San Quentin Rehabilitation Center held the final day of a weeklong series of mental wellness events, which included BPH commissioners.

On Friday, September 12, the SQRC’s Mental Health Delivery System made efforts to bring healthy thoughts to SQ residents with a plethora of events.

In SQ’s Education Annex classroom A1 on the lower yard, Parole Board Commissioners Purcel and O’Meara and three parole agents came to share what the parole process looks like.

One of the visitors was a therapist eager to share insight on being found suitable for parole from a mental health perspective.

Purcel, a former attorney, spoke on legal standards and the importance of knowing your rights heading into a suitability hearing.

“It ain’t bragging if it’s the truth,” Purcel said about having consistency and honesty in every evaluation with one’s self. She also reminded residents of the power of taking accountability for one’s actions.

Commissioner O’Meara, who is also a psychologist, focused on the comprehension and application of rehabilitation, and the importance of understanding how Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) impact lifelong mental health outcomes. The prism of ACE markers helps demonstrate how traumatic childhood experiences can be linked to adulthood character defects and health problems.

O’Meara was adamant in encouraging residents to know their ACE contributing factors vs. causal factors. She said it is important for people to understand and speak about what happened in their past.

In classroom C2, Dept. of Corrections Parole Officers and a mental health therapist gave residents CDCR 1515 forms on special conditions of parole, including notices of those conditions.

Head Parole Agent investigator Aspen Marshall, a 17-year military veteran, gave residents perspective on the new-and-approved parole agency.

“Right now in Governor Gavin Newsom’s administration, we’re big on forward thinking,” Marshall said. Marshall went on to say that parolees must be honest about their programming to get the help they need.

“We’re trying to get to a better place than the department was in the past,” he stressed. “Yes, we’re trying to be less reactive; we are trying to make change.”

As mental health week final day was coming to a close, residents returned to the lower yard, indulging in a game of trivia with staff.

One particular question seemed to puzzle the younger crowd, who is the hardest working man in show business? Some of the older guys just smiled, because they knew the answer: James Brown the God-Father of Soul.

Despite playing trivial pursuit another aspect of mental health week was live performances.

Music from residents and outside guest relaxed the crowd with soothing melodies from artist such as Hugo-De-La-Lune (a member of outside guests ‘Alive Inside’) as well as SQ resident performer Ronnie Pearley a member of SQ’s Band The 115s.

Leaving the festivities residents filtered in to classroom C2 where the vibe was a little more cerebral.

Alex, a formerly incarcerated and self-proclaimed advocate of Enneagram, was talking to the class recalling doing thirteen years in prison, getting out, and swearing never to return.

Thirty days later, he was back facing a life sentence.

He remembers being lost in the sauce, having no idea who he was.

“People didn’t know who I was either. They just knew and glorified what I did but Enneagram introduced me to my authentic self”, Alex said. “One thing I know I am today is somebody’s hope. I want to be that same hope for someone here today”. 

Wrapping up the Enneagram session Suzanne reminded residents that mental health issues are not by choice but we have a choice to do something about it.

As mental health wellness week was coming to an end and SQ outside guest begin to wrap things up so did the residents. 

Both mindful of each other and appreciative of the connections made throughout the week.

From the expressive arts night of sharing hope and honoring life to this final day of celebration and education, SQ resident Pablo Urenda didn’t want the day to end.

“I’ve been in some bad places in my incarceration, but SQ is changing the narrative on how people see me, see us. It’s truly a blessing to be here, you know, the first step toward rehabilitation is addressing our mental health,” Urenda said.