As the oldest prison in california, san quentin is steeped in a violent history. Get out in the yard. Take a hole. Taking in and distributing inmates from 17 counties, its criminal population changes almost every day. Just keeping this place functional is an enormous effort. The prison uses a set of regulations and procedures to maintain order. But inmates often operate under a different code of conduct. The inmates have what they call prison politics here, and the gangs control all of that. They have literally written rules and regulations, and the repercussions for not following those rules are serious. Get down. Anyone thats active, they are going to hit me if they see me. They are going to kill me, try to slice me. On your stomach, on your stomach sir, sir, sir, back up, back up, back up. Watch where youre walking. Theres blood. Theres blood on the ground. Maurice, get me another box of gloves. The inmate had a serious cut. Almost all the way around the side of his head. And a seri
My father is an Air Force veteran. I value his service, but countless Latinos have sought equality through the military only to remain suspect citizens.
and no one is going to trip on you. if i go to main line, let s say i get escorted past the main lines, they are going to call me a piece of [ bleep ] rat because i ve told certain things to get here. is your life in danger? yes. if i go to the main line, if i go to the streets and they recognize me as a gang dropout, they re going to try to hit me, which means kill me or slice me or shoot me. when he was younger, george might have carried out that very hit. but as he rose through the ranks, he questioned his involvement in the gang. it took me from 88 to 99 to figure out that it was a big old lie, big old smokescreen. most of the people who are calling the shots are lifers anyway. and misery loves company. they would like to see you as a violator doing life just like them, caught up in the system doing life. you re moving my head that way. i m not moving it. you re moving it. i want a nice little haircut and he gives me a bald head. whatever the barber says goes. i a