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
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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
Grammy award winning Zuill Bailey performs in SQ
A Grammy Award-winning cellist, Zuill Bailey, performed an hour-long concert at San Quentin State Prison’s Protestant Chapel. Bailey is considered one of the premier cellists in the world, and yet he decided to play before an audience of prisoners, staff and volunteers in a place where few artists have ever set foot. After achieving so much renown, Bailey visited the prison on April 27 to share his music with men who rarely partake of the fine arts. “It’s very special to be here,” said Bailey. “I’m looking forward to sharing this kind of … [Read more...] about Grammy award winning Zuill Bailey performs in SQ
San Quentin News Launches Wall City Magazine
San Quentin, California – May 21, 2018 – The premiere issue of Wall City, a magazine that reflects the curiosity, intellect, dedication and professionalism of the men working as journalists inside San Quentin, will be released on May 29, the editors of San Quentin News announced. Copies of Wall City will be distributed to the libraries and administrators of every California prison. Members of the public can access a free digital version or order print copies via MagCloud . A link will be published at sanquentinnews.com for easy access. … [Read more...] about San Quentin News Launches Wall City Magazine
ROOTS Solidarity Run helps spirits of the community
While community volunteers ran in the Oakland Run Festival to raise money for an ethnic studies program at San Quentin State Prison, 33 incarcerated men ran in solidarity with them. The Asian Prisoner’s Support Community (APSC) ran to raise funds for the Restoring Our Original True Selves (ROOTS) program on March 24 and 25. “Our community and volunteers, in their free time, ran to raise money for us,” Kevin “K” Neang, the ROOTS incarcerated chairman, said. “Let us show solidarity and run with them.” The 33 incarcerated participants completed … [Read more...] about ROOTS Solidarity Run helps spirits of the community
Queeny King performs at SQ
At age 8, singer-song writer Queeny King sang in a Soviet Union prison. In March, she performed at San Quentin State Prison. Dressed in black bell-bottom pants with buttons along the side and wearing a black blazer with a shiny brown blouse, King put on a look that, on its face, could have been interpreted as belonging to rock, goth, punk or the pop genre of music. It became obvious none of that was her once the music played and she started singing. King’s song Run for the Hills opened the early evening performance with DJ Kraig (Frank Tyler) … [Read more...] about Queeny King performs at SQ
French journalist films San Quentin Death Row inmate
Keith Zon Doolin is on death row despite evidence of his innocence, according to Agnes Buthion, a French journalist who has directed a documentary called “20 Years on Death Row.” Interviewed by The Fresno Bee, Buthion said that she hoped to highlight Doolin’s innocence. In 1996, Doolin was convicted of a crime spree shooting six sex workers in Central California. The result of his conviction was a sentence of death. Doolin is housed in East Block at San Quentin death row. During her filming Buthion interviewed Doolin and visited the crime … [Read more...] about French journalist films San Quentin Death Row inmate
Overview of inmate deaths in 2017 in CDCR
The thought of dying in prison is every inmate’s worst fear, be it the death from violence, old age or disease. It’s a nightmare. Nevertheless, inmates should keep their emergency information updated said Dr. Tootell, San Quentin’s chief medical officer (CMO). Unlike Charles Manson, the cult leader who died in November, the majority of prisoners won’t have people fighting it out in court over who gets their remains. In 2017, 11 men died serving time in San Quentin. “The men should consider using a younger family member to receive … [Read more...] about Overview of inmate deaths in 2017 in CDCR