Culture Reporter 

Sam Mondros

Held captive in Iran, Sarah Shourd found solace in a Seal song

Culture

The writer and activist shares the music that helped her through a childhood touched by violence and 410 days in solitary confinement.

Enterprise Reporter

Alex Mullaney

After killing a woman, he found redemption in firefighting. Now he’s accused of arson

News

If the allegations against Robert Hernandez are true, he joins the ranks of a strange group: the firefighter arsonist.

Friendlier prison guards? Why Gavin Newsom’s advisers want them at San Quentin

California correctional officers train like ‘they are going to war’ to work in state prisons. Gov. Gavin Newsom’s plan to transform San Quentin could require a kinder approach.

Newsom’s San Quentin State Prison plans have had little outside input. Why?

The governor&#8217;s office wants the Scandinavian-style rehabilitation programs up and running by December 2025.

Julie Zigoris

San Quentin: From death row to art classes and running clubs

Politics

Gov. Gavin Newsom wants to build a first-class educational facility at San Quentin. But who will build the culture?


Prison Reform

Held captive in Iran, Sarah Shourd found solace in a Seal song

After killing a woman, he found redemption in firefighting. Now he’s accused of arson

Friendlier prison guards? Why Gavin Newsom’s advisers want them at San Quentin

Newsom’s San Quentin State Prison plans have had little outside input. Why?

San Quentin: From death row to art classes and running clubs