In March of 2023, Governor Newsom of California announced that the infamous San Quentin State Prison would have its name changed to the San Quentin Rehabilitation Center. Since the mid-1800s San Quentin has housed some of the most notorious criminals, but times are changing and that includes the use of tablet technology for the incarcerated population. California, like Massachusetts and other states offers free calling on the tablets but texting is still a feature that the incarcerated population must pay for. Because of tablet telecommunications, we can speak with Chan Park directly from his cell inside San Quentin in this milestone episode. Chan has served a total of 32 years in the California corrections system, with this last decade at San Quentin. Chan’s transparency and honesty about his past, his incarceration at the age of 26, his evolution to take responsibility for his actions, and under the new rehabilitation moniker be more involved in helping create change for his San Quentin community, is inspiring. Tune-in for Episode #101 when we continue our conversation with Chan and learn about his bid for parole.

Some prison reform advocacy organizations call their mission, pillars. Some, key initiatives, and in the case of the advocacy organization, The Sentencing Project, are strategic priorities. But at The Sentencing Project, they take their mission one step further and bring a unique value to their prison reform work, as a bridge organization. For Kara Gotsch, Executive Director, uniting their work on the ground, (state-level organizations) with the overarching policy changes at the National Level (legislatively), The Sentencing Project creates a holistic approach to advancing change within their three strategic priorities; extreme sentencing, voting rights, and youth justice reforms. In 2023 as part of their mission to roll back extreme sentencing, they launched their Second Look Network to provide direct legal representation to incarcerated individuals seeking relief from lengthy or unfair sentences. Bridges connecting people to move the prison reform needle.

Gabrielle Perry was one of the lucky ones. Her birth mother was incarcerated when giving birth to Gabrielle. She engaged the aid of a friend who found a family to adopt Gabrielle, site unseen. Her parents were older, settled and without children and as she tells it, her beloved father Thurman Perry, answered the call to raise her as his own. Gabrielle’s life was as normal as could be until as a teenager she lost her beloved father, her mother became disabled, she learned she was adopted, and met her birth mother on her deathbed. Despite Gabrielle’s grit and dedication to her adoptive mother, survival eventually took her down the justice-impacted path. It was during that time in jail that Gabrielle says she found a peacefulness away from the stress of her life. She also found a level of kindness, especially from the Judge who finally heard her case. Gabrielle was once again one of the lucky ones, and over the years has achieved so much. Her greatest joy now is honoring her birth mother and the man who raised her, as she provides direct assistance and resources to system-impacted women and girls.