San Quentin News

Written By Incarcerated - Advancing Social Justice

Skyping with SQ’s Last Mile and DJJ

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Juveniles and state prisoners meeting through Skype


Thanks to San Quentin’s first-ever Skype computer conference call to be allowed between California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation prisoners and youth in the Division of Juvenile Justice (DJJ), California officials think they’ve opened a door to exchanging valuable instruction between inmates at different institutions.
The July face-to-digital-face electronic encounter was a part of an Adult Youth Offender Mentorship pilot program. The partnership was formed between the Last Mile and DJJ.
Prisoners of the San Quentin’s Last Mile spoke with youth at Ventura Youth Correctional Facility. California corrections officials say they want juvenile offenders to learn computer coding.
“We brought the Last Mile in to teach our youth coding and prepare them for their future,” DJJ Director Chuck Supple said. “We don’t want them to have to go San Quentin to get this skill.”
Supple said the goal is to provide rehabilitative programs and job skills to keep the youth from reoffending and ending up in adult facilities. .
The incarcerated coders at San Quentin and in Ventura viewed each other on theater screens at their respective locations. The group of 14 youngsters and three adult prisoners broke the ice by sharing their struggles learning coding and navigating prison life.
“They (the youth offenders) seemed hungry for guidance,” said Jason Jones, one of San Quentin’s coders. “I think they just need someone to validate their dreams, visions and the things they do.
“They don’t have to come here to get their success. I think seeing us on screen is another reality check for them to wake up and take control of their lives,” Jones added.
The defining moment of the conference came when one young woman stood up, walked to the camera and shared that her mother was recently released from prison after eight years. She felt the pressure of having to get out and emotionally and financially take care of the rest of the family.
“I struggle to tell my family that I need to focus on myself,” she said. “I love my mother, but I know I have to be better.”
At that moment, tears began to fall from the eyes of the several officials, instructors and inmates. The realities of the youngster’s pain and personal issues were now at the forefront.
Jones shared with her that he is going through a similarly contentious relationship with his mother. He said sometimes you have to let people go – so you can grow. Then you can come back and take care of them.
“Yeah I teared up,” said Zach Moore, another adult coder, “They inspired me just hearing their stories and what they were going through. It’s our job to instill in them that coding is more than a program; it’s an opportunity to do whatever you want to do with their lives.”
Harry Hemphill, adult coder, added “I didn’t think they would be so engaging. They were able to relate to us, and I think that helped them to open up.”
The youngsters have been learning how to code for just two months. The program is co-ed with young adults ages 17-23. But like their adult counterparts, their hope lies in gaining skills that can land them high-paying jobs once released.
Not all the youngsters see coding as their future. Some wanted to be social workers, firefighters or members of the military as options.
“I don’t want to live my life in institutions,” said Thalia Ruiz, 20, a youth coder. “I want to travel and live life without substance abuse.”
Ruiz credits the Last Mile in Ventura for her new direction from gang-banging and abusing drugs and alcohol.
Supple said the first Skype session was a success. The plan is to hold at least one or two sessions a month, where the adult prisoners will mentor the youth through their coding lessons.
“The youth seemed to hang on to the mentors’ every word, and their messages of hope and encouragement were getting through like arrows hitting the bulls-eye,” Supple said. “I think staff in the room recognized that the San Quentin mentors were valuable partners in the efforts to help the youth.”
The plan is to open the Last Mile program in other youth institutions. The Stockton facility is next. The Ventura program seeks to expand to 48 students in two six-month tracks. DJJ will initiate a program allowing the Ventura graduates to earn money while doing coding for outside companies.
The Last Mile will help the graduates find internships once they are released.
“We all are making history,” said Beverly Parenti, a leader of The Last Mile. Then she looked at her San Quentin mentors and said at the next session they better talk to the youngsters about improving their posture, and the remark filled the room with laughter.

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Butterscotch comes back to perform for TLM

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Butterscotch performs in front of a packed house

Butterscotch performs in front of a packed house

A crowd of incarcerated men cheered like it was their parole day when Antoinette “Butterscotch” Clinton took the stage at San Quentin State Prison June 14. This time, she returned with Grammy-nominated artist Ryan Leslie.

The musical genius turned a prison chapel into a concert, a reunion and a pre-graduation celebration for computer coding and construction apprentice trainees.

The music festival featured spoken word artist and returning citizen Jason “JC” Cavitt, Swedish Grammy-nominated rapper and producer David Jassy, and Eric “Maserati E” Abercrombie.

Curtis “Wall Street” Carroll hosted the event that served as a pre-graduation reward for the coders and construction apprentices.

Brian Rogers on the bass

Brian Rogers on the bass

Chris Redlitz founded the Code.7370 program with his wife and partner, Beverly Parenti. Code.7370 teaches computer coding and offers the highest wage for an incarcerated person who completes the program and is hired to work while still in prison. The concert was open to the first 378 people to arrival at the chapel.

While the crowd filled the chapel to standing room only, Butterscotch, Leslie, Redlitz and the band held a meeting at the back of the platform.

As Abercrombie played “Break the Mold,” all ears tuned into his lyrics about breaking the cycle of poverty and self-destruction. He received a standing ovation ― the first of many for the night. Abercrombie ended his impromptu three-song set with “Feel Me” and “Dying to Live.”

“He was dope,” Butterscotch said. “Listening to him, I wanted to lay some beats down to his lyrics.”

Carroll introduced the guests by first asking them questions. Carroll asked Leslie what motivated him to play for the guys incarcerated at San Quentin.

“There’s no place in the world I’d rather be than right here with ya’ll,” Leslie said. “Chris brought me here last year to speak, and I left a changed man. I saw determined and passionate people here.”

“I want to be there for you guys – it’s about love and acceptance”

Redlitz invested in Leslie’s SuperPhone business, a company that created an app that uses text messaging to connect directly with fans and consumers. Leslie graduated from Harvard at the age of 19 and created the app to communicate better with fans.

Carroll asked Butterscotch, “What defines your style of music?”

“Corruption within the California state prison system cannot be tolerated,” U.S. Attorney Adam Braverman to NBC San Diego regarding the indictment of a 23-year CDCR veteran caught smuggling heroin and meth into prison. https://www.nbcsandiego.com/news/local/San-Diego-Prison-Guard-Accused-of-Smuggling-Drugs-into-Prison-475486693.html

“I always want my music to have a message to anybody who has ever been through what I’ve been through and to send hope, love and peace out into the world,” Butterscotch said. “I want to be there for you guys ― it’s about love and acceptance.”

It was Butterscotch’s second time performing on that stage. Two years prior, she collaborated with Jassy and wordsmith Cavitt.

Cavitt, who paroled from San Quentin in 2017, surprised Butterscotch and the crowd by strolling back into the chapel.

“It feels like I’m home,” Cavitt said. “This space ― everything here has a story to me. I was here eight years.”

Jason “JC” Cavitt performing spoken word

Jason “JC” Cavitt performing spoken word

Cavitt was a former member of Redlitz and Parenti’s Last Mile entrepreneur program. While still incarcerated, his spoken word piece played behind John Legend, via video, during a TED Talk. This time, he performed Why the Cage Bird Screams dressed in a burgundy button-down shirt and sharply creased slacks instead of prison blues.

“I live in society that kills people who killed people, in order to teach them not to kill people,” Cavitt spit. “… imagine a world where healed people would heal people.”

Next, Butterscotch took the stage and started with the beat boxing that earned her a finalist spot on America’s Got Talent. In all, she played a jazzy six-song set mixed with R&B and Hip Hop.

Bass guitarist Brian Rogers from Sacramento joined in for “September.” At times, Butterscotch looped her voice, then beat-boxed, sang and played the guitar simultaneously. At one point, the audience heard a saxophone, but it turned out to be Butterscotch’s mouth.

“Nearly 7 in 10 support clearing the records of people who complete their entire sentence if they remain crime free for seven years.” “SAFE AND SOUND” by Californians For Safety and Justice Nov. 2017

In honor of her grandmother, she ended her set with a rendition of “Summertime,” Butterscotch style. The crowd gave her several standing ovulations and shouts of support.

“Ray Charles ain’t got nothing on you,” someone yelled.

David Jassy performing remix of “Freedom”

David Jassy performing remix of “Freedom”

Jassy came to the stage in dramatic fashion with the sound of helicopters playing as he skipped down the aisle to start his set with a remix of his song “Freedom”. It has been viewed nearly 110,000 times on Youtube. He followed with “All of a Sudden.” The song that brought down the crowd was “Swenglish,” which he rapped first in Swedish, then in English with a rapid-fire delivery.

“This is one of the best performances of the night,” Brian Asey said.

Jassy’s set merged into Leslie’s opening song, “Addiction.” He rapped while native Gabe Lambirth rocked out on the guitar, and Leslie, inspired by Butterscotch, tried his hand at beat boxing.

“She’s inspirational,” Leslie said.

As an intro to each song, Leslie gave the audience context. Before performing “Ups and Downs,” he spoke about making the decision at 15 years old to change his major from medical to music. The decision left him struggling. At one point, he was homeless and had to sleep behind a barbershop.

“When you’re at your lowest point, there’s the beautiful realization that there’s nowhere to go but up,” Leslie said.

Grammy-nominated artist Ryan Leslie performing

Grammy-nominated artist Ryan Leslie performing

He also sang, “Something That I Like,” “Paris,” “History,” “Realize” and “Breathe.” He also premiered “Run it Back” at San Quentin.

“It’s never been released,” Leslie said.

He said he performed “History” and “Realize” because the songs fit the occasion.

Gabe Lambirth playing the guitar

Gabe Lambirth playing the guitar

“You have a song like ‘History,’ and we have this historic moment at San Quentin. ‘Realize’ is about the power of the human spirit,” Leslie said.

Leslie decided to share his music with the incarcerated population because, “I believe that everyone matters, no matter what their background is; they’re human beings with souls. We all deserve a second chance.”

Many people who tried to see the concert were turned back after the chapel reached capacity, and several others had to leave early for close-custody count. Leslie plans to make sure that doesn’t happen next time.

“I’m coming back with a whole band, and we’re going to do it on a Saturday on the yard where everybody can come and nobody has to leave,” Leslie said.

Butterscotch has an album out called “Scotch Tape.”

Leslie has several, starting with “Ryan Leslie” and including  “Transitions,”  which was nominated for a best R&B album Grammy. Afterward Leslie dropped three rap albums back-to-back: “Les is More,” “Black Mozart” and “MZRT.”

Jassy is finishing a mixed-tape he produced with young men on the yard who were challenged to rap without profanity, called the “YOP Mixed-Tape.”

For More Photos see below.

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Coming back to prison to help bridge the digital divide

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Tulio Cardozo with Jon Gripshover

Tulio Cardozo with Jon Gripshover

Behind San Quentin’s walls, there is a pair of programs dedicated to closing the digital divide, Code.7370 and TLMWORKS. Tulio K. Cardozo, a former San Quentin inmate, runs one of them.  These programs are sponsored by The Last Mile.

Cardozo is in charge of TLMWORKS, a coding development joint venture. It pays a whopping wage of $16.49 an hour to inmates.

“I’ve got to make four client calls this afternoon,” said Cardozo as he guided me to the TLMWORKS offices. “Why don’t you speak with a few of our team members first?”

The men of TLMWORKS are completely quiet as they write code for clients ranging from private companies and municipal governments to nonprofits and our own San Quentin News.

The coding rooms have numerous customer logos framed and hanging like trophies on the walls. Each one represents a successful client project. 

Anouthinh Pangthong  chimed in when asked about what sets Cardozo apart, “Tulio believes in us. Everything that I’ve done here is identified ‘PROUDLY DESIGNED AND DEVELOPED AT TLM WORKS.’ He makes us shine.”

Cardozo appreciates the importance of respect. He was a San Quentin H-Unit dormitory yard inmate for more than three years.

“From 23-30 years of age I was incarcerated; this is my chance to give back to society,” said Cardozo about one of his main his reasons for returning to San Quentin.

As the on-site manager, Cardozo’s chief role is keeping each project on task and time. 

“The way I learned this stuff is by trial and error. Just like you are now but you have the benefit of my experience,” Cardozo told a teammate, Jason Jones, who was working to optimize a client’s website.

Around us, tech-jargon was flying hot and heavy: “Debugging Node from JavaScript” and “Have you used Chrome DevTool to allow you to decompile more efficiently?” asked Cardozo of Jones.

The work vocabulary is necessary to facilitate precise communication of what the team needs to do on a given client-project. A key procedure for Cardozo, is to explain a specific skill then find a way to convey it to all the other inmate-employees of TLMWORKS. 

“These men learn cutting-edge technology through Code.7370, and then we keep their skills up to date [at TLMWORKS],” said Cardozo.

The consistent opinion heard from the TLMWORKS team is that Cardozo demands the best of them and does all he can to provide them with the tools and skill sets needed to succeed.

“He walked the same path as we do. The fact he came back here as a success tells me that I can also have a career in coding,” said Jones.

“I’ve been involved with The Last Mile since 2013,” said Harry Hemphill. “Working for TLMWORKS for almost two years already. My salary is $16.50 an hour for an average of 30 hours a week.

“He was an inmate and was in H-Unit where I live. He taught himself to code, left prison and started his own web-design shop.

“My passion is to start my own dev-shop,” Hemphill continued. “He is guiding me to be able to have all the skills necessary to become my own boss. It is not his job; what most impresses me about Cardozo is that he is compassionate and really wants each of us to succeed at TLMWORKS and on the outside.”

When asked about the most difficult aspect of working at San Quentin, Cardozo said, “The process of how to work without direct connection to the net always adds complexity to an already complex process.”

Authorized to have internet access, Cardozo must walk inmate-workers through the information that will help them do their job. Tutorial videos verified by Cardozo as appropriate and authorized for release was played to the team.

“This is first and foremost a business. All our employees know that both the company and they are accountable to our clients,” he said.

All of the TLMWORKS inmate employees were graduates of CODE.7370 training program also offered at San Quentin.

If an inmate can complete at least two of the six-month CODE.7370 training cycles, he can apply to work at TLMWORKS. All the current employees have completed all three cycles offered by CODE.7370.

“There is real opportunity here,” Cardozo emphasizes, “If you really connect in this space, if it excites you and you want to come back to class and challenge yourself, we have the tools to allow that.”

When asked about the key to successes at both CODE.7370 and TLMWORKS, Cardozo said, “You can believe in yourself. This is the best opportunity to practice here and learn what it is like to work on a team at both a professional and individual level. There is no better time to build professional habits than right now.”

TLMWORKS is growing. “I now have six people on my roster and looking to hire more when the next batch graduates [from CODE.7370].   

“We operationally can handle about three projects at one time right now. We have a well-developed pipeline of potential clients. Like many development shops on the outside, we don’t have a shortage of projects, rather of talented people. We will hire as many as can come through the CODE.7370 program,” said Cardozo. “If you are qualified and able, I will consider you as a serious candidate to become part of our team.”

http://sanquentinnews.com/optionb-org-support-group-overcoming-effects-incarceration/
https://sanquentinnews.com/game-theory/
Boatwright

The passion of running stretches beyond the prison walls

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From the yard inside San Quentin State Prison, Chris Schuhmacher used to look up over the walls at Mt. Tam, thinking one day I’m going to get there. Now on parole, he’s arrived and he continues using the two things that got him through his bid—running and computer coding.

“Chris exemplifies the spirit, drive and determination of someone who wants to succeed and set an example for others,” Beverly Parenti, co-founder of the Code.7370 coding program at San Quentin, said.

Day of Peace guest Herman Yee, Chris Schumacher and Clarence Long soaking up some sun rays

Schuhmacher works as a software engineer for Fandom, a company that is like a Wikipedia for media, entertainment, music and video game content.

His journey to become a software engineer started in prison with exercise and an entrepreneurship program called The Last Mile.

While in The Last Mile program founded by Chris Redlitz and Parenti, Schuhmacher came up with an app concept that would help people use exercise to overcome their addiction to drugs and alcohol. He named it Fitness Monkey.

“Exercise produces the same hormones and endorphins in the brain that drugs and alcohol do,” Schuhmacher said. “So it was really logical for me to develop an app around providing people with exercise and workout programs as an alternative to drugs and alcohol.”

The app is designed to track how long a person stays sober down to the minutes and seconds. It will also act as a fitness tracker and a social media support system for a community of recovering addicts, said Schuhmacher.

The concept for Fitness Monkey came from Schuhmacher’s own life.

He struggled with addiction in society and ended up incarcerated over a drug-related crime for 17 years.

In prison, he cleaned up, took yoga and played tennis. To become a better tennis player, he started running with the 1000 Mile Club.

“It was through the 1000 Mile Club that I found I had a love for running and not just hitting a tennis ball around,” Schuhmacher said. “I ran my first marathon in 2011.”

He ran on Monday nights with the club sponsored by members of the Tamalpais Runners Club including the former president Frank Ruona, along with Kevin Rumon and Diana Fitzpatrick.

He could see Mt. Tam by looking over the walls on the yard while running with fellow club members.

Chris Schuhmacher passing another runner at the Mt. Tamalpais in the Dipsea Race

Chris Schuhmacher passing another runner at the Mt. Tamalpais in the Dipsea Race

The 1000 Mile Club gave him a sense of camaraderie. He ran with John Levin and Tommy Wickerd on Saturdays.

“As close as we were in confined quarters and really getting to know people on a human level, I don’t think I’ll ever have that kind of solidarity amongst other people,” Schuhmacher said.

Schuhmacher remembered his Fitness Monkey concept when The Last Mile program evolved into the coding program Code.7370. There he learned how to build his app.

He also met the Fandom team when they came to the Code.7370 graduations.

“When I got out, I reached out to them, and they set me up for an interview,” Schuhmacher said. “They started me with an internship that turned into a full-time job in January.”

Schuhmacher said he’s also working with developers at Santa Clara University’s furlough innovation hub to build the Fitness Monkey app.

Schuhmacher said he talked Fitness Monkey with Lance Armstrong on Armstrong’s new podcast called Forward.

They also talked about taking accountability.

“I think we all fall down sometimes, and we all make mistakes and sometimes we don’t deal with it in the best of ways,” Schuhmacher said. “It’s really about trying to take ownership of it, be responsible, make amends. And I don’t think it’s so much about forgiveness, but it’s about moving forward and just trying to be better than you were the day before.”

Schuhmacher continues to run in solidarity with the 1000 Mile Club.

“The 1000 Mile Club and all the volunteers’ support and encouragement didn’t end at the gate,” Schuhmacher said. “They signed me up for a Dipsea Race in Marin.”

The annual Dipsea Race takes place on a course running through the woods and up and down hills of Mt. Tam. Schuhmacher ran the race last year.

Coach Fitzpatrick has won the race twice.

“They talked about that race for years while we were on the inside,” Schuhmacher said.

Through an email list, Schuhmacher gets updates on all the 1000 Mile races in San Quentin.

“When I hear about those events, I do my own event on the outside,” Schuhmacher said. “When they were doing the New Year’s Day half-marathon, I got a couple of buddies and we did a half-marathon in solidarity with the guys at San Quentin. I tell everyone I can about the positive stuff that those guys are doing. It’s really important to me. I never want to lose that connection.”

Code.7370 host Lance Armstrong

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Lance Armstrong and Chris Redlitz walking across San Quentin’s Lower Yard

Lance Armstrong and Chris Redlitz walking across San Quentin’s Lower Yard

In a small classroom with popular catch phrases like Think Different and Believe in the Process on its walls, about two dozen San Quentin prisoners waited for a surprise guest—the world-renowned, once top cyclist, Lance Armstrong.

“I’ve never been in jail. But I know what it’s like to run afoul of the system,” Armstrong said, on Jan. 11, to inmates enrolled in a highly touted computer coding program.

Venture capitalists Beverly Parenti and Chris Redlitz created Code.7370 in conjunction with the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation and California Prison Industry Authority.

“What do you expect?” Redlitz probed the students about Armstrong’s visit. “The unexpected,” several inmates chimed in. “You guys can relate to how life changes,” Redlitz replied.

Armstrong told the class that his life previously revolved around cycling and after falling from grace, he had to rebuild his life.

“I barely squeaked through high school and didn’t attend college,” Armstrong said, adding, “If it weren’t for cycling, hell, I may have ended up here.”

Code.7370 and their instructors posing with Lance Armstrong

Code.7370 and their instructors posing with Lance Armstrong

The classroom went silent, and then everyone burst out laughing.

Armstrong said he made himself an easy target for the doping investigation by how badly he treated people.

“It was the level of arrogance that got me,” Armstrong said. “Once they compiled all the evidence, the case was made against me.”

In an attempt to rebuild his image after his fall from grace, Armstrong went on Oprah and sheepishly admitted wrongdoing… It did not go over well – he became the face of sports doping.

“The fall was so dramatic that people didn’t want to associate with me,” he said.

Armstrong has continued to address his past.

In an article written last year by Outside Magazine, Armstrong was portrayed as “a humbled man who is working to try to deserve the forgiveness of millions of people who once believed in him.”

He told the students that they didn’t have to endure the kind of public ridicule that he underwent. They could build a fresh start. However, he previously thought it would be difficult to convince an employer to hire someone who had been in prison for murder.

Armstrong, a huge believer in image rebuilding and branding, said he began thinking differently after meeting Redlitz.

“When I asked Chris [Redlitz] how many people got out and came back, and he told me none, I was surprised. That’s the brand. That’s a super powerful message. You guys are part of a movement that is pretty damn surprising.”

He suggested that the men embrace their pasts and go forward. “It’s never straight. You can’t run from it,” Armstrong said. “In 2018, everybody knows everything.”

“Your reputation precedes you. Mine precedes me,” he said. “That’s a hurdle, but you have to get over it. Most people don’t even get to the door.”

“You guys are the example of forward,” Armstrong said, after learning that Mark Zuckerberg visited the program in 2015.

Damon Cooke graduated from the coding program in 2015.

“Once I decided it wasn’t about what is done to me, but how I respond, I found a deeper meaning to my life,” Cooke said.

In a continuing effort to address his conflicted past, Armstrong hosts a weekly podcast, called Forward.

According to Outside Magazine, “Forward is a very deliberately chosen word, and in fact, it defines Armstrong’s new narrative: others may want to or expect to see him curled up in a fetal position in the dark, but he is moving ahead, not allowing himself to be crushed by the weight of the past.”

Ultimately, Armstrong believes that having close friends and family are the most important things in life.

“Some of your friends stay with you,” Armstrong said. “Some lean in. Some lean out. When you get out of here, you’re going to know who your real friends are.”

Armstrong, the ultimate competitor, walked out of the classroom and across the prison yard. He saw the pull-up bar and jumped right on it, pumping to 10 quick chin-ups.

Not to outdo himself, after finding out about the San Quentin Marathon, he challenged the reigning champion, Markelle Taylor, to a run-off at the November meet.

https://sanquentinnews.com/game-theory/

Inspirational speaker spreads message to Code.7370

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Chris Redlitz, Sebastian Terry, Jon Gripshover, John Guidon and Lee O’Donovan

Chris Redlitz, Sebastian Terry, Jon Gripshover, John Guidon and Lee O’Donovan

Sebastian Terry makes a living out of only doing things that make him happy. He came to San Quentin on Oct. 5 to share his mantra with a classroom of incarcerated computer coders, teaching them that if you “dream it, wish it, do it,” you can lead a fulfilling life.

“The very reason you’re in this room is that you’re pursuing your dreams,” Terry told the inmates in the coding school, Code.7370.

Code.7370 is a collaboration of Hack Reactor, a private San Francisco coding school, the California Prison Industry Authority and Silicon Valley venture capitalists Chris Redlitz and Beverly Parenti of The Last Mile.

Redlitz and Parenti invite business professionals like Terry to work with inmates in California prisons in order to “bridge the gap between the penal system and the technology sector,” prison officials said in a press release about the two business professionals. The venture capitalists invited Terry after they saw his inspiring story on ESPN’s Sports Center.

During Terry’s visit to the prison, he presented his approach to life, an approach he calls 100 Things. 100 Things helps participants identify meaningful goals and guides them through the steps to achieving them.

Terry said the whole idea came after a close friend died. He felt that even though his friend died young, in his 30s, he had lived a happy and wholesome life. The friend’s life and untimely death made Terry question himself.

“If I were on my death bed, would I have any regrets about my life?” Terry asked himself. “What would I have done that would have made me happy?”

Terry said he took a pen right then and there and wrote down everything that makes him smile. The list gained momentum. He dropped everything he was doing and started pursuing activities on the list.

“Kids know what happy is, but when we get older, we lose that”

Number two on the list was to marry a stranger in Las Vegas. It was not the most romantic affair – a 24-hour wedding, to a willing stranger — but he did it all the same.

“It seems kind of stupid,” he said. “But it was the first time that I’d identified a life goal that seemed important to me, and I did it.”

Terry said he feels extremely happy about his journey, which he has been on for the past eight years. “This is not about a bucket list — it’s about purpose, growth and connection, especially connection to self — getting out of your comfort zone,” Terry said.

He also recounted a tale of being on the red carpet at the Cannes Film Festival in France. “I didn’t even know if what I was doing was legal. I could have got tased. I was sweating. I was scared. My heart was beating fast. At that moment, getting on the red carpet, I felt like the most successful human, ever.”

Terry said that after getting to the 72nd thing on his list of 100 things to do that would make him happy, he met a man named Mark, who was paralyzed by a tick bite, confining him to a wheelchair.

Mark asked Terry if he could shave his head, help him run a half-marathon and a bike race. To do this, Terry had to train for four months, but he says the experience of helping Mark was life-changing for him. He decided to work to help people achieve their dreams.

Terry said that helping Mark has been the greatest thing he’s ever done. The two are now very close friends.

Terry is currently being approached by people all over the world for help. He said that he has had to change his life and business model from being a person who asks for help to helping people who need aid finding their happiness.

After the presentation, Terry told the inmates that they have to give themselves permission to do what makes them happy. Then he asked the inmates what would be on their lists.

Sebastian Terry talking to the students of Code.7370

Sebastian Terry talking to the students of Code.7370

“It could be anything; that’s the beauty of it,” Terry said.

The inmates had a wide variety of dreams. Among other things, they wished to go to Mecca, to run a marathon in San Quentin, have a family, dance on Broadway, play a complicated piece of music on piano, visit Machu Picchu, skydive, scuba dive and river raft on the same day, interview a member of the KKK—even one of the staff teachers chimed in saying because of his shyness, he’d like to start a YouTube channel.

Terry said he was amazed at the range of ideas presented in the classroom.

“I’ve done this exercise in a corporate environment, and there’s dead silence,” Terry said. “But when I go to an elementary school, full of kids, they come up with all kinds of things that they know would make them happy. Kids know what happy is, but when we get older, we lose that.”

Terry stressed that the move toward happiness can be simple – can be made up of small steps. “Dreams do not require money,” he said. “We are here to do the things we dream to do.”

 

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SQ Journalism Guild promotes next class of writers


 

Code.7370 Graduation Day at SQ

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Justin Meskan spent the last seven years behind bars, but in August he is scheduled to get another chance at putting his life back on track, with the assistance of an innovative computer programming class taught at San Quentin State Prison.

Chris Redlitz addresses business executives, community members, and media outlets

Speaking on the occasion of Code.7370’s graduation day, March 23, Meskan, 35, said, “I learned a lot about how to work with other people, and coders, on a team level. I also learned about responsibility, getting to work every day and how to put my life first and get away from my old habits.”

Dozens of business leaders, tech executives, venture capitalists and government workers wandered through the classroom inside the California Prison Industry Authority building, talking to the graduates and looking over their shoulders while the coders were working on their presentations.

“This is the kind of program that we should be doing at all 35 institutions,” said Ralph Diaz, undersecretary of operations for the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. “These are the opportunities that we are seeking for all 35 institutions.”

Meskan sat in front of his double-screen computer as a multi-player chess game’s pieces floated on its screen.

International business analyst Fernando Figueriredo praised Meskan’s coding skills.

“I was extremely surprised considering that he has limited available material,” said Figueriredo, who consults for the Brazilian government on its farming practices. “When he’s outside, he will increase his knowledge, because of access to information.” He added.

“When I heard about this program, I thought it was a great idea to put the prisoners on the right side. There is a huge need for coders in the Bay Area. It would be a way to help local companies and a great way to give prisoners a new beginning.”

Meskan said he spends a lot of his spare time reading everything he can find that relates to coding.

Code.7370 computers cannot be connected to the internet, a fact of life which creates a huge challenge in teaching programming techniques, according to supervising instructor Jon Gripshover.

Meskan also met with RocketSpace personnel who appeared interested in the fact that he was getting out of prison.

RocketSpace employs former San Quentin prisoners Kenyatta Leal and Vinh Nguyen.

Leal was praised for “keeping everything running smoothly,” one of the RocketSpace executives said.

“If you treat a man as he is, he will remain as he is,” Leal told the graduating class and audience. “But, if you treat a man as he can and should be, he will become as he can and should be.”

RocketSpace is an incubator workspace for startup companies. It also assists larger companies that are looking at smaller companies for ideas.

The chief of Workforce Development for California’s prison industries, Milo Fitch, said, “These programs give us the kind of outcome that we want as a society. Most prisoners are looking for a way out. People who take advantage of these programs find that they can fit in with mainstream culture.”

California has about 100 different businesses in its prisons that employ about 27,000 inmates.

“The heart of the business is the offender who never comes back to prison,” said Charles Pattillo, general manager of California Prison Industry Authority. “Our programs have one of the lowest recidivism rates in the country, which is about 7.3 percent.”

Pattillo pointed out that the graduating class saves California taxpayers about $520,000 per year.

He credited Code.7370 to Chris Redlitz and Beverly Parenti.

“It’s surreal seeing Kenyatta here, not in blue,” Redlitz said. “We first met in a broom closet in the chapel, and he was serving a life sentence. There were a lot of naysayers, but the cooperation between this public/private partnership should be a model for the country.” Referring to the graduates, he joked, “This is not fake news. These are real stories.”

Pattillo added, “When they get out of prison, we don’t want to ever see them again. No one wants to see them come back to prison. We want them to get out and make us proud.”

Stockton Mayor Michael Tubbs said he was impressed by the opportunity for the inmates to learn skills so that when they return to their communities they could fit in.

Jon Gripshover talks to students after the graduation

“It’s a challenge for me to provide opportunities for folks before they get to prison,” Tubbs said. “I’m not surprised by the coding skills of people in San Quentin.”

In addition, in attendance was entrepreneur Divine, who created BLAK card (Building Leverage Acquiring Knowledge).

Devine, an ex-offender and former drug dealer, said before meeting Redlitz and Parenti, he had only an eighth-grade education.

It was the third visit to San Quentin for vocalist Antoinette “Butterscotch” Clinton, a longtime fan of the Last Mile program, to support Redlitz and Parenti.

“I find myself getting emotional listening to the stories and through this program find a path that they are passionate about,” Clinton said. “It makes me happy to know that the cycle can be broken.”

Graduate Jad Salem


http://sanquentinnews.com/game-theory/

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