health approach to corrections. They say that people go to court to get punished and go to prison to become better neighbors,” said Williams. “Every single policy/procedure and contact with a program is seen as an opportunity to bring health and well-being to people who are incarcerated, and simultaneously this gives staff and correctional officers the opportunity to change people’s lives for the better.”

To make the trip happen, Amend partnered with the community-based nonprofit organization Smart Justice to raise philanthropic funds. The biggest contributors included The Jacob and Valeria Langeloth Foundation and the Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Foundation.

Advocates for all

In Norway, the only human right an incarcerated person loses is liberty. The system, including architecture and habitat, is designed to mimic the community those citizens will return to. Interactions with staff are specifically structured to champion wellness and safety.

“I believe we have segments of what is happening in Norway going on in our institutions,” Diaz said. “We have to line it up, put it on paper and give employees the permission to care about the inmate population and remind them that rehabilitation has been a part of their job since the day they signed up.”

There are clear benefits to the normalcy of the environment for staff as well as inmates. Williams said initial reports from Norway show health and life expectancy metrics for correctional staff mirror the outcomes of other citizens. She pointed to research in California that has highlighted a public health crisis among correctional employees, who are more prone to depression, suicide and poor life expectancy.

Khan, whose work at Re:Store Justice brings victims and offenders together for dialogue and forgiveness, said, “My advocacy has always been about crime survivors, bringing them in to prison, and currently/formerly incarcerated people, but when Brie talked about suicides and life expectancy of staff — that bothered me. I had to reevaluate my advocacy. Am I choosing to be the leader of a specific demographic of justice reform or an advocate for public health and humanity? Human rights and public health advocacy has to include correctional officers that are suffering and in pain.”

How Norway changed

Norway’s prison model, thriving at a reported recidivism rate of 20%, wasn’t built overnight. Advocates point to demands by the Norwegian Parliament that authorized a shift to rehabilitation and humanistic practices in the late 1990s.

Over time, accompanied by changes in sentencing laws, massive changes to all aspects of the correctional system began to take hold.

Those changes go far beyond the supportive housing units with private restrooms, couches, stocked kitchen units or even small forests in recreational yards that keep offenders connected to the world around them.

Officers interact warmly and respectfully on a first-name basis with incarcerated people and are trained much longer—two years versus CDCR’s 13-week Basic Correctional Officer Academy. They are schooled on psychology, criminology, human rights and ethics. The process includes a lot of perspective shifts, like placing an officer in the role of an offender and experiencing different custodial tactics.

“I always look at experiences, trainings with an open mind, but I admit, I was pretty apprehensive about this,” Gipson said. “Early on I felt like this was too good to be true, but the more I started to listen to their concepts and principles of normality, humanity, the more I bought in. Everything clicked, and I was just blown away. I came back excited because I feel there are a lot of possibilities for us.”

CDCR and CCPOA leaders at Norwegian prison

The California way

A theme understood by trip-goers and emphasized by Norwegian officials is the practicality of change.

Norway didn’t evolve into a better form of correctional care immediately, and uprooting the same system and dropping it into a vastly different population is not the solution for California.

“We are not trying to make it the Norway way or the European way but the California way,” Diaz said. “We are a unique, diverse populace with cultures within cultures, but that doesn’t mean we can’t make necessary changes.”

“We just have to make it the California way. That doesn’t mean saying no to security but yes to a different way of doing business that improves the workplace and makes a better life for people returning to our communities,” he added.

Diaz said he looks forward to collaborating with other states that strive for similar innovation and emphasized the importance of supporting an environment that both acknowledges the suffering of crime victims and delivers on a promise to create fewer victims in the future.

He joined Gipson in a presentation to CDCR wardens across the state on Nov. 6, highlighting the most impactful concepts and practices that simultaneously promote wellness, safety and rehabilitation.

“We have to look at our historic policies and ask ourselves about each one: Why? Is it humane?” Diaz said. “As policy makers it is our job to change policies and explain why, because in the end we have to create a more humane prison system.”

The insight inspires action.

“My first step is getting a workgroup together to look at what policies and procedures we have in play that escalate vs. de-escalate,” Gipson said. “I also want to look at our training and talk about giving staff the comfort to manage situations within their authority without fear of making a mistake.”

“My big takeaway is a sense of urgency to make these necessary reforms because we have witnessed positive impact for all those involved in a correctional setting and for those returned to communities,” Diaz said. “I know what can be done. I know the department’s abilities and the ability of staff to get things done.”

That’s the California way.

Rural prison locations make visiting more difficult

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Families visiting incarcerated loved ones throughout the country have to go through numerous challenges just to see a prisoner, according to the Marshall Project.

Those without transportation, as well as with those who drive, have difficulty getting to the prison sites because of where the prisons are located, usually in remote areas, the Dec. 18, 2019 report noted.

In the 1980s the need for more prisons across the country became apparent as more people were being sent to jail and more remote areas’ economies needing new life.

“The rural prison boom in the United States really coincided with the farm crisis and the loss of manufacturing in rural America,” said Tracy Huling, founder of the Prison Public Memory Project, which studies the history of rural prison towns.

“Siting prisons was an apparent quick fix. The land was cheaper, and people either wanted them because they were so desperate for anything to keep their communities from collapsing, or it was easier to overcome opposition in a small place, with fewer people and fewer connections to power.”

One parent, who goes to see her son as often as she can, stated that visiting him requires a 10-hour trip. The son is in prison in another state, so she has to change her work schedule, drive three hours to an airport, catch a plane for a three-hour trip, then rent a car to drive to a hotel. The next day she drives an additional hour to the prison site.

Once at the prison, if not attired properly, she can be turned away without seeing her son. This happened on her first trip when she wore a dress with black and khaki stripes. One of the prohibited colors at that prison is khaki.

“Most of these prisons are out in the middle of nowhere, so you can’t run out and get a new outfit,” she told The Marshall Project reporters. “You learn really quick to fill your trunk with clothing.”

Having to travel so far to see loved ones and encounter rejection or humiliation before you see them is extremely frustrating for most families. This is why only a small percentage of those incarcerated receive regular visits.

It can be particularly discouraging for Blacks and Latinos visiting their incarcerated relatives, the report said. There is the ordeal of traveling to remote locations, where they may be looked upon with disdain by staff or White residents of the town. This can weaken family ties, the report noted.

Most prisons do not have public transportation nearby, so a lot of families try to rideshare. It is not uncommon for the incarcerated to be as far as 500 miles or more from where they were sentenced.

The Marshal Project reported some advocacy groups are working with public agencies to create low-cost transportation options so that more prisoners can receive visits from their families and friends.

Donovan Correctional Facility becomes first American Prison to break ground on restorative justice

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By Shawn Khalifa, Contributor Writer

Sunday Morning Fellowship gathering together for healing

History was made and we were there. It was the first Restorative Justice Fair held inside an American prison.

The three-day August fair opened inside the Facility-E Gymnasium at R.J. Donovan Correctional Facility. One hundred chairs formed the foundation of a connecting circle. Brahmankyrie, a Restorative Justice super-supporter, gave her opening salvo on her BOSE speaker system.

“Welcome!,” she greeted the participants. The overstuffed gym, with tight security, had a long line of residents hoping to enter but they were turned away due to overcrowding. All those within the connection circle were invited to a grounding exercise that involved deep breathing and placing feet flat on the floor—each inhale bringing up positive energy and love from the planet that sustains us, while exhaling negative energy into the core of the earth. “Did you feel it?,” asked the leader

District Attorney Khemal Johnson-Williams came into the prison in the name of Restorative Justice. D.A. Johnson-Williams walked around the entire circle shaking hands and saying his name.

He then joined the circle and passed around questions such as “What can another person do to make you feel valued?” Speaking beads and a microphone were passed around so that all could be heard. Fully participating, D.A. Johnson-Williams transformed from district attorney to a victim of crime. He shared that four of his close family members and a best friend had been tragically murdered. “How do you honor those that you have lost?,” was another question the DA passed around.

“My definition of living amends is not being willing to compromise with criminal behavior due to a changed belief system,”

Dr. Andrea Travers, of VOEG (Victim Offenders Education Group), held a remorse-processing workshop in the prison visiting room.

Brahmankyrie enjoying the day inside prison

“The event made such a strong impact on me because it dealt with remorse, something I have had a hard time dealing with,” said participant Aurelio Martin Sepulveda. “The manner in which the process was explained was very insightful. I was able to relate to everybody present in one way or another. I am grateful to learn from that experience.”

From a stage in the middle of the yard, performers spoke about “giving living amends” during their performances.

“My definition of living amends is not being willing to compromise with any form of criminal behavior due to a changed belief system,” said Melvin Price, a participant performer.

Anon Jon Alexander added, “In sharing our talents with fellow, alongside free staff and visitors, Echo Yard is opening a portal of positive reinforcement, which in turn expedites rehabilitative reintegration back to society.”

Alexander performed “Chrysalis” a song about metamorphosis.

“Because from prisoner to president, we all have the same 24 hours to be used constructively,” said Alexander. “When invested into such creative expression, it is also less likely to get sucked into negative politics or tribalism/violence.”

On Booth Day, thirteen canopies were arranged in a “U” formation facing the stage. Purple decorations were on display (purple being the signifying color for domestic violence awareness). Under the canopies were 26 Arts-In-Corrections programs, peer-to-peer groups, Southwestern College, Mental Health, The Brahman Project, Eastlake Church, and several other service providers.

The fair atmosphere picked up when the booths opened and the stage lineup was in full swing. Bill Brown, of the Prison Yoga Project, got everybody grounded with early morning chair yoga. Romero and Rose followed with a native flute song and rattle. With the relaxing energy established, Essie Mae Horne stepped on stage to share with the crowd her loss. The participants provided a healing ear and were honored by the privilege of being able to hear her story.

District attorney Marissa Bejarano, also came to the prison to talk with its residents. She spoke about the effects of sex trafficking on the victims. It is rare, if not unheard of, for a district attorney to visit the prison to share but Facility-E received two. A moment of silence was also held for the victims of shootings throughout the United States.

Raquel Funches, of Southwestern College, https://www.swccd.edu/ was available to assist, motivate and interact with the facility’s large college student population at their booth. The booths were staffed with a combination of residents and service providers. Funches’ support and generous effort to instill “No Violence” into the culture at this facility will never be forgotten. She is a driving force of Restorative Justice.

“It was an empowering experience to witness,” said Funches. I’m fortunate to have had the opportunity to be included in the residents’ rehabilitative efforts.”

Raquel shared her booth with Tanya, another proud advocate for Restorative Justice, and Patrice, the Director of Southwestern College’s Restorative Justice Program. Another strong voice in the community was the head of the Alternative to Violence Program (AVP), Shandreka, who kindly postponed the AVP class to allow herself, facilitators and students to get the most out of the weekend.

Devaki sending prayers and blessings to everyone

The biggest impact was felt off-stage in the facility’s Multi-Faith Room. One by one, residents read their remorse letters to women who had suffered from abuse. Then a purple friendship bracelet was placed on their wrist.

“We all came together in the spirit of Restorative Justice, and remorse,” said Ryan Grider. “This was the most powerful room I’ve been in during my 17 years of incarceration.”

“An overwhelming feeling of remorse, and surrender filled my heart. For offenders and victims of crime to come together to heal, it speaks volumes of the real work it takes to restore justice. I am so grateful that I had the privilege to be part of this powerful process,” Grider continued.

The fair weekend ended as it began with Brahmankyrie in a jam-packed gymnasium practicing a Satsang meditation of forgiveness. The canopies came down for the last time. The message of connection, love and healing rang throughout the event.

“These three days of the fair were the best days of my life,” said Ruben Radillo, E-yard resident.

Starlight Peace Project– #NoViolence

This article was edited for length and according to the AP style

New York’s Riker’s Island Jail scheduled to close in 2026

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New York Presbyterian Cornell
New York Presbyterian Cornell

After years of debate and discussion, Riker’s Island Jail in New York is scheduled to close in 2026, according to Amanda Ottaway of Courthouse News.

With a reputation as one of the worst facilities to incarcerate human beings, politicians and the community of Queens, New York, felt that it is time to shut Riker’s down.

“Not another person should ever have to suffer through the inhumane conditions and the culture of abuse and violence that Riker’s fosters,” Brandon Holmes, campaign coordinator for #CLOSErikers, said.

Queens and the rest of New York are now faced with finding alternative housing for the current prison population. It is still up in the air whether or not to build new facilities in Queens or move the prisoners elsewhere.

When news of the jail’s future closing got out, some politicians signed-off while others did not. Those who are in favor of closing the facility feel that the jail has a horrible reputation for violence. Many are concerned about overcrowding and poor health conditions.

Others feel that closing the jail would incur the wrath of the public. The five boroughs in New York would have to come up with a plan on where to build another jail facility.

The opposing sides are looking into measures and proposals to slow down the process. Councilman Andy King, who voted not to close the jail, said he would like to see these proposals’ positive impacts before jails are put into neighborhoods.

Those who live in the inner city and suburbs are pushing back and putting up resistance. Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who opposed the closure, pointed out that the proposal does not have a codified timeline for closing Riker’s.

Members of the city’s Land Use Committee feel that setting the goal of completion for 2026 gives both sides time to iron out the kinks and come-up with a solution that satisfies everyone.

In the meantime, Riker’s Island will continue to operate and live-up to its legacy as one of the worst jail facilities in the country for the next seven years.

What happens when the power goes out in prison?

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The power went off at San Quentin State Prison, leaving thousands of prisoners and custody staff together in a dark and perilous situation in October.

In the prison’s North Block and West Block, about 1,500 men were moving around outside of their cells inside the two five-story buildings when the power outage caught them and about a dozen correctional officers off guard.

Some inmates were taking showers when they became enveloped in darkness. Initially, everyone waited for the power and lights to be restored in a few seconds as a matter of routine, but it did not happen.

In the prison’s H-unit dorms, prisoners reported a ratio of two correctional officers to one hundred prisoners in the dark.

According to the California Code of Regulations, Title 15, Article 4 Disorders and Emergencies, Section 3301, Emergency Operations Plan, “Each warden must have in effect at all times an Emergency Operations Plan, approved by the Emergency Planning and Management Unit, to assist in the preparation for response to and recovery from ‘All Hazards’ incidents. All hazards incidents are defined as any disrupt institutional operations or programs.”

PIO Statement: Gardea waiting for plant operation’s. He emailed them and has also said that Lt. Robinson has the answer.

There are no battery powered emergency flood lights activated in the West and North Block housing units because they don’t exist, and the backup generator system failed to provide standby power as it was inoperable for more than six hours.

The correctional officers in West Block had to use small handheld flashlights and one portable floodlight to help guide hundreds inmates to their cells with limited visibility in pitch black darkness.

As the building grew silent, correctional officers’ radio transmissions could be heard: “All officers are instructed to walk in pairs or groups of three or four.”

The power went out around 8:40 p.m. and didn’t come back on until shortly after 3:00 a.m.

When the power went out, inmates who required CPAP machines for breathing couldn’t use them. Toilets in the cells at San Quentin could not be flushed because they’re connected to timers that control the number of flushes per hour. The water in the showers and sinks went cold within minutes.

What appeared to be a dangerous and volatile situation for correctional officers and inmates ended without a major incident or injuries. In the first minutes, some inmates shouted and made jokes, but as it became apparent the lights were not turning back on, they found their way to their cells on their own as the public address was de-energized and of no use.

Some inmates assisted others by taking their portable battery-operated reading lights out on the tiers and to the shower area to help each other see their way safely back to their cells.

“I waited an hour for the generator to kick in,” said Lonnie Morris. “I just knew the power was going to kick back in. After an hour, I knew the generator wasn’t coming on, so I went to sleep.”

The stalled generator response to the power outage came several months after the Associated Press reported on a state-commissioned study that said California’s 12 oldest prisons are in “need of major repairs or replacements if they are to continue housing a third of the state’s inmate population…”

“What the state has done is ignore the need to routinely replace some critical infrastructure for decades,” said Don Specter, director of the Prison Law Office, a nonprofit organization that works on lawsuits involving the welfare of inmates. “Decades of deferred maintenance have led to this.”

An unidentified inmate who was returning from another area of the prison outside could be heard in the cell block saying “the hospital stayed lit.” Others speculated that the hospital must have a backup generator that works separately from the rest of the prison’s backup power.

“I don’t know who lives in those houses out there, but they’re all lit up,” said a volunteer at San Quentin who did not want to be identified. He said the houses on the right-hand side of the prison entrance all had their lights on. “Even the post office was all lit up.” He said he went to pick up his mail there the following day and that the generators at the prison could be heard.

Forty-eight hours after Pacific Gas & Electric cut the power to San Quentin, the prison was still running on generators. Even then the power cut off at least three times but came back on seconds later. At about 8:00 p.m., after the third time, however, the prison did an institution lockup, recalling prisoners back to their cells.

Conditions unsafe for the incarcerated in some southern prisons

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Many prisons in the South lack air conditioning and this creates life-threatening conditions in heat spells, the Prison Policy Initiative reports.

“The lack of air conditioning in Southern prisons creates unsafe — even lethal –conditions,” the report stated. “Prolonged exposure to extreme heat can cause dehydration and heat stroke, both of which can be fatal.”

Some courts have ruled that prison standards on incarcerating people in extreme cold or heat violates prisoners’ constitutional 8th Amendment rights. Those states include Arizona, Mississippi and Wisconsin.

Ninety-five percent of households in the South have air conditioning, but almost none of southern state prisons do.

“The lack of air conditioning in Southern prisons creates unsafe — even lethal –conditions”

“People outside of prison who experience extreme heat have the options that prisoners lack — they can take a cool shower, drink water, move into the shade, or go to a place that is air conditioned,” quoted Prison Legal News in a 2018 article. “For prisoners, those options are generally unavailable.”

Heat related illnesses can be exacerbated by certain prescribed medications. These are but not limited to Zoloft, Cymbalta, Prozac, and Lexapro, (do not stop taking any medication with- out your doctors permission). There are also certain medical conditions that can lead to heat related illnesses such as diabetes, and obesity. Heat has a greater effect on those that are older. This demographic has an increased risk of cardiovascular, and respiratory illnesses.

“Everyone understands that if you leave a child in a car on a hot day, there’s a serious risk this child could be injured or die,” said ACLU Director David Fathi to The Intercept. “And that’s exactly what we’re doing when we leave a prisoner locked in cells when the heat and humidity climb beyond a certain level.”

Most prisons are constructed from heat retaining materials such as concrete and rebar. This can contribute to higher temperatures inside prison cells.

A fan could possible make a difference in regulating heat, but a fan in a Texas prison commissary costs $20, an astronomical fee when prisoners in Texas are not paid for their labor.

“It routinely feels as if one’s sitting in a convection oven being slowly cooked alive,” said Benny Hernandez, a Texas prisoner. “There is no respite from the agony that the heat in Texas prisons inflicts.”

Prison Policy Initiative believes air conditioning should be a human right and not an amenity or privilege. When it’s withheld, it can subject people to conditions that can constitute cruel and unusual punishment. In some cases, death sentences, according to the article.

The visionary who resurrected San Quentin News

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Former Warden Robert Ayers Jr.

Eleven years ago, former San Quentin warden Robert Ayers Jr. pulled the San Quentin News from the dust heap and revitalized the inmate-run publication more than 20 years after it had been officially suspended.

Ayers’ decision was a gamble. But it paid off to the benefit of thousands of prisoners and other readers around the world who learn about criminal justice, incarceration, rehabilitation and reentry from stories advancing social justice, written by incarcerated journalists.

“At that time, I wanted to get some quality journalism out and hopefully have other institutions do the same,” said Ayers during a recent visit to SQ News. He said as warden, he was used to doing things without a lot of oversight. So in 2008, when the News was restarted, the California Department of Corrections allowed it, as long as it stayed at San Quentin.

“I believed at the time good things were going to come of this,” said Ayers. “I saw this as a vehicle for people to know who inmates are.” He said he wanted to take the mystique out of who inmates are because “inmates are not a subset of humanity.”

In October, Ayers and his wife Peggy accepted an invitation to visit SQ News and attend one of its weekly staff meetings with some of the newspaper’s volunteer advisers. It was the first time he’d seen the newsroom since it relocated to the prison’s media center.

Ayers greets SQN Advisers Linda Xiques and Joan Lisetor

The celebrated podcast Ear Hustle was far in the future when Ayers brought SQ News back to life. Ayers said, “I didn’t have any notion of a podcast or anything else.” (The newspaper and Ear Hustle share space in the media center, but have separate staffs.) Ayers said when he revived the newspaper, he did not envision a journalism guild to teach new writers or that the SQ News would become so big.

Ayers became a correctional officer at San Quentin in 1968. Then, he said the SQ News was a four-page paper. “There was very little news.” It was a publication about news on the prison yard.

According to Ayers, rumor had it that outside influences tried to guide the content of SQ News in the turbulent 1980s. The paper was shut down in the mid-1980s, along with every other prison newspaper in the state. “The reason it was stopped is because it couldn’t be censored anymore,” he said. “That’s the truth.” California courts had sided with inmate journalists in a number of cases in which prison administrators attempted to censor content.

Ayers left San Quentin in 1986 as a lieutenant. Over the years, he’s worked at Pelican Bay State Prison, California State Prison Sacramento, and filled in as warden at California State Prison Los Angeles. When he was offered the job as warden at San Quentin, he said it took him about 30 seconds to make his decision.

Ayers returned to San Quentin in the spring of 2006. He said it was a place that he had “kinship with.” But it was known for doing things its own way. “I wanted to change that, but I also wanted to do something about the inmate population.”

Ayers: “if it can be broadcast and printed out there, why can’t it be printed in San Quentin News?”

When SQ News was publishing in the 1980s, it didn’t do much for the prison population, according to Ayers. Upon returning to the prison, he wanted to “get the staff respect back” and do something that would benefit the entire inmate population. He said he wanted to provide a means for people to build other useful skills in another venue.

Ayers said he believed the newspaper needed to be under the education department. “It was a hard sell to the principal at the time,” he said, so he went to the vocational printing instructor, John Wilkerson. “He was on it.”

One of Ayers’ key objectives was to provide good guidance. He said he wanted to build ethics. “Once you build that, a warden is not needed.” He said the advisors to the newspaper are providing role model status to the men who associate with and learn from people who are productive. He said when the men can look to people like that and form their own mind, that goes a long way because “the media is still a pillar of our society.”

Warden Ayers invited retired journalist John C. Eagan to spearhead the rebirth of the newspaper. Later, Ayer’s assistant, Lt. Rudy Luna, brought on retired journalists Steve McNamara and Joan Lisetor on board. McNamara was former owner and publisher of the Pacific Sun. Lisetor was an adviser to the newspaper in the 1980s. They all answered the call and are still volunteers with the SQ News along with dozens of others.

“This was not a small thing to take on,” said Ayers. “I’m not saying all of the resistance (to starting a newspaper in prison) was unfounded.”

When the News was being revised, Ayers said there was early dialog with the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) about what it was going to allow to be printed.

Ayers argued that the men watch television, listen to radio, subscribe to newspapers and magazines so they already had access to information. “What are they going to print that’s going to set the world on fire?” he said.

When the newspaper was revived, “We were basically ignored because they (CDCR) didn’t know we existed,” said McNamara. “Since we’ve become much more visible, we’ve reached a good accommodation.”

Ex Warden Ayers, Steve McNamara and San Quentin News staff outside the SQ media center

Ex Warden Ayers, Steve McNamara and San Quentin News staff outside the SQ media center

The role CDCR represen- tatives have with SQ News:

• Check the factual content of material sourced directly or indirectly from CDCR or relating to the California criminal justice system.
• Check for content that actually or potentially endangers the safety of prisoners, CDCR personnel, the prison system or the public.

• Content deemed questionable is flagged with observations or suggested changes. Warranted revisions are made by the newspaper staff with the guidance of its professional advisers.

The SQ News requested that review of the paper by the CDCR, before publication, to not include re-writes or calls for changes in the newspaper’s content selection, writing style, balance, identified opinions or other aspects of journalistic choice. These are the purview of the newspaper staff with the guidance of its professional advisers.

“People all fear what they don’t know,” said Ayers. “One of the fears of starting a paper is there are those who think it will be an inmate rant rag. But when it’s the truth you can’t swat that away.”

There was never a story he worried about. “As far as I’m concerned, if it can be broad- cast and printed out there, why can’t it be printed in SQ News ?” said Ayers. There was, however, a story about administrative segregation that raised concern. Some people didn’t want it called “the hole,” but he asked what sense does that make because everyone out on the yard calls it “the hole.”

Regarding humanizing the men, Ayers said he wanted the men to humanize each other. “Everybody in prison, whether it’s staff or prisoners, tend to buy into the notion that men are inmates.”

When Ayers restarted the paper, he wanted people to be proud of it and to “remain open.”

“You’re doing your job,” he said to the News staff. “I think you’re part of that” (prison reform). “My only recommendation is to be open to growth.

“I still look at it online,” said Ayers. “This is certainly not something we were doing 11 years ago, and it won’t be the same two years from today.”

The staff and advisers all thanked Ayers and applauded his “courageous decision” to restart the newspaper.

“I think a lot of running a prison can be, and usually is, a mine field,” said Ayers. “You don’t always know where those mines are hidden. You don’t want to be the one to step on one and have it blow up.” He warned that once you take that big step into the unknown, “Have clarity in your own mind.”

Former SQ Warden Robert Ayers, Peggy Ayers, and SQN Adviser Steve McNamara

Ayers stepped off, and left a legacy that he now shares with his predecessor, Clinton T. Duffy (SQ warden 1940-1952), who established SQ News in 1940. If not for Ayers, though, the News may have remained dormant for decades longer.

Editor’s Note: Today, SQ News prints 30,000 newspapers each month and distributes them to all 35 CDCR prisons, four juvenile facilities, university and public libraries, to hundreds of donors that include individuals outside of California. It publishes the quarterly magazine Wall City, the newsletter Inside SQ News and the website sanquentinnews.com. The state of California does not fund the paper. It is funded by grants from foundations and generous private donations. You can follow us on Twitter: @SanQuentinNews.

Twelve CDCR prisons are in dire need of repair

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Don Spector, Director of the Prison Law Office: “Prisons are literally crumbling”

San Quentin’s West Block

Twelve of California’s oldest prisons are in need of repair or replacement, according a state-commissioned study recently made public.

San Quentin State Prison, California’s oldest prison, built in 1852, is one of the 12 prisons that has “exceeded (its) expected useful life,” the private consultant, Kitchell CEM said in its initial report to the state.

The study also included Folsom State Prison, the second oldest prison in California built in 1880, and prisons “repurposed” after use as military housing during World War II.

According to The Associated Press, the Kitchel CEM study does not provide an estimated cost to repair the 12 prisons. It did say, however, that “the projected cost to fix one prison built in 1955 was estimated at more than $763 million.”

“Do the math—11 other prisons,” said Donald Specter, director of the Prison Law Office, a nonprofit that works on major lawsuits concerning inmates’ welfare. “Prisons are literally crumbling.”

“The state committed $260 million over four years to repair leaking roofs at more than two dozen of the state’s 35 prisons, where the cost of overdue maintenance is estimated at more than $1 billion,” the AP reported.

California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) spokeswoman Terry Thornton said the department initiated the study three years ago. “It’s to guide future planning and investment in the department’s infrastructure needs,” she said.

AP reported, “…while a majority of prison buildings and other infrastructure are ‘beyond their useful life,’ they may still be in operational condition,” adding the completion of repairs would allow the prison to operate in the future.

“Decades of deferred maintenance have led to this,” said Specter. “What the state has done is ignore the need to routinely replace some of these critical infrastructure for decades.” He expressed concern that some areas at facilities are possibly uninhabitable, AP reported.

“These prisons have been put through the ringer,” Specter said. “Many of them have not only been inhabited past their useful life, but they put thousands more people in them than they were designed for, so that takes its toll as well.”

Many of the prisons are needed for the CDCR to remain below a population cap of 137.5% of design capacity imposed by federal courts, according

to the AP. “The consultants recommended repairing some buildings but said others, including some housing units, should be replaced.” The AP said California Medical Facility in Vacaville was the only prison provided with a completed estimate of $763.5 million for repairs, and a CDCR medical facility opened six years ago in Stockton had an estimate of $839 million for repairs.

Spending for improvements would have to first get approval from state lawmakers and budget officials, according to the AP.

“Three-quarters of a billion dollars just for one prison,” said Spector, the AP reported. “The price tag is enormous.”

Avenal State Prison holds first annual Children’s Hospital art donation

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All those who created artwork pieces featuring roses, cards, and knitted R2D2 and BB8 (inserts) for the Valley Children’s Hospital

This is the first annual Valley Children’s Hospital hobby donation on C-yard. By Ms. D’s graciousness we were able to host a hobby donation for the children. Those photographed participated by putting their talents together, in a joint effort to bring joy to a child’s heart through arts and crafts. The items donated included: drawings, paintings, cards, colorings, models, paper-mâchés, bracelets, necklaces, beanies, stuffed animals, etc. We have so many talents and what better way to use those talents than donate to a child who must en- dure much more than we do at such a young age.

I encourage every yard in this facility to find the time to donate to those less fortunate. As difficult as our struggles maybe, they do not compare to a sick child’s. Your thought alone can bring strength; our prayers can expand their horizons, and our change and growth can bring healing. If it’s just a smile on a child’s face then that should be enough. A special thanks to Ms. D for making this a reality. Make a difference!

Artists holding up their work

The pain, suffering, and damage that our hands have done is unthinkable. For many of us, we can never make up for the harm we have caused. But does that excuse us from giving back? From making an effort to repair our lives and the lives of others? There is no better way to accomplish this than giving to those less fortunate.

Here at Avenal State Prison, on Facility C, the men had the opportunity to put their talents together for a cause very precious and dear to every one of our hearts, giving back to children less fortunate who must endure a struggle far greater than our own.
These gentlemen you see here helped, with the use of their hands and creative talents, made the items on display. From drawings to paintings, from bead items to sculptures, even a knitted R2D2 and Darth Vader were made for the kids at the Valley Children’s Hospital in Madera. The amends process begins here, and being a part of this was a tremendous blessing and a privilege.

I would like to give a special thank you to Mrs. DeArmand for being the link we needed for this special event to take place. Her willingness to help us get the hobby donations to the children made all this possible.
The weight of the harm we caused weighs heavy. With every moment we spend dwelling on the weight how will we ever be free of it? The only way to lessen the weight is to give what has so freely been given us. The majority of us have second chances in life, one of those children might not. To give back what we’ve taken; peace, stability, security, and maybe even a life, seems impossible. But with each kindness, with each selfless act of service, help, and giving we have the opportunities to bridge the gaps that our decisions and crimes have created. It’s never too late to give back. I am so thankful to be a part of the healing and what is happening here at Avenal State Prison. Even beyond these fences, for all my fellow incarcerated men who take the initiative and make amends by giving back, I applaud you. I’m encouraged. Now becoming men of honor. Our crimes do not define us, they have the potential to rebuild us, if we let them. Let the past give you motivation in giving to those who need us in the present which will inevitably create a safer tomorrow.

Barry Wilson, Avenal participant

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