Within a period of 5 years, of our first 182 GRIP graduates (violent offenders), 53 have been released and none have returned to prison. Many others from subsequent GRIP classes have followed them.
This year, we have doubled the number of prisoners we are serving from 135 to 270. There are hundreds more on our waiting list.
We are employing ex-offenders to teach what they have learned to their brothers and sisters who are still incarcerated.
HOW SAYING "YES" MAKES A DIFFERENCE:
A GRIP Tribe is a place where all races mix, where enemy gang members learn to sit side by side, and where differences in skin color, religion and education levels are actively embraced (Kinda like the America you’d like to live in…)
This year, 3 new knocks were heard at our door:
SOLITARY: When we did our selection interviews in San Quentin, the waiting list there had grown to 494. One interview I did was with a prisoner who had done 26 ½ years in "the hole” i.e. an isolation cell… Others had been in the hole for 18 years, 12 years, etc.) A number of prisoners, in isolation for inordinate amounts of time at for example Pelican Bay, are being released to yards at other prisons. This is due to a legal lawsuit that challenged extreme lengthy sentences in isolation cells had settled. It was clear that, under the circumstances, the re-socialization element of a GRIP Tribe offered a most useful opportunity for these men to re-integrate.
YOUTH: I conducted my next interview with another new kind of prisoner on the yard as I looked into the eyes of an 18 year old African American youngster. He told me he had 16 years left to serve and that he and a group of his peers were recently transferred to mix with adult populations in other prisons like San Quentin. Frequently, it’s tough to get these young men to commit to a program, a number of them were eagerly persuading us to let them participate. It is a well-known fact that either you get to these young men first or the prison culture will take over and condition them for years to come.
SPANISH-SPEAKING: Lastly, we were approached by a group of Hispanic men that spoke to us about how there was barely any programming available to them, certainly not in Spanish. It’s a known fact that the lack of programs and support for the Hispanic prison population encourages those who run the powerful gangs for this population. The group of Hispanic men pleaded with us to translate the curriculum and to teach a GRIP - Spanish Speaking - class. We did.
We said, "Yes," to serving 3 new populations.
That means that in San Quentin alone about 170 men are now in a GRIP Tribe. As of now, these men have collectively served 4,008 years, and for many this is the first time they have a chance to heal and learn.
We started 2 new classes, we increased the size of the other ones, and we hired new folks. We have translated enough of the curriculum to have started the Spanish GRIP class. Here comes the clincher: We did all of that without having the budget for it!
We did it. We must.
We are strongly hoping that you join us in taking a stand, go the extra mile, and give generously this year.
