San Quentin inmate Wendell Forest has worked at several prisons in the construction trade; now he pays it forward by teaching others what his stepdad taught him the skill of laying cement.
“It’s therapy for our minds and it keeps us focused on positive things. We work hard and put the same expertise into our work as we would if we were free because someday we will be.” Forest said.
Forest comes from a long line of tradesmen, and when both of his brothers saw he was serious about construction, they helped him further his skills. Yet, it was his step-dad who got him into construction.
“Yeah, my brothers took me to a different level but my step-dad taught me the trade–basically we did framing. I worked a lot with him and I learned a great deal from him too.”
Incarcerated for six years, Forest has been at San Quentin for a year and a half and he is using his skills to help other inmates learn the cement trade.
“It’s kind of like paying it forward, like passing it onto somebody else,” said Forest. “I’m using what my step-father taught me and I’m teaching other people the same.”
While he was at Vacaville State Prison, Forest said he worked in the construction program 1994-95, refurbishing all the baseball diamonds at a Vacaville park.
One of Forest’s protégés, Michael Hampton, said he never did any construction work prior to arriving in prison 16 years ago. In his job interview, the supervisor asked him if he worked on a construction site before.
“I said no, but if you give me a sledge hammer, I will bust up whatever it is you need me to bust up. He hired me right there on the spot and I was given the opportunity to work as a laborer,” Hampton said.
Hampton, who has been at San Quentin for four years, said he has learned from guys like Paul Lombardi, the site foreman; his supervisor, Michel (pron: Meeshell); and Correctional Officer Gossett.
“The experience that I have, I bring in here for the men to learn it, because one day they’re gonna’ get out and they can use it,” said the supervisor.
“Mike’s taught me a lot about concrete making, cement finishing and how to use the tools safely,” Hampton explained. Prior to coming to prison he sold drugs, and was in a gang, but now he is learning a trade and communication skills, Hampton said.
“I work with people of different nationalities and backgrounds,” Hampton said. “That’s the communication I’m talking about — learning how to listen and growing from there.”
Building Inspector Shane Dickerson, who has worked in the trade for about 42 years, said he finds the project rewarding because the men at San Quentin are very skilled.
“My philosophy is: These men have already been judged and sentenced by someone else,” Dickerson said. “I judge them by how they perform on my worksite; if they work like men, I treat them like men.”
The inmate construction crew recently built a pad for the Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) trailer truck for the Lower Yard.
Officer Gossett has been doing construction projects at San Quentin on and off for a little over 10 years. Gossett said the completion of the pad will improve the delivery of inmates’ medical services.
“I’ve worked here for 11 years and there’s been a lot of expansion around this prison,” Gossett said. “I’m fortunate because I’ve seen the changes of San Quentin and it feels like being a part of history.”
Should the opportunity come, Hampton said he now knows about framing, concrete finishing, fencing and how to use the jack hammer for demolition.
“And I’m learning more daily because I’m working with guys like Forest, who doesn’t mind teaching if a person is willing to learn,” Hampton said.
