Advisory Council Recommends Slashing San Quentin Transformation Budget

Saved Funds to Improve Living Conditions, Create Spaces Replicating Life Outside Prison

California Governor Gavin Newsom's advisory council recommends slashing the $360 million budget for the San Quentin State Prison transformation project by at least a third, with the saved funds to be redirected towards improving living conditions at the facility.
The council suggests that the reduced funds should be used for housing improvements for inmates and officers, renovations to the family visitation center, and the creation of spaces that replicate life outside prison, such as a town square, grocery store, and coffee shop.
The council's report also calls for the new campus to build classrooms that could accommodate up to 30 students, reading rooms, communal areas, a reentry resources center, and more spaces for behavioral health services.
Other recommendations include reducing the prison population, allowing inmates to wear regular clothes, encouraging more day-to-day, professional interactions between prison staff and inmates, and providing more training and resources for prison staff to reduce workforce turnover.
San Quentin, California’s oldest prison, already has some of the nation’s most innovative programs for inmates, including accredited college classes, a coding academy, and the prison’s award-winning newsroom.