SAN FRANCISCO (KCBS RADIO) – San Quentin is moving forward on a plan to transform the facility from a state prison to a center focused on rehabilitation and re-entry into society.
The first phase of the plan for San Quentin would demolish an old outdated warehouse, once used to build furniture, and in its place build a massive campus-style facility to house and expand some of San Quentin’s existing re-entry programs.
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Ron Broomfield is the warden at the facility, and he says the renovations will address one of the facility’s biggest challenges when it comes to its programs.
“We have waiting lists at San Quentin, and some of them are very extensive,” Broomfield said. “It would be like going to Disneyland, but then you never get to ride the rides because it’s too crowded.”
The programs are wide-ranging, including opportunities to learn coding, audio and video production, podcasting, and even a newsroom.
Randy Jackson is in the coding program on the renovation team, and he shared that the work he’s learning will be able to help him in his future career.
“Once you come through that wall, it’s humanizing,” Jackson said. “They really do prepare you for the workforce.”
The emphasis on job training is no coincidence, as officials say a formerly incarcerated person getting a job is the determining factor in having them not return.
Miguel Sifuentes says the challenge is bridging the generation gap between an older generation that’s embraced rehabilitation and the current wave of younger people who may be apprehensive.
“I’ve described San Quentin as a nurturing environment, which sounds strange to say, but a lot of us have been in very punitive and violent environments,” Sifuentes said.
The rest of Governor Newsom’s plan is an open book. Sacramento Mayor Darrell Steinberg is Chair of the task force, and he says a report laying out the complete vision is expected by the end of the year.
“This comes down to the basics right,” Steinberg said. “You have an old prison, and we’re trying to modernize it with a limitation on resources, no question, but a desire to be bold.”
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