Holy Week is the Catholic Church’s most sacred time of the year. It is the remembrance of Christ’s crucifixion and resurrection. The celebration at San Quentin’s Catholic Chapel, which was open to all, started with the Mass of the Lord’s Supper on Holy Thursday, April 18, and ended with Vespers on Easter Sunday. “This is the high point of the Christian year, and it goes back to the earliest celebration of the Church,” said SQ Catholic Chaplain Father George Williams. Thursday night’s mass began with the Last Supper celebration. “It … [Read more...] about San Quentin celebrates Holy Week
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More credits offered under Prop 57
“As of May 1, 2019 (under new emergency regulations), people can earn 10 days of (Rehabilitative Achievement) credit for every 52 hours of participation(in eligible self- help and volunteer public service activities), up to a maximum of 40 days credit per year.” The programming credits under Proposition 57 have been enhanced once again, and many inmates are happy to see these changes. Inmate David Hill said, “I think it’s a good thing; it’s go- ing to make me more inclined to stay in my groups now that the credit hours roll over into … [Read more...] about More credits offered under Prop 57
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
San Quentin News hosts fundraiser gala for community supporters
The award-winning San Quentin News has become one of the few prison projects ever to hold its own fundraising gala in California. The Nov. 23 inaugural event, hailed as “historic,” took place at Marin Shakespeare Company’s headquarters in San Rafael and was attended by 43 supporters, who donated more than $2,000 for the newspaper. The dinner, which was well attended despite the rain, attracted formerly incarcerated persons, current volunteers and community members interested in social justice. Although the paper’s … [Read more...] about San Quentin News hosts fundraiser gala for community supporters
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
Veterans’ toy drive is “all about the kids”
Toys collected for the Veterans’ Toy Drive in the SQ visiting room It was toys and smiles all around as dozens of children came to visit their dads in San Quentin State Prison at Christmas-time. “It’s all about the kids,” said Tony Burch, vice chair of the veterans group that sponsored the Toys for Tots event in its thirtieth year. “I just love to see the expressions on the faces of the kids,” said Army veteran Garvin Robinson, long-time secretary and treasurer of the Veterans Group at San Quentin. Robinson admitted that sometimes … [Read more...] about Veterans’ toy drive is “all about the kids”
Options program graduates men from San Quentin’s reception center
Options facilitators (in-blue), Kathy Narasaki, Tom Gorham and reception graduates holding their certificates Fermin Fernandez says he used meth for 41 years starting when he was 13. “I thanked the officer for arresting me. I wanted to quit but couldn’t just quit.” In January, Fernandez was a member of the first Reception Center graduation class of the Options Recovery Services addiction initiative. In September 2018, the Options program took its incarcerated counselors where none had ever gone before – the Reception Center – to help men … [Read more...] about Options program graduates men from San Quentin’s reception center
SQ All-Madden Football making best of short season
SQ All-Madden Football On Nov. 3 the home team gave the Chosen a 44-20 beat down worthy of crime-scene tape. All Madden and Chosen “San Quentin has absolutely no shortage of athletes to fill the roster but this year has been difficult getting teams from the outside in to compete against,” All-Madden Head Coach Royce Rose said. This year, the baseball program has cleared about 400 community volunteers to come play at San Quentin – the flag football program cleared 14 according to Branden Riddel-Terrell, the quarterback for All Madden … [Read more...] about SQ All-Madden Football making best of short season
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
Prison journalism gaining traction throughout the nation
Prison journalism is gaining popularity in California and America, including San Quentin. For several years, inmates from coast to coast have been receiving instruction on how to write as journalists for prison publications. Several prisons within the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) already have newspapers and newsletters. Others have contacted the San Quentin News to inquire on how to start their own publication. “An inmate publication means any journal, magazine, bulletin, newsletter, newspaper, or … [Read more...] about Prison journalism gaining traction throughout the nation