Week in Review: June 28, 2024 - Inside CDCR Week in Review (2024)

In this issue of Week in Review for June 28, 2024, CDCR Secretary speaks at Law Enforcement Torch Run ceremony in Sacramento; San Quentin Rehabilitation Center correctional officers coach incarcerated teams in flag football; and UC Irvine Lifted graduation at RJ Donovan Correctional Facility.

Observances

Pride Month Executive Ally Highlight – Stefanie Keenan, Chief Executive Officer, Folsom State Prison

How do you believe an agency like ours can support the LGBTQIA+ community?

I believe an organization as large as ours has countless opportunities to provide support. Aside from providing day to day acceptance, the agency can also put forth the effort to be present. A perfect example is last years booths at the Sacramento Pride event. Small gestures as that go a long way to show and build the support from within. I also believe finding the right ambassadors and those that continually stand up against adversity will help the message of support permeate through the agency.

CDCR and CCHCS are committed to creating supportive spaces and allyships for our LGBTQIA+ community and to being supportive of all individuals in our communities, both inside and outside of our prisons. CDCR/CCHCS GARE has established a webpage of LGBTQIA+ resources to share with employees and their family. https://www.cdcr.ca.gov/gare/lgbtqia/

San Quentin employee Riding the Shore for a Cure Benefitting The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society

Melissa Groos, Recreation Therapist at San Quentin Rehabilitation Center’s Inpatient Psychiatric Inpatient Program (PIP), is riding the Lake Michigan shoreline for a cure with The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. Support her while she rides the 31st Scenic Shores Bike Tour. The marathon is 150 miles in two days from Mequon, Wisconsin to Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin, July 27-28.

“I am riding with the LLS’ Team In Training’s SF Greater Bay Area and Beyond Cycle Team in honor of my mom who is currently fighting mantle cell lymphoma (MCL) since 2019, and in memory of my Uncle and Aunt who passed away from blood cancers. Beating cancer is in my blood” says Groos.

Click here to visit The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s website and donate.

In the Community

CDCR Secretary speaks at Law Enforcement Torch Run ceremony

CDCR and California Correctional Health Care Services staff joined other law enforcement agencies to carry to Flame of Hope across California. At the Law Enforcement Torch Run ceremony at the Capitol, Secretary Jeffrey Macomber and other leaders spoke about the importance of Special Olympics.

Rehabilitation

First-of-its-kind bachelor’s degree graduation at Richard J. Donovan

Richard J. Donovan Correctional Facility (RJD) celebrated 23 graduates of the inaugural class of UC Irvine LIFTED students during a graduation ceremony at the facility Thursday, June 20.

CDCR and UC Irvine representatives and other support persons of the graduates joined to mark the momentous occasion that was made possible by groundbreaking partnerships between the state’s prison system and public higher education institutions.

CDCR proudly partners with California’s public higher learning institutions to offer associate, bachelor’s and master’s degrees through the California community colleges, the California State University, and now the University of California. The department looks forward to expanding these opportunities for incarcerated people, helping them meet rehabilitative goals and transform their outcomes.

Several media representatives were present, including NBC and Univision. An op-ed was also published by the San Diego Tribune (available on their website).

CTF art project to be shown in San Rafael

The Correctional Training Facility (CTF), in collaboration with the nonprofit Life On Earth Art, launched an initiative under their Empathy in Action program. This event marked the beginning of a transformative project involving the painting of paper mâché winged hearts, a venture led by Tracy Ferron, founder of Life On Earth Art. The project aims to use art for healing trauma and building community resilience through large-scale installations.

This particular activity, part of the Visions of Hope installation, will be exhibited at the Marin Civic Center in San Rafael from August to October 2024. It features the creativity of incarcerated individuals at CTF and the Central California Women’s Facility, using art to bridge gaps between these communities and the public. A total of 80 winged hearts, crafted by high school students and volunteers from Marin and Sonoma Counties, will serve as canvases for the inmates to express their personal narratives in a guided workshop setting.

This exhibition not only showcases their artwork but also includes poetry and recorded readings of their stories, fostering a deeper public understanding and empathy towards the incarcerated population.

In Our Institutions

San Quentin officers coach first flag football game

San Quentin Rehabilitation Center correctional officers took on the role of coaches in a high-stakes flag football game within the prison walls on June 14. The event, which brought together the incarcerated population and staff members in a unique setting, served as a testament to the power of sports in fostering unity and breaking down barriers.

Avenal State Prison Golden Hills Adult School receives three awards

Avenal State Prison education staff attended the Comprehensive Adult Student Assessment Systems (CASAS) Summer Institute.

Staff from Avenal prison’s Golden Hills Adult School proudly accepted the following awards:

• Best Observation Protocol Use in the Central Region
• First 90% Post-Test CASAS (For all of CDCR adult schools)
• Best High School Diploma Rate (For all of CDCR adult schools)

In the Media

How Prisoners Find Freedom Behind Bars

Rhonda Leland remembers the moment she knew for sure she’d changed. It was 2006, 11 years into her life sentence at Valley State Prison for Women, where respect comes on the giving side of a bare-knuckle punch.

Like many at that facility, Leland had issues with anger. Meaning, she had plenty of it. But she’d been working hard to let it go, attending workshops on topics such as taking responsibility for one’s feelings and releasing judgements. The workshops were so helpful that Leland hadn’t missed one since they began. She thought she was growing but wasn’t positive. Then, one night, someone provoked her and, though pissed as hell, she walked away without so much as a parting shot.

Visit Independent’s website to read the full story.

Inside look at California’s effort to rehabilitate general population prisoners

CBS News is taking an inside look at California’s prison initiative that prioritizes rehabilitation over traditional incarceration for general population prisoners. The initiative offers inmates who demonstrate good behavior programs from theory to sign language classes to coding.

Visit CBS’s website to read the full story.

Over 20 incarcerated students in San Diego earn degrees from ‘first-of-its-kind’ partnership

A total of 23 incarcerated students from the Richard J. Donovan Correctional Facility recently graduated with bachelor’s degrees.

According to the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR), their accomplishments are due to a “first-of-its-kind” partnership with the University of California. The San Diego-area students received in-person instruction led by UC Irvine professors.

Through a program known as Leveraging Inspiring Futures Through Educational Degrees (LIFTED), those serving time can apply to transfer to UC Irvine as juniors and earn a bachelor’s degree in sociology while finishing out their sentences.

Visit Fox5’s website to read the full story.

CMC inmates graduate from counseling certification program

A group of inmates at the California Men’s Colony in San Luis Obispo graduated from the Occupational Mentor Certification Program on Thursday.

The program trains participants to become alcohol and other counselors.

Those who have more than five years left to serve on their sentence, including those serving a life sentence, can enter the program.

Visit KSBY’s website to read the full article.

Top Inside CDCR Stories

200 new correctional officers graduate academy

RJ Donovan holds promotion ceremony

Horses help heal staff, incarcerated at Valley

CDCR visiting staff hosts Father’s Day 2024

Read more Week in Review stories on Inside CDCR.

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