Editor’s Note: This is the second of a series of articles on the Aug. 2 interview Editor-in-Chief Michael R. Harris conducted with Jeanne Woodford, a former San Quentin warden and former chief of the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.
Since this interview, the bill to abolish the death penalty in California was withdrawn because of lack of support in the legislature. The bills backers are refocusing on a campaign to get the measure on the 2012 ballot to allow voters to decide.
The proposed measure would take 100 million dollars from state coffers—the estimated savings in abolishing the death penalty—and create a fund for use by the attorney general to help solve more of the states rapes and homicides.
The measures backers are betting that by linking the savings from an overly expensive death-penalty mechanism to better funding in public safety, they can entice voter support.
What achievements are you most proud of as a public servant of the State of California?
That’s such a hard question to answer because I was at San Quentin for a long time and I think that there were many people who contributed to changing the culture at San Quentin. So, when I first started there walking through that prison was a very difficult thing to do in 1978 – being one of the first women there. It was very difficult.
Inmates weren’t used to women staff inside those walls, so I could say that I was a part of a change in culture at that prison, not just myself, but Susan Hubbard and other people who worked at that prison. So, I’m proud that we were a part of all that. I’m also proud of the fact that we managed to expand the amount of people and volunteers coming in the prison, and I do think we raised those numbers significantly. And, I say we, because it wasn’t me, it was staff and you guys stepping up to the plate.
The example I give is when the veteran’s group designed that whole veteran’s program. I met with them and I said, “I want you guys to do more. I want you to get the Veterans Administration coming in here.” I didn’t do any of the work. You guys did the work. I think you have a model program that I hope continues to this day.
Also, the opening up of the success dorm, I know that it’s been renamed something else, but I think the idea of letting people know that we cared about what they do while they’re incarcerated and that we believe that everybody that walks out that gate isn’t the same. There are individuals who know they made a mistake, who genuinely come in the prison system trying to improve themselves and see themselves as a productive member of society and we need to acknowledge that and reward that. Just walking down the streets of San Francisco, I’ve had moms come up to me and say, “Aren’t you the…” and I’d say, “Yes, I’m the warden.” “Oh, my son went through that program, and he’s such a changed person.” So, I know that impacted people. Just getting the community and law enforcement to understand, that there are many people who come into the prison system who want to leave a better person was an important milestone for San Quentin that I was a part of with the help of all the staff there.
Are you frustrated about what happens at San Quentin has not spread to other prisons at the rate that you’d probably like it to?
Yes, but at the same time, after going around to all the other prisons, and seeing how the overcrowding case has impacted not only the health care and mental health care, it impacted the ability to have people think thoughtfully about the issues of rehabilitation. Because when you just have people housed in every corner and all that goes along with that, it’s very difficult to change culture. So, I do think bringing down the overcrowding will assist the department in moving forward in an appropriate way.
Do you think that the location of San Quentin makes it easier for volunteers to work inside of prisons?
I think that the location of San Quentin made it a lot easier, and it’s a visible place, people drive by it. But the example I’ll give is when I was director of corrections, and the program Alternatives to Violence came to me and said, “We want to go in all your prisons,” I brought them to speak to the wardens. They explained the program. We got the wardens to sign up.
Now I think they’re in about half the prisons. What those wardens said to them was, “You find volunteers and we’ll let them in.” And, they found the volunteers. I think it’s kind of an excuse for many parts of the state to say, “We can’t find people who are willing to work.” I mean, I know people for Alcoholics Anonymous who drive more than 50 miles, because having a meeting is really important, not only for the individuals incarcerated in our prisons, but it’s important for AA to be inside those prisons. So, if prison administrations have the right attitude, they can get many more volunteers in than they do, and, some have.
What can the state do to improve job skills?
Although budget cuts have stopped most of those types of programs, the vocational programs absolutely have to be expanded along with the educational programs. Every single person who arrives at prison needs to have a program, and the program needs to be designed based on the risk and needs assessment of the person. Then, based on that, there needs to be a plan so that when you walk in the door, you know what the plan is for you – you know your step one, your step two, your step three.
