California Health Care Facility residents connect with their roots
Asian Pacific Islanders build up worship service, learn Hawaiian/Polynesian songs and dances “Aloha” is a Hawaiian greeting a group of Asian Pacific Islanders use at the California Health Care Facility, in Stockton, California. Many of them need wheelchairs but are at work to build up their own spiritual worship service. On most Tuesday … [Read More...]
Two San Quentin residents visit California Medical Facility, discuss expansion of Canine Companions
San Quentin residents and their four-legged tail-wagging trainees visited a Northern California prison in an effort to expand the Canine Companions Program. Correctional Officers escorted incarcerated dog handlers Jared Hansen, 42; Chase Benoit, 29; and service dogs Ferguson, Cedric, and Jermone to the California Medical Facility in … [Read More...]
Day of Peace showcases music, harmony, humanity
Resident Michael Endres said he remembers the day in 2006 when a race riot between Black and Mexican San Quentin residents resulted in a six-month lockdown. “When that incident took place, I didn’t hear anything about any tension.” A year later, in an effort to curb violence in the institution, residents created the Day of Peace … [Read More...]
Peer Support Specialists pass state exam
After receiving his results for a rather difficult exam he had taken a month earlier, San Quentin Rehabilitation Center resident Michael Moore walked to the Lower Yard beaming with confidence. He held up a letter from the California Mental Health Services Authority that prominently showed the word “PASS” in capital letters. Moore, 64, had taken … [Read More...]
Overdose Awareness
A day of educational training on life-saving methods critical for incarcerated individuals By Jerry Maleek Gearin and Ben Greenspon Overdose deaths from illicit drug use have been a growing problem throughout California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation; therefore, overdose awareness was brought to San Quentin residents. Bay … [Read More...]
Empathy, accountability, amends part of residents’ journey to redemption
A San Quentin resident finds redemption and a second chance at freedom after serving decades behind bars for the killing of a rival gang member. Tommy Wickerd, 58, paroled on July 15, 2025, after serving 23 years of incarceration. He left behind a legacy of what it looks like to take full accountability for his actions and pursue a successful … [Read More...]
Insight Gardening renamed, expands to Lower Yard
The Insight Garden Program has expanded its planting and growing from H-Unit to San Quentin’s main yard. During this process the program has changed its name to Land Together. “Land Together, formerly Insight Garden Program, changed our name in 2025 to reflect the vast array of services we offer inside and for reentry,” said San Quentin IGP … [Read More...]
Gun violence discussions held at Arms Down graduation
Arms Down, a mutual-help group addressing firearm addiction, recognized its latest cohort of graduates in an uncommon violence intervention-type ceremony at San Quentin Rehabilitation Center in August. Speakers on a panel discussed the seriousness of gun violence, instead of a predictable stroll to the stage Pomp & Circumstance. The … [Read More...]
Resident crisis prevention team seeks to make impact
As California’s Governor invests in men’s mental health, San Quentin residents speak their truth at a crisis intervention graduation. Light Keepers, a SQ crisis intervention program formerly known as Brother’s Keepers started in 2005, as a result of SQ resident Robert Dunbar committing suicide. One of Dunbar’s friends put in a request to receive … [Read More...]
Shared experiences break down false beliefs, build healthier connections
Are you incarcerated and want to share your prison experience with the world? Well, Humans of San Quentin is a nonprofit that does just that. HoSQ publishes stories about lived experiences, artwork that highlights individualized creativity, poetry about life and relationships, food experienced before prison, and recipes for cooking in … [Read More...]
School of Theology graduates seven residents
Resident Damou Evans, one of seven to graduate from the North Bay School of Theology at San Quentin, said he joined the program to be a leader, not only in the community, but also in his family. The 14-week advanced theology program provides contextualized leadership development to residents interested in putting God first as they gain insight, … [Read More...]
Bus delay affords Get on the Bus participants wholesome breakfast with loved ones
For many residents at San Quentin Rehabilitation Center, the annual visiting event organized by Get on the Bus once again came through to deliver, safely and soundly, their loved ones for a visit. This year, GotB featured a special treat that turned into the event’s big talking point: bacon for breakfast. GotB has provided transportation from … [Read More...]
Collaborative Arts in Corrections event draws energy, connection, inspiration
Student portraitists, ceramic artists, sculptors, muralists and pastel art designers gathered at San Quentin to celebrate an annual art event with incarcerated artists. Professor Siskin co-founded the art event with Arts In Corrections staff member Carol Newborg. Every year the event is open to all incarcerated residents. Newborg hosted the … [Read More...]
Mount Tamalpais College students receive Associate’s Degrees
Resilience and mental toughness describe a dozen residents journeying to a higher education To celebrate the accomplishments of higher education at San Quentin Rehabilitation Center, a large crowd of visitors gathered with residents at San Quentin’s Chapel B. The Mount Tamalpais College 2025 Commencement celebrated a distinguished group of … [Read More...]
Mock interviews and résumé workshops offer reentry preparedness
San Quentin’s Prison 2 Employment Connection program held its Employer Day event that featured interviews with employers and connected incarcerated people with resources. The last time P2EC resident facilitator Donald Edge was interviewed was more than 25 years ago. He said that his participation in the program was important because it gave him … [Read More...]
Reentry improvements on the horizon
Project Rebound’s Director George Turner and Doris Fendt, a College and Career Counselor at San Francisco State, visited San Quentin to discuss education, housing, and employment opportunities with residents. Fendt introduced herself and talked about her initial visit to SQ. She said she was compelled to assist the incarcerated population after … [Read More...]
Residents complete book study of Class A commercial driver’s license
More than 60 San Quentin Rehabilitation Center residents received recognition on May 15 for their completion of a trucking class taught by Concrete Rose. They had passed the nearly year-long theory portion necessary for obtaining a Class A commercial driver’s license. An opportunity to practice heavy-load driving in a simulator gave the aspiring … [Read More...]
12-step programs provide recovery and support services
San Quentin Rehabilitation Center offers 12-step programs that offer residents an opportunity to abstain, reform, recover, and a chance at a trouble-fee life after incarceration. In an effort to keep their names anonymous, Bill W. and Dr. Bob of Akron, Ohio introduced the first 12-step concept in 1938. Alcoholics Anonymous was the name of the … [Read More...]
‘The Body Keeps the Score’ author discusses trauma-informed rehabilitation
San Quentin residents and James Fox, Director of the Prison Yoga Project, hosted renowned therapist and author Dr. Bessel van der Kolk to discuss trauma-informed rehabilitation. Dr. van der Kolk took the stage as residents piled into Chapel B, some carrying a copy of the author’s book, “The Body Keeps the Score.” The goal of the visit was to … [Read More...]
Residents put gang and criminal lifestyle behind them
Criminals and gang members took the initiative to find help by participating in Criminal Gangs Anonymous, one of San Quentin Rehabilitation Center’s six-month self-help recovery programs. Eighty graduates of the CGA 12-step recovery program have succeeded in a program in which they rejected criminality, addiction, and gang beliefs that led to a … [Read More...]
Program provides safe space to discuss shame and trauma
A new 26-week self-help program has been established at San Quentin Rehabilitation Center, designed to help those convicted of a sex offense to understand why they committed the crime. The program’s name, B.R.A.V.E., stands for Bridging, Responsibility, Accountability and Vulnerability through Empathy. It began in January 2025 with 38 … [Read More...]
Normalization takes shape at San Quentin
An effort to transform a previously notorious environment into a more humane environment has induced San Quentin residents to discuss what is, and what is not, normalized incarceration. Some residents offer different opinions ranging from civilized living quarters, staff and residents’ relations, educational opportunities, and de-humanized … [Read More...]
Healing circle highlights reconciliation and accountability
A Day of Healing was celebrated at San Quentin Rehabilitation Center’s Lower Yard in April. The day is part of Crime Victims’ Rights Week, and for the last three years community members and victims’ rights organizations have come to discuss the effects crime has had in their lives. “It was really hard to hear actual victims talk about how they … [Read More...]
Conflict resolution and effective communication program graduates 20
On May 1, San Quentin Rehabilitation Center honored 19 incarcerated individuals for completing the voluntary 150-hour Transformative Mediation program. The curriculum focuses on effective communication, active listening, and healing. Residents learn tools for mediating and resolving conflict among residents in the prison community, and some have … [Read More...]
Former life-without-parole prisoner advocates policy change
A former LWOP (life without parole) prisoner is aiding a coalition seeking to end life sentences in California. Joseph Bell, a San Francisco native, was supposed to die in prison. Bell, who was sentenced to life without parole spent 22 years in prison for a crime he was involved in at the age of 26. His prospects for release from prison came … [Read More...]