San Quentin Rehabilitation Center staff put together a Super Bowl watch party with acting Warden Chance Andes at the helm.
Aligning with the California Model, events like these normalize activities in a prison setting. This allows incarcerated people to grow more accustomed to how things are done outside prison walls.
The ultimate goal is to help them reenter society while also creating a safer environment for those who live and work inside California prisons.
“It was a little hard to throw it together (in the timeframe), so we had to figure it out,” Andes said. It was only his seventh week as acting warden at the institution. “It’s important for our population and the staff to enjoy the day. It’s basically like a holiday, right? Let’s do this thing together and have a good time.”
The watch party featured a large screen for the incarcerated people and staff to watch the game.
Watch the video (story continues below):
Conversations, dialogue between incarcerated and staff
“I’m going to hang out and watch the game with everybody, looking for some good conversations and dialogue with the population,” Andes said.
The watch party allowed staff and the incarcerated population to mingle and enjoy a shared experience to bridge the gap.
“It works out for all of us,” said one of the incarcerated people watching the game. “I mean, it starts right here, but it expands beyond these walls.”
Another incarcerated person agreed.
“Oh man, this is a privilege, you know, to be able to watch the Super Bowl on this big screen and stuff like that,” said the second person. “Thank you to the San Quentin staff. With this right here, you know the future is going to be better for everybody.”
Staff said they appreciated the event and the ability to help break down barriers between staff and the incarcerated, with each side seeing each other as people, rather than just as an officer or an inmate.
Story based on video from San Quentin Bridging the Gap crew.
Written by Don Chaddock, Inside CDCR editor.
Learn more about the California Model on the CDCR website.
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