Imagine, if you will, being a prisoner in one of San Quentin State Prison’s most secured and notorious housing units. This is the housing unit where most outsiders consider all hope to be abandoned and lost. This is the place where some say they keep California’s most dangerous, incorrigible, and irredeemable souls. This place that I am speaking of, is California’s “Death Row” or the now politically correct “Condemned Row.” The men and women in California who carrying the title of, “Condemned Inmates,” are the very individuals most people believe cannot be trusted with anyone else other than their own peers (other condemned inmates). They are the group of men and women who have not only given up on themselves, but also their families, communities and ultimately society. They are “Societal Outcasts,” from which nothing positive can come… So they say. If we look back at the history of Condemned Inmates, we will find a myriad of men and women with a wide range of crimes that had an extremely negative impact on societies yesterdays, todays and tomorrows. Most people will continue to focus on that negative light and see nothing else but a man or woman who is now only wasting the state’s time and money… Ladies and Gentlemen, this is far from true, from this world of cement and steel, a rose from concrete can grow.
So let’s take a look at that history again; this time, let’s look a little deeper. If you dig below the surface, you will find a host of Condemned men and women who have reached back out to their families and communities by way of authoring books, letters, periodicals, etc. I will not attempt to make any excuses for crimes committed, but instead I want to make an attempt at shining a light on the compassion that still lies in the hearts of these people who some believe have nothing else to live for. If you listen to what I am saying, and you dig just deep enough, you will find a man by the name of Ross “Patch” Keller. Ross Keller, convicted of murder with special circumstances was given the penalty of a “Death Sentence.” In the early sixties, Ross Keller, the father of a growing son, was faced with a difficult challenge. He like many other incarcerated men placed himself in the situation of not being able to care for his family. Ross Keller’s son was being influenced by the negative influences of society and ultimately began traveling the path of his father. Ross Keller came up with an idea of a program that could possibly help him, help his son. In a desperate attempt, Ross Keller drew up a proposal to create this program. In 1964, San Quentin’s Utilization of Inmates Resources, Experiences and Studies other wise known as S.Q.U.I.R.E.S. was born, holding its first workshop with “at-risk” youth from the San Francisco Bay Area. Although Ross Keller’s son was unable to attend the first workshop, he did eventually gain admittance into a later workshop. However, Ross Keller himself was unable to attend the workshop due to his being a prisoner in this facility.
Today, 44 years later, S.Q.U.I.R.E.S. holds workshops for at-risk youth that are mentored by the incarcerated men of San Quentin. The workshops provide close communication between the youth and the inmate participants, which has proven to be beneficial in many cases. During the sessions, every effort is made to establish a rapport with the youth. When needed, a verbal confrontation may be used by a S.Q.U.I.R.E.S. member to deal with a specific youth. This verbal contact has opened up problem areas which otherwise could have gone undetected. Also included in the S.Q.U.I.R.E.S. session is a tour of the lower exercise yard where the youth come in close proximity of mainline inmates, where the youth are offered graphic descriptions of life and existence at San Quentin. The youth also have the opportunity to tour housing units where they experience being placed in a cell for a period of time.
S.Q.U.I.R.E.S. like many programs in San Quentin State Prison has planted a seed and nurtured a relationship with its outside community creating an environment that is safe for communities to come in and be educated with this incarcerated community. In most cases, parents of teenagers who have trouble with their youth may seek advice from many sources: psychologists, psychiatrists, family counselors, teachers and judges. But few go to a source that speaks with the voice of experience about impulsive acting out and its consequences-incarcerated men, who have committed serious offenses. These men have invaluable information on the cause, as well as the devastating affect, of their behavioral problems.
