August 20,2013

"At the center of the universe is a loving
heart that continues to beat and that wants
the best for every person. Anything we can
do to help foster the intellect and spirit and
emotional growth of our fellow human beings,
that is our job. Those of us who have this
particular vision must continue against all odds.
Life is for service..."

-Quote by: Fred Rogers
"Mister Rogers' Neighborhood"

Hello world,

Since I last blogged, this past week was a very
busy, yet, fulfilling one for me. In California,
there are 33 state prisons and the state has
duly spent more than 5 billion in the past two
decades building and expanding it's prison industrial
complex. Conversely, the state has built
only one (1) new state university (CSU-Monterey).

I mention this because San Quentin State Prison,
one of the state's oldest and most notorious of
prisons and home of the state's "death row", is
the very best prison for a person incarcerated
in this state to be at. Sounds crazy, huh?

You see, at the other 32 state prisons, the prisoners
are offered no real form of "rehabilitation",
and many have spent years in "special housing units"
(SHU) or "behavioral modification units"(BMU)
for no other reason than being "validated" by
the state as a gang member or associate. Many
others are denied health care for "security reasons."
At these other 32 prisons, the state is
resolute in shattering the lives of the men
and women held there, because the California
prison industrial complex is, by its very essence,
an instrument of equalized castigation and
easygoing inhumanity that pulverizes the very
life and spirits from its captives.

However, San Quentin State Prison is an "anomaly"
in this system. Here the 4000 "general population"
prisoners have access to "educational programs"
and other "self-help" therapeutic groups in
order to inculcate the prisoners, who wish
to participate, with the skills and values that
are required to enter into, and maintain a
crime-free lifestyle. Due to the geographic
location of this prison (San Francisco Bay Area),
the demographics and the insight of this
prison's administration there are hundreds of
volunteers, educators and other professionals
who come here weekly to help the men here to
"rehabilitate" themselves.

For example, this past week, I attended and participated
and successfully completed a 30 hours of training for the "Restorative Justice Victim
Offender Education Group" and am now a group
"Facilitator". The purpose of this training was
to prepare me and the other 25 prisoners to
learn how to facilitate a group process with
people who are incarcerated to assist
them to understand and take responsibility for
the impact of their crimes against their
victims and to make the necessary changes in
their lives in order to live a productive life
free from prison. In this training, I learned
how to facilitate a group process, to work with
victims of crime, and to facilitate dialogues between
victims and offenders of crime in a group
format. Nowhere else would I be able to receive
such an opportunity in this state's prison
system except, maybe, one or two other prisons.

Then, on Friday, I assisted in the annual
"T.R.U.S.T Health Fair" where outside professionals
such as dental hygienists, chiropractors, health
care providers, etc. came to the prison in order
to provide free services to the men here. It was
a day-long event on the prison's lower yard
with live music(prison bands), games and other
events.At no other prison do events like this
happen. My question is, why is that?

Here at San Quentin State Prison, the men are
given an opportunity to "feel" like a person and
prisoners even in the deepest of despair can experience
a feeling of some hope, despite the
downward spiral of inhumane treatment or demonization
they may have felt at other prisons.

Society has to ask itself "What type of people do we
want coming out of our jails and prisons?" Do you
want more hardened, violent criminals or do you
think we should have more prisons like San Quentin?
Should society start a movement within our
country's prison systems that encourages consciouness,
self-determination, and creative and productive
inviduals who will re-enter society?
Ask yourself this question, "Which would you prefer?"
And remember this: the most dangerous creation
of any society is that person who has nothing to lose...

If you have any comments or would like to contact
me directly, please feel free to do so at
my return mailing address.

Peace...