High-pitched grinding noises, sparks, and the smell of carbon blades cutting through steel have informed residents of progress at the San Quentin Rehabilitation Center.
The sounds, the lights, and the odor came from the long-awaited conversion of the Upper Yard from its prior use as a secure outside solitary cell area for Death Row. According to Lt. B. Haub, construction crews began working in September to dismantle and remove 38 outdoor isolation cells and a basketball court.
“Plans on how to best utilize the recently open yard space are being made,” Haub said. “The goal is for the Upper Yard to be used and available for the whole population.”
Behind a 10-feet-tall security fence used to sit the outdoor cells, their perimeter surrounded with razor wire. Each cell had a stainless steel toilet, a sink, and some room to exercise. The yard and the cells remained out-of-sight to the general population, shielded by a black nylon tarp.
The exercise activities in the outdoor cells did not remain out of earshot, though. According to former Death Row residents, the space has long had an association with very loud callouts during common workout sessions. Attempts by general population residents to communicate with Death Row residents through the fence would result in Rules Violation Reports.
An outside construction company started the demolition project in September 2024. The team has included as many as five carpenters and a work crew of 15 Inmate Day Labor program (IDL) workers.
Resident Daryl Beulah, 60, said he felt excited to work with the IDL crew helping to reimagine a space once available to everyone at San Quentin. “I’ve been on all the major projects within the last 5 years,” Beulah said. “This one is exciting because of how much space we will have for something new.”
Beulah added that his involvement with the project included in the overall project planning an orientation that addressed worker safety. “The next day we started right in on demolition using generators, grinders, and reciprocating saws to cut everything down,” Beulah said.
Outside construction workers toiled high off the ground, using scissor lifts to reach and remove barbed wire from the fence. The crew worked to remove the welds and screws that connected cells and fencing.
According to Lt. Haub, thousands of pounds of parts and pieces, including stacks of screen panels and doors, would end up re-purposed at another prison.
The most noticeable part of the demolition process showed up in the beginning of the year during the dismantling of the old Upper Yard canopy. Lead paint coated the entire steel superstructure and a second construction crew that specialized in lead-abatement demolition and removal worked high overhead as they removed some 500 metal panels from a 21,000 square-foot roof. The structure used rivets from an era before welding.
A buzz of excitement sounded from residents walking by the construction zone. “This yard hasn’t seen sunshine like this in years,” said resident Marcus Gallegos, 59, as he passed by the area.
The steel structure would soon receive new paint. Lt. Haub said colorful and clear panels made of recycled composite material would replace the old panels, bringing vitality to the reclaimed structure.
“What they are doing to the Upper Yard shows us that they are continuing to make positive changes here at San Quentin,” said resident Tony Chavez, 30.
