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San Quentin News THE PULSE OF SAN QUENTIN Award Winner VOL. 2014 NO.8 August 2014 SAN QUENTIN, CALIFORNIA 94964 www.sanquentinnews.com POPULATION 3,845 California Prisons Adopt Elderly Parole Rules By Charles David Henry the first time at a meeting of Staff Writer the Board of Parole Hearings. They were ordered by a panel Many elderly and frail of federal judges earlier this prisoners who meet the new year, as part of required steps California parole criteria are the state must take to reduce ready for release. prison crowding to acceptable “The program’s details levels,” Paige St. John of The were released publicly for LA Times recently wrote. Inmates age 60 years or older, who have spent at least 25 years in prison, are eligible for re- lease if they are not sentenced to death Photo by Sam Hearnes or serving a life sen- Participants gather for the opening event tence without the possibility of parole. “Those hearings are S.Q. Avon Walk Raises to begin in October,” according to a board executive. Funds for Breast Cancer Additionally, in- mates with health By Juan Haines in support of the annual Avon mates mingled with local vol- conditions requiring Managing Editor Walk for Breast Cancer. unteers, representatives from skilled nursing care The two-day event drew Avon and prison staffers. are eligible for re- Dozens of Bay Area people about 150 inmates and 50 free Six years ago, the inmate or- Photo By Sam Hearnes came into San Quentin on people each day. The first lap Patrick Kelly See Elderly on Pg. 5 July 18 and 19 to walk laps was walked in silence as in- See San Quent. on Page 10 Law Firm Opposes Restrictions on Reading Choices By Kevin D. Sawyer tions and Rehabilitation (CDCR) Regulation and Policy Manage- lations to ban what it considers would severely burden the First Journalism Guild Chairman that have the potential to censor ment Branch “On behalf of the “obscene material.” Amendment rights of both in- inmate reading material. San Francisco Bay View Nation- “The Proposed Regulations mates in CDCR facilities and in- A law fi rm is opposing newly Leila Knox, an attorney with al Black Newspaper.” include ostensibly minor re- nocent third parties who wish to proposed regulations by the Cal- the law fi rm Bryan Cave, LLP, Knox wrote in response to a visions that could be used to ifornia Department of Correc- sent an e-mail to the CDCR’s CDCR proposal to change regu- work a fundamental change that See CDCR on Page 8 Alliance for CHANGE Helps 16 Graduates Transform Their Lives Sixteen San Quentin in- side volunteers and guests. State University. mates have earned Certifi cates It was the seventh class to During the July 9 ceremonies of Accomplishment from the complete the 16-week gruel- held in the Arc Building, Dr. Alliance for CHANGE social ing and intense social justice Kim Richman and Dr. Karen justice program. They were program facilitated by profes- Lovaas sat in the audience as presented in front of co-lead- sors from the University of San ers, facilitators, mentors, out- Francisco and San Francisco See Alliance on Page 15 Photo courtesy of Oakland School District Students and teachers inside an Oakland High School classroom Washington Aids Oakland School Programs By Nelson T. Butler young people. Journalism Guild Writer Earlier this year President Obama began a $200 million David Johns, executive direc- initiative, which includes a task tor of the President’s Initiative force to identify how the federal on Educational Excellence for government can support and African Americans, recently promote programs designed to visited Oakland High School to improve educational outcomes talk with teachers and students for young black and Hispanic and learn lessons from the pro- men. Photo by Sam Hearnes grams the city has implement- Alliance for CHANGE graduates receive their certificates ed to help black and Hispanic See Oakland on Page 4 Page 2 SAN QUENTIN NEWS www.sanquentinnews.com August 2014 iinsidenside editionedition #5599 Rochelle Edwards Transitions S.Q. Avon Walk 1 Hip-Hop artists 8 California adopts elderly 1 Restorative Justice 8 Out of VOEG’s Leadership Role Law fi rm opposes 1 Alcatraz’s theatrical play 9 Alliance for CHANGE 1 Avon breast cancer walk 10 By JulianGlenn Padgett Washington aids Oak. 1 Arts & Entertainment 12 Staff Writer Rochelle Edwards 2 Book Review 13 For a decade Rochelle Ed- Death penalty ending 3 An ‘OG’s’ Perspective 13 wards has counseled San Quen- Declining executions 3 Movie Review 13 tin inmates through her program Federal court refuses 4 Progress in health care 14 Victim Offender Education Realignment impacts 4 Life insurance 14 Group (VOEG). Now prepar- Americans disenfran. 4 Generation We 14 ing to move on, Edwards shared with us what she has learned Monterey Oks $88.9 5 ‘The Merry Wives.......’ 15 about healing, redemption, in- New crim. just. strategy 5 Decline in Dom. Vio. 16 sight and forgiveness. Plans to reduce pris. pop 5 Asked on the Line 16 Edwards started VOEG in Editorial 6 News Brief 17 2004 with one group and has Ironwood TEDx 6 New Japanese prison 17 since established 28 groups across the state. Letter to the Editor 6 Sports 18 “Over the years working with False convictions 7 Sports 19 prisoners who’ve been through Execution by alt. means 7 Couples Wed in S.Q. 20 the program and survivors, to- gether we’ve continued to im- prove on the VOEG curriculum, Photo by Sam Hearnes WWee CCanan UUsese YYourour HHelpelp to make it what it is today,” said Rochelle Edwards congratulating Billy Allen at the Edwards. VOEG Next Step graduation The San Quentin News is not supported fi nancially by the California prison system and depends on outside assistance. If you would like to help, there are two ways, “Forgiveness is important for both of which are tax-deductable. To contribute with a check, send it to Prison everyone, regardless of the de- ever since. teractions and offerings,” Ed- Media Project, c/o Media Alliance, 1904 Franklin Street, No. 818, Oakland, CA 94612. Do not use this address for general correspondence. Instead, write to gree of the transgression. And “I was immediately drawn to wards said. the San Quentin News, 1 Main Street, San Quentin, CA 94964. To contribute it’s most important for the for- the VOEG process, specifi cally “The VOEG process is quite with a credit card, go to our website, www.sanquentinnews.com, click on Support, giver, the person doing the for- how our past experiences, our mutual,” she continued. “We’re and then on that page go to the bottom paragraph and click on Here. That will take you to the page where you can use a credit card. A special thanks goes to Marin giving.” childhood, our socio-cultural all learning from each other, the Sun Printing in San Rafael where our paper is printed. The following groups and She thinks that in a healthy so- infl uences shape who we are, men I have worked with are my individuals have already made contributions: ciety we need to fi gure out how and how trauma so easily mani- teachers, my children are my FOUNDATIONS to integrate members who have fests into harming behavior, biggest teachers. And all my re- The Annenberg Foundation, Columbia Foundation, Marin caused harm and been harmed, both harming to oneself and to lationships are opportunities to Community Foundation, Pastor Melissa Scott, and RESIST instead of furthering alienation others,” Shah said. learn.” INDIVIDUALS between them. She says this is “We have groups that are She thinks that her sense of Violet Adkins*, Lois Ahrens, Nassim Alisobhani, Alliance for Change, what continues the cycle of of- in Spanish for youth and for wanting to be of service to in- Betty Ford and Joellen Anderson, Corey Anderson, Faye Antolin, Daniel fense and alienation. women. So our curriculum has carcerated people comes from Barton*/Attorney at Law, Christopher B., Stella Batzel, Peter Bentley*, Luci Berkowitz*, Michael Bien, Iris Biblowitz*, Jeremy Blank, Ann “Over and over again I’ve had to adapt to the unique needs of working on a farm as a young- Boone, Anne Bozack, Susan Breiding, Esta Brimage, PL Brown, Bruce the experience of people sharing each community.” ster. and Maris Budner, Terry Butler, Robert Canning, Julia Carney, Celia events or stories from their lives Shah said the work that Ed- “A lot of the people I cleaned Chazelle, Roze Albina Chez, Abby Chin, Mac Coffey, Ann Colburn, that they’ve never talked about wards has created with the men stalls with on the farm were Marshall Cook, Kathleen Correll, Joseph Coyle, Kathryn Craft, Simone Gabrielle Crowe, Colorado CURE, Angela Laura Curtis, Kevin Danaher, before,” she said. “Oftentimes, of San Quentin is nothing short individuals who had been to Patricia Dark, Leigh Davenport, Marcus Davies, Christine Dell, Daniel these stories or events were of phenomenal. prison. I didn’t know it as a kid, Elber, Claire Elizabeth DeSophia*, Annie De Williams, Teresa Dillinger, very traumatic and as a young “You can see the work the but that was a form of restora- Lisa Doering, Mark Drevno, Alison Dykstra, Braden Weeks Earp, D. Elser, Tamar Enoch, William and Carolyn Epling, George Estrada, David child they didn’t have the tools men have done on themselves tion; so helping the incarcerated Feld, Judy Fireman, Patricia Ann Foley, Jasper Frank, Sue Frantz, Amy or right meaning to process through how they actively lis- just feels right,” said Edwards. Friedman, James Friedman, Michael Furst, Sheilah Glover, God B. God them.

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