Weekender Digest: Bees, gardens and softball

October 11, 2024

Learning from bees.

This Weekender Digest focuses on bees at North Kern, micro gardens at Ironwood, and softball tournaments. Compressing the week’s stories into this new weekly digest is another way to help keep our busy staff up to date with the latest news.

Inside CDCR videos

What’s all the buzz about? Meet the North Kern beekeepers

At North Kern State Prison, a retired parole agent who also enjoys beekeeping has brought his hobby to the institution as a rehabilitation program.

Watch the video by Christopher Medina, TV director specialist with the Office of Public and Employee Communications:

Still in its infancy, the retired agent and staff have created lesson plans and are providing hands-on training in the art of caring for the bees. Their first batches of honey also took home the blue ribbon at the Kern County Fair. Learn more by reading the full story.

Parole agents are helping families

Parole agents in San Bernardino are helping supervised people and their families through community partnerships. Read the full story on Inside CDCR.

Community Involvement

Wasco incarcerated donated over $5k to veterans

Incarcerated people and staff donate to veterans thanks to a food sale at Wasco State Prison-Reception Center. — Wasco State Prison-Reception Center raised over $5,000 from an incarcerated population food sale to donate to veterans in Kern County.

The incarcerated population at Wasco State Prison-Reception Center came together to donate over $5,540 to Kern County veterans. Read the full story.

Sports

SATF hosts first staff softball tournament

Volunteers for the SATF softball tournament. — Volunteers at the first staff SATF softball tournament.

The Substance Abuse Treatment Facility and State Prison in Corcoran (SATF) held their first staff softball tournament. Read the story.

SATF hosts inter‑facility softball game

SATF softball game with Facility G and F.

The Substance Abuse Treatment Facility and State Prison at Corcoran (SATF) hosted an inter-facility softball game on Facility G. Incarcerated teams from Facilities F and G played a friendly game of softball. The California Model Resource Team was present and relieved G Facility staff from their posts so they could go outside and enjoy the game. Read the full story.

Rehabilitation

Ironwood micro gardens foster rehabilitation

Facility B micro garden at Ironwood State Prison with incarcerated people and staff. — Ironwood State Prison facility micro gardens are making a difference for staff and the incarcerated population.

A Facility, Ironwood State Prison, garden. — Ironwood State Prison facility micro gardens are making a difference for staff and the incarcerated population.

Incarcerated persons are proudly showing off the fruits of team efforts with Ironwood State Prison’s facility micro gardens. Embracing the normalization pillar of the California Model, many of the incarcerated population have turned to gardening on the facility recreational yards. The micro garden project, which began in June, started as an idea pitched to prison management by the population. Beautifying the institution and normalizing the environment contributes to overall wellness for staff as well as the incarcerated population. Read the full story.

CHCF staff, incarcerated decorate for Halloween

CHCF Halloween decorations outside the entrance. — Halloween decorations at CHCF.

Frankenstein's monster outside the institution at CHCF. — Halloween decorations at CHCF.

California Health Care Facility (CHCF) has transformed the front entrance into a festive Halloween display thanks to staff and the incarcerated population. Read the full story.

Recruitment

CDCR recruitment visits Reno Rib Cook‑Off

More than a culinary event, the 2024 Reno Rib Cook-Off also served as a CDCR recruitment platform. The Peace Officer Recruitment Unit attended the event to help fill vacancies at nearby High Desert State Prison in Susanville. Read the full story.

History

Cemetery Tales: Case of two crooked cooks

Cemetery Tales of Charles English, one of many cooks buried at the San Quentin. — Charles English

Mugshot of Charles Barry, 1984, with number 2935 written beside his face. — Charles English

Two cooks, incarcerated at different times and institutions, are the subjects of the second installment of this month’s Cemetery Tales. Both men ended up in the cemeteries of Folsom State Prison and San Quentin. Read the full story.

1975: Department debuts Newscam newspaper

Newscam newspaper for department, the front page in February 1975 with a photo of Ray Procunier, the department director at the time. — Newscam, the department newspaper, was launched in February 1975 to reach more employees.

To keep its 8,000 employees informed, the department unveiled a newspaper in 1975. Much like today, topics included female recruitment, the budget, and rehabilitation efforts. Read the full story.

The CDCR Weekender Digest is compiled by Don Chaddock, Inside CDCR editor.

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