By Jason L. Jackson

Exposure to violent, stressful environments contributes to chronic disease and shortened lifespans.

A majority of California’s incarcerated population comes from communities plagued by violence, racism, and poverty. After their arrests, many of these men and women are ushered into prison environments often just as violent and oppressive. 

Research from the Legislative Analyst’s Office revealed that of the 122,687 people incarcerated in California in 2019, more than 45,000 were housed in the level three and four maximum-security prisons, where violence and stress can be prevalent. 

“My first stop in prison was the level four yard in Delano. There was constant violence, and many people were forced into violent situations just because of the expectations that exist there,” said Abdiel Guerrero, an SQ resident incarcerated for 10 years.

Guerrero said many men on the level four yard were just trying to survive. He said his experiences and the time spent in Delano contributed to his anxiety and admitted that today he is constantly hyperaware of situations and his environment.

The negative impacts that stress-filled environments can have on the lives of incarcerated people is well documented. 

Conditions inside prisons – including violence, racism, poor diet, and exposure to subpar sanitation and ventilation – are linked to elevated risks of heart disease and hypertension in younger residents, high rates of cancer and hepatitis C, and increasing rates of anxiety, depression, and PTSD among incarcerated people, according to the National Institutes of Health.

The National Institute of Health reveals that every year a person spends in prison results in a two-year reduction in life expectancy.

The ill effects compound when one considers the traumatic backgrounds serving as the foundation in the lives of many incarcerated people. 

“I was seven years old the first time I was exposed to violence. I saw a guy get robbed and pistol whipped while at the store with my family,” said Guerrero.

Guerrero remembers that violence was normal in his neighborhood. Aside from witnessing the assault, he recalls his attack by men when he was eight years old and witnessing a murder when he was just nine years old.

“I was scared and confused, but we never talked about it. Looking back, I know we should have. Not processing it was horrible because I did not know how to interpret it. I ended up thinking it was normal. I learned that I would rather be the one to hurt people than to get hurt.” 

Studies from the National Institute of Health and the University of California, Berkeley reveal that residents who live in communities where there is constant discrimination, poverty, and violence experience high rates of heart disease, various cancers, mental disorders and diabetes, just like people who are exposed to volatile prison environments. 

The research details how “adverse conditions trigger chronic inflammation, suppress immune function, and alter metabolic and cardiovascular systems, turning social adversity into physical illness.”

Accompanying research shows improving the conditions within an environment can have positive effects on the wellbeing of the residents. 

This is where San Quentin, once considered one of California’s most notorious prisons, comes into focus. 

Long gone are the days when San Quentin served as a breeding ground for violence. Take a casual stroll through the facility’s yard, and you will see staff and incarcerated people playing a game of pickle ball together, along with the random saxophone player and the residents training dogs.

Towering over all of this is the new, multimillion-dollar Learning Center, where residents will be afforded the opportunity to earn their high school diploma, learn how to computer code, or obtain a bachelor’s degree from Cal State Los Angeles or Berkeley. San Quentin is far from perfect, and there is still a lot of improvement to the culture to be had, but the positive changes are proving beneficial for the residents.

“San Quentin is really about rehabilitation. It has opportunity and hope. This is the environment where people can really change,” said SQ resident Treavion Early. Early said when people are in environments with so much violence, it becomes difficult to have hope.

Negative environments tend to produce negative outcomes. Changing these environments for the better can work to improve the outcomes for all parties involved. As San Quentin’s administration continues working to improve the conditions and culture at the prison, they are helping prepare men to return to their homes better equipped to heal their own communities.

“I move a lot better now. My core beliefs and my perception of life has changed, and now I’m happier and more positive,” said Early.