Brooke Jenkins and her San Francisco District Attorney’s office sat with dozens of San Quentin residents in the Media Center for candid and informative conversations.
The July 12 dialogue centered on preventive and intervention strategies to domestic violence and system-impacted youth.
“Coming into San Quentin reinforces our department’s commitment toward systemic change; temporary change should not be the goal,” Jenkins said.
San Quentin News Managing Editor Bostyon Johnson opened the forum, telling attendees about the importance and impact of these dialogues.
Jenkins said, traditionally, prosecutors do not get opportunities to speak to incarcerated persons about the system. “Learning from you (the incarcerated) and the knowledge you share, helps us (the DAs) to do our jobs better.”
She said that after the first two forums, her office thought it would be beneficial to continue to have dialogues, which can help them consider alternative perspectives on cases. One small circle dealt with domestic violence as the primary topic of discussion, Jenkins said.
According to the Natural Domestic Violence, a advocacy group, one in four men and one in three women have been victims of domestic violence. Domestic violence counts as one of the primary factors of recidivism. According to sources, nearly 60% of individuals convicted of domestic violence recidivate within two years and two thirds of them recidivate for domestic violence offenses.
The residents spoke about the cycle of violence and the way in which their relationships moved through the stages of calm, tension, and then explosion.
Other topics centered on the identity of masculinity, adverse childhood experiences, power and control, and false belief systems.
“I felt entitled and possessed. My version of masculinity would not have let me hear what anybody had to say,” resident Dennis Jefferson said.
Resident Tony De Trinidad said couples who have overcome abusive relationships would have benefitted from intervention. “My victim did not want me arrested,” De Trinidad said as he talked about the mentality of persons in toxic and abusive relationships.
David Merin, who manages lawyers in the domestic violence unit, asked residents about any intervention prior to the crimes they had committed.
“When I was arrested, the focus seemed to be on what happened, not why it happened,” resident Eric Allen said.
“Emotional intelligence should be taught,” resident Marcus Casillas said. “Witnessing my mom become submissive to my dad showed me if I did not have control of my relationship, something was wrong.”
The DAs in the domestic violence circle said the residents’ ideas focused on intervening with youth and the adverse experience as victims of witnessing domestic violence.
Other ideas centered on forming partnerships with victim services units, education about healthy relationships, and mentoring programs that include formerly incarcerated persons with similar life experiences.
The other small circles discussed how the district attorney’s office could provide more help to the children of persons they prosecuted, and way in which to establish trust and communication within communities.
Residents suggested the DA’s office should support peer mentor programs, community events, and improved communication with victims and offenders. They wanted more outreach to system-impacted persons.
Resident Tyrone Jones said he could relate to system-impacted youths and said he had not had the tools or coping-skills to navigate growing up without a father.
“If a prosecutor is aware the person they are prosecuting has a child, someone should be dispatched to helping that child,” Jones said.
“When we do not help the children of incarcerated persons, it weakens our democracy because they may grow up to hate the system,” resident Jesse Milo said.
Resident Bernard “Raheem” Ballard said he felt a responsibility to increase public safety. He suggested that fully rehabilitated incarcerated persons have a good understanding of victim advocacy.
Resident Lamar Paschall took an opportunity to speak with the District Attorney who tried his case in 2018. He said the experience was “divine intervention,” and he never fathomed an opportunity in which he could apologize to his prosecutor.
“I wanted to tell him sorry. He took the graphic details of my case home to his family and I imagine that impacted him as a father and husband,” Paschall said.
Resident Jason Jackson said that after 11 years in prison, the opportunity for this dialogue was empowering and helped him to shift the preconceived notion he held of district attorneys. “Brooke Jenkins was genuinely trying to understand our needs, insight, and opinions,” Jackson said.
“We, as a society, have to do better so people see upward trajectory of incarcerated individuals,” Jenkins said.