San Quentin North Block prisoners who were transferred to West Block are dealing with the new living conditions with patience.
The transfer was a shock for them because North Block has full power to the cells and the television cable is hooked up to the institutional antenna. West Block has neither of these amenities.
Since there is limited power in West Block, coupled with the fact that newly received prisoners are still housed there, breeds an unusual amount of loud noise.
Associate Warden, Ernie Facio said that the newly received prisoners would be out of the building by the end of December.
Last month, Warden Michael Martel and Prison University Project facilitator Jody Lewen inspected the facility. Following their inspection, the showers were repaired. However, the block still has years of caked up grime on its walls. The prisoners are working diligently to clean it up.
The telephone situation has created an additional disadvantage to living in West Block because there are only four telephones for a mainline population of at least 600 prisoners. This means standing in line for over an hour for a 15-minute call.
Daniel Trevino was transferred to West Block in December after being housed in North Block since 2007.
