California transforming San Quentin State Prison with emphasis on rehabilitation
San Quentin State Prison – California’s oldest correctional institution – will undergo a rehabilitation-focused transformation.
California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s office announced Thursday that inmates serving prison terms will be transferred elsewhere in the state penal system. State prison officials said there are 668 inmates facing death row in the state, almost all of them men, and about 100 have already been transferred.
The prison will be renamed the San Quentin Rehabilitation Center, which will provide education, training and rehabilitation for low-risk inmates. Notably, San Quentin is home to Mount Tamalpais College, the nation’s first accredited junior college entirely behind bars.
“Today, we take the next step toward achieving real recovery, justice, and safe communities through this evidence-backed investment, which will create a new model for safety and justice—the California Model—that the nation will lead,” Newsom said. A statement on Thursday about the upcoming changes.
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A guard checks vehicles entering the main entrance of San Quentin State Prison on April 12, 2022 in San Quentin, California. ((AP Photo/Eric Rusberg, File))
Newsom’s office cited Norway’s approach to incarceration as a model and inspiration for the program.
California Governor Gavin Newsom looks on during a news conference after visiting the newly reopened Ruby Bridges Elementary School on March 16, 2021 in Alameda, California. ((Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images))
The governor planned to visit San Quentin on Friday, and was expected to share more there.
Instructor Douglas Arnwine returns papers with comments to his incarcerated students during a Mount Tamalpais College English class called Cosmopolitan Fictions at San Quentin State Prison on April 12, 2022 in San Quentin, California. ((AP Photo/Eric Rusberg, File))
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Newsom is allocating $20 million. To start the project.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.