Dante Callegari has announced his retirement after training hundreds of San Quentin inmates in modern construction technology (MCT). The announcement came Aug. 28 at the graduation for the first class of the job-readiness program called RISE. “We do a lot here at San Quentin to teach job skills,” Warden Ron Davis said at the event. “There’s Dante’s program, coding and the machine shop. There’s a lot we do here to give you guys the skills to get a job and stay out.” RISE aims to prepare incarcerated people how to interview for … [Read more...] about Last RISE inmate graduation for Dante Callegari
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Common visits SQ music program
David Jassy playing music for Common and guests Hip-hop artist Rashid “Common” Lynn heard about the positive music being produced from prison by David Jassy, a Grammy-nominated Swedish rapper and producer, and came into San Quentin to meet about a collaborative project. “He has a genuine interest in prison reform,” Jassy said. “They heard about the YOP mixtape and they have ideas they want to discuss.” The YOP mixtape, produced by Jassy, showcases the raw voices of young incarcerated rappers rhyming about their truths, without glorifying … [Read more...] about Common visits SQ music program
29 years in prison is enough for Mike Webb
After six parole hearings and 29 years in prison, Mike Webb, a beloved Kid CAT member, was found suitable for parole. “Mike Webb is one of the most compassionate and committed persons that I know,” said Charlie Spence, Kid CAT Chairman. “We will all miss him very much, because he has been such a positive impact in our group and in this community.” The youngest of three children, Webb was born and raised in Los Angeles by his single mother. “Growing up without a father was tough,” he says. “I didn’t have anyone I could turn to, to learn … [Read more...] about 29 years in prison is enough for Mike Webb
High Desert Prison warden sets the record straight
By some accounts, High Desert State Prison is one of California’s most notorious penitentiaries. Warden Marion E. Spearman wants to clear up that impression. He argues that the prison, its staff and inmates have undergone change. It’s no longer a prison that just houses young men with youth management problems. “There’s a new vision and mission for High Desert State Prison,” Spearman said. “The staff lives up to that (challenge).” According to Spearman, High Desert is now about rehabilitation, a safe environment, healthcare, teaching skill … [Read more...] about High Desert Prison warden sets the record straight
Blues musician Maxx Cabello rocks the yard
Maxx Cabello Jr.’s guitar wizardry entertained San Quentin’s Lower Yard June 23, as the visiting blues musician and singer debuted his new “Tattoos and Blues” album. The performer has traveled the world and opened for musical legends like B.B. King and Earth, Wind and Fire. Cabello’s magnetic notes cut through San Quentin’s hyperactive weekend activities ― the usual outdoor workouts and basketball games. The energetic music drew small groups of prisoners to Cabello on the stage, as though he were the Pied Piper. “I hope I have inspired … [Read more...] about Blues musician Maxx Cabello rocks the yard
Former inmate develops “prison instagram”
Marcus Bullock discovered a wealth of entrepreneurial insights during his time behind bars. His prison experiences inspired him to create Flikshop—an innovative app that helps incarcerated people remain close to their loved ones. Flikshop takes any image sent from a cell phone and turns it into a postcard that the inmate will receive through regular mail. “We are called the Instagram of prison,” Bullock recently told San Quentin News. “We keep families connected.” “We want to ensure a person in every cell receives mail every day,” he said. … [Read more...] about Former inmate develops “prison instagram”
California’s early release programs ACP
California has several little-known programs that have allowed hundreds of prison inmates to go home up to a year early. Prisoners must apply to participate. More than a thousand people have been able to serve the last 12 months of their sentence in their communities. The main program is called the Alternative Custody Program (ACP). It places inmates in a residential home, residential drug-treatment program, or transitional care facility. “64% of California’s jail population is awaiting trial or sentencing as of December 2016.” Most remain … [Read more...] about California’s early release programs ACP
The 100th Edition of San Quentin News
As San Quentin News celebrates its 100th published edition since the newspaper was revived in 2008, the paper’s history is not well known to most of its readers. The News has a predecessor. It’s Wall City News, a publication started at San Quentin in the 1920s. It ran until the mid-1930s before it ceased operation. Several years later, Warden Clinton T. Duffy had an idea. In his book, The San Quentin Story, he wrote, “The grapevine throbbed with weird gossip ... I decided that the obvious answer, if we could swing it, would be a regular … [Read more...] about The 100th Edition of San Quentin News
CBS’ Ted Koppel visits Ear Hustle
As part of a 1961 class project, a Stanford student named Ted Koppel, age 21, went inside San Quentin to study the U.S. criminal justice system. And 57 years later, he came back, this time as a correspondent with CBS Sunday Morning. “It’s that we incarcerate more people than any other nation,” Koppel said referring to the high incarceration rate in the United States (700 prisoners per 100,000 population). He added, “That seems to be contradictory to who we are as a nation. The U.S. has 5 percent of the world’s population. However, 25 percent … [Read more...] about CBS’ Ted Koppel visits Ear Hustle
The impact on children of incarcerated parents
An audience of fathers at San Quentin State Prison cried as they watched the screening of a film that showed the impact on children when their parents go to prison. “I almost broke down three times,” San Quentin News staffer De'jon Joy said. “My boys are tattooed on my hand; I’ve been in the visiting room with my sons and on the other side of GTL (Global Tel Link, the prison collect-call phone system company). I feel like you were telling my life story. The film was perfect.” The movie is called Tre Maison Dasan: A Story of Boyhood Marked by … [Read more...] about The impact on children of incarcerated parents