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San Quentin

An illustration shows a Black man next to a Black power symbol in a blue graduation cap and gown, holding an orange diploma cover, as paper cranes fly around him.
Life Inside September 2, 2022
My Wild and Winding Path to a College Degree Behind Bars
Rahsaan “New York” Thomas was proud to finally earn his associate’s degree in San Quentin State Prison. But repeated COVID-19 lockdowns turned his graduation ceremony into a two-year ordeal.
By Rahsaan “New York” Thomas
An illustration shows a side-profile silhouette of a long-haired man against a yellow and green gradient background. The man looks toward a window that displays nature and has prairie animals coming out of it.
Life Inside March 18, 2022
California’s Longest Serving Death-Row Prisoner On Pain, Survival and Native Identity
As the Monache and Cherokee 63-year-old awaits a new hearing for a 1978 murder he denies committing, Douglas Ray Stankewitz shares the cultural tools and memories he depends on to stay alive.
By Douglas Ray Stankewitz as told to Richard Arlin Walker
Life Inside December 18, 2020
A Question of Violence
Rahsaan “New York” Thomas is barred from COVID-related release from San Quentin because his 20-year-old crime was violent. GoFundMe cancelled his legal defense campaign for the same reason. Here’s what it’s like to live with the scarlet letter V.
By Rahsaan "New York" Thomas
Rasheed Lockheart at San Quentin State Prison in 2018.
Life Inside October 1, 2020
Being a Prison Firefighter Taught Me to Save Lives
I first joined the San Quentin fire department to get my own room, eat well and train dogs. It ended up being the most important experience of my life.
By Rasheed Lockheart, as told to
Rahsaan Thomas at San Quentin State Prison in San Quentin, California, in 2014.
Life Inside September 26, 2019
I Host a Popular Podcast. I’m Also in Prison.
“I’m hungry to make meaning out of destruction.”
By
From left to right, Antwan Williams, Earlonne Woods, and Nigel Poor, co-creators and co-producers of the “Ear Hustle” podcast, conduct an interview by cell phone at San Quentin Prison.
Q&A June 12, 2017
Meet the Creators of the New Podcast From Inside San Quentin Prison
The inmate-produced show will tell intimate stories of daily life behind bars.
By
Life Inside May 11, 2017
Marathon Man
A lifer takes up running to “earn back” his life.
By Jonathan Chiu
The Frame February 10, 2016
Rarely Seen Images of the Real San Quentin
Thousands of photos, unearthed after decades, form an archive of daily life.
By Pete Brook
News January 27, 2016
San Quentin Puts on a Happy Face
A field trip to California’s oldest prison.
By and
Life Inside May 19, 2015
A Lifer’s Retirement Plan
Most of us get out old and broke. Not me.
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