One of San Quentin’s most respected correctional counselors, M. McGarvey of North Block, is retiring. Because of California’s budget crunch and changes in the pension system, it makes financial sense for him to leave now. Reluctantly, Counselor McGarvey leaves his “S.Q. Family” of co-workers and friends. Bonds formed over the years will not be broken by a well earned retirement package. As a counselor he found some rewarding moments while working with “Lifer” inmates in their preparation for a Board of Parole Hearing date. He said, “I could point them in a positive direction in their lives; to enable each of them to succeed as they re-enter their communities. And from this I have been rewarded to see some of them thrive and succeed after they were granted parole.”
It is fair to say that McGarvey treated everyone, co-workers and prisoners alike, as human beings. He said, “We all eat, drink and laugh with the same emotions and face similar kinds of struggles in life.” What was his big secret to success? He said, “Faith has given me a lot to rely on; to learn from my mistakes and never repeat it. I prefer to embrace the problems I encounter, and trust in God to direct the way.”
Asked to share one thing that he believes would make the prison system better, he replied, “I have seen drastic changes throughout the Department since I started. Most of the jobs have gotten very technical and more labor intensive. In addition, with the current State fiscal crisis, employees are being required to take mandatory furlough days, which reduces the work production each month. As a whole, CDCR staff are not the cohesive group they once were. I feel that in order for the Department to become better as a whole we need to return to the realization that no job is more vital than another, regardless of pay scale. For example, without food service personnel, the inmate does not get fed; without medical personnel the overall health of the inmates drastically decrease; without custody staff there is no safety and security for the staff or inmates; without teachers and educational programs, inmates leave the prison ill-equipped to reintegrate into society. The list of essential jobs and their importance to the Department is endless. In short, if one of the cogs in the wheel is broken, CDCR comes to a grinding halt. As CDCR staff, we can make the Department better by not solely focusing on our own job, but to instead try and look at the overall picture and see how our job impacts other jobs throughout the institution.”
Asked if he had any parting words to offer, McGarvey replied, “Over the years, I have worked beside some truly great men and women that possessed strong work ethic and excellent team building skills. I have also been fortunate to have worked for many supervisors and administrators that believed in me and were willing to give me a chance to prove myself. I would like to take this opportunity to express my sincere gratitude to those that believed in me and to the rest of my San Quentin family for continually sharing their knowledge, experience and friendship throughout my career.”
