Young Black women touring San Quentin questioned a group of prisoners with tears in her eyes. “Aren’t you guys mad at what’s going on out there … [Read more...]
‘VPASS’: Convenient or Complicated?
‘The ritual of setting up visits so far has been a nightmare’ My friend just got into San Quentin, and the ritual of setting up visits so far has been … [Read more...]
Remembering Dr. King, Ferguson and Moving Forward
Thanks to a positive decision in Sacramento, this is my final article while incarcerated at San Quentin State Prison. Subsequent articles will be from … [Read more...]
A Story I Knew All Too Well
Recently, I ran into a childhood friend and asked what he’d been up to. “Just came back from another funeral,” he answered. I shook my head, wondering … [Read more...]
Capitalism and the Value of Humanity
Is everything in life to be measured by its dollar value? That’s a question that arose in the following conversation I had recently with a young man … [Read more...]
People Who Cross Borders
There’s a great deal of concern, confusion and controversy over the issue of immigration — whether legal or otherwise. The recent influx of more than … [Read more...]
Ridding the Mindset of Violence
Though I was not directly responsible for the January 17, 1969 UCLA campus shooting deaths of John Huggins and “Bunchy” Carter, I have come to … [Read more...]
An Opinion About the 19 Women Sentenced To Life Without the Possibility of Paroling
Today at the California Institute for Women, there are 19 women who have been sentenced to life without the possibility of parole. Their profiles, … [Read more...]
Time in San Quentin Remains Frozen
For decades, time remains unchanged San Quentin’s Lower Yard gym has a three and a half square foot clock atop it. However, since 1982, it has been … [Read more...]
Dutch Social Psychologist Impressed by Prisoners
My time in San Quentin has evoked the following question in me: “How can it be that I, safely raised in Holland, have never felt so understood, … [Read more...]