At San Quentin Rehabilitation Center, residents of the Guiding Rage Into Power program recently graduated.

This unique program emphasizes self-examination, courage, and providing a pathway to rehabilitation for individuals who have stumbled in life by making choices that led them to prison.

Resident Max Robinson commenced the event by facilitating a peaceful meditation with graduates and attendees. This meditation emphasized connection and the present moment, prompting everyone to place one hand over their heart and one over their stomach while taking a deep breath. This exercise underscored the importance of choosing connection over correction. 

GRIP offers the incarcerated at San Quentin Rehabilitation Center the opportunity to channel their anger into positive action by embracing the four pillars of the program: cultivating mindfulness, developing emotional intelligence, ceasing violence, and understanding the impact of victim and survivor experiences. Additionally, as a part of the program, graduates pledge to become ambassadors of peace.

Warden C. Andes expressed his pride for the GRIP graduates and their accomplishment and shared words of encouragement toward the family members of the incarcerated graduates. He humorously remarked, “I recently attended a waiting list meeting and GRIP is highly competitive.”

Latice Collins, a GRIP graduate from tribe 753, shared, “Our GRIP chant serves as a reminder of the challenges and trauma the individuals in our tribes have faced,” said Collins. “Graduating as a member of this tribe, we collectively have spent 753 years incarcerated. When we chant 753 HO-RAH, it signifies our unity.”

Resident dog trainers, Francisco “Frank” Siordia of tribe 833 and Randy Thompson of tribe 599, from the Canine Companions program here at San Quentin had two special guests in the audience. Their puppies, Squire and Segi, eagerly awaited their names to be called as they received their certificates and took photographs.