San Quentin News WRITTEN BY THE INCARCERATED – ADVANCING SOCIAL JUSTICE VOL. 2020 NO. 3 March 2020 Edition 126 SAN QUENTIN, CALIFORNIA 94964 www.sanquentinnews.com POPULATION 4058 CDCR leader and others seek prison reform answers in Norway Photo courtesy of CCWP Participants gather after the event for a photo Advocates in Oakland push to end LWOP By Marcus Henderson packed audience. Editor-in-Chief The Oakland event marked the first time the women were able to Photos by Michele Casadei, UC San Francisco California has an estimated 5,000 participate in a town hall meet- people serving life without parole ing similar to one that first created CDCR Secretary Ralph Diaz (back row, 5th from right) and formerly incarcerated Adnan Khan (in center) (LWOP), and their plight is almost public awareness of their situation. never discussed—especially the Then Gov. Jerry Brown commuted Story by Ike Dodson CDCR’s Secretary and Division of everyone involved. way the sentence affects female the women’s sentences. Office of Public and Employee Adult Institutions (DAI) Director, The trip, funded by philanthropic prisoners. Their stories and those of others Communications bonded with senior staff from programs and organized by A campaign to drop California’s still imprisoned are described in an the governor’s office, formerly an ambitious visionary at the use of LWOP received a public audio storytelling project titled “A As they covered 5,000 miles and incarcerated people, peace officer University of California, San airing late last year. Kelly Savage, Living Chance,” released through an ocean on an international flight union representatives and criminal Francisco (UCSF), made significant Tammy Cooper-Garvin, Brandi the California Coalition for Women on Sept. 14, CDCR Secretary, Ralph justice advocates in a life-changing impact on CDCR leadership. “The Taliano and Susan Bustamante Prisoners (CCWP). Diaz and Connie Gipson had plenty environment across the globe. world shrunk,” Diaz explained. shared their pain and the trauma of of time to consider their doubts. Over six days, Diaz and Gipson “I saw staff and inmates engaging serving a LWOP sentence with a See LWOP on page 7 “It won’t work here.” toured Norwegian prisons, training in a very positive way, as if the “California is too big, too violent facilities and reentry programs, environment belonged to all of and plagued by prison gangs.” witnessing famed humanistic them, not just inmates or staff. Those thoughts soon gave way practices that deliver wellness, Peace movement grows See CDCR on page 4 in all 36 California prisons to excited optimism, as the pair, safety and empowerment to By Anthony Manuel Caravalho The event aims to support non- Storytellers polish their craft through the Staff Writer violent living and spiritual unity through an all-faith dialogue. California’s top prison official, Warden (A) R. Broomfield greet- San Quentin News Journalism Guild Ralph Diaz, says as a society our ed participants before delivering The second annual San Quentin Executive Editor and winner of Prisoners across the country can differences are a good thing, and no Diaz’s message inside the prison’s News Journalism Guild Graduation the Arnulfo T. Garcia Leadership thank Richardson’s curiosity and matter what a person’s social back- Protestant Chapel. took place in the Garden Chapel Award, spoke about the impor- intellect when he looked the word ground is, “They bring value to the “I feel blessed to be at San Quen- on Jan. 17. Twelve graduates from tance of the guild. up and realized his own talent with world simply by being here.” tin; it’s a fresh breath of air. I came November’s class combined with Having worked every position words. Diaz is secretary of the California from a violent prison,” Broomfield this current class of 11 to celebrate from print to layout to Editor-in- “Words mean a lot; we Department of Corrections and Re- said. “This is an amazing prison, and finishing the six-month course. Chief, Richardson reflected how communicate with each other; habilitation (CDCR). His statement I want you all to embrace that. We The event honored the gradu- words began to change his life. we all have the ability to grow. was delivered to San Quentin on the need to elevate the desire for peace.” ates, recognized advisors and “At my last prison, a guy called Our newspaper allows people to Day of Peace and Reconciliation ob- brought attention to the impact me pessimistic, and I wanted to grow—and will continue to do so,” served in 35 prisons on Jan. 29. See Day of Peace on page 10 of programs like the guild on beat him up—even though I really said Richardson. rehabilitation. didn’t know what the word meant,” Richard Richardson, SQ News’ said Richardson. See Guild on page 11 Photo by Javier Jimenez, SQN Imam Fasi, Rabbi Paul Shleffar and Chaplain Hector Frank Heredia of Native Services Inside Edition #126 Restorative Justice at Donovan Musicambia Composition Workshop Page 12 Page 24 Photo by Javier Jimenez, SQN Monica Campbell with the Spanish graduating class of 2020 Page 2 SAN QUENTIN NEWS www.sanquentinnews.com March 2020 San Quentin News is written and produced by prisoners. We are supported solely by grants and donations from the outside community. To make a tax-deductible donation, visit our website at: sanquentinnews.com or send a check or money order payable to: Social Good Fund/"Friends of San Quentin News," P.O. Box 494, San Quentin, CA 94964 Thank you UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, BERKELEY for your support! Graduate School of Journalism Marin's Chief Probation Officer focuses on restorative justice By Kevin D. Sawyer careful not to re-victimize…” Assembly Bill 109, Public between the ages 18 and 25. Associate Editor Citing some of the failures Safety Realignment, and im- “We all have our points of mass incarceration has pro- plemented it to manage the change,” said Daly. “What Mike Daly, the chief proba- duced over the last 30 years, state’s unprecedented growth I’m trying to develop [in tion officer in Marin County, Daly said a change in the in its prison population. them] is intrinsic motiva- believes in restorative justice, culture of corrections needs Other significant reforms tion. Sometimes guys don’t something he’s put into prac- to take place as well. He ac- followed in California’s care about themselves so it’s tice instead of talking about it. knowledged the increase in criminal justice landscape. hard to make those changes. During an interview with California’s prison popula- Changes in the law such as When you make that move SQ News in January, Daly tion didn’t happen overnight Proposition 57 are changing intrinsically you have a much discussed pro-social thinking but said the legislature was the situation, he said, while higher likelihood of being and how to “rewire” people asleep at the wheel for two admitting it’s not perfect, “but successful.” to be the best they can be af- decades. it’s a start.” “I’ve seen guys who’ve ter becoming involved in the Between 1990 and 2005, Daly said he’s worked with turned the corner,” said Daly, criminal justice system. a new prison opened in the Ralph Diaz, secretary of the adding “Extrinsic motivation “I want people to know that United States every 10 days,” California Department of doesn’t work on guys from restorative justice does work, wrote Bryan Stevenson, at- Corrections and Rehabilita- the hood. You have much and there’s data to prove it,” torney and founder of the tion. They’ve established a more success when you de- said Daly. “It should be part Equal Justice Initiative, in Skype program that allows Photo by Javier Jimenez, SQN velop intrinsic motivation.” of a forward thinking criminal his book Just Mercy. “Pris- inmates headed for post-re- Marin County Chief Probation Officer Mike Daly Daly said statewide, 8% justice system.” on growth and the resulting lease community supervision of those on PRCS violate To successfully undertake ‘prison-industrial complex’ (PRCS) to communicate with happy that Marin has adjusted the Independent Journal re- their probation and return to restorative justice as a model, – the business interests that their probation officer before to Realignment very well.” ported. Daly stressed that prison, but in Marin County he said, there has to be in- capitalize on prison construc- leaving state prison. He said all of its criminal defendants who participate in the number is 2%. “We’re put from district attorneys, tion – made imprisonment so Daly was president of the justice leaders who voted this program are less likely to considered a high performing victims, offenders and other profitable that millions of dol- Chief Probation Officers of to allocate funding feel that reoffend. county,” he said. stakeholders. lars were spent lobbying state California in 2014. Accord- strong rehabilitative programs Daly was appointed as In 1990, Daly received his In Marin County, “Cases legislators…” ing to the Marin County Pro- are the best for public safety. Chief Probation Officer in bachelor’s degree from Cal are referred to the probation “We didn’t examine or bation Department website, Assembly Bill 109 pro- 2009 by the Board of Supervi- Poly in Social Science with department for restorative make adjustments,” Daly said “(former) Governor Brown vides funding for many of sors, but confessed he wasn’t a concentration in criminal justice only after being of the years California’s re- had placed a tremendous Marin County’s support sys- ready to deal with the politics justice—the same year he cleared by the Marin County cidivism rate was at 70%. amount of responsibility on tems such as finding shelter that came with the job.