{"id":26694,"date":"2023-05-25T12:54:14","date_gmt":"2023-05-25T19:54:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/?p=26694"},"modified":"2023-05-25T14:02:04","modified_gmt":"2023-05-25T21:02:04","slug":"26694","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/2023\/05\/25\/26694\/","title":{"rendered":""},"content":{"rendered":"\n<h1 class=\"wp-block-heading\">San Quentin prison cracks down after Newsom revamp plans, insiders say<\/h1>\n\n\n\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.sfexaminer.com\/users\/profile\/Marcus%20White\">By Marcus White | Examiner staff writer |<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>May 24, 2023\u00a0Updated\u00a016 hrs ago (SFExaminer.com)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com\/sfexaminer.com\/content\/tncms\/assets\/v3\/editorial\/9\/0a\/90a98fa0-fa79-11ed-afa0-2b77e55d8e7e\/646e80e253457.image.jpg?resize=400%2C267\" alt=\"San Quentin State Prison\"\/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Currently and formerly incarcerated individuals say the future direction of San Quentin State Prison is a source of tension with correctional officers at the facility right now.Craig Lee\/The Examiner<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>In the past week, people incarcerated at San Quentin haven\u2019t left their cells for anything but twice-daily meals, occasional doctor\u2019s appointments and shared showers every other day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Those incarcerated at&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.sfexaminer.com\/forum\/the-origins-of-san-quentin-prison\/article_bd53b166-d7f1-11ed-9f58-3b9f235dfccf.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">California\u2019s oldest<\/a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.sfexaminer.com\/forum\/dungeons-and-drunkards-san-quentins-wild-early-days\/article_d9f9083e-e539-11ed-a123-07cd9d2efbeb.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">most notorious state prison<\/a>, and their advocates, say San Quentin has been locked down since May 16 in response to&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.gov.ca.gov\/2023\/03\/17\/san-quentin-transformation\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Gov. Gavin Newsom\u2019s announced intention<\/a>&nbsp;to transform it into a rehabilitative center. California corrections officials told The Examiner that the prison was not locked down, but was operating under a \u201cmodified program\u201d as part of an annual search.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This change has followed a paring down of the prison\u2019s offering of rehabilitative programs, currently and formerly incarcerated people said, as well as escalating harassment and abuse from correctional officers at the facility.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The alleged lockdown and mistreatment stand in stark contrast to the state\u2019s emphasis upon rehabilitation and restorative justice and comes as the governor is&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2023\/03\/30\/opinion\/governor-newsom-new-plan-san-quentin-prison-rehabilitation.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">championing the prison\u2019s proposed transformation<\/a>&nbsp;into what he hopes will serve as a model for the rest of the U.S., which has the highest incarceration rates in the world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>San Quentin State Prison, located about 20 miles outside of San Francisco in Marin County, houses about 3,300 incarcerated people on the water\u2019s edge. It\u2019s still home to more than 500 condemned prisoners, who will be moved into general prison populations elsewhere following Newsom\u2019s order to dismantle the&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/california-death-row-closed-prisons-gavin-newsom-d59ae606239abadb2dfa03be71e54649\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">country\u2019s largest death row<\/a>&nbsp;by 2024.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The California Department of Correction and Rehabilitation told The Examiner that Newsom\u2019s administration has \u201ccreated an ambitious timeline and vision to transform San Quentin.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The plan has engendered&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.sacbee.com\/news\/politics-government\/capitol-alert\/article275668806.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">skepticism from lawmakers<\/a>&nbsp;and the&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/lao.ca.gov\/Publications\/Report\/4771\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">state Legislative Analyst\u2019s Office<\/a>. Both have said the $380 million plan is light on specifics regarding how the money will be spent and what a rehabilitation center would actually entail.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But people currently and formerly incarcerated at San Quentin say the strongest resistance is coming from the inside \u2014 specifically, from the prison\u2019s acting warden and its correctional officers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>State prison officials and people incarcerated at San Quentin agree that cell searches began on May 16. That\u2019s where the agreement ends.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>One currently incarcerated person, who asked not to be named for fear of retaliation, and another formerly incarcerated person called it a lockdown. Two members of Newsom\u2019s&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.gov.ca.gov\/2023\/05\/05\/san-quentin-transformation-advisory-council\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">San Quentin Transformation Advisory Council<\/a>&nbsp;and Norwegian prison officials were scheduled to visit the prison that day, the person incarcerated there said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As part of the alleged lockdown, the person said they\u2019re released for breakfast, dinner and \u2014 just three times a week \u2014 for showers. Otherwise, they can only leave for doctors\u2019 visits, and their cells are routinely searched. Their only contact with the outside are prison-provided<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>internet-enabled tablets, which the person told The Examiner made them \u201cfeel safer to know that they\u2019re here.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The person said that unlike previous lockdowns, prison staff has provided no explanation as to what triggered it. Corrections officers started searching prison cells this month, and the incarcerated person told The Examiner that this amplified the belief among San Quentin\u2019s population that \u201cthere\u2019s certain factions within the prison trying to stop the progress (of Newsom\u2019s announcement) from happening.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cHonestly, it\u2019s defeating and depressing,\u201d the person said. \u201cIt feels like you\u2019re being trapped and punished, and although that\u2019s prison, that\u2019s the job of the prison, I think this is an extra layer where they\u2019re reminding you about this instead of trying to help you heal so that you can heal once you get out.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A state corrections spokesperson told The Examiner there was no such tour scheduled for May 16 and said there is a modified program in place that \u201ccan still allow the population to shower, work and receive medication.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThis action was not a lockdown, which restricts any and all movement in an identified area, facility, or entire prison,\u201d the spokesperson said in an email.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>San Quentin\u2019s public information officer couldn\u2019t be reached for comment prior to publication. The California Correctional Peace Officers Association didn\u2019t respond to a detailed list of questions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>San Quentin\u2019s restrictions have effectively ended all rehabilitative programming, the incarcerated person said,&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/leginfo.legislature.ca.gov\/faces\/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=202120220AB292\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">potentially violating state law<\/a>. The prison was well-known for its programs prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, which currently and formerly incarcerated people told The Examiner led to significant reductions in those offerings over the last three years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.asianprisonersupport.com\/roots-and-correspondence-programs\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Restoring Our Original True Selves<\/a>&nbsp;\u2014 a weekly class known as ROOTS that aims to teach Asian American and Pacific Islander history through an ethnic studies curriculum \u2014 hasn\u2019t resumed. Kid C.A.T, a rehabilitative program for people who have been incarcerated since they were children, is only&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/sanquentinnews.com\/kid-cat-makes-a-comeback\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">just ramping back up<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">EX \/\/ TOP STORIES<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.sfexaminer.com\/news\/politics\/sf-board-un-plaza-meeting-prompts-brick-blame-throwing\/article_9f66762c-f973-11ed-9607-db516e79d53a.html\">Blame, brick thrown in Breed&#8217;s U.N. Plaza meeting with supes<\/a><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>San Francisco Mayor London Breed&#8217;s regular meeting with the Board of Supervisors was anything but<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Now, with the alleged lockdown, the few remaining programs have been taken off the table, despite&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.gov.ca.gov\/2021\/10\/06\/governor-newsom-issues-legislative-update-10-6-21\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Newsom signing into law<\/a>&nbsp;a bill that would prevent that in 2021. Under the law, prisons are supposed to offer \u201cprogramming to the greatest extent possible, even if the institution, facility or section of the institution or facility is restricting in-person programming for reasons including, but not limited to, a security or medical concern.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Despite the bill\u2019s provisions for virtual programming, the prison population\u2019s tablets don\u2019t \u201cfacilitate any form of continuation\u201d of their classes and programs, according to a currently incarcerated person.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThere\u2019s no one watching the watcher,\u201d the incarcerated person said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>After&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.audacy.com\/kcbsradio\/news\/local\/newsom-clemency-to-california-san-quentin-prisoner-on-kcbs\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Newsom commuted his sentence<\/a>&nbsp;last January, Thanh Tran was released from San Quentin last May. He had seen the reduction in programming firsthand, estimating that San Quentin had as many as 80 programs before the pandemic. Now, there are about 25.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The currently incarcerated person told The Examiner that some programs have waitlists that are hundreds of people long, and others that were offered before the pandemic have faced extensive bureaucratic hurdles trying to restart them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Before his release, Tran said correctional officers would routinely harass and search incarcerated people \u2014 including himself \u2014 who were trying to move to different parts of the prison, whether to work at their jobs, or attend a class or program. Showing up late could result in discipline, and consequences at a parole hearing down the line.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Tran\u2019s friends who remain at San Quentin told him it had only gotten worse after the governor\u2019s announcement. The currently incarcerated person who spoke with The Examiner said they\u2019d witnessed as many as three correctional officers at a time harassing and searching people prior to the lockdown.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThe amount of people they pull over now and search randomly has increased,\u201d Tran said. \u201cIt\u2019s basically stop-and-frisk within prison, so now it has increased, and now people are being denied even more access to the now very limited programs at San Quentin.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The programming and security changes have all occurred since acting Warden Oak Smith joined San Quentin\u2019s leadership.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Smith, who began serving as the prison\u2019s chief deputy warden in 2021, was&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.marinij.com\/2023\/02\/19\/san-quentin-state-prison-official-named-acting-warden\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">appointed to his new role<\/a>&nbsp;in February. Ron Broomfield, his predecessor, is now the corrections department\u2019s acting associate director of general population male prisons, but Newsom\u2019s office still referred to Broomfield as the warden when listing him as a co-chair of the advisory council.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Despite water restrictions lifting in other parts of the state with this year\u2019s wet winter, those at San Quentin are still in place. The incarcerated person said Smith has maintained San Quentin\u2019s restrictions on showers, which former Warden Ron Davis first instituted in 2015 as part of then-Gov. Jerry Brown\u2019s drought declaration. Incarcerated people attending school or working a job that isn\u2019t approved by the corrections department were limited to three, five-minute showers per week before movement was restricted within the prison.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It\u2019s unclear when the restrictions will end. The prison appeared to lift some last week when it&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.cdcr.ca.gov\/insidecdcr\/2023\/05\/19\/sq-bonds-over-pickleball\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">hosted a pickleball event<\/a>. Smith and Bloomfield participated, as did some of the people currently incarcerated and correctional officers working at San Quentin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Prison officials said in a blog post that they held the event with San Quentin\u2019s shift to a rehabilitation center in mind, adding that it was \u201csetting the foundation\u201d for California\u2019s plans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWe want the prison environment to reflect the environment of the outside as much as possible,\u201d Smith said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But the currently incarcerated person who spoke with The Examiner said that hasn\u2019t been reflected in the prison\u2019s actions, before and during the restrictions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The person said San Quentin\u2019s incarcerated population is ready and willing to make the prison\u2019s shift to a rehabilitative model work, but they\u2019re not sure the same can be said for prison\u2019s leadership and correctional officers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThey just feel that it\u2019s not going to work based on the fact the COs have been trained one way, and they think one way,\u201d the person, who is next eligible for parole in 2026, told The Examiner.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cAnd we think the only way that this would actually work is if they just moved these COs that work here to another prison, and bring in a whole set of new people that are fully trained with the model and the thinking that they want. We\u2019re nervous that they are going to accept all the money that is thrown at them but then, at the end of the day, they\u2019re just gonna use their own little manipulative tactics to get people out of here. That\u2019s the biggest thing we\u2019re worried about.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.sfexaminer.com\/users\/profile\/Marcus%20White\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/bloximages.chicago2.vip.townnews.com\/sfexaminer.com\/content\/tncms\/avatars\/a\/2e\/096\/a2e096d0-383e-11ed-8dff-03ca0c28c2ed.6e26757400633d7b219baab76e54234b.png?_dc=1665446500\" alt=\"Marcus White\"\/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.sfexaminer.com\/users\/profile\/Marcus%20White\">Marcus White<\/a><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Marcus White is a senior digital writer and producer for the San Francisco Examiner.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>San Quentin prison cracks down after Newsom revamp plans, insiders say In the past week, people incarcerated at San Quentin haven\u2019t left their cells for anything but twice-daily meals, occasional doctor\u2019s appointments and shared showers every other day. Those incarcerated at&nbsp;California\u2019s oldest&nbsp;and&nbsp;most notorious state prison, and their advocates, say San&#8230; <a class=\"continue-reading-link\" href=\"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/2023\/05\/25\/26694\/\"> Continue reading <span class=\"meta-nav\">&rarr; <\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[253],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26694"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=26694"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26694\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":26708,"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26694\/revisions\/26708"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=26694"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=26694"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/occupysf.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=26694"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}