Construction at San Quentin Rehabilitation Center has unleashed an infestation of vermin at the institution—in general, it has been rodents, rats in specific.

Major renovation on the Upper Yard, installation of a building to house a new boiler, and construction of a $240 million dollar education complex on the Lower Yard at the institution has disturbed the habitat of raccoons, squirrels, rats and other creatures.

Displaced rats scatter even as construction begins to wrap up. In the meantime, the SQRC administration has taken measures to prevent their spread throughout the prison.

“We’re rodent hit men,” Joe Greer said with a joking smile. He is an SQRC carpenter II who doubles as pest control with an inmate crew of three.

The team of four was on the Lower Yard in late November laying old-fashioned wooden snap traps, sticky traps made by Catch Master, and Ditrac Blox. The label on a bucket that contained the edible blocks states “Kills rats and mice.”

Some inmates thought an odor emitted from an unknown repellant was rat poison. Greer’s crew—Steve Stevens, Victor Mendoza and Allen Crews—presented a container of peppermint oil.

“They don’t like it,” Greer said about the oil and rats. He said when the rodents smell the repellant, “They bounce.”

Victor Mendoza held a jar of Skippy brand peanut butter used to lure rats onto sticky traps. “The rats get Skippy and we inmates get CalPIA state peanut butter,” he said. They all laughed.

“Rats always have to be chewing,” said Greer. He said it is because their teeth will continue to grow and protrude too far and cause them problems.

Greer said rats chew through various materials to gain entry to buildings and to forage. He said to prevent that an excluder like steel wool is used to steer the rats from that course of action.

The four-man pest control team was cheerful as they laid traps and oil inside the education buildings and in the prison’s media center. 

The pest control crew said they move about the prison to combat rodents in the gym, education buildings, housing units, kitchen, staff snack bar, wall post, and other areas of the prison impacted by the rodent invasion.

“I do [guard] towers and gun rails,” said Greer.

Inmates have said there is evidence the infestation has reached boxes of food stored in the commissary where they shop. The administration seems to be aware of the problem in that area.

“We do the canteen twice a day,” said Mendoza.