By Ernesto Saavedra (Author’s note: This is one of a series of articles on this subject. Stay tuned for more to come.) There are more people incarcerated in the United States than in any other [...] Continue Reading
mass incarceration
The Prison Press- Runaway Thoughts: A Book Review
By Boston Woodard Runaway Thoughts is an anthology of hope. Creativity and courage, a creation of the POPS (pain of the prison system) school club. This collection of personal stories, essays, poems, [...] Continue Reading
From the Editor — November 2014
By Ernesto Saavedra “Alicia was a happy person. She called and couldn’t wait to come home,” Margie Kobashigawa said while speaking about her daughter, Alicia Thompson, mother of three, who died of [...] Continue Reading
Court Ruling Could Lead to Abolishment of Death Penalty: The Prison Press – November 2014
By Boston Woodard There is new hope to end state-sanctioned executions in California. In a 39-page ruling by U.S. District Court Judge Cormac Carney, he concluded that California’s death penalty [...] Continue Reading
The Prison Press: Too Cruel, Not Unusual Enough
By Boston Woodard (Editor’s note: Woodard remains in administrative segregation (“The Hole”) in San Quentin. However, he is doing fine and plans to share his experience with us in the near future. He [...] Continue Reading
When I Grow Up
By Grid Margraf “When I grow up I want to be a cowboy.” That was my response at five to my first grade teacher’s question, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” There were cattle ranches [...] Continue Reading
Men of Color Facing Life Obstacles: The Prison Press – August 2014
By Boston Woodard Independent researchers want to understand the roadblocks young men of color face that could impede their success in life. They are looking into the underlying causes: disparities [...] Continue Reading
Charlie’s Story Part III
By Grid Margraf (Editor’s note: This is the third and final installment of “Charlie’s Story,” which details Margraf’s interaction with Charlie, a Vietnam veteran who shot up a sheriff’s office as a [...] Continue Reading
Local Progressive Activists Targeted by the Fresno Police Department
By Mike Rhodes Sergeant Robert Dewey, with the Fresno Police Department (FPD), has produced a PowerPoint presentation that identifies Chris Breedlove of the College Community Congregational Church as [...] Continue Reading
Charlie’s Story Part II
By Grid Margraf Charlie picked up the 10 of spades. I bounced a rolled smoke off his chest, rolled one for myself and lit them both. I got comfortable again sitting at the end of the bed leaning [...] Continue Reading
The Prison Press: San Quentin Prison Report: Communication via Incarceration – July 2014
By Boston Woodard “True public safety will be achieved by freeing minds, not restricting bodies.” —Troy Williams Prison walls work both ways; they not only keep prisoners from society but also [...] Continue Reading
About the Cover: The Personal Is Political
By Ernesto Saavedra Arts and culture have always played a critical role in shifting the mind-set of the masses in a way that crosses all barriers. That visual aspect of the movement brings the [...] Continue Reading