Translator: sadegh zabihi Reviewer: Queenie Lee
The theme of today's event is "life revealed,"
bridging the divide between two communities,
free society and prison,
to promote safer and healthier communities.
So today, you have the opportunity to speak to a number of the residents
who are here at San Quentin.
I really, really encourage you
throughout the breaks, that were previously mentioned,
to talk to the folks in the audience
and get to know each other.
Because there are so many wonderful stories
that they can share with you.
So through San Quentin,
they have well over 70 programs that are available to the inmates here.
In these programs,
they have college courses, vocational courses, journalism, athletics,
just to name of a few.
Not all of our institutions
have all of these opportunities available.
We have inmates that request to be transferred to San Quentin
over and over and over again,
just so that they can avail themselves
to the array of opportunities that we have here at San Quentin.
So how are we able to have all these programs here?
We're able to have programs here because we have dedicated staff,
but we also have well over 3,000 - as the warden told me earlier -
well over over 3,000 volunteers that come into San Quentin.
(Applause) (Cheers)
These volunteers help make it happen,
and that's a part of that community partnership
that is so strong at San Quentin state prison.
Also, the participants,
who actively participate in all of these programs
and inspire others throughout the state
to want to come here to also participate in these programs.
So why is programming so important?
Why does everybody want to be a part of programming?
Well, everybody wants to better themselves.
Everybody wants to better themselves,
they have a better time here when they're at the institution.
So they can also be more successful when they return to society.
Part of what's been going on since Governor Brown has been around
is more life-term inmates have been paroled under Governor Brown
than any other sitting Governor since determinate sentencing.
(Cheers) (Applause)
And participation in programs is an important factor
that's considered by the board of parole hearings
when determining suitability for parole.
So, inmates ...
want to and need to participate in these programs.
And it is our, the community, and CDCR's shared responsibility
to provide these opportunities to everyone,
so they'd be successful here and upon the time when they return home.
So going back to what I said earlier,
I encourage you to speak to the residents
that are out here among you today
and hear their stories,
hear their stories of where they weren't so successful,
and how, maybe, they participated in a program,
got to know another inmate,
and that inmate encouraged them to be part of a program,
and now they're successful.
And they're beginning to inspire others.
So from those stories,
your own homework,
after you leave here today and go back outside,
is to take those shared stories that you've heard today
and share those with other people in the community,
because while San Quentin serves as a gold star for programming,
we have 34 other institutions across the state
where we need this type of community involvement,
and we need to have the type of volunteerism that we are seeing here.
So once again, I would like to welcome you
and thank you for coming to TEDxSanQuentin.
(Applause) (Cheers)