San Quentin News

Written By Incarcerated - Advancing Social Justice

Education

Banned books on the rise in Michigan prisons

By

The number of books being banned by Michigan’s prison system has seen a significant increase of late, according to a January Vice story, which describes the process by which a title is deemed inappropriate for prisoner consumption as “totally subjective.”  Attorney Adam Steinbaugh filed a public … [Read More...]

MS. STANCIU: ABE-II INSIGHTS

By

Armed with her belief in second chances, ABE-II instructor Alina Stanciu faces the many challenges of teaching incarcerated students. She recently took the time to answer a few questions about her first year teaching at San Quentin, and what brought her this far in her career.  SQNews: Why did … [Read More...]

Mt. Tam, Stanford mull Three Strikes partnership

By

The California Three Strikes Project at Stanford Law School and Mount Tamalpais College are considering a class where law students and incarcerated people sit together to learn about criminal justice reform.  Mike Romano, the director of the Three Strikes Project and author of Proposition 36, a … [Read More...]

CALPIA GRADS HONORED AT RJ DONOVAN

By

By Michele Kane, CALPIA Assistant General Manager, External Affairs Rain couldn’t dampen the spirits at a graduation ceremony hosted by the California Prison Industry Authority (CALPIA) at RJDonovan Correctional Facility (RJD) in early November.  Forty-one graduates received their … [Read More...]

DREAMING BIG

By

Bob Goff’s Love Does programawards scholarships to fourSan Quentin residents Four San Quentin residents received college scholarships from the Love Does Prison Education Scholarship Program, ranging from $8,000 to $12,000, after attending the Dream Big workshop.  The mission of Love Does is … [Read More...]

CHANGING OF THE GUARD

By

Retiring education officer leaves legacy of compassion, professionalism After more than 10 years, San Quentin’s education front desk is getting a change of personnel. Correctional Officer E. Sanford retired from his long-held post. Sanford worked within CDCR for more than 20 years, most of them … [Read More...]

An Educator’s Guide to Prison

By

By Nick Hacheney andTomas KeenReprinted by permissionfrom College Inside What should educators know before walking into a prison? The landscape may look vaguely familiar, Nick Hacheney and Tomas Keen write, but don’t be fooled. There’s a lot outsiders can’t see, and need to understand. As prison … [Read More...]

Mt. Tam College hosts symposium

By

Mount Tamalpais College staff hosted a long-awaited symposium that featured research results on the benefits of college attendance to incarcerated and formerly incarcerated people. The event was held on Aug. 25 in San Quentin’s education B building. MTC staff member Jen Juras welcomed everyone … [Read More...]

MT. TAM WELCOMES NEW STAFF

By

By Amy Shea, Mt. Tam College I recently celebrated my one-year anniversary with Mount Tamalpais College (MTC), as the Writing Program Director. I am amazed to see all the amazing changes and growth we’ve experienced inthat time, including new opportunities with the computer lab and the student … [Read More...]

Incarceration rates linked to illiteracy

By

Children with low reading rates also have a statistically higher chance of going to prison, and unfortunately, to keep returning, USA Today reports. Nationwide, about 70% of incarcerated people cannot read at the fourth-grade level. In Oregon, 15% of incarcerated adults read below the … [Read More...]

Giving back: Ex-prisoners create Freedom Libraries

By

Literature empowerment takes the form of mobile libraries Former prisoners are bringing literary empowerment to state prisons through a book accessibility project called “Freedom Libraries.”  The Freedom Libraries consist of 500 carefully selected books curated by “thousands of poets, … [Read More...]

Highly esteemed Dr. Marez quietly retires

By

This year marks the end of a decades-long journey for San Quentin (SQ) educator Dr. L. Marez.  Marez slipped out the door as quietly as she came in, not wanting any accolades for her enduring service as she retires.  “She is an underrated legend and she deserves a soldier’s goodbye,” … [Read More...]

Q&A: Ms. Arnold leaves The Q

By

By Aaron K. Roy, Contributing Writer Teaching Assistant Ms. Arnold has moved on from her position at San Quentin. She began working at the prison in 2020, just before the first COVID-19 lockdown that spanned 14-months. Her last day was August 12, 2022. In a candid interview, she described her … [Read More...]

COMUNIDAD HISPANA CELEBRA GED EN ESPAÑOL

By

Llegaron los exámenes de bachillerato en español conocido por sus siglas en ingles G.E.D. (General Equivalency Diploma). Lo anunció la superintendente Shannon Swain del Departamento Educativo de la División de Correccionales del Programa Rehabilitaciones en su memoranda el 15 de julio. La Oficina … [Read More...]

Mount Tamalpais College laptop program a success

By

San Quentin students in Mount Tamalpias College (MTC) classes gained access to new Dell laptops earlier this year, and they are getting work done more efficiently since the introduction of the computers. Mt. Tam students and staff see the program as a success so far. “This was a long time coming. We have always wanted our students to have access to the same technology as other college … [Read More...]

Mississippi lifer and New York professor collaborate

By

By Charlotte West - Open Campus Reporter The prisoner and the professor: A prisoner from Mississippi and a professor from New York make an unlikely research team. Leigh Ann Wheeler, a historian at Binghamton University, was first introduced to Glen Conley in 2017 by a prison chaplain familiar with her work on Anne Moody, a civil rights activist who published Coming of Age in Mississippi in … [Read More...]

MISSOURI – ‘Haunted’ prisons offer insights into mass incarceration

By

Former prison sites have often used spooky and grotesque prison props to entertain visitors. But instead of scaring visitors, some sites have switched to educating them about mass incarceration, according to an article published by The Marshall Project in partnership with Mother Jones. At San Quentin State Prison, one of the most infamous prisons in the United States because of its violent … [Read More...]

MOUNT TAMALPAIS COLLEGE HOLDS 2022 GRADUATION

By

 Covid  Graduates, faculty, administrators, family and friends celebrated an extraordinary achievement in the face of extraordinary adversity at the Mt. Tamalpais College graduation at the Chapel on June 24.  The graduation was both the first in-person ceremony since 2019 due to disruptions driven by COVID-19 and the first since MTC became the only independently accredited … [Read More...]

Libraries receive $2M to benefit incarcerated readers

By

A $2 million grant has been announced to aid incarcerated people’s access to more books, the San Francisco Chronicle reports. The grant funds a project between the San Francisco Public Library and the American Library Association (ALA). As part of this grant, the ALA will start a national survey to identify what library models are in operation.  The San Francisco Public Library system … [Read More...]

UC Berkeley accepts first formerly incarcerated student

By

Kevin McCarthy is the first parolee applicant ever accepted to UC Berkeley.  His academic achievement inspired Gov. Gavin Newsom’s endorsement of Senate Bill 416. The bill requires all California prisons to offer college programs this year.  In addition, starting in 2023, Pell Grants will become available for incarcerated people throughout the nation. San Francisco Chronicle … [Read More...]

Mt. Tam holds class on crypto-currency

By

The students at Mt. Tamalpais College in San Quentin are preparing for their future in society by learning about the fundamentals of blockchain crypto-currency and crypto-wallet technologies. “I am interested in this subject because of the endless possibilities this technology holds,” said student Kinning Jefferson. “I think about how it’s going to help get us closer to generational … [Read More...]

Mount Tamalpais College accreditation confirmed

By

 For the first time in history, an independent, fully-accredited college exists inside a prison.  Mount Tamalpais College (Mt. Tam), located on the grounds of San Quentin State Prison (SQ), was formally accredited as a two-year college by the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges, Inside Higher Ed reports.  “The idea of becoming an independently operated and … [Read More...]

Federal Pell Grants revived for prisoners after nearly three decades

By

New regulations will allow incarcerated students to qualify for federal financial aid for college in the form of Pell Grants beginning in July of 2023. This will have tremendous benefits for those seeking higher education behind bars, but is not without concerns about how the grants will be implemented in prison. Incarcerated students once relied on Pell Grants to cover the cost of tuition and … [Read More...]

College distance learning brings higher education opportunities to prisoners

By

Nothing about the study hall looks unusual — college students quietly busy themselves at desks, colorful educational posters decorate the walls, an aide tidies up while the supervisor looks on. But these students are wearing prisoner blues and their professors are scattered across the country, hundreds and thousands of miles away. Mail-based correspondence college programs have long provided … [Read More...]

CDC examines racial disparities in gun-related murders

By

Young Black men are 20 times more likely to by killed by guns than Whites, a federal report says.  Black males age 15–34 made up 2% of the United States’ population, yet accounted for 37% of gun-related murders, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported. The 2019 analysis titled “A Public Health Crisis in the Making” uncovered a number of racial and ethnic disparities in … [Read More...]

Coding ‘boot camp’ launched

By

Coding Dojo and the Prison Scholar Fund (PSF) are launching a new coding boot camp program to help formerly incarcerated people develop computer programming skills and find work. There are lots of jobs available for people with coding skills, but approximately 45% of formerly incarcerated persons remain unemployed one year after their release — and 68% are re-arrested within three years, … [Read More...]

CDCR proposes major changes to Milestones credits

By

The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation is proposing changes to milestone credits that would significantly reorganize rehabilitative programs and largely decrease credit-earning rates for incarcerated people throughout its adult institutions. CDCR’s Regulation and Policy Management Branch released a Notice of Change to Regulations (NCR: 22-04) in March that is designed to … [Read More...]

Mt. Tamalpais College unveils inspirational banner

By

“We love you MTC students! See you in the New Year” by Juan Haines, Edwin E. Chavez, and Michael Moore The changing nature of COVID-19 keeps prison programs in limbo. The latest change comes from a new variant, Omicron. It stopped San Quentin’s college program from holding its Christmas Eve open mic event. The last open mic held by Mount Tamalpais College (MTC) was 2019. Then, it was … [Read More...]

Mt. Tamalpais College introduces laptops to students

By

In the Spring of 2022, Mt. Tamalpais college (Mt. Tam) at San Quentin (SQ) will provide its students with access to laptop computers. “For the past twenty-five years, students have not had access to technology or computers during their studies,” wrote Mt Tam staff in June 2021. “They have written work and conducted research using printouts and course readers sourced by faculty members and a … [Read More...]

GTL tablets begin a slow rollout

By

California prisoners are receiving free Global Tel Link (GTL) Connect Network tablets designed to help them communicate with the outside world.  The Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) has partnered with the Department of Technology to contract with GTL to enhance incarcerated communication.  “The enhanced communication project aims to strengthen the bonds between … [Read More...]

NY governor aims to improve prison education

By

Gov. Kathy Hochul of New York has signed new legislation that will establish a commission to study and develop a plan for improving prison education programs, Finger Lakes 1 reports.  “When incarcerated individuals reenter society, it’s critical we ensure they are prepared and ready to forge a path for themselves and their families,” said Hochul.  The Governor and lawmakers are … [Read More...]

Peer Literacy Mentor Program unveils ‘word wall’ training program

By

“Word walls” are helping San Quentin residents English, history and math.  The Peer Literacy Mentor Program (PLMP) is viewed as both an educational tool and and an art form. Word walls are a way to make a classroom more friendly and inviting.  The San Quentin word walls are all similar: small pieces of paper or cards have a word written on the front and a definition on the back, … [Read More...]

CSU-LA graduates more than two dozen incarcerated students at Lancaster prison

By

For the first time in California history, a group of incarcerated men received their Bachelor of Arts degrees from a California University during a commencement ceremony held inside of a prison.  The 25 graduates wore black caps, gowns, and face masks as they walked across a makeshift stage at the Lancaster prison to receive their degrees in Communications. The California State University … [Read More...]

Stepping up for children of the incarcerated

By

By Anthony Padilla Project Avary Parental incarceration is like a mass pandemic, affecting the lives of one in 14 children in the United States. About half of children with incarcerated parents are under the age of 10. I was one of those kids, and now I am doing my best to help kids who are as scared as I was. Project Avary has been a safe haven for such children for decades. A big … [Read More...]

Mt. Tam College classes resume

By

A year and a half after canceling all classes due to the pandemic, Mount Tamalpais College (MTC) reopened in-person instruction inside San Quentin on September 14.  Twenty classes are now starting for some 300 students, including more than 50 new college students this Fall 2021 semester.  “It feels so empowering to be back in class,” said Floyd Ray Jr., a student in the College Program … [Read More...]

SQ DEAF COMMUNITY DURING COVID-19

By

A new community of unique deaf people arrived at San Quentin and had to endure a prison programming change plus a devastating COVID-19 outbreak.  “My COVID experience was awful,” said Jaime Paredes, SQ incarcerated deaf resident. “We were housed in North Block, but were getting quarantined in Badger Unit. We (the deaf community) was on the same tier but we were spread out. Tommy … [Read More...]

Correspondence Programming Continues During COVID-19 Lockdowns

By

Lockdown pressures during the 14-month state of emergency at San Quentin State Prison did not mean all prisoners missed out on programming.  The importance of programming was emphasized during Commissioner Robert Barton’s suggestion to an incarcerated resident at his Board of Parole hearing on Dec. 17, 2020. “…Even in COVID, you have a support network on the outside — reach out to … [Read More...]

Four-time Pulitzer Prize-winner inspires San Quentin News: “I think we’re living in a time where truth is up for grabs”

By

David Barstow, a four-time Pulitzer Prize–winning, investigative reporter for The New York Times, spoke to incarcerated journalists at San Quentin, one week before the COVID-19 pandemic changed life at the prison a year ago. In an interview, Barstow, told the reporters at San Quentin News they have a huge opportunity to tell stories that no one else can tell. “I think that the hardest thing … [Read More...]

San Quentin reopens limited in-person rehabilitation programs

By

After almost a year of modified programming and a massive CO-VID-19 outbreak, San Quentin has reopened limited in-person education and its Integrated Substance Use Disorder Treatment (ISUDT) programming. Under the current COVID-19 emergency protocols, students and substance abuse participants are scheduled to attend in-person classes with their assigned housing units. This is designed to keep … [Read More...]

San Quentin college students defend Ethics Bowl championship against UC Santa Cruz (before COVID)

By

Student debate teams from the College Program at San Quentin and the University of California, Santa Cruz (UCSC) matched wits once again on the prison chapel stage in front of a live audience on February 14, 2020. The Collegiate Ethics Bowl Match was the culminating competition for the incarcerated team’s intensive semester-long debate workshop. They researched, practiced, and held weekly … [Read More...]

Correspondence with Miami Youth Academy

By

In October, students at Miami Youth Academy and men at San Quentin State Prison in California started a letter exchange facilitated by the Prison Journalism Project. The men were asked to initiate by writing about what they would do differently if they knew as a teenager what they know now. The following is a letter from Heriberto, followed by the students’ responses. The Miami Youth Academy … [Read More...]

Removing police from Florida schools a hot button issue

By

A push to remove police from within schools is among the hot button issues in this season of nationwide protest. But in Florida, an inconsistent assortment of local policies determine whether a child can be arrested for misbehaving in school, the Orlando Sentinel reported in a special investigative article, “Little Criminal.”  In Orlando, a police body camera recorded a six-year-old crying and … [Read More...]

Titan Tribune Reprints

By

The following articles are reprinted from the Titan Tribune, a newspaper written by students from the Miami Youth Academy, which is a commitment facility for teenage boys.  The newspaper is part of a journalism class run by Exchange for Change, a Miami nonprofit that teaches writing skills at MYA and adult correctional facilities.  Everglades Correctional students share lessons with … [Read More...]

Student, teachers demand police out of LA schools

By

A group of students and teachers staged a protest at the Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce, demanding more funding and removal of police in Los Angeles schools, the Los Angeles Sentinel reports. Equal learning opportunities, racial equality and effects from COVID-19 in minority communities had protesters demanding that police be removed from schools and funds be allocated toward online learning … [Read More...]

Response about COVID-19 by MYA students: Impact of coronavirus can’t be underestimated

By

The following articles are reprinted from the Titan Tribune, a newspaper written by students from the Miami Youth Academy, which is a commitment facility for teenage boys.The newspaper is part of a journalism class run by Exchange for Change, a Miami nonprofit that teaches writing skills at MYA and adult correctional facilities. The coronavirus has turned the world upside down. Here at MYA, … [Read More...]

RESOURCES: The Walls to Bridges Project is Free and open to all incarcerated persons

By

Walls To Bridges Project Parents, Grandparents, Godparents, Siblings, Uncles & Aunts Whatever your relationship, we’re here to help you stay connected to your family during this time. We’ll mail the child (any age up to 18) an age- appropriate book with a note that says it is from you. There is no limit per person. If there is more than one child, each of them will get a … [Read More...]

Exchange class with University of Miami opens our eyes and creates mix of emotions

By

The following articles are reprinted from the Titan Tribune, a newspaper written by students from the Miami Youth Academy, which is a commitment facility for teenage boys. The newspaper is part of a journalism class run by Exchange for Change, a Miami nonprofit that teaches writing skills at MYA and adult correctional facilities. Photos are blurred for purposes of the participants of the … [Read More...]

Youth Coaches Told Why They Are So Important

By

A team of prisoners met with youth coaches from the San Francisco Bay Area in San Quentin’s Protestant Chapel on Feb. 28. They talked about young people’s understanding of masculinity and the role coaches play in their lives. Coaching4Life aims to show coaches how to maximize the impact they have on young athletes. “We believe that youth coaches are the most influential people in their … [Read More...]

Bay Area Teachers Gain New Insights

By

On an early Wednesday morning, a green bus with silver trim rolled into California’s oldest prison. Prisoners filed out to begin serving time. Later that same day at the same institution, educators and school supervisors from outside the prison arrived to talk to incarcerated students and their inside-the-wall teachers. The March 4 Teacher’s Forum hosted interested San Francisco Bay Area … [Read More...]

Advocates in Oakland push to end LWOP

By

California has an estimated 5,000 people serving life without parole (LWOP), and their plight is almost never discussed—especially the way the sentence affects female prisoners. A campaign to drop California’s use of LWOP received a public airing late last year. Kelly Savage, Tammy Cooper-Garvin, Brandi Taliano and Susan Bustamante shared their pain and the trauma of serving a LWOP sentence … [Read More...]

Storytellers polish their craft through the San Quentin News Journalism Guild

By

The second annual San Quentin News Journalism Guild Graduation took place in the Garden Chapel on Jan. 17. Twelve graduates from November’s class combined with this current class of 11 to celebrate finishing the six-month course. The event honored the graduates, recognized advisors and brought attention to the impact of programs like the guild on rehabilitation. Richard “Bonaru” … [Read More...]

CDCR leader and others seek prison reform answers in Norway

By

Secretary Diaz calls for a sense of urgency for prison reforms As they covered 5,000 miles and an ocean on an international flight on Sept. 14, CDCR Secretary, Ralph Diaz and Connie Gipson had plenty of time to consider their doubts. “It won’t work here.” “California is too big, too violent and plagued by prison gangs.” Those thoughts soon gave way to excited optimism, as the … [Read More...]

What role does society play in the development of felons?

By

Be it California or Mississippi, when news of suicides, murders or riots reaches any prison population the feeling is always the same: “damn”—if it’s spoken or not. Especially if you’ve been through it or witnessed these things. Society might think “there goes those violent monsters acting up again.” What is rarely discussed is that we are a product of the society. Most of us incarcerated … [Read More...]

Funding for higher education in prison

By

Incarcerated men and women seeking a college education face challenges due to funding restraints, a new report finds. Funding for incarcerated college students stalled when the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act was enacted in 1994 and eliminated federally funded Pell grants. Student enrollments dropped 44% in one year, and 20 states reduced college courses. The report, … [Read More...]

SQN Johnson earns first Master’s Degree in 10 years

By

Striving for a good education has its challenges for anyone, but for incarcerated students those trials and tribulations are greater. However, one incarcerated man has persevered and has become the first student to earn a Master’s of Business and Administration (MBA) degree at San Quentin State Prison in almost a decade. Michael Johnson, 37, earned his MBA with an emphasis in “Leadership” from … [Read More...]

Prison University Project’s Annual Open Mic

By

The Friday after Christmas, two former San Quentin residents returned to a jam-packed Catholic Chapel to mingle with old friends and perform at the Prison University Project’s (PUP) Annual Open Mic. “Be encouraged to write your own reality in the sense that if you want freedom and liberation, you have to find it in the confines that you have and let that open the gates for you,” Antwan … [Read More...]

Colonel Allen Allensworth, founder of a town in central California

By

After slavery African Americans took their skills and begin to build thriving cities. Blacks in California were no different. In 1908, African Americans in California built a flourishing town called Allensworth, an accomplishment seldom taught or discussed. Colonel Allen Allensworth, founded the community in a rural area in Tulare County 30 miles north of Bakersfield. The town served as a … [Read More...]

Highlighting an early Californian abolitionist

By

The Southern States are the usual focus of discussions about African American freedom struggles before the Civil War. But California had its own prewar struggle against racism and slavery. Unlike Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Rosa Parks or Harriet Tubman, Californian Mary Ellen Pleasant’s name is rarely discussed. But Pleasant has been hailed as the mother of the abolitionist movement in … [Read More...]

SQN EXTRA: CLIMATE DISASTER INSIDE AMERICA’S PRISONS

By

By Alfred King, Journalism Guild Writer Prisoners are often endangered when natural climatic change disasters such as floods, storms, hurricanes or extreme temperatures occur, The New Republic reports. Prisoners are “literally on the front lines” of climate change problems, the story said. This includes families fleeing climate change in the Latin America, who are detained and separated … [Read More...]

SQN EXTRA: MASS INC HEALTHCARE

By

By Alfred King, Journalism Guild Writer America’s current healthcare system makes things worse for many of those who are incarcerated in jails and prisons, according to nymag.com. America’s for-profit healthcare system causes decisions in jails and prisons to be made wholly on the basis of cost, the Oct. 1 article reported. The story highlighted several examples from … [Read More...]

Donté Clark returns to SQ’s APEP with spoken word session

By

Donté Clark returned to San Quentin last November for a spoken word session and to rap with students seeking to earn their GEDs and go to college. Clark is a poet, who mentors young writers in Richmond, Ca. The Academic Peer Education Program (APEP) hosted Clark’s visit. Peer educator James Metters talked about incarcerated educator, Bobby Evans, who envisioned opportunities for students … [Read More...]

Tehachapi hosts 3rd Ethics Bowl against CSU Bakersfield

By

Submitted by Dian Grier, CCI Press Release For the third consecutive year, CCI (California Correctional Institution at Tehachapi) has hosted the annual Ethics Bowl against California State University, Bakersfield (CSUB). This year was a tie breaker for CCI, with a 3-0 win. “Intellectual Sports” such as ethics bowls are gaining status and momentum throughout colleges in the United States. … [Read More...]

San Quentin’s Prison University Project one step closer to full accreditation

By

Accrediting organization audits PUP classes to assess the university's effectiveness Representatives from the Association of Community Colleges and Junior Colleges (ACCJC) spent four days in October visiting and evaluating San Quentin’s Prison University Project (PUP). PUP applied for independent college accreditation in August, and the ACCJC team came to scrutinize whether or not PUP … [Read More...]

Stanford professor audited Creative Writing class

By

Professor Adam Johnson of Stanford University came to San Quentin to sit in on a creative writing class for incarcerated men, facilitated by Zoe Mullery and sponsored by the William James Association. The Aug. 21 get-together between students and professor focused on: what led to Johnson’s writing career, what creates a compelling narrative, and a review of Fortune Smiles (2016), Johnson’s … [Read More...]

Working to shift philanthropic investments to include prison education

By

“Education of incarcerated people must be included in the overall strategy to transform society,” said Dr. Jody Lewen Executive Director of San Quentin’s Prison University Project (PUP) in a July 23 interview with SQ News. Dr. Lewen ‘s opinion is shared by an increasing number of educators, legislators and philanthropists nationally. Education is earning a position as a cornerstone for the … [Read More...]

Retail giant Alibaba gives workshop on working in E-commerce

By

As part of an interviewing workshop, Peter Stern, from online retail giant Alibaba, told about two dozen incarcerated computer coders that learning Mandarin is a big plus, if they want to get a job with the E-commerce company. Although the Chinese firm does not have a policy on hiring formerly incarcerated people, Stern said that his inspiration to be involved with San Quentin’s incarcerated … [Read More...]

Filmmaking team premierès College Behind Bars at SQ

By

Acclaimed filmmakers Sarah Botstein and Lynn Novick brought their latest effort, College Behind Bars, to San Quentin for a premierè screening organized through SQ’s Prison University Project (PUP) on Sept. 18. Shot on location inside several east coast correctional facilities, the documentary examines the struggles and triumphs of incarcerated students participating in the Bard Prison … [Read More...]

Demonstrating great achievement under difficult circumstances

By

By David Ditto and Michael Johnson, Staff Writers. Tasseled caps and gowns flowed as diplomas, degrees and certificates were conferred in San Quentin’s visiting room during Robert E. Burton Adult School’s 2019 Commencement. College, high school, and vocational program graduates celebrated their accomplishments with family, friends, teachers, and administrators at the annual ceremony on July … [Read More...]

Examining the spectrum of education and incarceration

By

Norberto Andino, 53, sat in a circle of about 25 people that included his classmates and teachers. The Colombian-born man came to prison without the ability, he said, to write even two sentences in English. It was the first time that the life-term prisoner reconsidered his educational journey. “When I went to school in Colombia, I was so ashamed,” Andino said on July 15 at the third San Quentin … [Read More...]

PUP hopes to become nation’s first stand-alone prison campus

By

The Prison University Project’s (PUP) quest for independent college accreditation— and what that may mean, exactly, for the San Quentin community—inspired an active conversation at the July 29 town hall meeting hosted by PUP. With submission of its accreditation application complete in August, PUP’s transition from its partnership with Patten University to the nation’s first stand-alone prison … [Read More...]

Robert E. Burton receives first ever Distinguished School award

By

The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation’s (CDCR) Office of Correctional Education (OCE) presented its first ever Distinguished School award to the Robert E. Burton Adult School at San Quentin State Prison in July. An award ceremony was held at the prison to acknowledge “exemplary achievements” the school has made above all 34 other accredited schools within … [Read More...]

Program coordinator Heather Hart bids farewell to PUP

By

San Quentin’s Prison University Project (PUP) waved goodbye to Program Coordinator Heather Hart on July 3. But she leaves intent on continuing her fierce advocacy goals in a potentially broader scope— through philanthropic influence. “After four years here, I started to feel like there was more I needed to learn, more skills I needed to ac- quire in order to get to a place where I could … [Read More...]

San Quentin’s college class of 2019

By

On a sunny June morning over- looking the bay, 12 incarcerated scholars were honored at the 2019 Prison University Project (PUP) graduation. University instructors, staff, classmates and family of the graduates gathered in San Quentin’s main visiting room to celebrate the conferring of Associate of Arts degrees in liberal arts to the men in blue. As “Pomp and Circumstance” sounded, the 2019 … [Read More...]

Scholarship recipient overcame a dark and troubled past

By

“I only knew what others had told me: that I was worthless, stupid, and a failure” Prison taught Daniel Hen- son the value of education, and now he has earned a college scholarship. “I did not finish kindergarten because of my parents’ bitter separation,” said Henson. “As a result, from then until I was 14 years old, I bounced from school to school.” After failing out of 8th grade in … [Read More...]

La jardinería ayuda a rehabilitación de reo

By

A Leopoldo Zaragoza es fácil encontrarlo en el área educacional de la Prisión Estatal de San Quentin. Después de su clase para obtener su diploma de preparatoria (GED) se le puede ver trabajando en los jardines que adornan los anexos educativos. Zaragoza es un prisionero de 50 años, oriundo de Cha- pala, Jalisco que ha tomado las “riendas” (como dice él), del trabajo necesario para hermosear … [Read More...]

Participar en programas educativos cambio su Persepción de la Cárcel

By

Prison University Project (PUP) está localizada en una de las prisiones más notorias en el mundo: La Prisión de San Quentin en California. PUP incluye un selecto grupo de profesores, tutores, y voluntarios de varias universidades prestigiosas como U.C. Berkeley, Stanford, San Francisco State, San Jose State, y varias otras universidades locales y de alrededor del mundo. Estos participantes son … [Read More...]

Princeton students support ex-cons getting higher education

By

“Formerly incarcerated applicants are among the most vulnerable, and we should treat them with respect, if not admiration” Princeton University has taken a stance against a student movement called “Ban the Box.” The “box” refers to a section of the college admissions application that inquires about a prospective student’s criminal history. Applicants with criminal histories are very likely to … [Read More...]

Prison and Jail Tour offers unique insight into incarcerated conditions

By

A group of college students got a first-hand, up-close look at the California prison system on a recent tour arranged by a former inmate. About 20 students from Loyola Marymount University went on the Prison & Jail Tour created by a formerly incarcerated man, Francisco “Franky” Carrillo Jr. Carrillo was innocent, and he proved it several years ago with the help of the LMU Law Clinic. … [Read More...]

Scott J. Lawrie’s poetry was inspired by an ex-con poet

By

When the young Scottish lad Scott J. Lawrie was introduced to the country’s most famous poet, Robert Burns, it was the beginning of his fondness for poetry. His introduction to American poetry came through the Beat movement. However, his connection to San Quentin came through an obscure poet who did time here—the late Ed “Foots” Lipman. After Lawrie researched Lipman’s works, he published Only … [Read More...]

Artist and mentor Pat Mahoney retires

By

Pat Mahoney spent the last 40 years coming inside San Quentin to mentor incarcerated artists on the finer points of art; however, he’s best known as a keen listener and caring person. Mahoney is one of the founders of the San Quentin Arts in Corrections program, sponsored by the William James Association. He retired from the Arts in Corrections program last February. Mahoney helped create … [Read More...]

Google attends San Quentin mixer

By

The morning of April 11 started with fun and games with participants from Google.org and incarcerated coding students as a way to socialize. The first game, the circle name game, an icebreaker consisted of everyone yelling out his or her name and that of the person next to them as fast as possible, which was easy to see that the day was going to be relaxed and fun. Subsequently, the room was … [Read More...]

More credits offered under Prop 57

By

“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. … [Read More...]

Senate Bill 3435 Beyond the box for higher education

By

About two-thirds of post-secondary institutions ask applicants to submit criminal history, according to The Crime Report. The Center for Community Alternatives found that 25 percent of these schools bar applicants with criminal history from attending. This prevents individuals who have already paid their debt to society from finding success going forward. There are an estimated 70 million … [Read More...]

Students have great impact on UC Davis after prison

By

University students, who are formerly incarcerated, are changing life and perceptions on their campus by taking over a college classroom to challenge traditional teach- ing methods and holding informative seminars to bring awareness to who they are as students. Beyond the Stats (BTS), an organization of formerly incarcerated and system impacted students at the University of California Davis … [Read More...]

Dr. Gabor Maté lectures at SQ’s Enneagram event

By

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 … [Read More...]

Stanford joins with SQ in collaborative engineering project

By

Stanford students and prison inmates joined forces by participating in a ten week engineering course aimed at finding solutions to social problems. The collaboration grew out of a chance encounter, about 10 years ago, between Stanford Professor Tina Seelig and venture capitalist Beverly Parenti. The two stayed in contact and floated around ideas. Seelig came to San Quentin about four years … [Read More...]

Prison artists display their work in San Rafael’s Bartolini Gallery

By

Incarcerated artists under the tutelage of the William James’ Arts & Correction program produced “museum- quality” paintings that were displayed at the Bartolini Gallery in San Rafael from Jan. 16-March 28. “It’s just truly museum quality in so many ways,” said Libby Garrison, who cu- rated the exhibit. “They [the artists who are incarcerated] maybe have never been to a museum or never … [Read More...]

Addiction Recovery Counseling Director moves on

By

Rick Baez leaves San Quentin after 13 years Recovering addicts in San Quentin said goodbye to long-time volunteer Rick Baez in the Addiction Recovery Counseling (ARC) program. “A lot of people in society tend to think people in prison are throwaways, especially those with addiction issues, but that hasn’t been my experience work- ing here,” said Baez, 74, director of the ARC program. “It … [Read More...]

Prison University Project celebrates the year with Open Mic

By

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 … [Read More...]

UC Davis launches social media campaign to combat ex-prisoner perceptions

By

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 … [Read More...]

Wake Forest University gains experience with Prison Letter Project

By

Wake Forest University law students are providing North Carolina prisoners legal help through its Prison Letter Project and gaining experience in the process. The letter program is a part of the school’s Pro Bono Project. The school’s law library is the only publicly accessible law library between the state capitol and the Tennessee border.  “We’re not allowed to give them legal advice … [Read More...]

Incarcerated student challenges educators at national conference

By

 An incarcerated Black college student challenged the nation’s prison educators to rethink how they consistently force predominant White cultural perspectives onto the non-Whites who fill their classrooms. James King’s voice reached across the country to Indianapolis by way of video, where he introduced an academic paper he co-authored with Prison University Project (PUP) colleague Amber … [Read More...]

El Ingles es un obstáculo para Latinos en segregación

By

El lenguaje se ha convertido en un obstáculo para los latinos que se encuentran en aislamiento en cárceles de máxima seguridad, según un artículo en el Washington Post.  Prisiones estatales y federales de los Estados Unidos usan unidades de máxima seguridad para albergar a miles de reos relacionados con pandillas o por razones de seguridad.  Abogados de La Unión de Libertades Civiles … [Read More...]

Brown signed two laws giving the public more access to police records

By

In 2017, police officers shot and killed 172 people in California. The police didn’t have to make public any records that could help distinguish between self-defense and murder. Recently Gov. Jerry Brown signed two laws that give the public increased access to police records. “Californians have a right to know when officers are dishonest, use deadly force,” said Sen. Nancy Skinner ( D-Berkeley) … [Read More...]

CIW hosts second annual Suicide Prevention Week

By

Women prisoners at the California Institution for Women (CIW) were given the knowledge to promote awareness at its second annual Suicide Prevention Week.  The September event started with the inmate Suicide Prevention Outreach Committee members distributing posters and passing out program pamphlets to inform the incarcerated women of the upcoming week’s events, according to the prison’s … [Read More...]

21st century solutions to 20th century problems

By

They came from all over the prison and the nation. Scholars dressed in standard blue prison uniforms walked down a staircase that leads from the cellblocks, while a group of civilians hiked down a ramp that leads from a courtyard just inside the entrance to the prison to meet on the San Quentin Lower Yard for the Prison University Project’s first ever academic conference. The conference, … [Read More...]

Illinois shut down prison debate team after successful public event

By

After a successful public debate on reforming, the Illinois parole system, prison officials shut down the Stateville Debate Team in April. The goal of the team was to use debate as a tool to “connect prisoners to the broader debate community” and provide an opportunity to learn and practice the principles of debate, said Katrina Burlet, director of the Justice Debate League (JDL) and coach of the … [Read More...]

Insight Prison Project announces appointment of new Executive Director

By

After 23 years in prison, Leonard Rubio got out and began recapturing his life. Today, he’s the Executive Director of Insight Prison Project (IPP). The executive position opened after Billie Mizell stepped down in November 2017 to pursue other restorative justice work. “There could be no better person to pass that baton to than our own beloved Leonard Rubio,” Mizell said in her resignation … [Read More...]

Monica Campbell takes over San Quentin News’ Journalism Guild

By

A change came in late September for the San Quentin News Journalism Guild. The guild’s volunteer instructor, Yukari Kane, is bound for Chicago to begin the next chapter of her life. She is passing the reins to former Harvard University Nieman Fellow Monica Campbell.  “[Kane] put us in way capable hands,” said Marcus Henderson, the Journalism Guild chairman who has spent more than two years with … [Read More...]

SQ Journalism Guild promotes next class of writers

By

The Journalism Guild of San Quentin held its first formal graduation in the prison’s Garden Chapel in late September. More than 50 people attended the ceremony, including current and former students from UC Berkeley, who worked with the men in the Guild and San Quentin News. “I’m filled with so much pride,” said Yukari Kane, the guild instructor for the last two years. “You remind me of why … [Read More...]

Breaking the cycle of incarceration with music from behind prison walls

By

The day before inmates Thanh Tran, Eric “Maserati-E” Abercrombie, and Gregg “G” Sayers, created Reality Check — a song that describes the human condition—they sat in a small room in San Quentin to rehearse it for their first time on-stage performance as a group. As Sayers softly plucked his guitar, Maserati-E sang Reality Check’s hook. Tran chimed in with harmony. They made small corrections as … [Read More...]

Coding program attracts wide range of media attention

By

The Last Mile Works buzzed with excitement when two filmmakers and a formerly incarcerated graduate returned, accompanied by several co-workers from the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative (CZI), to tour the prison and get stories for their website. Code 7370 teaches inmates the fundamentals of coding, while The Last Mile Works (TLM Works) is composed of seasoned coders who work on paid contracts as part … [Read More...]

GED class develops handcrafted DNA

By

In a classroom at the California Rehabilitation Center in Norco, inmate students had an opportunity to do something “outside the box.” Instead of the usual books, paper, pencils, and calculators, the students used toothpicks, wooden splints, colored marshmallows and red and black licorice to learn about and construct DNA molecules. The kinesthetic learning exercise was an idea to make the material … [Read More...]

Inmates win ethics bowl against college students

By

The California Correctional Institution (CCI) Mental Health Department sponsored an unusual event once again on Aug. 3. Last year, this group won an ethics bowl against California State University, Bakersfield. This year they focused their talent and energy on prison reform. Rarely are prisoners asked their opinions on what might work in their rehabilitation process, but CCI asked, and the inmates … [Read More...]

Inmate wins $1,000 scholarship toward BA degree

By

One of the California Health Care Facility’s inmate trainers for the CHCF puppy program was awarded the Chung-Ahm Scholarship for the 2018 academic year. It is unusual for an inmate to win a cash scholarship. The $1,000 scholarship will be applied toward inmate Johnson’s tuition. Since being incarcerated, Johnson has received an Associate of Arts (AA) degree in liberal arts and humanities and … [Read More...]

Conference applies restorative justice principles

By

Eight incarcerated men stood before a number of women and prisoners to make amends for unethical behavior. They spoke at the second “Sister I’m Sorry” conference, hosted by Tony “Pup” Walldrip, at the Garden Chapel on August 11. The conference began with the screening of a “Sister I’m Sorry” event hosted by Margaret Avery, filmed and directed by Frank Underwood Jr. Panel speakers were Bun … [Read More...]

SQ's 2018 graduating class thanked D. Searle

By

Families gathered to celebrate their loved ones’ accomplishments at the Robert E. Burton Adult School annual graduation ceremony, held on July 20 in San Quentin’s main visiting room. “This is the first time I’ve been able to complete any type of vocational program,” said Francisco Ortiz, a graduate from the Vocational Plumbing class. “I’m proud because I was able to participate in some- thing … [Read More...]

San Quentin college students triumph over UC Santa Cruz in Ethics Bowl debate

By

San Quentin inmates prevailed against University of California, Santa Cruz (UCSC) students in the second Intercollegiate Ethics Bowl match hosted by the Prison University Project (PUP). About 100 people, including PUP, gathered in the prison chapel for the lively debate on February 15. After two rounds of engaging discussion seeking resolution of ethical dilemmas, the judges narrowly decided in … [Read More...]

Using poetry to build bridges

By

A Colorado group called Words Beyond Bars is building bridges between prisoners and the public through poetry. Words Beyond Bars (WBB) hosts a poetry-reading event every other month at a public library in partnership with another organization, Unchained Voices. Community members listen to the thoughts and words of the prisoners and write responses to the compositions. The feedback is then given to … [Read More...]

The power of San Quentin’s Alcoholics Anonymous

By

It’s 1:30 on a Friday afternoon, and Alcoholics Anonymous is set to begin inside of the Addiction to Recovery Center at San Quentin. “Anonymity makes it comfortable for people to talk,” explains AA program director Carl P. “What is said or talked about in AA remains in AA. It’s the principle of all our traditions, because of its anonymous founding.” The core philosophy of AA is to place … [Read More...]

Reducing mass incarceration may reduce hunger and poverty

By

An analysis of multiple studies found that reducing mass incarceration could reduce hunger and poverty in the United States. Research analysts claim that if the U.S. had not escalated incarceration rates, poverty would have dropped by 20 percent between 1980 and 2004. Hunger and poverty in America are collateral consequences of mass incarceration, according to a report from the Bread for the World … [Read More...]

21st Century programs graduate apprentices

By

More than a dozen inmates sat in the front row of a prison chapel on June 15 to graduate from one of three well-regarded 21st century training programs. Looking past the graduates to the men who had recently arrived in San Quentin, Warden Ron Davis said, “those of you not familiar with this prison, the guys in blue, this is a celebration of great programs.” Davis was referring to the programs … [Read More...]

PUP grads take center stage

By

“Pomp and Circumstance” played and everyone stood to applaud the Prison University Project’s (PUP) class of 2018 as they took center stage in San Quentin State Prison’s visiting room in June. Nine men graduated and received their Associative Arts degree from Patten University. One of the graduates, Gerald Morgan, welcomed his 98-year-old aunt, Juanita Stone, to attend the ceremony. “I’ve been to … [Read More...]

UK coding program takes its cues from The Last Mile

By

San Quentin’s pioneering training program teaching prisoners to write computer code has attracted attention in Great Britain, as well as other countries abroad. The new coding program in the UK was patterned after San Quentin’s Last Mile, a program which is now called Code.7370.  The British program opened in the Her Majesty’s Humber Prison in the United Kingdom (UK). “I read about The Last Mile … [Read More...]

San Quentin’s big transition as non-designated facility

By

San Quentin State Prison’s transition from a General Population (GP) facility to a non-designated programming facility has uncovered old prejudices and uncommon collaborations. The inmate response to the new housing designation is as diverse as the prison population. Most inmates have been indifferent to the inflow of newcomers, while others have been cautious and alert. Some prisoners … [Read More...]

Restorative Justice's role in the #metoo movement

By

Darnell “Moe” Washington has walked the path of restorative justice by confronting a fellow inmate who had assaulted his aunt, sending her to the hospital, in a drug-induced rage in 2015. The person who attacked his aunt was transferred to San Quentin. Washington, relying on his Restorative Justice experience, approached the perpetrator and engaged him in a discussion of his crime. He was able to … [Read More...]

SQ's Third Annual Gospel Music Workshop

By

A stream of more than 200 blue shirts flowed into San Quentin’s Garden Chapel June 23 for the Third Annual Gospel Music Workshop. As the men-in-blue took their seats, an unrehearsed Christian rap performance by inmate Calvin Johnson brought the younger members to their feet. “I was asked to sing something,” Johnson said after he entertained the head-bopping audience of black, white, Mexican and … [Read More...]

Exclusive screening ‘From Incarceration to Education’

By

University of California at Berkeley filmmakers visited San Quentin for an exclusive screening of “From Incarceration to Education,” an original documentary about four formerly incarcerated persons who successfully became UC graduate students. The April event included a question and answer session with first-time directors Skylar Economy and Christian Collins. They were joined by two of the … [Read More...]

CALPIA’s offers pre-apprentice programs for female prisoners

By

The California Prison Industry Authority (CALPIA) pre-apprentice program has graduated 70 women in the field of carpentry, construction labor, healthcare facilities maintenance and computer coding at the California Institution for Women (CIW), reported ABC 7. “64% of California’s jail population is awaiting trial or sentencing as of December 2016.” Most remain in pretrial custody because they … [Read More...]

21 graduates ready to reenter the workforce

By

Twenty-two inmates graduated from the Prison to Employment Connection’s (PEC) seventh session at San Quentin State Prison in May. A week before graduation, the men did face-to-face interviews with employers looking to hire qualified formerly incarcerated citizens. More than 40 men enrolled in the program in February to learn about interview skills, resumé writing and other forms of communication. … [Read More...]

Chan Zuckerberg Initiative (CZI) aids programs

By

  The Chan Zuckerberg Initiative (CZI) will provide grant funding to the Prison University Project (PUP) and Ear Hustle, an award-winning podcast. Both organizations are based at San Quentin State Prison. PUP offers more than 350 inmates the opportunity to earn their Associate of Arts degree inside prison. Ear Hustle allows inmates to share their stories about what it’s like to live in … [Read More...]

Safe housing found essential for reentry

By

The solution to New York’s widespread problem of homeless former prisoners is to provide a safe place to live with support, according to citylimits.org reports. The article points to a program by the Fortune Society in West Harlem for 62 formerly incarcerated homeless persons. “Residents are required to be involved in 35 hours of constructive activities every week. They undergo daily drug … [Read More...]

Renovating Our Lady of the Rosary Catholic Church

By

The latest renovation to the San Quentin chapel known as Our Lady of the Rosary Catholic Church was made to the century-old floor. The renovation was made possible by Salvatore Caruso’s donation of thousands of vinyl wood-like planks; the planks were installed by the San Quentin vocational maintenance program. “The Children of Abraham Peace Project,” Caruso said, “…was our way to give thanks and … [Read More...]

Inmate NAACP chapter in Delaware

By

Inmates at a Delaware state prison have created an NAACP chapter to litigate for rehabilitation, compassionate release, improved health care, and better living conditions.  “My top priority is for inmates to understand that we have the power to change things via political and judicial processes,” said Robert Saunders, inmate at James T. Vaughn Correctional Center in Delaware, and chairman of the … [Read More...]

Former inmate develops “prison instagram”

By

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,” … [Read More...]

First annual “victim awareness event” at CIW

By

Four survivors, Rita, Sammie, Nora and Michelle, shared testimonies of the impact of crime on their lives at the California Institution for Women (CIW), April 7. They joined 100 offenders and the Chief Deputy Warden for the inaugural “In Their Shoes: Victim Awareness Event.” The day began with participants designing signs to honor their victims, which they wore throughout the day. The morning … [Read More...]

California’s early release programs ACP

By

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 … [Read More...]

California prisoners earning college degrees

By

Some California prisoners are working hard on college degrees to help them be successful when they return to their communities. One of the latest examples is the English 99 class at Richard J. Donovan Correctional Facility in Otay Mesa, which leads to an associate of arts college degree. “The level of critical thought and commentary is much higher than I would typically get from a room where I’m … [Read More...]

An iconic world leader remembered: Nelson Mandela at 100 years

By

Waking up to the police knocking loudly at the door, an arrest warrant presented, the house searched and then being dragged off in front of his wife and kids, so began Nelson Mandela’s 27-year prison sentence for treason. The late president of South Africa and Nobel Peace Prize winner would have celebrated his 100th birthday this year. Mandela was a freedom fighter whose words and actions have … [Read More...]

Ted X at Donovan

By

The Richard J. Donovan Correctional Facility hosted its first TEDx event, reports Dana Littlefield, for the San Diego Union-Tribune. The event was organized by Mariette Fourmeaux du Sartel, a business and marketing executive. Although she had no connection to the prison system, Sartel said that her interests “called” her to Donovan last year. “When I set foot in Donovan, I found a profound … [Read More...]

SQ Buddha Dharma group holds fifth ordination ceremony

By

The Buddha Dharma Group of San Quentin held its fifth ordination ceremony April 15. Preceptor and volunteer Zen Priest Jiryu (Mark Byler Rutschman) conducted ceremonies inducting eight new Bodhisattvas. The Zen Buddhist Lay Ordination Ceremony derives from an ancient ceremony that marked a person’s entry into monastic life.  For laypeople today, the ceremony represents a way to publicly affirm a … [Read More...]

2017 domestic extremist-related killings

By

In 2017, extremists from a wide array of groups committed 34 “domestic extremist-related killings,” according to a report by the Anti-Defamation League (ADL).  “White supremacists were responsible for the majority of extremist-related killings in 2017, as is usually the case each year,” the ADL reported. That, however, was not true in 2016, when the numbers dipped to 13 percent. “Twenty of the 34 … [Read More...]

Project Fresh Start helps parolees achieve their dreams

By

In New Haven, Connecticut, Amenzo King has a dream. He wants to own his own hot dog stand. It may sound humble, but for King this dream is a big one. He’s been in and out of prison for over 20 years, but now, through the reentry program Fresh Start, he feels success is on the horizon. “They changed my life,” King said in an article in The Politic by reporter Molly Shapiro. “Now I’m happy with … [Read More...]

War correspondent and filmmaker reflects back on his fatal mistake

By

One thoughtless mistake traumatized many lives and landed Donovan Webster in prison, according to his account in AARP The Magazine. Webster was a writer, war correspondent and filmmaker, until he caused a fatal crash one night in August 2014. Webster was driving intoxicated down a curvy mountain road, when he sideswiped Wayne T. White’s car, causing it to be crushed by an oncoming 18-wheeler. … [Read More...]

Privacy advocates suffer setback with DNA collection

By

Privacy advocates suffered a major setback when California’s Supreme Court refused  to throw out a law provision that allows the state to obtain and store the DNA of any adult arrested on the suspicion of a felony, reported the Los Angeles Times. “The DNA Act unlawfully invades people’s reasonable expectation of privacy in their personal genetic information,” said dissenting Justice … [Read More...]

Positive changes in the criminal justice system lead to prisoners adjusting to free society

By

Positive changes in America’s criminal justice system are exposing significant changes in helping long-term prisoners adjust to a free society. “It’s common to come out with untreated illness, chronic conditions due to age and neglect. How are they going to live?” asked Gretchen Newby, executive director of the Stockton-based nonprofit Friends Outside. Long sentences versus a thaw in the parole … [Read More...]

Norco program provides more than just an education

By

Prisoners at the California Rehabilitation Center in Norco are getting a higher education and earning time off their sentences through the Norco College program, reports the Inland Valley Daily Bulletin. The new prison program started in February 2017. Norco’s original plan was to start the program in the fall of 2018, but that was not soon enough for prison officials. “They said, ‘We want it … [Read More...]

Indiana hires formerly incarcerated

By

More and more employers are hiring former inmates with the assistance of Indiana’s state and local government reported the Indianapolis Business Journal.  “We [aim to] better prepare our offenders for opportunities in today’s economy with more high-demand critical training that they need to succeed once they are out,” Gov. Eric Holcomb said in an interview with the Journal. One example of these … [Read More...]

Corcoran prison 30 years later

By

California State Prison, Corcoran has changed dramatically since it opened 30 years ago, according to an officer who has been there since the beginning. “It’s turned to the better,” Correctional Officer Rey Aguirre said, at ceremonies marking the 30 years of Corcoran history. Corcoran was the 19th of the current 35 prisons built in California. It opened in February 1988 with a cost of $262 … [Read More...]

China teaches prison inmates e-commerce before reléase

By

More than 30 prisoners at Qiao Si Prison, the largest prison in China’s Zhejiang Province, received a training course in e-commerce last December, according to an article by Jenny W. Hsu for an Alibaba publication. Taobao University, which offers the e-commerce course, was established in 2009 as the educational arm of Alibaba, the Hangzhou-based tech giant. A team of e-commerce specialists and … [Read More...]

Arizona provides inmates feminine-hygiene products

By

The Arizona Department of Corrections (ADC) is changing its policy concerning the supply of free feminine-hygiene products for woman prisoners, after overwhelming support from formerly incarcerated women and the outside community, reports The Republic. “I want to thank all of the women and men from all around Arizona and all over the world who spoke up, who bravely testified and shared their … [Read More...]

A look inside the bustling San Quentin prison library

By

Every day, the San Quentin State prison library is bustling with activity. Inmates might be ordering books from the clerks at the counter. Other inmates might be sitting at tables, reading books and talking among themselves. The windows in the librarians’ offices provide a glimpse of San Francisco Bay as well as the mountains. In the legal section, inmates pore over law books, which they can … [Read More...]

Digital Divide Explained

By

Which game do your prefer, SCRABBLE or SUDOKU? One works like the world you know. One operates like the digital cloud. The digital cloud is just another way of describing content that is stored in databases and accessible on the internet. The cloud changes how we use digital content and interact with each other. More than a third of millennial say that if a man compliments a woman’s looks it is … [Read More...]

Game theory and the digital cloud

By

The internet is everyone’s addiction. From kids to grandparents, they use it to do just about anything. The internet allows you to access the digital world. With a smartphone, you can send a video to China and receive a tweet from the President of the United States. This digital world can seem overwhelming to the incarcerated. We have to wait for CDs to come out or TV shows to air at a specific … [Read More...]

Coming back to prison to help bridge the digital divide

By

Behind San Quentin’s walls, there is a pair of programs dedicated to closing the digital divide, Code.7370 and TLMWORKS. Tulio K. Cardozo, a former San Quentin inmate, runs one of them.  These programs are sponsored by The Last Mile. Cardozo is in charge of TLMWORKS, a coding development joint venture. It pays a whopping wage of $16.49 an hour to inmates. “I’ve got to make four client calls this … [Read More...]

UC Davis combats prison stigmas with Beyond the Stats

By

To combat the stigmas facing formerly incarcerated people at the University of California Davis, two students established the Beyond the Stats program to help the newly returning citizens adjust to college life. The founders of the program, Tina Curiel-Allen and Daniel Mendoza, were also formerly incarcerated. The two established the support group and a magazine on the campus to challenge the … [Read More...]

Valley State Prison holds inaugural YOP graduation

By

Valley State Prison (Chowchilla) celebrated a milestone earlier this year when it hosted its inaugural Youth Offender Program (YOP) graduation. The ceremony recognized 97 young prisoners who lived up to their commitments to complete various rehabilitative programs. The graduates successfully reached their goals of earning high school diplomas or general education diplomas (GED), learning vocation … [Read More...]

Folsom’s Insight Garden Project

By

California women prisoners are learning to go “green” as they gain skills in garden design and environmental education through the award-winning Insight Garden Program (IGP). Folsom Women’s Facility (FWF) and Central California Women’s Facility (also known as Chowchilla) have been added to the IGP’s long list of prisons that are finding rehabilitation through connecting with nature. “Folsom was … [Read More...]

Saturn Run by John Sandford and Ctein

By

Last month’s review, The Left Hand of Darkness, dealt with earthlings’ effort to increase the human galactic footprint. Ursula K. Le Guin took readers way, way into the future to tell a tale about humanizing other worlds. By comparison, authors of Saturn Run, John Sandford and Ctein peered just around the corner of time in Saturn Run, (2015) to tell a tale about Earth’s first alien … [Read More...]

Jamaica uses Restorative Justice to fight crime

By

Jamaica’s Justice Minister Delroy Chuck has found alternative ways to fight crime by using restorative justice practices, according the Jamaica Observer. “Getting wrongdoers to accept responsibility is the essence of restorative justice, which is why I am so committed to having restorative justice spread in every nook and cranny…every schoolroom, every church and every inner-city community across … [Read More...]

Nature videos improve solitary behavior

By

The behavior and well-being of inmates in solitary confinement can be improved by showing them nature videos, according to a study published in 2017 by Frontiers in Ecology and Environment. In the study, inmates in solitary confinement were shown nature videos consisting of images of oceans, forests, rivers, rain and deserts for 45 minutes a day up to five times a week. The room was nicknamed the … [Read More...]

Girls of color overlooked in the school to prison pipeline

By

  Girls of color, particularly Black girls, often are overlooked in conversations about the school-to-prison pipeline, making them more likely to be labeled early on as criminals. According to research and reports, one in four American girls will experience sexual violence by the age of 18. But, for Black and Brown girls, traumatic experiences of sexual violence often lead them to the … [Read More...]

Elderly prisoners face hardships before the board

By

“I feel very disappointed with the system in my country,” said inmate Joe Ibarra in an interview with San Quentin News. Ibarra is originally from Harlingen, Texas, but his parents are Mexican. 85-year-old Ibarra is in unique position to understand the difficulties that elderly inmates experience in the system. “I’m one of the oldest pintos [OGs] in the California system,” he said. Fellow inmates … [Read More...]

Detailed report about prison healthcare

By

On any single day, more than a million people are held in state prisons across the nation where substance abuse, mental illness, and contagious diseases are widespread. Fact: Nearly all people complete their prison sentence and return to the community. “Drug-overdose deaths drove a decline in U.S. life expectancy in 2016 for the second year in a row…”  THE WALL STREET JOURNAL Dec. 21, 2017 A … [Read More...]

Colorado brings business courses to prisons

By

There is a renewed emphasis on rehabilitation in the Colorado Department of Corrections prison system as Governor John Hickenlooper partners up with Defy Ventures to bring entrepreneurship, employment, and character development to Arkansas Valley Correctional Facility. The prisoners in the program, also known as Entrepreneurs-in-Training (EITs), met with Hickenlooper one-on-one and were given … [Read More...]

By day, she interviews scientists, by night, novelist

By

A 2018 Elizabeth George Grant for her novel-in-progress,  The Clearest Way into the Universe Mackenzie Smith spends her days at a university interviewing scientists. Her nights are devoted to revising her dystopian novel. It’s about two sisters, on opposite coasts, trying to reunite. She spent Feb. 28 in a nonfictional place—San Quentin State Prison. There, she shared stories with inmates in Zoe … [Read More...]

Youth offenders graduate Pre-Apprentice Program

By

STOCKTON -- Ten youth offenders graduated with a marketable job skill after completing the first Pre-Apprentice Construction Labor Program at the N.A. Chaderjian Youth Correctional Facility. After completing six months of preparation, the young men were certified for construction work and possible union membership, according to the Stockton Record. The youth-offenders were trained in welding, … [Read More...]

NY’s Hudson Link graduates women

By

Incarcerated women made history when they graduated for the first time from a prison college program in New York state. Five women prisoners and one formerly incarcerated woman at the Taconic Correctional Facility received their associate degrees bestowed by Hudson Link for Higher Education in Prison. Intimate partner violence accounts for 15 percent of all violent crime. One in three women and … [Read More...]

Birdman nurses the wildlife on the Lower Yard

By

Every day, the yard at San Quentin State Prison is bustling with wildlife activity. While inmates run the track and play tennis and basketball, a grass field attracts birds, geese, seagulls, pigeons, and blackbirds. Sometimes hawks fly over the yard looking for prey. In the corner of the yard by a fence, an inmate sits on the ground, surrounded by birds. That inmate is Dean Thomas, who answers to … [Read More...]

Suicides disturbingly common for officers

By

Suicides are “distressingly common” among California’s correctional and parole officers, a university study concludes. The rate of correctional or parole officers who have attempted or considered suicide is three times the United States’ general population rate. “…evidence has linked loneliness…to a host of psychological and physiological ills (including) depression, cognitive decline, hearing … [Read More...]

Arizona's first Prison Education Program graduation

By

Educational ground was broken at an Arizona penitentiary when a group of inmates became the first graduates of the Arizona Prison Education Project literary college course.  The graduates went through the college preparatory writing and literary course at the Whetstone Unit in the Arizona State Prison Complex located near Tucson. The certificates of completion were presented by University of … [Read More...]

22 Tennessee students graduates with Associate Degrees

By

After decades without a college prison program, 22 men at a Tennessee prison became the first class to graduate from a state penitentiary since the 1980s, according to a press release.  In January, the class of 2017 was awarded associate degrees from the Tennessee Higher Education Initiative (THEI) prison college program, while serving time at the Turney Center Industrial Complex.  “To succeed in … [Read More...]

Opinion: Inmate consumers say some tennis shoes worthless

By

Inmate consumers have reported that two sneakers sold through prison package vendors were poorly made and not worth their hard-earned money – Phat Farm Prism from Access SecurePak and Air Jordan 12 Retros from Just Right Packages. Phat Farm Prism has a design flaw that causes mere walking to crack open the bottom of the “court shoes,” according to five different inmates who bought the shoes. The … [Read More...]

The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. Le Guin

By

When Ursula K. Le Guin died earlier this year, she left her fans a rich history of literature. In much of that literature she tackled humankind’s quest for dignity. Her stories make us think deeply about how we treat each other — most famously in her groundbreaking 1969 science fiction masterpiece, The Left Hand of Darkness. Le Guin was a courageous writer -- she wrote about sexuality, truth to … [Read More...]

Corcoran Resilience Program

By

Inmates at California State Prison, Corcoran are experiencing healing through a restorative justice program called Building Resilience. At least 50 inmates have graduated, reported The Hanford Sentinel. Building Resilience helps inmates discover how past behaviors, thinking and unhealthy relationships form the underlying cause of their criminal behavior, reported the article. The program is taking … [Read More...]

Training workshop gives ex-cons employment chance

By

The Center for Employment Opportunities (CEO) offers a training workshop for formerly incarcerated inmates to give them skills they need for a new life, the San Bernardino Sun reported.  “I got goals. I’m aiming high. I’m very focused on what I’m trying to do with my life, and I thank CEO for that,” said Carlos Cazares, who was formerly incarcerated. CEO San Bernardino was started in 2013 and … [Read More...]

Prison University Project wins ethics debate

By

A team of philosophy students from University of California at Santa Cruz ventured inside San Quentin on Feb. 13 for an ethics debate against inmates from the prison’s college program. Nearly 100 people sat in the audience, including fellow inmates, more than a dozen volunteer teachers from the Prison University Project (PUP, also known as Patten College), Deputy Warden Ron Broomfield and Warden … [Read More...]

Program making chefs

By

DC Central Kitchen is a nonprofit catering and educational organization. Its focus is to provide careers through its culinary job training program for overlooked citizens with histories of poverty, incarceration and homelessness. “We care about our students’ potential much more than their pasts,” said Erica Teti-Zilinskas, the organization’s director of communications and marketing, in a phone … [Read More...]

John Jay College’s new president worked for Obama

By

John Jay College, the leading educational institution on criminal justice in the nation, has a new president. Karol Mason, a former assistant attorney general in charge of the Office of Justice Programs under the Obama administration, took over the position in August 2017, according to The Crime Report.  Mason said that there is already a large amount of research and evaluation that demonstrates … [Read More...]

Javier Stuaring brings victims and offenders together

By

Javier Stuaring organizes healing dialogues between families of people who have a loved one murdered with families of loved ones serving life sentences for murder. He wants to see the criminal justice system changed to incorporate the healing needs of both families. “Our current system over-relies on punishment,” said Stuaring, the executive director of Healing Dialogue and Action. “We have a … [Read More...]

Documentary reveals men’s struggles

By

A documentary film on ex-cons returning to freedom helps educate the public on the struggles these men face before and after release. The documentary follows the lives of three formerly incarcerated men (Noel, Harrison and Chris) outside of prison. All three were imprisoned at a young age and spent decades behind bars. They talk about their different parole experiences, family reunions, locating … [Read More...]

Youth Justice Coalition Survey

By

Youth Justice Coalition needs your help with their survey. This organization is seeking information on those who were convicted under the felony murder rule in California and under certain aspects of second-degree murder. Does any of the following apply to you? First-degree felony murder: all participants are liable for homicide Whether one performed the homicidal act or not, or was even at the … [Read More...]

Project Rebound expands

By

Project Rebound is assisting ex-prisoners to stay and thrive in college once they parole back into the larger community. Working in conjunction with California State University (CSU), the program operates at nine of the system’s 14 campuses. “According to a RAND analysis, every $1 invested in such [inmate] education generates at least $4 in economic return,” reports Fast Company. “The state … [Read More...]

Prison K-9 program expands

By

  California is expanding its K-9 program to enhance its fight against drugs and cellphone contraband in state prisons, according to Bob Moffitt of Capitol Public Radio. The program currently has 49 dogs in 21 prisons and is increasing to 70 dogs in 35 prisons. “The dogs, just them being present, stops the influx of contraband,” said California State Prison, Solano Correctional Lt. J. Ojo. … [Read More...]

Is intuition trustworthy?

By

There are situations where you should trust your gut instinct and times you shouldn’t, according to social scientists. “We tend to trust our gut reactions more than our rational ones because they happen so quickly we think they must be true,” said Dr. John Bargh, author of Before You Know It: The Unconscious Reasons We Do What We Do. Emotions But there is a problem with this belief, reports … [Read More...]

High-technology and crimes

By

Home detention is getting an upgrade. Research is now underway in the United Kingdom that would use advanced monitoring systems connected to a network of high-tech sensors attached to lawbreakers. Convicted offenders would be monitored on a 24-hour basis by use of artificial intelligence, machine-learning algorithms and lightweight electronic sensors, according to a Future Tense article by Antony … [Read More...]

Fourth annual Makahiki event

By

The San Quentin Native Hawaiian Spiritual group observed the Fourth Annual Makahiki ceremony, which tells the history of ancient Polynesia through traditional song and dance. More than 20 prisoners gave family, volunteers and other inmates a taste of the Hawaiian Islands inside the prison visiting room. “Aloha,” the islands’ expression for welcome and embrace, was exchanged among the … [Read More...]

Folsom CTE Mechanics

By

Folsom State Prison is training men to be master auto mechanics, ensuring quality job opportunities upon their release. “I like this program because it gives us a skill that we can use when we get out,” said student Tai Le. “There are currently 27 inmates in the program on various levels of learning, and so far 25 inmates who completed the program have been paroled and gotten jobs,” reported the … [Read More...]

Finishing a good deed

By

A group of California prison inmates serving life sentences has raised more than $1,300 for victims of last year’s Hurricane Harvey. These inmates stand convicted of first-degree murder with special circumstances and are serving life sentences without the possibility of parole. They’ve changed the meaning of the acronym LWOP that stands for “life without parole” to Lifers With Optimistic … [Read More...]

Bri Blue joins SQ community for World Aids Day

By

While former President Bill Clinton spoke at the AIDS Memorial Grove in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park on Dec. 1, several organizations, and spoken word artist Bri Blue, celebrated World AIDS Day at San Quentin State Prison. “I don’t know Bill Clinton, but I know it’s important to spend time on the inside,” Thandi Harris, a guest speaker living with HIV, said. “It’s an opportunity to bring a … [Read More...]

RISK LITERACY: WOODBLOCK FORTUNA & SAPIENTIA

By

One of the most common stock images used by the San Quentin News website is that of a 17 century woodblock print of Fortuna and Sapientia - FATE & WISDOM. Critical thinking will not emerge on its own. Humans rarely abstract general principles from examples, therefore, we use STORY to help identify and formulate the common strategies and methods that underlie critical thinking. A significant … [Read More...]

Youth correctional facility helps 15 offenders graduate

By

Fifteen youth offenders graduated last month from Johanna Boss High School, which is inside the O.H. Close Youth Correctional Facility in Stockton. “Do not let your past kill your future,” said Clay Rojas, Parkside Church’s pastor. Rojas, an ex-offender himself who served three years in federal prison, was the keynote speaker at the ceremony, reported Almendra Carpizo for the Stockton Record. … [Read More...]

University helps prisoners learn

By

The University of Arizona English Department, with the encouragement of the state of Arizona, has initiated a writing and literary program to rehabilitate prisoners, reports The Arizona Wildcat. They started the Prison Education Project, now called Prison Instruction to Change Minds (PRISM) last spring and enroll up to 20 inmates each term. The goal of the curriculum is to improve prisoners’ … [Read More...]

Program celebrates 50 years of success

By

Project Rebound celebrates 50 years of giving former prisoners a second chance and promotes public safety by providing college educations to the formerly incarcerated. Project Rebound functions as a supportive service for ex-offenders as they adjust to life on campus. They provide food vouchers, mental health support, counseling, and a variety of other pro-social services designed to ensure … [Read More...]

Norway’s Halden prison ranked most humane

By

  Norway’s Halden Prison ranks as one of the most humane prisons in the world — a place where the sole focus is rehabilitation, reported The Huffington Post. Turkey’s Diyarbakir Prison, on the other hand, is described as a facility that completely ignores all basic human rights. U.S. prisons fall somewhere in the middle when compared to these other prisons. Colorado’s federal Administrative … [Read More...]

L.A. Kitchen helps those in need

By

After serving 31 years in various California state prisons, Kevin Williams, 52, was finally paroled and found his way to a job-training program namedL.A. Kitchen to pursue his passion for cooking. Williams now has a job on the outside and a title, Strong Food Kitchen Assistant. Williams is not alone. Other former prisoners are making major strides becoming chefs at L.A. Kitchen culinary school in … [Read More...]

Inside Garden Program creates beauty in prison

By

Dragonflies, bumblebees and Monarch butterflies are daily visitors to the H-Unit garden planted and maintained by the Insight Garden Program (IGP). The program group meets every Friday afternoon in H-Unit, a dormitory yard at San Quentin. For the past 15 years, the 1,200-square-foot organic flower garden has served as a thriving plot of vibrant drought-resistant plants, flowering herbs and … [Read More...]

G.R.I.P. graduates five tribes in 2017

By

Families braved fog and rain to watch their loved ones graduate from one of San Quentin Prison’s most highly touted self-awareness programs. A week later, the sun reflected off the ocean waters as another round of men graduated from the same program. Phyllis Smith, who traveled from Atlanta, said the program gave her son, Harry “ATL” Smith, 28, what he could not find in his childhood … [Read More...]

Folsom women receive 3-D design training

By

Behind battleship gray walls and razor wire fences, women inmates are training for future jobs in technology at Folsom Women’s Facility, according to the Sacramento Business Journal. Some of the inmates participating in the classes have served decades in prison: others are short timers. But all have five years or less until they are eligible for parole. “It gives me hope for a future,” said Kara … [Read More...]

Criminals and Gangmembers Anonymous graduation

By

At age 19, having grown up in Los Angeles, Corey Willis was a gang member and a criminal who sold drugs. On the streets, he answered to the moniker “C-Money,” and responding to the demands of street life, he killed a man. Willis was sentenced to 15 years-to-life for second-degree murder, with a two-year gun enhancement. It’s not uncommon for an inner city kid. A case like his is typically closed, … [Read More...]

Casting away hate and separation: views on building a better world

By

A religious historian told a San Quentin audience that not understanding the difference between religion and faith makes it easy for bigotry and fear of other cultures to exist. Reza Aslan spoke in the prison’s Protestant Chapel on Dec. 1. About 50 inmates and a dozen men and women from the Bay Area attended. A person who has faith believes that there is “something beyond the material realm,” … [Read More...]

California Coalition for Women Prisoners Introduces Alisha Coleman to the world

By

  I introduce to you Alisha Coleman, our new staff at the California Coalition for Women Prisoners. Alisha was introduced to CCWP through the FiredUp! Group that is offered in the San Francisco County jail. At first Alisha was hesitant about the group, until she met the women of CCWP. According to Alisha there was a genuineness to the women representing CCWP that she had yet to see in the … [Read More...]

America’s aging prison population

By

America is facing problems as its prison population is aging, according to a Pew Charitable Trusts report. “Nearly every state is seeing that upward tick in elderly state prisoners,” Pew reports. “For state prisons, the consequence of that aging is money, more and more of it every year.” Many state prisons are forced to make choices between housing elderly prisoners or letting them go due to huge … [Read More...]

A legacy of Nonviolent Communication

By

A program about feelings and needs isn’t what you’d expect in a prison for hardened criminals, but one has made all the difference in the lives of countless men. Nonviolent Communication (NVC), a yearlong class offered in San Quentin for about 16 years, helps people develop a personal awareness that can enrich their lives through effective communication. Prison is one of the most difficult … [Read More...]

Dear Kid CAT

By

My name is Walter “Ahmad” Mcgee, I am 21 years old and was sentenced to nearly 14 years for home invasion. During this prison sentence I have attended multiple groups. However, the Kid CAT curriculum is the most beneficial and in-depth group I’ve attended and it has helped to open my eyes, ears and mind. This program is useful, safe, interactive, and connects with all who attend. This program has … [Read More...]

Theater holds conference to bring Shakespeare to the incarcerated

By

San Diego’s Old Globe Theatre will be hosting a “Shakespeare in Prisons Conference” for people dedicated to bringing Shakespeare to the incarcerated, reports James Herbert of the San Diego Union-Tribune. The conference is scheduled for March 2018. The San Diego site was chosen by the event’s coordinators, Shakespeare at Notre Dame and Shakespeare Behind Bars, reports Herbert. The conference is … [Read More...]

Soledad’s Life CYCLE program brings victims and offenders together

By

A unique program that brings crime victims and convicted murderers together to share their stories is an effective way to increase understanding and empathy, and it also reduces recidivism, according to a report on prison Restorative Justice. Salinas Valley Californian reporter Chelcey Adami describes an encounter last year between Angie Ortega, the mother of murdered Lorraine Ortega, 23, and … [Read More...]

Back In The Day

By

San Quentin Santa “TWAS the night before Christmas And all through the joint – Not a convict was stirring, But that’s not the point! For, without a chimney How could old St. Nick, Bring in his goodies, And exit as quick? While the cons were all dreamin’ Of women and cars – They still hung their socks out On all the cell bars! Along about midnight, There came such a clatter – And I, out … [Read More...]

Revive Oakland Coalition offering jobs to ex-offenders

By

The Revive Oakland Coalition and labor unions have negotiated an agreement with CenterPoint to give jobs to people with a criminal record. The jobs will be at the former Oakland Army base that was handed over to the Port of Oakland for redevelopment. CenterPoint agreed to the so-called ban-the-box policy that will ensure many positions will be available to people with criminal records and formerly … [Read More...]

Michigan and Ohio bans coding books

By

Corrections officials in Michigan and Ohio are stopping their prisoners from receiving educational books that teach computer programming skills. Just like pornography, lewd literature, and racial hate ideology, basic books that can help inmates prepare themselves for gainful employment in computer programming and internet-related industries are now banned, reported Alexa Evans of … [Read More...]

Iowa elementary schools uses isolation as punishment

By

Elementary school children are being placed in makeshift prison cells. Multiple Iowa school districts are using this controversial isolation as punishment, according to a website article at ScaryMommy.com. A controversial new type of punishment, tiny pine boxes with little to no light or ventilation called “seclusion enclosures,” is designed to confine children and discipline them, said the … [Read More...]

Holiday Memories

By

Bruce Cooper of Los Angeles, 58, recalled: “My baby brother Charles was the first in my family to attend college, which he did on a football scholarship. One year he decided that he wasn’t coming home for Christmas. Instead, he was going to spend it with his very first girlfriend. This surprised and disappointed us. We were missing him at our Christmas dinner, but just as we were about to make a … [Read More...]

Going against the machismo culture against women

By

Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto honored Women’s Day this March by urging an assault against the machismo culture that generates violence against women. Pena Nieto urged the eradication of “a deeply rooted machista culture (that) ultimately and truly generates violence against women” The New York Times reported in an April 24 article. Mexico has celebrated male entitlement known as machismo in … [Read More...]

Free to Succeed tutor students for 20 years

By

For more than six years, Joe Spinelli and Carter Schwonke have spent their Friday evenings inside San Quentin tutoring inmates in math and literature and along the way, Spinelli and Schwonke have become pretty good mentors. “Joe is a soldier in helping us in math,” Robert “Belize” Villafranco said. “He helps us to be supportive of ourselves when we get out of prison. He’s like a father figure to … [Read More...]

Domestic violence advocate speaks at Restorative Justice symposium

By

Forgiveness is a key component of healing from abuse and achieving a successful life. And lawsuits can be an alternative to prison sentences, speakers told a Restorative Justice (RJ) Symposium at San Quentin State Prison. Guest speaker Tracy Sovereign spoke of forgiving an abusive father, who never apologized. She was followed by Esquire Tia Katrina Taruc Canlas, who advocates suing men who commit … [Read More...]

Juvenile turned author and Yale graduate

By

A teenager jolted by a nine-year sentence for carjacking used his prison time to turn his path toward publishing two books and graduating from Yale School of Law, wrote Bari Weiss in The New York Times. Reginald Dwayne Betts, 17, was sentenced to an adult prison. Later, he found himself in solitary confinement. During his stay in solitary confinement, someone gave him the book, The Black … [Read More...]

SQ veterans donate nearly $5,000 to the U.S. Marines

By

Incarcerated veterans at San Quentin on July 11 handed over a check for nearly $5,000 to a team of United States Marines. The money supports a program that gives presents to children who visit their incarcerated parents during the Christmas holiday season. Toys for Tots provides the gifts to children 17 years and younger. “We appreciate you guys having us here. It’s a big honor,” said Staff Sgt. … [Read More...]

Veteran benefits helping of the incarcerated

By

Johnny Gomez, 50, has been down 21 years, but thanks to being a veteran, he can still help his child. Gomez’s first parole suitability hearing will be in May 2024. “My uncle had fought and died as a Marine in Vietnam, so that’s what I wanted to be,” Gomez said. He was 19 when he made the decision to serve, looking for steady work and a better life. “I didn’t think I was that smart a month into … [Read More...]

Providing shelter registered sex-offenders in Hurricane Irma

By

Hurricane Irma evacuees in a Florida community faced tough decisions when one emergency storm shelter was designated to open its doors to local registered sex offenders. Pasco County officials planned months in advance for sex offenders to be provided shelter in a completely separate building at one high school. Other sections of the school were available to everyone else, with armed officers … [Read More...]

Inspirational speaker spreads message to Code.7370

By

Sebastian Terry makes a living out of only doing things that make him happy. He came to San Quentin on Oct. 5 to share his mantra with a classroom of incarcerated computer coders, teaching them that if you “dream it, wish it, do it,” you can lead a fulfilling life. “The very reason you’re in this room is that you’re pursuing your dreams,” Terry told the inmates in the coding school, … [Read More...]

Diabetic graduates learn self-awareness on more than just food

By

“Apply what you learn about self-awareness to what you eat” was the highpoint for the 2017 Fall Diabetic Program graduation in October.  After 18 weeks of following lesson plans from a nutritional handbook collaboratively prepared by Chief Medical Officer Elena Tootell, 17 incarcerated men at San Quentin received a Certificate of Completion. Charles Spence is a Type-2 diabetic. He loves potato … [Read More...]

Denver urges former gang members to break the cycle of violence

By

Providing former gang members with jobs is key to breaking the cycle of community violence, leaders of a Denver-based program report. “Now we’ve got Bloods and Crips working together side by side,” said Pernell Hines, director of intervention and outreach for Impact Empowerment Group(IEG). “Guys who were enemies are now working right next to each other on a job site.” “Since the group began … [Read More...]

Society stereotypes become punitive for Black women

By

Society stereotypes Black women as angry, aggressive and masculine, and as a result, according to a recent report, their cases often become more punitive than supportive. A report from a roundtable discussion released by the U.S. Department of Justice Office on Violence Against Women (OVW) said many Black women and girls are experiencing a sexual abuse-to-prison cycle. The school-to-prison … [Read More...]

Securus invests $40 million to block illegal prison calls

By

Securus Technologies is employing its own method to interrupt calls made by prisoners using contraband cell phones. Wireless Containment Solutions (WCS) can be used to control illegal mobile devices in prisons, according to Craig Bermudez of GCReport.com. The system establishes a local cellular network inside correctional facilities. “For phones to access provider networks, they must be screened … [Read More...]

Hudson Link awards its 500th degree to NY prisoners

By

Hudson Link for Higher Education in Prison celebrated a major milestone, passing out its 500th degree, while graduating 55 New York State prisoners in the month of June. New York’s historic Sing Sing Prison, Hudson Link graduated its largest class of 36 men with more than half graduating with honors on June 7. “For one day our students weren’t in prison, but at their college graduation.” On June … [Read More...]

Revamping prison healthcare services responses to complaints

By

California prison administrators are attempting to revamp health care services to inmates and streamline responses to their medical complaints. By law, inmates have a right to file grievances, and they may grieve any results they find unsatisfactory. The new regulations are geared to provide the following services: Instruct inmates how to appropriately prepare and submit health care grievances and … [Read More...]

Q & A about flu shots and season

By

Hate the idea of getting sick? Hate shots? Hate not knowing what’s going into your body? Hey, we do too! We are here to let you know how important it is to get your flu shot. Let’s get some of the common misconceptions and myths out of the way. Q: Every time I get the flu shot, I get sick! Does the flu shot give me the flu? A: No. There are several reasons why people may erroneously believe they … [Read More...]

Contra Costa County hosts Fair Chance Summit for former prisoners

By

Contra Costa County recently hosted a Fair Chance Summit, where former prisoners, state policy makers and local business owners came together to promote the idea that hiring ex-convicts can benefit the entire community, according to a Martinez News-Gazette article. The Contra Costa Workforce Development Board invited State Senator Bill Dodd and County District Supervisor Candace Andersen to speak, … [Read More...]

CALPIA invests $12 million on prison vocational training expansion

By

Vocational training programs in state prisons are being expanded by the California Prison Industry Authority (CALPIA), reports The Folsom Telegraph. CALPIA reported the $12 million expansion will include all 34 California prisons. Classes that will be extended include the successful Code.7370 computer coding program at San Quentin State Prison. It will expand to Pelican Bay State Prison and the … [Read More...]

Tackling the story of innocence for an American crime

By

Former Green Beret surgeon and convicted murderer Jeffrey MacDonald is a unique figure as well as an enduring one in the annals of criminal justice — it’s the longest-running criminal case in U.S. history. Is he an innocent man? Or is he guilty of brutally murdering his pregnant wife and their two children? There are reams of evidence to support both sides. In dramatic fashion, there have been … [Read More...]

CO AND COPS MENTAL HEALTH

By

The pressures of prison life on prisoner’s mental health has been a subject of psychological and academic research, but the cumulative impact of prison environment on corrections officers has rarely been studied. According to the data supplied by the California Correctional Peace Officer’s Association (CCPOA), the suicide rate for its members in 2013 was 19.4 deaths per 100,00 as compared to the … [Read More...]

An account of a small American town by an orphaned chronicler

By

Wendell Berry created an all-embracing character, a portrait of perfection, in protagonist Jayber Crow. The Life Story of Jayber Crow, Barber, of the Port William Membership, as Written by Himself is an account of small-town America as seen from the eyes of a twice-orphaned chronicler. Jabber clung to his adopted town and all its citizens until everything he beheld and cherished broke up, piece by … [Read More...]

Sierra Conservation Camp hosts Special Olympics softball game

By

As part of an effort to reach out to the Special Olympic athletic community, inmates at the Sierra Conservation Center (SCC) hosted Northern California Special Olympics athletes in a friendly exhibition softball game. “People don’t expect a warm welcome when they come to prison,” but that’s exactly what the Special Olympics athletes got, according to a recent article in the Modesto Bee.    “This … [Read More...]

Students protest university investment in for-profit prisons

By

At a protest earlier this year, at California State University at Sacramento (CSUS), students demanded the university divest its financial ties to for-profit prisons. CSUS students have followed student demands that took place in 2015 at Columbia University and the University of California. Students pressured the universities to divest their shares in G4S, the GEO Group and CoreCivic. The … [Read More...]

The psychological impact on police and correctional officers

By

The pressures of prison life on prisoner’s mental health has been a subject of psychological and academic research, but the cumulative impact of prison environment on corrections officers has rarely been studied. According to the data supplied by the California Peace Officer’s Association (CPOA), the suicide rate for its members in 2013 was 19.4 deaths per 100,000 as compared to 12.6 deaths for … [Read More...]

Alameda county hiring ex-offenders comes with roadblocks

By

Alameda County planned to hire 1,400 ex-offenders, but was hindered by a number of complex problems, reports the Bay Area News Group. Alameda County supervisors in June 2016 unanimously approved the Re-Entry Hiring Initiative to provide job coaching, court advocacy and training for county managers who would supervise formerly incarcerated participants, said the article. “We have been working … [Read More...]

Five men graduate with degrees from Gateway Seminary

By

A clear sky and blue waters, seen from San Quentin State Prison’s visiting room, served as the backdrop for friends and family to witness four incarcerated men earn degrees from a Christian leadership ministry course. The men graduated on June 16 from Gateway Seminary, North Bay School of Theology (formerly Golden Gate Baptist Theological Seminary). “I took this class to be closer to the Lord and … [Read More...]

Long Beach initiates cleanup program to help with reintegration

By

The parole department in Long Beach  started a cleanup program staffed by parolees to help them reintegrate into society, reported the Gazette Newspapers. “When I first got out I thought everyone was looking at me,” said parolee Starla Richmond. “I thought everyone was going to know.” Richmond paroled in 2011 after 23 years in prison. She had been in a reintegration program that did not work, she … [Read More...]

East Palo Alto re-entry making an impact despite limited funding

By

An East Palo Alto re-entry facility with limited funding reports it is helping to change lives. “Now I just want to build up the community I once helped destroy as a kid,” said Jose Cabrera, a former gang member who has been incarcerated three times. People can be referred to the David Lewis Reentry Center only from jail or prison. Funding for the program comes from the state, county, and city, … [Read More...]

Two journalism teachers combine their talents to guide their students’ voices to make an impact

By

Wearing t-shirts listing names of Black men killed by the police, a curly afro and glasses, Ryan Lindsay taught a college journalism class at San Quentin. Twice a week, she discovered a classroom of respectful men eager to learn how to use their voices. “I’ve been on a journey to find my voice in a time when it’s necessary to use it to make a difference,” John “Yahya” Johnson said. “Taking this … [Read More...]

Two journalism teachers combine their talents to guide their students’ voices to make an impact

By

In a criminal justice system that Gabriel Tolliver says encourages people to make bad choices, he co-teaches a journalism class to incarcerated men at San Quentin State Prison. “I teach journalism to prisoners so that the ‘each-one, teach-one’ philosophy would inspire people to help each one tell another’s story,” Tolliver said referring to the more than half Black class. “Gabriel taught me how to … [Read More...]

Honorable mention the power of the letter

By

Even though prisoners are allowed the comforts of television and radio, and a few other luxuries, “The letter” is still the longer for treasure in prison, short of freedom. It is a principle factor in curbing the loneliness and frustration due to separation from loved ones. On any given day, slightly past four o’clock men wait patiently, hoping they will be lucky and receive a letter from a loved … [Read More...]

78 receive certificates from the Substance Abuse Disorder Program

By

Incarcerated graduates who took a mandatory Substance Abuse Disorder Treatment program said the program inspired them to change. “At first I was pissed off,” graduate Jason Gibau, 36, said. “I felt like, I’m already doing time, now I’m being forced to into a program five days a week, for three and forever hours a day. Then I met Mr. Anding, and we connected. He’s from Harlem, just like me. He … [Read More...]

Domestic Violence 15 Percent All Violent Crime

By

Intimate partner violence accounts for 15% of all violent crime.  “The key question concerns the relationship between threats and actual violence,” reported the Wall Street Journal on a new study of domestic violence. “To me, threats are clues,” said Dr. T.K. Logan, author of the study. “We tend to dismiss them because there are so many.  We should hone in, not tune out.”  She believes the … [Read More...]

Lower Yard gets upgrade with new guard shack

By

When the guard shack fell on San Quentin’s Lower Yard, it wasn’t an accident or an earthquake — it was inmates tearing it down. Charlie Spence drove a forklift, circling it four times, bringing down the old 7-foot-by-7-foot shack. Watching with anticipation, his co-workers cheered until the final bits hit the dirt. “Driving the forklift for this project was a challenge,” Spence said. “We had very … [Read More...]

Kurt Vonnegut's take on a Shakespeare play

By

Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. cleverly converts Shakespeare’s “to be or not to be” to 2BR02B, his version of the decision “to be or not to be.” Vonnegut’s futuristic world, “to be or not to be,” is relevant to population control. Earth now has a fixed number of 40 million people. And each person gets to independently decide for himself or herself: do you wish “not to be?” 2BR02B begins: Everything was … [Read More...]

News Briefs

By

Alabama — Thomas Arthur, 75, was executed on May 25 by lethal injection. The majority of death sentences are handed down in 2 two percent of the nation's counties. The average time people spend on Death Row before execution has increased from six years in 1994 to 15. Nineteen states have abolished capital punishment or imposed a moratorium on executions. Sacramento — A judge has dismissed a … [Read More...]

High tech training draws huge inauguration crowd

By

To enrich your life, “clear out the old and bring in the new,” Titan Gilroy said to more than two dozen inmates getting ready for a new vocational training course. “Learn these skills if you want to honor your community and your family,” Gilroy added while pointing at a shop full of high-tech Computer Numerical Control (CNC) machines. He spoke while standing in the machine shop of San Quentin’s … [Read More...]

Average inmate pay drops despite billions on prisons

By

In a billion-dollar prison labor market, wages for incarcerated people nationwide have declined since 2001, a recent report says. The April report by Prison Policy Initiative (PPI) said the average minimum wages paid per day to incarcerated workers for non-industry prison jobs is now 86 cents, down from 93 cents in 2001. This means that the average maximum daily wage also declined from $4.73 in … [Read More...]

14 PUP graduates bright future with college degrees

By

The mark of a champion is turning tragedy into triumph. 14 incarcerated men, new champions, marched down the aisle wearing black caps and gowns to standing applause in a packed visiting room at the 2017 Prison University Project graduation. The Prison University Project (PUP) provides men incarcerated in San Quentin State Prison an opportunity to earn an associate’s degree, tuition free, under … [Read More...]

Inmates train rescue dogs to become adoptable

By

Prisoners who train therapy dogs have made a supportive connection with a teenage cancer patient through a program called Pawsitive Change. Dogs are the link between a group of inmates at California City Correctional Facility and a 14- year-old girl battling cancer, according to a People website article by Amy Jamieson. “Trying to turn this frown around, but today has been a rough day,” said … [Read More...]

Former Air Force Captain returns to San Quentin to teach

By

Dr. L. Marez could probably teach just about anywhere, but she returned to a place she loves to teach — San Quentin State Prison. She said she has taught at every level from K-12 to university. She even taught courses on teaching elementary and secondary math, classroom administration and management and educational psychology. In 1999, she won a Nummi’s Most Promising New Teacher of the year award … [Read More...]

Quentin Cooks grads serve six-course meal

By

Sixty-eight confirmed guests attended the April graduating class of the “Quentin Cooks” held in the H-Unit mess hall. The graduating class prepared and served a six-course meal that was a worthy finish to the 12-week Culinary Arts Program available to H-Unit residents with an Earliest Possible Release Date (EPRD) of 6 to 36 months. Overseen by Chef Lisa Dombroski, the program teaches culinary … [Read More...]

Job training at Sierra Conservation Center

By

Vocational programs such as auto mechanics, carpentry, masonry and welding offered Sierra Conservation Center (SCC) in Jamestown offers inmates a variety of vocational education programs such as auto mechanics, auto body, carpentry, masonry and welding, according to a Union Democrat article by Giuseppe Ricapito. “There are a lot of convicts in my trade,” said welding instructor Steve Brown. … [Read More...]

MAC is barred from intervening in inmates’ personal complaints

By

There are often incidents or situations that can disrupt the life of a state prisoner. At San Quentin, the men in blue have several options to address the issues that affect them. Mainliners often approach the Men’s Advisory Council (MAC.) Many are unaware that by state law, the MAC is an advisory body which acts as a liaison between prisoners and staff. By state law, the MAC is prohibited from … [Read More...]

Prison officials provide tablets to reduce violence

By

California prison officials say they are working to improve inmates’ access to modern technology, while ensuring they won’t abuse the changes. “Technology in prisons can provide inmates education, diversions from harmful behaviors, and a lifeline to family support that can ease the emotional stress associated with incarceration,” according to Jason Shueh’s Feb.8 story on the statescoop.com … [Read More...]

Canadian prisons offer healing for incarcerated mothers through writing

By

Crafts groups and writing sessions help incarcerated mothers in Canadian prisons cope with separation and understand their life experiences, according to research by Magali Henry, a Masters student at Concordia University Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Nine incarcerated mothers in a weaving class shared their experiences with Henry for the study. “The findings of this research indicate that exploring … [Read More...]

$20 bill – still another struggle for Harriet Tubman

By

Donald Trump’s election raises questions as to whether Harriet Tubman’s face will grace the new $20 bill, the Philadelphia Tribune reports. After listening to the voices of thousands of Americans, former U.S. Treasury Secretary Jack Lew decided last year to replace the images of Andrew Jackson, who owned slaves, with Harriet Tubman, who freed slaves, on the $20 bill, according to the New York … [Read More...]

Inadequate medical treatment female inmates

By

Medical treatment is inadequate for incarcerated women in California jails, the American Civil Liberties Union of California reports. Jails also fail to provide adequate protection against rape, especially for transgender people, the reported added. Among the problems the January 2016 report lists are: Women forced to submit to guard-administered pregnancy tests. Abortions denied until the … [Read More...]

News Briefs The New York Times

By

New Mexico — Lawmakers passed a bill forbidding “restricted housing” — defined as 22 or more consecutive hours in a cell “without daily, meaningful and sustained human interaction” — for pregnant women in the state’s county jails and prisons and for children in juvenile lockups, New Mexico in Depth reports. The measure also would limit how corrections officers and administrators in the state’s 28 … [Read More...]

Prison therapeutic program makes use of the arts

By

For more than three decades, Clean Break, an organization based in London, England, has provided a therapeutic program for women prisoners within the United Kingdom that helps them share their stories of incarceration through the arts. “Our training and education program helps participants to develop personal, social, professional and creative skills that often lead to education and employment,” … [Read More...]

Former prisoners return for TRUST graduation

By

Three highly acclaimed self-help programs at San Quentin Prison held a graduation for more than 80 inmates on March 30. Dozens of San Francisco Bay Area volunteers came to the prison’s Protestant Chapel to witness the event along with formerly incarcerated men who once participated in the same programs. “It feels good to be back here,” said Kenyatta Leal, a former TRUST (Teaching Responsibility … [Read More...]

Beliefs and rationale challenge when catastrophe hits

By

In a fictionalized future world, the worst possible global scenario occurs (nuclear annihilation). Robert Mailer Anderson brings three characters on stage, struggling to rationalize their beliefs in individuality and collective humanity. An unassuming coffeehouse, Café Dante, is the setting for Anderson’s play, The Death of Teddy Ballgame (2016). This setting works because coffeehouses in America … [Read More...]

Historian on the Yard

By

Mainline prisoners have been baffled    with the unknown identity of young women strolling around in their midst the past few months.   “Is she a cop, a counselor, a nurse, or what?” has been asked silently by all.    The News was able to track down this elusive mystery person to reveal her identity and purpose here at San Quentin.   Her name is Nickola Frye, a published author, and her purpose is … [Read More...]

Construction program graduates 15 women inmates

By

The Central California Women’s Facility (CCWF) and the Inmate Ward Labor (IWL) successfully graduated 15 inmates in the offender pre-apprenticeship program. The program consisted of a 30-week classroom component along with 40-hours a week of on-the-job construction training. Eligible inmates must have a high school diploma, or be in the process of completing their General Education Development … [Read More...]

Asked on the line

By

In the United States, Mother’s Day is always on the second Sunday of May, but in countries like Mexico, Mother’s Day is always on May 10, regardless of the day of the week. The diversity of the men in blue and their deep love for the women who raised them means that at San Quentin, both days are observed. “Asked On the Line” asked men on the mainline, “What would you say is your mom’s (or the … [Read More...]

Code.7370 Graduation Day at SQ

By

Justin Meskan spent the last seven years behind bars, but in August he is scheduled to get another chance at putting his life back on track, with the assistance of an innovative computer programming class taught at San Quentin State Prison. Speaking on the occasion of Code.7370’s graduation day, March 23, Meskan, 35, said, “I learned a lot about how to work with other people, and coders, on a … [Read More...]

Titans of CNC Academy offers marketable skills to prisoners

By

Wearing a T-shirt with Titans of CNC on its front and, in large bold letters, Made in the USA on the back, Titan Gilroy says he is on a quest to ``bring jobs back to America. Gilroy’s quest began by connecting with his spirituality while sitting in solitude, in prison. At 18, Gilroy was a talented boxer who signed a contract with Top Rank Boxing. Hopes for a career in the ring were derailed when … [Read More...]

April 2017 News Briefs

By

Vermont — Disability Rights Vermont filed a lawsuit in federal court in February, alleging that some state prisons are holding inmates in segregation even when it puts the inmate in danger. The lawsuit claims a man is in solitary confinement despite extensive and significant histories of self-harming behavior, particularly when put in segregation, reports Elizabeth Murray, Burlington Free Press. … [Read More...]

Inmates find opportunity at Folsom’s Braille program

By

Since 1989, Folsom State Prison’s Braille program has been transforming lives by transcribing books into Braille for the blind through the California Prison Industry Authority. It started when the Folsom Lions Club was creating audio books on tape. Select prisoners would read the books for blind people like Amelia Diaz. Her favorite reader was an inmate named William. After listening to William … [Read More...]

What are the most popular ways to eat an egg?

By

It’s Easter and America’s love affair with eggs has many eating colored eggs. Egg production is a billion-dollar industry. According to the National Agricultural Statistics Service, during one month in 2016, the United States egg production was 7.51 billion eggs by approximately 305 million hens.  Not only are eggs big business, they are a versatile source of food. During Easter, billions of eggs … [Read More...]

CDCR allocates $14 million to boost rehab programs

By

The Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation has awarded funding for more rehabilitation programs, reports Nuala Sawyer of the San Francisco Examiner. The department has allocated $14.5 million to boost innovative programs and increase volunteerism in prisons. "Corruption within the California state prison system cannot be tolerated,” U.S. Attorney Adam Braverman to NBC San Diego regarding … [Read More...]

DVI’s dairy production provides marketable skills

By

Inmates at Deuel Vocational Institution (DVI) near Tracy handle every aspect of milk production from feeding cows, pasteurization and running the machines in the dairy. The dairy was built in 1953 on 60 acres of dairy land adjacent to 540 acres of farmland at 23500 Kasson Road. It is still fully functioning. The support staff of 75 inmates working as California Prison Industry Authority (PIA) … [Read More...]

March 2017 News Briefs

By

1. Alaska — Lawmakers adopted a measure to limit prison growth and reduce recidivism, The Sentencing Project reports. The legislation expands alternatives to incarceration, reduces jail terms for misdemeanors, reclassifies drug possession as a misdemeanor, reduces felony-sentence ranges, expanded parole eligibility, streamlines releases for persons sentenced for first-time nonviolent offenses, and … [Read More...]

Survey finds crime victims want more say in convictions

By

In the past 10 years, one in four people in the U.S. has been a victim of a crime. A recent survey found crime victims wished for prosecutors to consider their opinion about what it takes to recover from the criminal acts committed against them, even if it resulted in fewer convictions. According to Crime Survivors Speak Report, such survivors also preferred that more resources be allocated toward … [Read More...]

Inmates are 20 percent of California fire crews

By

Many California prisoners find gratifying work fighting wildfires. Roughly 20 percent of the state’s fire crews are inmates, according to a CBS News report. “They’re among the first to hit the front lines of California’s dangerous wildfires. The orange uniforms let people know – these firefighters are inmates,” according to Chris Martinez of CBS News. Certain offenses, often involving violence, … [Read More...]

CIW accredits 25 CTE graduates

By

Twenty-five female inmates beam with pride as they entered the auditorium to a thunderous round of applause from prison leaders, staff, family members, and fellow inmates. On this December afternoon, these women are looked at, not as inmates inside the California Institution for Women (CIW), but graduates who are bettering themselves for their future. Scott Kernan, CDCR Secretary and Chair of the … [Read More...]

February 2017 News Briefs Pennsylvania

By

Eloy, Arizona — The inmates at La Palma Correctional Facility painted the four walls of a multipurpose room in memory of their California homes Cronkite News reports. The inmates, who were transferred to Arizona as part of a contract with the California prison system, are in a drug and alcohol treatment program. The private prison is operated by Corrections Corporation of America, which recently … [Read More...]

The history and accomplishment of Black Americans

By

Slavery underlies the history of Blacks in America. Though many people would rather forget it ever existed, slavery walked down American history as soon as the country was settled.  Slavery was abolished under the 13th Amendment, with one exception: felony conviction. The first colony to consider slavery a legal institution was Massachusetts in 1641, according to author Raymond M. Corbin’s Facts … [Read More...]

CoreCivic claims success for educational programs

By

CoreCivic is boasting higher than expected success rates in its educational programs, The Eloy Enterprise reports. At La Palma Correctional Center in Eloy (CCA operated private prison facility), “as of late August, 94 inmates had received their GED in 2016 through the programs offered. In addition, 557 inmates have also received vocational certificates in everything from electrical, to carpentry … [Read More...]

Historic Black American’s first achievements

By

The accomplishments of African-Americans like Martin Luther King and Malcolm X are well known, but history records many African-Americans who also contributed to the progress of Black people in America. Their stories are rarely read or celebrated. Here are some examples from three sources detailing Black history: James Durham overcame being born a slave to become the first American Black physician … [Read More...]

Alliance for Change grads learn social justice for the community

By

Several men, ranging from 23 years old to great-grandfathers, were honored at the Alliance for Change graduation for completing the rehabilitative course that taught them how to achieve social justice for their communities. “This is the dopest class ever,” said graduate Phillip Kelly. “When I go out to my community, I look to build it up and procedural justice taught me how to do that. If they … [Read More...]

Mock crash but a real inmate jolts high school students

By

When Kaitlin Bennett got behind the wheel of her car after having drinks with a friend in 2012, she didn’t know her decision would have devastating effects. Speeding and running a red light, she crashed into a vehicle carrying five teenagers. A few were ejected and suffered major injuries. Bennett woke up in county jail, where she began her life as a prisoner. Today, as an inmate at Central … [Read More...]

Project Rebound helps formerly incarcerated gain an education

By

A popular program is helping formerly incarcerated inmates obtain a college education. The program called Project Rebound (PR) is based at San Francisco State University. It has a dramatically impressive success rate, reports Emily DeRuy of The Atlantic. It was started in 1967 by a formerly incarcerated inmate and professor of sociology named John Irwin, said DeRuy. “The state typically spends … [Read More...]

‘The way she treats us makes us want to do well’

By

There’s a teacher who walks around a prison classroom engaging students and encouraging them in a way they say most teachers in the public school system din’t. Behind San Quentin educator D. Searle is a testament — copies of more than two dozen High School Equivalent diplomas earned since late 2015 by her students line the walls of her classroom. “As convicts, we know how it feels to believe no … [Read More...]

Chowchilla’s cosmetology program for men enhances job prospects

By

Valley State Prison in Chowchilla is the only prison in California that offers a cosmetology program for men. It has a 100 percent graduation rate, which is one of the highest rates of any prison education programs in the nation, according to Wash, Rinse, Redeem: A look inside a beauty school — in a men’s prison, by Stacey Leasca on the good.com. “It’s like a break from prison because of the way … [Read More...]

December 2016 News Briefs

By

Arizona — After the 2012 decision barring mandatory sentences of life without parole for offenders who were juveniles when they committed their crimes—and making the law retroactive—the U.S. Supreme Court ordered the state courts to review the sentences in several cases, SCOTUSblog reports. Justice Sonia Sotomayor explained that the sentencing judges in these cases did not consider whether or not … [Read More...]

Inmates earn neuroscience degree

By

Cornell University instructors are now teaching neuroscience at New York’s maximum-security Auburn Correctional Facility. Prisoners are enrolled in Cornell Prison Education Project (CPEP), and those that graduate will receive an associate’s degree from Cayuga Community College reported Atlantic Magazine. Students attending the introductory neuroscience class are not seasoned scholars; they are … [Read More...]

North Block project teaches construction skills

By

Prisoners on a San Quentin work crew say they are being “rehabilitated, one building at a time” by learning state-of-the-art techniques useful in today’s construction industry. Their latest project is an addition to an existing building, North Block. The addition was completed in mid-September and is scheduled to open as a medical dispensary. “This project has helped me to grow as a person,” said … [Read More...]

A chorus of praise for 11 addiction graduates

By

A United States congressman was one of three dignitaries to venture inside San Quentin to recognize 11 inmates for turning their lives around and being certified to teach their fellow inmates how to overcome substance abuse. “This was inspirational,” said Mark DeSaulnier, who represents California’s 11th District, at the 2016 graduation of Addiction Recovery Counseling (ARC). “These stories are … [Read More...]

SQ Mission: Learning to earn a living wage

By

In prison, education is all about public safety. Shannon Swain, Deputy Superintendent for the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation’s (CDCR) Office of Correctional Education (OCE) understands this well. “If someone’s going to do time, then they should learn something to better their community,” said Swain. “If someone learns a skill in prison it will lead to a living wage when … [Read More...]

White House award to Jody Lewen

By

As students with makeshift backpacks and see-through plastic folders hustle in and out of an education building, teachers greet their students by name. It is a college campus at San Quentin, where the Prison University Project works to transform inmates from convicts to college students. President Barack Obama recently handed PUP Executive Director Jody Lewen the 2015 National Humanities Medal, … [Read More...]

Joint venture provides opportunity for SQ

By

A new opportunity for paying jobs for San Quentin inmates has been approved by the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. The job source is a joint venture operated by a company calling itself “Big Dawg” Manufacturing, LLC. The company manufactures refrigeration products. The company will choose from a pool of inmates who are free of disciplinary violations. They will come from H-Unit, … [Read More...]

Melissa Davis keeping the community safe on both sides of the law

By

There is a growing number of individuals working in law enforcement who labor freely, beyond what their profession requires of them, to increase public safety. Meet Melissa Davis, who has been working as one of Marin County’s probation officers for a little more than 12 years. She has a Bachelor of Arts degree in psychology from University of California, Santa Barbara. For nearly four years, Davis … [Read More...]

Kid CAT symposium highlights value of rehabilitation

By

The day after Yom Kippur, a prison chapel served as a safe place for survivors of crime, men who committed violent crimes and concerned citizens to hold a conversation about the importance of rehabilitation and atonement for community healing. “I think that this day is important because we have two voices that are under heard in this process – the victim and the offender, talking about how to make … [Read More...]

‘Homestretch’ documents homeless youth on the streets

By

There’s a hidden epidemic of homeless teens in America, and the documentary Homestretch sheds light on the problems of homeless youth on the streets, such as housing, education and sexual abuse and the government’s efforts to solve this problem. “We were searching for subjects that hit us in the heart,” Kirsten Kelly, co-creator of Homestretch, told The Atlantic in an interview. “We found (a) … [Read More...]

Virtual reality and the solitary prison experience

By

Solitary confinement can now be experienced by non-prisoners in a “virtual reality (VR)” setting, reports Chloe Veltman of KQED. 6X9: A Virtual Reality Experience of Solitary Confinement was spearheaded by the U.K.’s Guardian Media Group. “You can be mentally damaged by being placed in isolation,” says Francesca Panetta, the project’s executive producer. “But by using this technology, I hope that … [Read More...]

How Restorative Justice transforms offenders

By

Taking 62 violent prisoners, putting them in the same dorm, and requiring them to participate in a Restorative Justice program sounded to Sunny Schwartz like a good way to stem their criminal thinking and recidivism. “‘You don’t put 62 violent men in a open dorm,’” Schwartz said deputies told her. “They thought it would compromise officer safety.” Schwartz used the Restorative Justice (RJ) model … [Read More...]

Diabetic program saves lives at San Quentin

By

“This is the most important program in San Quentin because it saves lives,” said Aaron Martin, a mentor in San Quentin State Prison’s Diabetic Program. He opened the ceremony for 40 graduates with a personal story about how his lack of knowledge about diabetes almost killed him. “When I came to the program, my vision was blurry, I didn’t know what was going on,” Martin said. He described how he … [Read More...]

Remembering favorite foods of past Thanksgivings

By

Every year, Thanksgiving lands on the fourth Thursday of November. Thanksgiving Day is one of the holidays that most men in blue especially miss celebrating with their families. “Asked on the Line” made random informal inquiries of mainliners and asked: What do you love to eat for Thanksgiving Day? Before you were incarcerated, when, where and with whom did you celebrate Thanksgiving? At this … [Read More...]

H-Unit VOEG graduates prepare for survivor panel

By

“If you want to change the path of your life, go to VOEG,” said Kevin Thompson, a recent graduate of the Victim Offender Education Group (VOEG) from H-Unit. VOEG is one of a myriad of volunteer-organized rehabilitation programs at California’s San Quentin State Prison.  It meets once a week for two hours and usually consists of a dozen inmates, one inmate facilitator and two volunteer … [Read More...]

ROOTS graduation offers multicultural self-discovery

By

Animated and rhythmic drumming captivated an audience of about 75 prisoners and a dozen Bay Area community members during a Sept. 18 graduation ceremony for a program designed to guide multicultural prisoners on a path toward self-discovery. Several skits and comedic acts brought lots of laughs at the ceremony for ROOTS (Restoring Our Original True Selves). The performances centered on confusion … [Read More...]

Stanford researchers mine racial traffic stop data

By

Researchers at Stanford University are collecting data to determine whether race plays a part in motor vehicle stops by police, says a recent report by The Marshall Project. This comes at a time of national debate about the way law enforcement responds to minorities. In the past few years there have been an alarming number of videoed traffic stops that presented disturbing images. In one such … [Read More...]

Mock Election Draws Huge Turnout

By

The men on San Quentin’s Death Row overwhelmingly favor Hillary Clinton for President over Donald Trump. In a mock election, the former secretary of state won 64 percent of the vote, compared to Trump’s 15 percent, and the remainder divided among Libertarian and Green candidates. The election, which captured votes from 107 of the 747 men on San Quentin’s Death Row, is believed to be the most … [Read More...]

Trying to Help His Victim’s Family

By

A drunk driver is raising money for the family of the man he killed, KABC reported. Tyler Thompson, now 26, was driving drunk on the wrong side of Freeway 210 in Asuza when he killed 19-year-old Justin Romo in August 2014. Though Thompson initially pleaded not guilty, he later changed his plea to no contest and apologized to Romo’s family in court, KABC said. “ ‘I pray I could change places and be … [Read More...]

Hunger Strike to Improve Conditions In Re-entry Homes

By

A former guard who worked at an Ocean View re-entry facility (one of two San Diego halfway homes operated by Corrections Corporation of America), is leading a hunger strike to protest the deplorable conditions in those homes, reported Madison Pauly in Mother Jones magazine. Both halfway houses were purchased for $36 million in 2013 by CCA and kept under their original title and reputable name, … [Read More...]

Keeping SQ Inmates Connected to Their Families

By

There’s an old maxim that behind every strong man stands a strong woman. The women of the San Quentin Inmate Family Council (IFC) are standing not behind but in the vanguard, keeping many men at San Quentin connected to their families. IFC supports connections “between inmates and their families through improved communications, shared information, issue identification and problem resolution,” … [Read More...]

CIW Puppy Program Inspires Hope and Love for Female Inmates

By

At first glance many people are taken aback by the sight of inmates walking the prison yard at California Institution for Women (CIW) with a dog at their side. “What is going on?” they may wonder. Maybe you have wondered as well? If you are willing to give a few minutes of your time, I will tell you a story about Sister Pauline’s dream; a story of inspiration, hope and love. The Prison Puppy … [Read More...]

San Quentin’s Annual Health Fair Draws Its Usual Big Crowds

By

Hundreds of prisoners formed long lines on San Quentin’s Lower Yard at the prison’s 13th Annual Health Fair on Aug. 19 to receive medical services and wellness information, ranging from blood pressure checks and chiropractic services to dental hygiene instructions. “Just because the men are locked up doesn’t mean they don’t have influence and leadership over their families,” said Sherre Patrick of … [Read More...]

Police Harassment of Blacks Higher Than for Other Minorities

By

In a recent poll, Blacks reported being harassed by police at a higher percentage than reported by Asians, Hispanics and Whites, according to The Associated Press (AP). “Two-thirds of young African-Americans and 4 in 10 Hispanics say that they or someone they know has experienced violence or harassment at the hands of the police, according to a new GenForward poll,” the AP reported. With 343 … [Read More...]

What Is Your Stance on the National Anthem?

By

Many of the men in blue say they would remain seated during the National Anthem. Like a small but growing number of professional athletes refusing to stand for the national anthem, mainliners have expressed similar views of the criminal justice system. “Asked on the Line” conducted an informal survey with four questions. The first question mainliners were asked was, would you stand for the … [Read More...]

Q & A With MAC Executives

By

Many of the men on the mainline know MAC President Johnson and Vice-president Alvarez. However, here is an introduction to the other four men who serve on the MAC Executive Body: Executive Secretary Matthew Nguyen, Parliamentarian Darryl Hill, H-Unit Senior Advisor Willie Thompson, and Sergeant at Arms Nicola Bucci. After being elected to the MAC General Body by a vote of the mainline population, … [Read More...]

A Violent Death Leads to Forgiveness

By

A 72-year-old woman and an incarcerated Black man shared stories of how they avoided becoming leaders of hate by forgiving the men who committed crimes against their family members. “Forgiving someone who committed an atrocious crime against your loved one is hard to do, but the offender will live in your head until you do,” said Darnell “Mo” Washington in San Quentin State Prison’s Catholic … [Read More...]

Offenders Earn Employment As Software Engineers Inside San Quentin

By

Federal and state-authorized Joint Venture Program allows employment of incarcerated individuals at market wages. The California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) has entered into a Joint Venture agreement with California-based non-profit Turn 2 You, Inc., to employ trained offenders within the walls of San Quentin State Prison. The employed offenders will have completed the … [Read More...]

Sitting in the Fire With the New Graduates of VOEG

By

The song “Lean on Me” set the tone for the 2016 graduating class of San Quentin’s Victim Offender Education Group program. Executive Director Billie Mizell and Michael Adams harmonized the 1980s classic oldie by Bill Withers before nearly 125 people in the Protestant Chapel. Mizell said she wanted the audience to remember, “No one can fill those of your needs that you won’t let show.” To honor the … [Read More...]

SQN Forum Welcomes Appellate Court Judge J. Anthony Kline

By

J. Anthony Kline, a California appellate court judge, came to the San Quentin News office to talk about incarceration, rehabilitation and reentry with about a dozen incarcerated men whose personal histories included gang-banging, drug dealing and even murder. The incarcerated men were lead facilitators for several self-help programs that enable participants to deal constructively with anger, … [Read More...]

Robert E. Burton Adult School Awards Diplomas and Vocational Certificates

By

“Progress has a beginning, but it has no ending” best describes the Robert E. Burton Adult School 2016 Graduation Commencements. During this summer’s ceremony more than 120 inspired, incarcerated men at San Quentin finally reveled in their own personal accomplishments and triumphs. “Don’t Just Dream Inspire, Don’t Just Imagine Create, Don’t Just Believe Achieve” were the self-motivating factors … [Read More...]

Project Avary Provides Children With Summer Camp Retreats

By

A Bay Area nonprofit organization geared to help children of incarcerated parents recently held its 16th annual summer camp with the theme “Healing through Expression.” Project Avary provides youngsters a safe place in nature for self-discovery, reflection and using the outdoors as a cure, according to its executive director, Zachary Whelan. “We intervene early in the lives of children at the ages … [Read More...]

Dr. Beatty Brings Quest for Treating Under-Served To SQ Inmates

By

The University of North Carolina, known for its NCAA collegiate championship basketball program, and is the alma mater of Dr. George Beatty, one of San Quentin’s medical physicians. The university campus at Chapel Hill is a diversified southern school with opportunistic programs designed for an adventurous student body. “I’ve got two undergraduate degrees, one in Biology and another in Psychology, … [Read More...]

Private Prison Companies Secure Millions in Tax Breaks

By

Private prisons and corrections-based organizations are securing millions of dollars in tax breaks, according to Mike Ludwig, reporter for Truthout. The Corrections Corporation of America (CCA) and the GEO Group, two of the largest private prison organizations, had their federal financial filings analyzed by Enlace, an economic justice group. The findings rendered statements that show the savings … [Read More...]

Report of Corrections Corporations of America by the Numbers

By

The July/August issue of Mother Jones (MJ) magazine portrays Corrections Corporation of America (CCA) in great detail. The nation’s second-largest private prison company, based in Nashville, began operations in 1983 in a motel in Houston, Texas. CCA now houses more than 66,000 prisoners in 61 facilities across the nation. It owns 50 of them. In 2015, it declared $1.9 billion in revenue and $221 … [Read More...]