San Quentin News
THE PULSE OF SAN QUENTIN

VOL. 2009 NO. 4

APRIL 2009

SAN QUENTIN, CALIFORNIA 94964

POPULATION:5,286

U.S. Prison Reform
Federal Judges
Commission Proposed Say ‘No’ to
State Control
By MICHAEL R.
HARRIS
Editor-in-Chief

Everyone is either directly or indirectly affected by crime, increasing rates of recidivism,
costs of incarceration, and
having those who have the
penalty prescribed by law
for their crimes barred
from effectively being
reintegrated into society as
productive citizens.
In the spring of 2009,
U.S. Senator Jim Webb,
D-Virginia, introduced the
National Criminal Justice
Commission Act of 2009
on March 26. His proposal
on criminal justice reform
received generally wide support
from senate leadership, the Senate Judiciary Committee and
the White House. The blueribbon commission would be
charged with a thorough, 18month review of the criminal
justice system and responsible
for determining reforms for
reducing the incarceration rate,
identifying ways to effectively

“With so many
of our citizens in
prison compared
with the rest of the
world, there are
only two possibilities: Either we are
home to the most
evil people on
earth or we are doing something different and vastly
counter productive.
Obviously, this answer is the latter,”

U.S. Senator Jim Webb
impact international and domestic gang violence, restructure
policy on the adjudication of
drug crimes, provide for appropriate treatment of mental illness, improve prison administration and establish a system
for the effective reintegration of
ex-offenders.
“The rate of incarceration in
America has dramatically in-

—U.S. Senator
Jim Webb
creased over the past 17 years.
The United States has the
world’s highest reported incarceration rate. With less
than 5 percent of the world’s
population, it has almost onequarter of the world’s prisoners,” said Webb.
See Prison Reform Page 6

Patch Adams Shows S.Q.
His ‘Healing With Humor’
By ALY TAMBOURA
“When I see a prison, I
ache,” medical doctor and humanitarian Patch Adams commented during a recent visit to
San Quentin. “I see massive
inequality and massive injustice.”
Adams visited San Quentin
during the last week of March
as part of the Arts and Corrections Program. He talked with
staff and inmates about his mission supporting free global
health care as well as enlightening the prison community on
societal compassion.
Hunter Campbell “Patch”
Adams is a world-renowned
speaker who has spent a large
portion of his life as a true humanitarian. His inspiring life
story was the basis for the Hollywood movie “Patch Adams,”
starring Robin Williams.
Adams was born May 28,
1945 in Washington, D.C., the
son of a military professional.
He spent most of his childhood
growing up around the world.
“I grew up overseas on
Army bases,” said Adams. “I
was orphaned in 1961.”
After his father was killed
in the Vietnam War, Adams

Officer Berry and Patch Adams at the Max Shack
moved back to the states where
he describes being beat up by
his peers and falling into a state
of depression, leading him to
hospitalization for two suicide
attempts.
“At 18, I decided that I’m
never going to have a bad day,”
said Adams.
He attended the Medical
College of Virginia where he
earned his Doctor of Medicine
degree in 1971. After graduation, Adams and some close
friends founded the Gesundheit
Institute in West Virginia, part
of his dream to offer free medical treatment to anyone in need.

The hospital, which according
to Adam’s web site has served
over 15,000 patients, has no
support from health care insurance and doctors do not have
malpractice insurance.
“One-fourth of the $2 trillion American medical budget
goes to administration costs,”
said Adams, who humbly takes
pride in his career in helping
others free of charge. “For 38
years, I have paid to be a doctor.”
Part of Adams larger-thanlife character is what he calls
“healing through humor.”
See Patch Adams Page 2

By DAVID MARSH
Staff Writer
Federal judges have handed
a pair of setbacks to California
officials in their long-running
battle to regain control of
health care in the state’s
chronically overcrowded
prison system.
In a 24-page ruling released
March 24, U.S. District Judge
Thelton Henderson rejected
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s
request that he remove the federal receiver and return control
to the state. Henderson in 2006
appointed a non-profit corporation headed by a receiver to
manage the prison health care
system after finding that the
level of medical care violated
the constitutional ban on cruel
and unusual punishment.
Attorneys for Schwarzenegger have argued that the level
of health care has improved to
the point where a receiver is no
longer necessary.
Henderson, in rejecting the
state’s arguments, wrote,
“Based on the entire record in
this case, the court is far from
confident that (state officials)
have the will, capacity, or leadership to provide constitutionally adequate medical care in
the absence of a receivership.”
He stated his intention was to
return control to the state once
he is satisfied that the level of
care has improved.
The state is protesting plans
by the current receiver, law
Professor Clark Kelso, to
spend $8 billion to build seven
health care centers to treat and
house up to 10,000 medically
and mentally ill prisoners.
Kelso has since proposed a
scaled down plan which would
provide half the beds at half
the cost.
California officials initially
cooperated with the upgrades
ordered by the receiver, spending millions to improve existing facilities and services
throughout the 33-prison system. When the state budget
deficit last summer ballooned
to $42 billion, the state Legislature refused the receiver’s
demand for a $250 million
down payment to finance his
construction plans.
Henderson immediately announced plans to hold Schwarzenegger and state Controller
John Chiang in contempt of
court, and to fine the state up
to $2 million for each day the
state failed to provide the $250

million to the receiver. State
Attorney General Jerry Brown
promptly appealed and won a
temporary stay from Henderson’s ruling.
Following Henderson’s ruling, a second federal judge,
U.S. District Judge Lawrence
Karlton of Sacramento, said he
has also considered appointing
a receiver to take over prison
mental health services.
Karlton angrily berated state
attorneys and gave them 60
days to present him with a plan
for improving care for thousands of mentally ill inmates or
face contempt proceedings.
In a second court setback for
the beleaguered state, a federal
appeals court reinstated contempt-of-court proceedings
against Schwarzenegger and
Chiang for defying Henderson’s ruling.
A three-judge panel of the
9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, of which both Henderson and Karlton are members,
issued its own 15-page ruling
on March 25, the day following Henderson’s ruling, regarding removal of the receiver.
The appeals panel said the
state’s appeal was premature,
coming before Henderson had
yet ruled on the issue of contempt of court.
Lisa Page, a spokeswoman
for Schwarzenegger, has indicated that both decisions will
be appealed.
Miseries for the state’s officials are compounded by a
previous ruling in a related
case. Another three-judge
panel, which included both
Henderson and Karlton, has
concluded that prison overcrowding is the primary cause
of substandard medical care,
and has issued a tentative ruling ordering the early release
of between 37,000 and 58,000
inmates.
Schwarzenegger has vowed
to appeal any order for releases
directly to the U.S. Supreme
Court.
Following the court rulings,
Kelso issued a statement expressing a desire to work
closely with state officials and
California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation Secretary Matt Cate in an effort to
resolve the impasse. Kelso recently replaced three of his
long-time top aides, noted for
their adversarial approach in
dealing with the state, and replaced them with former state
government employees.

Page 2

Cronk Paroles
After 26 Years
By KEITH LETTIER
One of San Quentin's pioneers to the multitude of selfhelp / therapeutic programs
that are in place today was
paroled on April 13.
Don Cronk has been a fixture in helping himself by
helping and serving others
throughout the 25 years that
he resided in San Quentin
(1984-2009).
Cronk answered a series of
questions, in which he has
imparted the following: "I
never thought for one moment
when I rode through the sally
port on the Grey Goose (Bus)
in 1984, that I would serve
my entire life sentence in one
prison. Except for medical/
legal reasons, I have been in
San Quentin for 25 years continuous. I had served almost
four years in county fighting
my case, so all in all after
almost 29 calendar years, I go
home.
“My hope for all those I
leave behind is that the process, after being found suitable
by the BPH, is that your freedom comes quickly and not as
difficult and often heartbreaking as it has been for us
who have gone before you.
My only advice is this, nothing truly good in life is free.

Don Cronk
One must always pay the cost
and work hard, but faith and
perseverance will get you
what your heart desires. You
know what it is you need to
do, do it and you will be set
free. I will miss many and
others I hope to never see
again (staff & inmates alike),
although I wish no harm to
anyone. I was not perfect and
often failed my walk, but I
believe Jesus Christ set me
free. My life-changing scripture is 1 Timothy 1:12-18.
“I hope to help bring
about change from outside
and I am already committed
to several projects you don't
yet know about, but soon
will. Take care, good luck,
and never, ever, give up! Don
Cronk."

Patch Adams

National Christopher ‘Bert’
News Boatman Freed
Briefs
SACRAMENTO – 3-27-09 –
A Sacramento-based federal
appeals court judge has blocked
a key part of Proposition 9; the
Victims’ Bill of Rights Act of
2008, or Marsy’s Law, passed
by California voters by a narrow margin. Senior Judge Lawrence K. Karlton ruled that the
state must continue to abide by
a court approved consent decree
from 2004 requiring the state to
provide parolees with attorneys
during parole revocation hearings.
CHINO – 3-30-09 – An outbreak of gastroenteritis sickened 18 inmates at the California Institution for Women,
causing the prison to temporarily bar visitors and new inmates
from entering the facility,
which houses up to 2,400
women. The illness, an inflammation of large and small intestines, can cause diarrhea and
vomiting.
IOWA – 4-4-09 – In a unanimous decision, the Iowa Supreme Court legalized same sex
marriage. Iowa joined Massachusetts and Connecticut in
allowing gay marriages.
VERMONT – 4-7-09 – The
Legislature voted to override
the governor’s veto and become
the fourth state to legalize same
sex marriage.
NEW YORK – 4-3-09 – Suffolk County in New York has
enacted the first ban on the suspected cancer-causing chemical
bisphenol A. The chemical is
used in the manufacture of plastic items such as baby bottles
and sippy cups. Several states
are considering their own bans
on the chemical.

Patch Adams with San Quentin Film School student
Continued From Page 1
Adams, who considers himself
a clown, bounced through the
corridors of San Quentin
sporting red clown pants, a
blue and purple shirt and his
hair pulled back in a waist
length blue streaked pony tail.
“Put me on the yard,
they’re not ready for me,” said
Adams while holding what
can only be called the world’s
largest pair of underwear.
During his visit, his silliness infected every prisoner
who crossed paths with Adams. If a prisoner didn’t initially think he was funny, he
pulled out a slew of props
including a dental cheek
spreader and a nasty looking

APRIL 2009

SAN QUENTIN NEWS

green booger which he hung
from his nose. His props, vivacious personality, accompanied with hilariously funny
faces, seemingly melted away
the stress of prison from his
audience of men in blue
prison uniforms.
Silliness aside, Adams is
a self-proclaimed liberalist
and advocate for prison reform, a very forgiving position from a man whose best
friend was murdered by one of
his patients in the late 1960s.
Asked about what he
thinks of San Quentin, he replied: “I didn’t see any criminals. I don’t even know what
criminals look like. I saw a
bunch of men with an overabundance of time.”

ALASKA – 3-28-09 – Mount
Redoubt continued to erupt and
spew a plume of ash 65,000 feet
into the sky. The last active
period for the volcano was a
four-month period in 19891990.
ITALY – 4-6-09 – An early
morning, 6.3 magnitude earthquake in Laquila, 70 miles
northeast of Rome, left at least
300 dead and more than
100,000 homeless.
FRANCE – 4-4-09 – Dozens of
doctors combined their efforts
in Paris to perform the world’s
first simultaneous partial face
and double hand transplant.
The recipient is a 30-year-old
burn victim injured in a 2004
accident.
PITTSBURGH – 4-6-09 – A
mentally disturbed gunman shot
and killed three police officers
responding to calls of a domestic disturbance.

Bert receiving his diploma
By FRIENDS OF BERT
After 23 years of prison, Bert
Boatman has gained his freedom
and has reunited with his family.
With skills as a journeyman
machinist, welder, plumber and
sheet metal, to name a few, Bert
is the guy that you wanted on
your team to get the job done
right. Bert openly and willingly
shared his knowledge with anyone. Although, a very conscientious worker you could always
count on having fun while working with Bert.
In the words of his peers and
staff alike, Bert is known as a
fun-loving kind of a guy, who is
good-hearted, very dependable,
well-rounded, funny and a good
family man. As a positive role
model for so many people, it is
bittersweet not seeing Bert playing tennis, being a pillar in the
church and self-help groups,
vocational shops and missing his
infectious laughter, ha!
A few words from our friend:
"Wow! Knowing that I will
soon be in the free-world, one
of the first things to come to my
mind is what a responsibility
and blessing it is to be a representation for so many other
men. Most of you are just as, if
not more, deserving as I to be
given a chance to prove our

worth, rehabilitation and value
to our family, friends and community. I will never forget the
love, support and guidance,
which helped me to achieve this
physical freedom. I thank each
and every one of you from the
bottom of my heart and the
depth of my soul for not giving
up on me. You taught me a lesson in compassion, patience,
and tolerance that goes beyond
anything else that I have ever
known. I am a much better person because of you all. I especially thank God for putting
some good men in my life.
Thank you Hector, Stephen,
Noel and Mr. Hill for all the
work you have each done in my
case and in others. You brought
me hope and showed me how to
hold my head high. I also need
to thank Father Barber for being
a strong spiritual guide and
adviser. To Curly Joe, I love
you man and I will never forget
you.
We are all so happy that Bert
has taken this big step forward
in the next chapter of his life. A
good friend says of this
"country boy with a city attitude," that, "anyone who knows
Bert will miss him very much."
How true! Bert, we all love ya'
and you will be in our thoughts
and prayers.

S.Q. Hosts Sentencing
Reform Lectures
Starting the last week of
April, the College Program
will launch a series on sentencing policy and sentencing
reform. These lectures will
take place at designated locations Friday afternoons from
1-3pm. The first lecture took
place April 24; several others
are scheduled throughout May
and June. More information
about the schedule of presenters will be available at the
first lecture.
The lectures will address a
variety of issues, including an
overview of sentencing guidelines in California and the
political climate around sentencing reform; the threestrikes law; mandatory minimum penalties; sentencing
juveniles as adults; and the

recent ruling on overcrowding.
Experts from Stanford,
UC Berkeley, Santa Clara
University, the Drug Policy
Alliance, and other organizations will present research and
lead discussions. The lectures
are intended to provide opportunities for students and volunteers in the College Program to learn about sentencing and to gain access to resources on criminal justice
policy in California.
The lectures will allow for
some discussion, question,
and answer, but the presenters
will not be able to give legal
advice.
Provided By Jody Lewen &
Jennifer Scaife
Patten College
Program Coordinators

APRIL 2009

SAN QUENTIN NEWS

Author Dave Eggers Speaks
On the Sudanese Struggle
By Juan Haines
Journalism Guild Writer
More than 40 San Quentin
prisoners were afforded the
opportunity to hear the acclaimed New York Times bestselling author Dave Eggers,
review one of his novels.
Eggers’s introduction by
prisoner Teiiamu straightened
backs and let the San Quentin
audience, including staff from
Patten University, know that
they were privileged to hear
something rare in today’s times,
uncut truth and reality.
Eggers’s 2007 novel, What is
the What, was read by many of
the prisoners who came to listen
to this humble man give an account of the plight of the Dinka
people in war-torn Sudan,
which inspired him to write the
book. The book is an epic account of one of the Lost Boys
of Sudan, Valentino Achak
Deng as his heart-felt voyage
from Marial Bai, a small village
in Southern Sudan, to a refugee

camp in Kenya.
Eggers’s biographical narrative took him over four years to
complete. “The book is bigger
than me,” said Eggers.
It is not difficult to understand this sentiment, as he explains that the proceeds of the
novel go to helping the children
of East African strife.
“Each book sold represents
three bricks for Valentino’s non-

profit organization dedicated to
assisting poor Africans throughout the region,” said Eggers.
Educated at the University of
Illinois, Chicago, Eggers is a
talented writer. He took the
oral history of Valentino and
developed a spirited, witty,
emotional, epic story of real life
events that give the reader deep
empathy for Valentino enduring
his 800 mile quest across East
Africa.
The New York Times Book
Review wrote, “Eggers’s generous spirit and seemingly inexhaustible energy…transform
Valentino and the people he
met on his journey into characters in a book with the imaginative sweep, the scope and,
above all, the emotional power
of an epic…Eggers has made
the outlines of the tragedy in
East Africa—so vague to so
many Americans—not only
sharp and clear but indelible.
An eloquent testimony to the
power of storytelling.”

Lifers Benefit From Decision
By MICHAEL R. HARRIS
Editor-in-Chief
The attorneys for Uncommon
Law have won a significant victory concerning the procedures
in the recently voted in Marsy’s
Law.
A deal was agreed upon with
the Board of Prison Terms, on
March 27 regarding the Lifer
class action lawsuit concerning
late parole hearings. (In Re
Rutherford, Marin County Superior Court No. SC135399A). In
this agreement the board admitted that approximately 700 lifers
are entitled to “Pre-Proposition
9” hearing decisions. However,
lawyers for the prisoners are
striving to make sure that no
eligible lifers are left out.
The specific relief is limited
to initial and subsequent parole
consideration hearings that were
due to be held any time prior to
Dec. 15, 2008, but were not held
before that date for reasons that
were not the prisoners’ fault. For
example, an inmate is eligible if
the hearing was postponed until
after that date because the board
failed to provide the inmate or
his/her attorney with a complete
board package, including a psychological evaluation, “in a
timely manner.” Also if an inmate voluntarily postponed his
or her hearing for a period of
time that expired prior to Dec.
15, then they are eligible.
If your hearing has already
been held and the inmate received a post-Proposition 9 mandatory 3-to-15-year denial. Now
the board shall use its authority
to review postponed decisions
[Title 15, 2041, subd. (h)).] and
convert those denials periods to
what was available before
Proposition 9 (1-to-5 years in
murder cases and 1 or 2 years in
non-murder cases). Some prisoners whose hearings were overdue on Dec. 15, 2008, stipulated
to unsuitability, possibly out of
fear of a 7-, 10- or 15-year de-

nial under Proposition 9. The
board will convert those stipulations to whatever was available
before Proposition 9.
In murder cases:
● 15-year stipulation will become 5-year stipulations
●
10-year stipulation will
become 4-year stipulations
● 7-year stipulation will become 3-year stipulations
● 5-year stipulation will become 2-year stipulations
● 3-year stipulation will become 1-year stipulations
In cases other that murder:
● Stipulations of 5 years and
above will all become 2-year
stipulations
●
3-year stipulations will
become 1-year stipulations
This relief is limited to hearings that were overdue on Dec.
15, 2008. Prisoners eligible for
relief described here may still
challenge the constitutionally
on its face or as it applies to
them. Also, prisoners whose
denial periods the board will
convert to a “Pre-9” decision
may still challenge the board’s
decision to deny parole in the
same way they could before
the agreement was made.
Nothing in this class action can
prevent such challenges.
Within the next couple of
months, the board will provide
notice to every prisoner whose
hearing decision or stipulation
is changed pursuant to this
agreement. Uncommon Law
said it is providing this notice
now so that inmates know
what to expect.
“We have already heard
some very disturbing reports of
how prisoners and their families are reacting to bad hearing
outcomes under Proposition 9,
said Keith Wattley, an attorney

with Uncommon Law. “We did
not want to waste any time
getting the word out to relieve
at least some of that suffering.”
Wattley added there will be
town hall meetings in May on
“California's Broken Parole System.”
Topics include:
Are you sentenced to Life with
the possibility of parole?
Are you being denied parole
after decades of incarceration,
despite preparing for a successful release?
Has the governor denied parole
to you despite being found
suitable by the Board of Parole
Hearings?
Do you have felony convictions
that put you at risk of a 3-Strikes
sentence (25-Life)?
Do you want to challenge California's broken criminal justice
system (parole, sentencing laws,
and courts)?
The purposes are:
Lay out the current state of parole in California
Understanding Proposition 9
("Marsy's Law")-how it affects
Term-to-Life prisoners and parole
Develop strategies to assist in
Lifer releases-preparation for the
board, legal remedies, and community organizing
Support loved ones when they
are released
When: 1-4 p.m. Saturday, May
16
Where: Goodwill, 1500 Mission
St., San Francisco.
Also on Saturday, May 30, 1-4
p.m.
Where: Watts Labor Community
Action Committee, at 10950
South Central Ave., Los Angeles.
Contact: Manuel La Fontaine
(415) 255-7036 x 328
manuel@prisonerswithchildren.
org
1540 Market St., Suite 490
San Francisco, California 94102
ATTN: Parole Townhall

Page 3

Health and
Wellness Corner
The San Quentin News “Health and Wellness Corner” column runs every month. A University of California, San Francisco,
health professional student will answer questions that you submit
about health issues. Inquiries will be answered in the next month’s
paper. Feel free to ask us questions about any medical concern that
you have, and it may be answered so that everyone can benefit. If
you have a question, put it in a U-Save-Em envelope addressed to:
Health and Wellness Corner, UCSF Doctors (Dr. Shira Shavit)
– Medical Box. If you include your name and number, they will
be kept confidential. Note that this column is for general
medical questions.
This edition, we will address the following question:
Why is it Dangerous to Take Other People’s Medications?
Your health care provider may prescribe you medicine to
keep you strong and healthy. Medications you get from your
doctor are specially chosen for you to use and there may be
serious consequences when someone else uses them.
One type of medication that should not be shared with anyone else is an antibiotic.
What are antibiotics?
Antibiotics are medicines that attack bacteria, a type of germ
that can make you sick. Your immune system is usually strong
enough to fight off bacteria that try to get into your body. If
your immune system can’t get rid of the bacteria alone, your
health care provider will give you antibiotics to help your body
to kill the bacteria.
You might wonder why antibiotics that help us get better
when we’re sick shouldn’t be shared with someone else who
might have the same symptoms. It is dangerous to share antibiotics because:
● Some people are allergic to certain kinds of antibiotics.
Allergies to antibiotics can be serious, and can even cause
death. Your provider will work with you to prevent you from
taking the wrong kind of antibiotic.
● Different sicknesses sometimes look the same. You and your
cellie may have the same symptoms, but you could have totally
different sicknesses. When you take the wrong kind of antibiotic, you might get worse.
● Antibiotics don’t work when viruses, another type of germ,
makes you sick. If you take antibiotics when a virus is making
you sick, they will not help you get better. Only your provider
can make sure if you’re sick because of a bacteria or a virus.
● When bacteria are exposed to an antibiotic over and over the
bacteria can become strong enough that the antibiotics don’t
work on them anymore. This is called resistance. Taking
other peoples antibiotics can lead to resistance.
If you feel like you might need medication, submit a sick
call slip to your provider. He or she will work with you to
make sure that if you need medication, you get the right kind of
antibiotic.

Asian and Pacific
Islander Reps to
Visit Health Fair
Greetings! We invite you
to meet with us at the San
Quentin Health Fair on Friday, May 1. As health care
workers and Asian and Pacific
Islander Heritage (API) community members, will share
health information and also
discuss issues facing API prisoners at San Quentin. Some
topics that we will cover include:
● Information about reentry
and health services in Oakland
and Alameda County, with an
emphasis on language/cultural
competence for APIs.
● What are the major issues

facing APIs at S.Q. and upon
reentry? How does cultural
stigma about incarceration
impact API prisoners?
In
what ways can the API community better support prisoners and reentry populations?
● Sharing API prisoner-led
projects including the book
“Other: an API Prisoners’
Anthology” and a letterwriting to youth ‘zine project.
Ben Wang, Sun Hyung Lee,
Sauliloa Niumeitolu, Donna
Jung, and Kasi Chakravartula. (Asian Health Services/
Asian Prisoner Support Committee)

Page 4

Appeals Court
Rejects Order
for Parole
Board Revisions

Rotary
Club
Makes
Donation
By RANDY COUNTRYMAN
Journalism Guild Writer
The Tiburon Belvedere
Rotary Club donated $300 to
the Journalism Guild of San
Quentin on March 18th, for
office supplies and related
equipment. The office equipment, specifically Neo Word
Processors, will be used by
Guild members to write and
process newsworthy stories
for publication in the San
Quentin News and eventually
in the Guild's own publication.
In keeping with a longstanding tradition of aiding
and supporting community
efforts, Tiburon Belvedere
Rotary President Michael
Heckmann
authorized the
$300 donation to the Journalism Guild.
"This is not necessarily a

By KEITH LETTIER

Don Pino receiving the donation from Michael Heckmann
one-time donation from the
Rotary Club. More donations
may come later on," said
Donald Pino.
Pino is the chief sponsor
of the Journalism Guild of
San Quentin, as well as a
member of the TiburonBelvedere Rotary. He solicited the Rotary Club for donations. Pino is also a Bridging
instructor in the Education
Department at San Quentin.
The Neo Word Processors,
which Guild members have
been authorized to use by the
administration, range in price
from $65 to $199 each.
Journalism Guild Chairman Jeff Brooks suggested

that the group seek donations
and sources of revenue from
outside organizations known
for their generous support of
educational and rehabilitative
programs.
So the Journalism Guild
will continue to reach out to
potential donors, ranging
from prison staff to outside
organizations, in order to enhance and develop their educational program. According
to chairman Brooks, donations being sought may be
anything from money, time
and journalism training to
classroom space and refurbished furniture and equipment.

California Pays Millions
To House Foreign Prisoners
By KAMAL SEFELDEEN
Journalism Guild Writer
The California budget is
burdened by the cost of imprisoning foreign nationals,
prompting Gov. Arnold
Schwarzenegger to sign an
executive order March 1,
which will mandate turning
over foreign national state parolees to the federal government, thus removing them
from the state parole system.
FOREIGN NATIONALS
According to Gov. Schwarzenegger’s office, California is
housing at least, 10,000 foreign nationals in its prison system. The cost of housing an
inmate in a state prison is approximated at near $49,000 per
year according to Jeanne
Woodford, former acting secretary of corrections. In addition, it costs the state another
$14,000 a year for health care
costs, which makes the total
cost of keeping 10,000 foreign
prisoners in state custody approximately $630 million per
year.
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT
The federal government
used to pick up half of the cost
due to their interest in offender
deportation. George W. Bush
removed the funding by an
executive order because California doesn’t honor the exchange treaty most of the time,
according to corrections officials.
The governor’s figure on
how many foreign prisoners

APRIL 2009

SAN QUENTIN NEWS

are in California prisons is
disputable, because, Section 1
of Stats.1992, (A.B.2519),
which provides the legislature’s findings that: as of
March 31, 1994, there were
13,558 persons in the Department of Corrections facilities
that were subject to United
States Immigration and Naturalization Service (INS) holds
potentially an additional 5,415
persons in these facilities were
also subject to INS holds.
Based on these numbers, it is
estimated that the real number
of foreign nationals in the Californias prison system is twice
as much as the governor’s figure. The issue, if considered by
the legislature during the state
budget crisis may end up saving the State $1.2 billion a
year.
CALIFORNIA LAW
California Penal Code Section §2912, “Foreign Prisoner
Transfer Program,” provides
for notification to foreign born
inmates concerning eligibility
to serve term of imprisonment
in their nation of citizenship.
Subsection (b)(1) & (2) mandates that The Board of Prison
Terms shall actively encourage
each eligible foreign national
inmate to apply for return to
his or her nation of citizenship,
and that the Board shall adopt
the model program developed
by the State of Texas for encouraging participation in the
federal repatriation program.
None of these laws as of yet
have been set into action, and
none were considered by the

legislatures during the last
state budget negotiations.
WAITING TO GO
“I have been filing requests
for prisoner transfer to my native Kosovo for nearly 10
years, but received no response
from the Parole Board. Now,
after 27 years I’m found suitable for parole and the governor did not object, I‘m only
waiting for ICE to pick me up
to go all the way home. As far
as I’m concerned, these laws
are created only to be applied
to some people, not to everyone,” says a former state prisoner, Ali Pertsoni, 56, a citizen
of Kosovo.
Another foreign national
lifer inmate says, “I even
signed a waiver challenging
deportation in federal court in
order to expedite my return to
my homeland now that I exceeded my minimum eligibility for parole. It seams neither
the Board nor the prison counselor knew any of these procedures, one of my former counselors never heard of the Prisoner Transfer Treaty. I obtained the form from other
inmates who have similar interest.”
The California Department
of Corrections and Rehabilitation’s yearly report to the
Legislature doesn’t include
any statistic regarding foreign
nationals in the custody of the
state. There are a number of
inmates who meet the minimum eligibility of parole
(MEPD) and many are seeking repatriation.

On March 13, 2009, the
Sixth District Court of Appeal
reversed Judge Condron's unprecedented order against the
state parole board on behalf of
five Santa Clara County inmates who committed murder
and are seeking parole release.
In a San Jose Superior
Court, Judge Condron made a
ruling that the Board of Parole
Hearings (Board) was violating
the constitutional rights of inmates serving potential life
terms by issuing typical boilerplate parole rejections of their
requests for release.
She supported her findings
and order by supportive statistical evidence (2,700 selective
board denial decisions) that the
Board members were issuing
"formulaic" decisions without
regarding an inmate's rehabilitative reform. She concluded
her findings on the fact of the
Board's arbitrary and capricious reliance on unchanging
circumstances of the nature of
the original crime, and not providing specific reasons for the
denial.
In addition, Condron ordered revisions to the Board's

procedures and for members to
undergo specific training to
correct the apparent problems
of its "malfunctioning" process
of deciding an inmate's sentence in a term-to-life case.
The Sixth District Court of
Appeal's three-justice panel
unanimously found Condron's
incomplete and undetailed evidence for the Board's reasons
to deny inmates with term-tolife sentences unreliable. They
found that Condron's order was
wholly unsupported due to a
lack of evidence and exceeded
the scope of the Board's arguably capricious policy.
Donald Lewis paroled after
serving thirty-years for a 1977
killing. The other four inmates
(Arthur Criscione, Viet Ngo,
Morris Bragg and Donnell
Jameison), who all have
twenty plus years incarceration, will most likely continue
their appeal. They will argue
the Sixth District's ruling in an
effort to correct the complex
and dysfunctional problems of
the Board, and that they are
suitable for parole under a just
and timely California Supreme
Court ruling on August 21,
2008. (See In re Lawrence, 44
Cal.4th 1181).

S.Q. News Inspires
Formation of Guild
By JEFF BROOKS
Journalism Guild Writer
Every Friday morning between 8-9:30 a.m. you can find
a group of prisoners hammering
out policy, working stories and
in general trying to set guidelines in which to operate the
Journalism Guild of San Quentin (JGSQ), a new activity
group under the Education Department that has the support of
Warden Wong. The group’s
objective is to train writers and
reporters and
h e l p
provide
stories
for the
S a n
Quentin News.
The Journalism Guild is the
result of the efforts by Kenny
Brydon, former editor of the SQ
News, and Ted Roberts, education principal, for more inmates
to participate in the writing of
stories for submission and publishing in the SQ News.
The Guild, sponsored by
bridging teacher Don Pino, has
been meeting each week since
February and has recently
elected its executive officers:
Jeff Brooks (chairman), Ar-

nulfo Garcia (secretary), Michael R. Harris (treasurer),
and Troy Williams (sgt-atarms) to represent the Guild’s
members.
The Guild’s mission statement in part states: “The Journalism Guild of San Quentin’s
mission is to provide an honest,
professional and balanced account of the events and issues
that occur both within penal
institutions and the communities they serve.”
The Guild doors are open to
anyone
w h o
wishes
to join.
T h e
Guild
has
a
limited amount of space so
membership is limited to 20
student journalists.
If you are interested in
joining, contact one of the
members: Kenneth Brydon,
Randy Countryman, Juan
Haines, Darrell Hartly, Ronin
Holmes, David Marsh, JulianGlenn Padgett, Kamal Sefeldeen, Aly Tamboura,
Daniel Treviono, Doug Wynn,
Mai Van or send a request for
interview to the SQ Education
Department.

APRIL 2009

Page 5

SAN QUENTIN NEWS

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

Poetry

Snippets

Cadence

Rice paper actually has

My daughter who I long to see
To hear, to hold, and to be with thee
I wait in chains to be set free
Each second away eternity.
Your birth the promise of hope reborn
The debts I owe, the vice forsworn
From despair to hope my heart is torn
Beneath the mask of shame I’ve worn
Invest in you my broken pride
My heart, once closed, now open wide
From dark to light you’ve turned the tide
Revealed the good that grows inside.
—David J. Lista

Sweetheart
Sweet and kind, I love you so much
Wonderful and warm is your gentle touch
Exciting and alive is how I feel
Enthroned in my heart your love so real
Together with you, I’m waiting to be
Holding you close, your beauty to see
Ecstasy and bliss build each day
Anticipating release my heart pounds away
Restored once again to my one true love
Together for ever we’ll soar the heavens above
—Joseph P. Broadway

Anyway
People are often unreasonable, illogical and self centered;
Forgive them anyway.
If you are kind, people may accuse you of
selfish, ulterior motives;
Be kind anyway.
If you are successful, you will win some false friends
and some true enemies;
Succeed anyway.
If you are honest and frank, people may cheat you;
Be honest and frank anyway.
What you have spent years building, someone could
destroy overnight;
Build anyway.
If you find serenity and happiness, they may be jealous;
Be happy anyway.
The good you do today, people will often forget tomorrow;
Do good anyway.
Give the world the best you have, and it may never be enough;
Give the world the best you have anyway.
You see, in the final analysis, it is between you and God
It was never between you and them anyway.
―Mother Theresa

no rice in it.

Exploding

beetles,
known as bombardier beetles, have a chamber at the
tip of its abdomen where
they mix chemicals that set
off an explosion.

Found outside of Baghdad in 1850 on a 3,800 –
year old tablet was the oldest surviving recipe. It is a
formula for beer.

O

riginating in Northern
Italy in 610 A.D., Pretzels
were invented as rewards to
be given to children for
learning their prayers.

‘Light in Prison’
By Nasir Khan

Ring finger gets its name
from Roman times. The
Romans believed that a
nerve from the fourth finger
was directly attached to the
heart.

M

r. Potato Head was
the first product to be advertised on T.V.

You know
you’re a Con
When…
• You wash your clothes in the
toilet.
• You call your mother “Dawg”
or “Holmes”
• You tell your wife it isn’t your
draw when she asks you to go
to the store.
• You put things in your sock
instead of your pocket.
• You end your letters with, “I
send mine.”
• You have to remind yourself,
“She is still a man.”
• You use sriracha sauce for
everything, including deodorant.
• You make a spread out of
everything on your dinner
Plate.
By George Leite

SUDOKU
1

7
6

2
7
8
1
9
6
4
5
3

3
9
5
4
8
7
6
1
2

5
4
9
6
7
8
2
3
1

1
3
7
9
2
4
5
6
8

8
6
2
5
3
1
7
4
9

4
8
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7
1
9
3
2
5

7
2
1
3
4
5
8
9
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9
5
3
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2
1
7
4

8

9

9
2

2

7

3

6
3

9
2

8

3
6

9

8

8

LAST MONTH’S
SUDOKU SOLUTION
6
1
4
2
5
3
9
8
7

By GEORGE LOWE

2

2

4
1

Page 6

APRIL 2009

SAN QUENTIN NEWS

RELIGION
Former Virginia
Attorney General
Visits S.Q. Chapel
By KENNETH BRYDON
Journalism Guild Writer
"I'm the most unlikely person to be here," Mark Early
told a group of inmates in the
San Quentin Garden
Chapel. He was on
hand to dedicate new
chairs and sound equipment for the chapel.

to become president and CEO
of Prison Fellow Ministry
(PFM), which Colson started
after serving seven years in a
federal prison.
"I didn't want to do it;"

SENATE TERM

it." For the next few months, he
said he gave the idea half-hearted
reflection until a sudden revelation shook him.
That revelation involved
Moses of the Old Testament, and
Saul who later became the Apostle Paul of the New Testament.
He pointed out that Moses was a
murderer and Saul persecuted
Christians prior to his transformation into Paul the Apostle.
MESSAGE OF HEALING
Early said he was troubled by
God's choice of Moses to lead the
Jewish people,. As for Paul, he
asked, "Why pick a man who had
hurt people to bring a message of
healing?"
His answers came in the form
of an epiphany of how each
would have their pasts
weighing upon them.
Moses and Paul would
never forget those they
hurt, and this would be the
forge to make them into
humble servants.
"God I'm sorry," Early
said he prayed, reliving
the moment, "I repent; I
was wrong. It's just like
You (God), to put them
back together again and to
raise those up to be the
noblest and best leaders in
your Kingdom."

During almost 10
years in the Virginia
Senate, Early presided
over building new prisons, increasing prison
terms and the removal
of the possibility of
parole for some inmates. After four years
as Virginia attorney
NEW LEADERSHIP
general, he ran as a
Early has led the
conservative republican
world’s largest prison
for governor, losing to
ministry seven years.
the democratic nominee. He watched ap- Mark Early former Virginia Attorney General Standing before the
S.Q. crowd, which
provingly as the United
included many men serving
State’s prison population ex- Early said, bringing laughter
from the S.Q. audience. "I
Life terms, he shared toploded.
ward the end, "I'm here beHis attitude, he explained, didn't want to give my life to
was, “The longer they were those who couldn't make an cause I know that God is
impact for Jesus Christ; to raising up a whole new
there (in prison), the better
those who no one in society
leadership of men behind
off the rest of us were.”
had any respect for."
these prison walls."
PRISON FELLOWSHIP
He described PFM's repuEarly received a standShortly after his defeat, tation as excellent, operating ing ovation; with many
in 114 countries
prisoners eager to greet
Early said Chuck Colson of
"I made the mistake of and speak with him afterNixon/Watergate fame teletelling Chuck I'd pray about ward.
phoned. Colson asked Early

Prison Reform
Continued From Page 1
The unprecedented increase in
imprisonment is attributed to
the incarceration of more people for non-violent crimes,
acts committed by the mentally ill or acts prompted by
alcohol and drug dependency.
“Post-incarceration and reentry programs vary in effectiveness. And often programs
and services are non-existent
in many communities. After
having fully served the just
sentences imposed for their
crimes, ex-offenders must than
confront a wall of laws and
private policies that effectively
bar them from employment,”
Webb said.
He points out that effective
services and programs for the
formerly incarcerated have the
potential to reduce recidivism
rates and increase public
safety. Without being provided
the opportunity and support
for reintegration into society,
many resort again to the patterns of criminal activity that
they have known just to survive. Most elected officials,

afraid of being tarred as soft
on crime, ignore these problems.
Webb has enlisted the support of top-ranking Democrats,
including majority leader
Harry Reid, and influential
Republicans like Arlan Specter, the ranking minority member on the Judiciary Committee, and Lindsey Graham, the
ranking member of the Crime
and Drugs Subcommittee. A
bipartisan national consensus
has emerged that the criminal
justice system is broken.” says
Webb, a former Marine and
Secretary of the Navy in the
Reagan administration.
“There are few things rarer
than a major politician doing
something that is genuinely
courageous and principled, but
Sen. Jim` Webb’s impassioned
commitment to fundamental
prison reform is exactly that,”
wrote Glenn Greenwald, a
writer for the website Salon.
Webb’s interest in the issue
was prompted by his work as a
journalist in 1984, when he
wrote about an American citizen who was locked away in a

Japanese prison for two years
under extremely harsh conditions, for nothing more than
marijuana possession,”
Greenwald said.
Brown University Professor Glenn Loury describes
America as “a nation of jailers
whose prison system has
grown into a leviathan unmatched in human history.”
In his two years in the Senate, Webb has held hearings
on the costs associated with
mass incarceration and on the
criminal justice system’s response to the problems of illegal drugs. He also has called
attention to the need to provide released inmates who
have paid their debts to society
more help getting jobs and
resuming productive lives.
THE WAR ON DRUGS
If drug-legalizers are
slowly gaining traction, drugwar-enders appear to be moving more swiftly to fix things
from their end. Politicians in
New York state recently
reached a deal to repeal the
state’s hard-line Rockefeller
drug laws, passed in 1973,
which imposed mandatory 15years-to-life sentences for possession of small amounts of

S.Q.’s Sweat Lodge
First In the Nation
By DANIEL TREVINO
Journalism Guild Writer
In the spring of 1972 San
Quentin became the first state
prison in the United States to
build a Sweat Lodge on Prison
grounds, achieved through a
long and arduous process beginning with a 602 and culminating
in the Ninth Circuit Court of
Appeals.
Herb Sample, a life-term
prisoner, argued before the
courts that Native Americans
should be allowed to practice
their religion.
Previously the only options
for a Native American prisoner
to practice religion were through
the Catholic or Protestant chapels.
Sample, a California Indian
and a member of the Yokut Nation, argued equal protection and
infringement of religious rights.
Three themes are central to
Native American religion: purification, offering, and vision.
The Sweat Lodge ceremony
accomplishes all three.
The Sweat Lodge is an integral part of Native religious
practice, which consists of
heated rocks being brought into
a dome-like structure, built from
willow saplings.
Water is
poured upon the super-heated
rocks as prayers are said in Native tongue.
The sweat lodge has been
used for prayer since time immemorial in the United States.
The first Sweat Lodge in San
Quentin was built with the help
of Archie “Fire” LameDeer, a
well-known and respected Lakota Sioux medicine man and
healer, who wrote a 20-page
blueprint for the Department of
Corrections and Rehabilitation
explaining the procedures and

protocols for building and maintaining a Sweat Lodge. These
protocols are still adhered to.
The Sweat Lodge at San
Quentin and indeed all Sweat
Lodges statewide are considered
sacred ground and have been
designated as such by the federal
court order issued in 1972.
LameDeer,obeying his vision,
came to California in the 1960s
to build a “Western Gate,” a
Sweat Lodge in the Western part
of the United States. In order to
fulfill a prophecy foretold by
ancient ancestors long before the
Europeans arrived.
After the first Sweat Lodge
was built at San Quentin, one
was built in state prisons in Nevada and Arizona. Later Sweat
Lodges were built in prisons
throughout the United States.
Sweat Lodges outside of California were not personally built
by LameDeer, but by Native
American spiritual leaders associated with Native spiritual practices who followed LameDeer’s
protocols and procedures.
The Sweat Lodges in California as well as countless lodges
throughout the United States
have served to keep Native
American prisoners in touch with
their cultural roots and spiritual
practices.
It would be next to impossible
to tabulate the countless Native
men and women who have
changed their lives in a positive
manner due to the influence of
the Sacred Sweat Lodge ceremony. A Native practitioner
believes that the water poured on
the super-heated stones extorts
pain locked within them. This
essential belief has helped many
Native American’s lead clean
and sober lifestyle with the purification that comes from the Sacred Sweat Lodge.

cocaine and heroin. Webb announced his intention to take
that kind of reconsideration
nationwide by introducing his
National Criminal Justice Act
Commission of 2009.
Although politically popular and expedient over the past
several decades, the “toughon-crime” stance promoted in
reaction to escalating crime
rates has not reduced crime
and the rate of incarceration
overall.
Alternative, effective approaches that provide both for
intervention and rehabilitation
through cost-effective programs and services that allow
for the restoration of the formerly incarcerated to return to
thier communities have been
documented to be effective in
reducing crime and recidivism.
Support is needed from the
leadership of both major political parties as well as from
our communities across the
nation, according to Webb.

tom. Webb intends to bring
together the best minds in
America to confer, report, and
make recommendations about
how we can reform the process, with clear answers to hard
questions such as: Why are so
many Americans currently in
prison compared with other
countries and our own history?
What is the policy costing our
nation, both in tax dollars and
in lost opportunities? How can
we reshape our nation’s drug
policies? How can we better
diagnose and treat mental illness? How can we end violence within prisons and increase the quality of prison
administrators? How can we
build workable re-entry programs so that communities can
assimilate former offenders
and encourage them to become
productive citizens? How can
we defend ourselves against
the growing scourge of violent, internationally based
gang activity?

TIME TO CHANGE
THE LAWS
The National Commission
task is to look at every aspect
of the criminal justice system
with an eye toward reshaping
the process from top to bot-

Senator Jim Webb is a PARADE contributing editor and
the author of nine Books, including “A Time to Fight.”
For more information visit;
parade.com or WWW.Webb.
Senate.Gov.

APRIL 2009

SAN QUENTIN NEWS

SPORTS
Giants Capture
Opener, 12-11
By Juan Haines &
Jeff Brooks
Journalism Guild Writer
The San Quentin Giants
pulled out a ninth-inning victory over the Oakland Oaks to
open their 2009 baseball season, 12-11, on April 4.
The opening day match-up
between the two teams has
been a long standing tradition.
Marching in unison from right
field, the Vietnam Veterans
Group of San Quentin opened
the game by presenting the
flag. Larry “Popeye” Faison
led the baseball players, outside guests, camera crews and
inmate fans in the playing of
the Star Spangled Banner.
Acting Warden R. K. Wong,
threw out the opening pitch, a
perfect strike from the
pitcher’s mound. “It’s been 35
years since I’ve thrown a baseball, I was worried I might
bounce it,” he said later.
After walking the leadoff
batter, the Giants made quick
work of the Oaks, holding
them to no runs. Giants second

(A) Warden Wong throwing
the opening pitch
baseman James Bautista led
off the inning with a double,
followed by Mario Ellis’ inside the park homer, for a 2-0

lead after one
inning.
The
Giants
defense held up
to shut down the
Oaks, and after
five innings of
play the score
was 10-0.
After substitutions and pitching changes by
Giants manager
Kevin Loughlin,
the Oaks made a
comeback, scoring nine runs in
the sixth, and
one in the top of
the seventh to tie
the game at 1010.
Tied 10-10, Frankie Smith,
coach for the Giants said, “The
Oaks are all veterans, they’re a
good-hitting team, but we’ll
prevail in the end I’m sure.”
In the bottom of the seventh, an error allowed Giant
Steve Negrete to get on base,
and with two outs, an error by
the Oaks shortstop allowed
Negrete to score the go-aheadrun.
In the top of the ninth, the
Oaks roared back with Davis
scoring the tying run, making
it 11-11.
Looking to avoid going into
extra innings, Eli Sala hit a
single and stole second base,
and with a passed ball by the
catcher he advanced to third.
Negrete, who is known for
getting hits in crucial situa-

Page 7

2009 Giants Baseball Team
tions, grounded to Smith at
third, who held Sala at third
and threw out Negrete at first
base.
With one out, the Oaks
chose to walk Bautista, hoping
to turn a double play and to
take the game into extra innings.
Bautista, one of the fastest
runners on the Giants squad,
immediately stole second base
to break up any attempts at the
double play.
Bottom of the ninth, one
out, runners at second and
third, infield playing in, Jeff
Brooks drove in the game winning run with a base hit between the shortstop and third
baseman for a 12-11 victory.
The Giants swarmed the
field congratulating Brooks on

his hit, and each other for a
hard-fought game.
Asked about his game winning hit, Brooks said, “The
coach just told me to win it,
and I did. I really needed that
because I hit poorly last season.”
Mike Deeble, a volunteer
assistant coach for the Giants,
said, “I love this game, I came
in here six times last year to
play, and now I’m lucky
enough to be able to coach. I
like coming here because all the
guys always show up for the
games (he laughs), unlike some
of the teams I’ve played for
outside.”
Some days later the Giants
shut out a Mission team, 18-0,
to remained undefeated in the
young season.

S.Q. 1000-Mile Club Holds Track Meet
By FRANK RUONA
On the afternoon of Feb. 20,
San Quentin State Prison's lower
yard was again a buzz with inmates cheering for inmates as
the second San Quentin Track
Meet was contested between
some very fast and talented
young, and not so young men.
The first track meet held in
August of 2006 was the brain
child of inmate Ralph Ligons, a
former 200M runner back in the
early 1970's. Ralph thought that
there was an abundance of athletic talent amongst the inmates
of San Quentin and wanted to
give the inmates the opportunity
to show their stuff! Ronnie
Goodman, who participated in
four of the races held was the
driving force behind this year's
track meet.
For the past three and a half
years San Quentin has had a
running club, the San Quentin
1,000-Mile Club, meeting twice
monthly to train the inmates and
give them the opportunity to
enjoy the competition and comradeship of running longer distances together. The San Quentin 1,000 -Mile Club was formed
under the direction of Laura
Bowman, with the purpose of
helping to rehabilitate the inmates through recreation.
The February Track meet was
finally held after several previous postponements due to bad
weather. The track meet was
supported by Laura Bowman,
Jill Friedman, Frank Ruona,

Steve Pascacio and several other
inmates who where happy to
lend a hand.
The first event of the day was
a new event, the five Kilomenter
Run (3.1 Miles). Goodman took
the lead early and stayed all of
the 12-1/2 laps of the race.
Ronnie established an excellent
new record time of 19:19.
Stephen Liebb showed much
fortitude in trying to hang with
Goodman and finished second
with a time of 21:39. Drew
Mearis finished third in a strong
23:43. Ronnie Richardson kind
of ran out of gas a couple miles
into the run, but hung on and
finished the race in fourth place.
Another new event, the 200Meter Dash, was the next race
that was run. This race was
slightly downhill and the leaders
took advantage of the downhill
portion of the course and
screeched to a very fast 22:01
time for winner Joseph Jones
and 22:46 for second place finisher Abraham Glasper.
Geronimo Washington ran a
strong 26:43 for third place
even though he was running in
his work boots!
Next was the same 200 Meter
Dash, but this one was for runners who were over 50 years of
age. This event was won by
Jerome Black in a time of 27:52.
Malcolm Jones finished second
in 36:13.
The one mile run was next.
O. Camacho took off like a rabbit being chased by greyhounds
on the first lap. Ronnie Good-

San Quentin 1000 Mile Club members and sponsors (2009)
man having already run the 5
Kilometer Race took off at a
more moderate pace. By the
second lap, Ronnie had closed
the gap and he took the lead on
the third lap. Ronnie hung on for
the victory in 5:55, with O.
Camacho 100 yards back in
6:19. Bill Pillars and Geronimo
Washington battled it out on the
last lap, with Pillars catching and
passing Geronimo in the last
straight-away to take third place
with a time of 7:00.
The next event was the quarter mile. Floyd Lockett took off
like he was going to leave everyone in the dust. He held the lead
for about 300 meters and then
the monkey climbed on his back
and he really started to fade.
Goodman, running his third race
of the day, finished very strong
and tied the meet record set by

Pete Herndon in 2006 with a
swift time of 1:01. Lockett hung
on for second place with a time
of 1:07. Franklin finished third
with of 1:21 and Geronimo
Washington ran 1:35 for fourth
place.
Now it was time for the
sprinters again. An open 100
Meter dash was held first and
Alhondro Myers won the race

with a time of 11:98. Joseph
Jones, the winner of the 200
Meters, was second with a time
of 13:42, while Geronimo
Washington finished third in
14:01. The old-timers got their
opportunity next, as the 100–
meter dash for men 50 years and
older was held. Jerome Black
repeated his 200-meter victory
with a time of 13:62 and broke
Alan Eaton's record of 13.76 set
in 2006. Malcolm Jones finished
second in 27:46.
The final event of the meet
was the four by on quarter mile
relay. Two teams were entered
and this was a race to the finish.
The team of Jerome Black, Malcolm Jones, Anthony Starks and
Geronimo Washington just held
off the team of Mearis, Floyd
Lockett, Goodman and Pillars
in a time of 4:46 to 4:48.
We lucked out and had beautiful weather for the meet.
The inmates have another
year to work on their speed to
see if in 2010 they can break one
of the records at the Third San
Quentin Track Meet.

The following individuals are now listed as the San Quentin
record holders:
1. 5 Kilometer run
2. 200 Meter Dash
3. Over 50 200 Meter Dash
4. One mile Run
5. 1/4 mile Run
6. 100 Yard Dash
7. Over 50 100 Yard Dash
8. 4x1/4 Mile Relay

Ronnie Goodman
Joseph Jones
Jerome Black
Mike Villanueva
Pete Herndon
Ronnie Goodman
D'Angelo Boone
Jerome Black
Steve Pacascio

19:19 2009
0:22:01 2009
0:27:52 2009
5:24 2006
1:01 2006
1:01 2009
0:11:17 2006
0:13:62 2009
4:30 2006

Page 8
1. BUTNER, N.C. — A former
California prison guard, Jose
Ramon Garcia, 55 died in a
North Carolina federal prison
hospital while serving a six-year
sentence for orchestrating fights
and stabbings among prisoners
at Pelican Bay State Prison from
July 1992 to August 1996.
2. CARSON CITY, Nev. —
Legislation to reform Nevada’s
parole system has been introduced by a Democratic assemblyman and prison reform advocates. The bill, AB424, would
amend the existing parole system which considers the severity
of an inmate's crime as the chief
factor in parole decisions, to a
more broad determination,
which includes allowing prison
staff to contribute in inmate parole determinations.
3. SACRAMENTO — Corrections Secretary Matthew Cate
has revealed a plan to expand
three existing prisons. The plan
will add space at Kern Valley,
medium-security North Kern,
build a re-entry center in Stockton for 500 inmates, and convert
a juvenile center close to Paso
Robles into a prison for 1,000
older men. The funding would
come from $7.8 billion in bonds
approved by the Legislature in
April 2007 for prison and jail
expansion.
4. ARIZONA— Sen. John
McCain made a visit to the
"Hanoi Hilton" prison where he
spent more than five years as a
POW during the Vietnam War.
McCain’s A4 fighter bomber
was shot down by the North
Vietnamese while on a mission
over Hanoi. The crash resulted
in severe injuries to McCain,
including breaking both arms
and a leg. According to
McCain, he was captured,
beaten and tortured.
5. KANSAS — Ex-Atlanta Fal-

APRIL 2009

SAN QUENTIN NEWS

Prison News Briefs A Change to
3

2

7
1

5
4

8
6

9

cons quarterback Michael Vick
was transported from lock-up in
Kansas to attend a bankruptcy
hearing in Virginia. In July
Vick filed for bankruptcy producing documentation which
shows he has assets of about $16
million and debts of more than
$20 million. Vick, who is serving a 23-month prison sentence
for funding an illegal dog fighting ring, is expected to be released from custody in July.
6. AUSTIN, Texas — The Department of Criminal Justice has
ended the state of Texas’s control on prisoner phone calls
which has been called the most
restrictive in the nation. The
new rules will allow approximately 120,000 Texas inmates
to have up to 120 minutes of
phone calls each month. The
Texas prison system, the country's second-largest corrections
agency, will phase in the new
prisoner phone access program
over the next year.
7. RICHMOND, Va. — The
Obama administration won a
request from the Supreme Court
to stop a federal appeals court
order which had invalidated a
state law allowing for indefinite
prison sentences for “sexually

San Quentin News
Current and past copies of the San Quentin
News are posted online at:
http://www.cdcr.ca.gov/Visitors/
San_Quentin_News/SQ_newsletter.html
The opinions expressed herein do not necessarily reflect those of the Administration, or the
inmate population, and should be considered
solely the opinion of the individual author
unless specified.
Permission is granted to reprint articles appearing in the San Quentin News provided
credit is given the author and this publication,
except for articles reprinted herein from other
publications.
Administrative Review…………....R. Luna
Principal…...…………………..T. Roberts
Vice Principal….. ……..W. Reeves, Ed. D.
Print Shop Supervisor.............. .J. Wilkerson
Chief Advisory Board Member John Eagan
Advisory Member………….....Steve Cook
Advisory Member…………....Joan Lisetor
Advisory Member……....Steve McNamara
Advisory Member ……………...Don Pino
Executive Staff:
Michael R. Harris….………Editor-in-Chief
Aly P. Tamboura……….. ….Design Editor
David Marsh……………….....Staff Writer
Darrell C. Hartley……………..Staff Writer

dangerous” offenders. At least
77 sex offenders who have
served their initial prison sentences will remain in prison until
the Supreme Court makes a decision on whether to hear the
case.
8. SANTA FE, NEW MEXICO — Gov. Bill Richardson
signed legislation abolishing the
death penalty in New Mexico.
The state joins New Jersey as
the only two states to have
banned capital punishment since
it was reinstated by the U.S.
Supreme Court in 1976. The
repeal affects only crimes committed after July 1, 2009. Fourteen other states do not impose
capital punishment.
9. LOUISIANA —The annual
Angola Prison Rodeo was held
April 18 and 19 at what was at
one time billed as “the bloodiest
prison in America.” Sellout
crowds are routine at the 10,000
seat stadium located at the
18,000 acre sprawling prison
which also boasts an inmate
produced magazine, radio station, vocational training program
and a degree program in theology. As many as 1,000 of the
prison’s 5,200 inmates assist in
producing the rodeo.

San Quentin Men's
Advisory Council
H-Unit MAC Members
5H42L
1H12L
5H36L
4H63L
5H29L
3H33L
3H56L
5H47L
4H06L
4H46U
4H30L
4H99L
4H55L
5H24L
5H74L
5H18U

A. Parker
D. Mairs
M. Andrews
P. Stelly
M. Le Melle
G. Pineda
S. Byers
R. Bennett
D. Marsh
D. Ansted
D. Hartley
J. Phillips
H. Hopkins
M. Barrow
W. Branson
D. Saxton

Chairman
Vice-Chairman
Secretary
Parliamentarian
Sgt at Arms
Representative
Representative
Representative
Newspaper Rep.
Representative
Healthcare Rep.
Food Rep.
Canteen Rep
Representative
Representative
Representative

North Block Executive MAC Members
Johnson, S.
Sefeldeen, K.
Mancinelli, T.
Tindall, M.K.
Pena, E.

2-N-81L
1-N-96L
5-N-87U
4-N-37L
3-N-24L

Chairman
Vice-Chairman
Secretary
Parliamentarian
Sgt at Arms

East Block Advisory Council
J. Van Pelt
D. Carey
K. Lewis
B. Williams
R. Marshall
P. Henderson
W. Noguera

1-EB-75
4-EY-17
2-EB-76
4-EB-71
1-EB-65
4-EB-79
4-EB-77

Chairman
Yard 1
Yard 2
Yard 3
Yard 4
Yard 5
Yard 6

Designed and printed by the

Medication Auto
Refill Policy
By DR. CRENSHAW
Effective September 1, there
will be a change in procedure to
the medication auto refill policy
at San Quentin (S.Q.). Certain
drugs will not be refilled automatically. These include over
the counter drugs, (OTC’s) such
as antacids, vitamins and allergy medications. Also excluded from auto refill will be
topical medications such as
creams, ointments and lotions.
These drugs are used at variable
rates (people come in different
sizes) and it is impossible to
accurately predict when someone would need a refill. As
before ‘PRN’ medications will
not be automatically refilled.
These are drugs ordered on an
as needed basis by the prescriber. A clue to this type of
drug are the words “as needed”
in the directions of the prescription.
Any and all of these medications can be ordered via Health
Care Services Request Form
CDCR 7362. This form should
be completed by the inmate
patient and turned in to the med
pass nurse or designated area in
the housing units. These requests will be processed by
pharmacy provided refills are
available and the orders have
not expired. The drugs will be
issued to the inmate patient by
the nursing staff, usually within
24-48 hours. The change in the
auto refill policy should help to
prevent receiving large amounts
of drugs which may not actually

be needed by the inmate patient. As you may have noticed
personal storage space is at a
premium around here. Also,
this will help nursing and pharmacy staff by alleviating the
processing of unnecessary refills, returns and restocking of
drugs
Certain prescriptions are
refilled automatically by the
pharmacy at S.Q. These medications are considered maintenance drugs and are necessary
for the optimal health and wel
fare of patients. Included as
maintenance drugs are drugs for
blood pressure, diabetes,
asthma, mental health and other
chronic health conditions.
These drugs are refilled automatically by the pharmacy until
the original order is expired or
discontinued by the prescriber.
No notification is required on
the part of nursing or the inmate
patient to receive these orders
on a regular schedule (usually
monthly).
Pharmacy and nursing staff
at C.S.P.-S.Q. look forward to
more effectively serving the
inmate population by allowing
you to decide when you need
something and when you
don’t. Remember that maintenance medications won’t be
affected by the policy and you
don’t have to do anything for
them to be dispensed to you.
Being a partner in your own
health care will ultimately provide for the best of care. And
of course if you need something …just ask.

Health Fair Coming
Greetings San Quentin, we
of The San Quentin T.R.U.S.T.
would like to invite you to our
sixth annual Health Fair on
May 1. This health fair is being
brought to you in a collaborative effort which includes the
Alameda County Health Department, Center Force, the
Prison University Project and
San Francisco State University.
We will have numerous

booths set up in varying areas
of health related issues. As well
as health professionals from
many different fields, all here to
help us in helping ourselves. It
is our intent to bring as much
awareness to the greater San
Quentin community surrounding their health, as a means of
ensuring that we are given the
opportunity to live long and
productive lives.

We Want To Hear From You!
The San Quentin News
welcomes and encourages
inmates, free staff, custody
staff, volunteers and people
and entities outside of the
institution to submit articles
for this publication.
Please use the following
criteria when submitting:
• Please limit your submitted
articles to no more than 350
words.
• Articles may be edited for
content and length.
• The newspaper is not a
medium to file grievances.
Use the prison appeals process.
However, we do encourage submitting stories and/or
articles which are newswor-

thy and encompass issues
that will have an impact on
the prison populace.
• Please do not use offensive
language in your submissions.
• Art work is welcomed (i.e.
poems, songs, cartoons,
drawings).
• Letters to the editor should
be short and to the point.

Send Submissions to:
Education Dept. / SQ
News
San Quentin, CA 94964
(No Street address required)

www.cdcr.ca.gov/Visitors/
San_Quentin_News/
SQ_Newsletter.html