Page 19 - Prison Grounds News Today

Community can be found in one of the several houses of worship on the prison grounds. ♪ this is the garden chapel. when it was built, most inmates were protestant. which is why their facility is the largest of the six chapels at san quentin. with over 200 seats, its also among the most spacious in california. ♪ glory glory ♪ hallelujah ♪ since i lay my prayers down >> evangelist, richard rugnao, has been singing here for 11 years. richard was once an inmate at another institution. after ...

They want to dispose of it before we pat them down and go back in the house. this is what i dont like to see. this right here. those are razor blades. thats not something you want to step on. really not something i like picking up. i dont care if you think thats a harmless piece of plastic, but they can literally melt that into here, and then youve got a slashing tool. toothbrush handles and stuff like that. theyre quite good at that. >> one inmate in particular at wabash has developed a reputat...

He found on prison grounds. >> if it was big enough to put in your hand with a little left over, it was big enough to be sharpened into a weapon. usually i would just keep it on me because its no good if its hidden somewhere. if somebody comes on to you and [ bleep ], you aint got it on you, you cant tell him, hold on, let me go get my knife. thankfully, ive never had to use one. usually if somebody sees one, its enough to keep them at bay. so you dont usually have to use it. i was prepared to u...

Probably end up dying in prison. >> the brothers live in separate cell houses on the prison grounds. but outside, theyre always together. >> lifting weights, it keeps me from bugging out on somebody or hurting them. its a good way to release your frustration. >> growing up, i wanted to be him, you know? hes almost four years older than me. >> so, when i was like 11, he was already 14, in his teens and stuff. i see him running around and drinking and breaking into stuff and doing whatever he is d...

Slowly, the segment producer tracy found herself outside the prison with a new responsibility. >> i was entertaining the children by sort of running around the car with alexi and having her chase me around. >> but powell soon got some unexpected help. >> two dogs appeared out of nowhere. they came up to the vehicle where we were standing by. they let us pet them and got really comfortable around the kids. >> looks hike someone else wants to come home with you guys, too. >> the kids liked the dog...

The event takes place on prison grounds in september and twice in april. the stadium holds 10 thourk. all free people coming to see the spectacle. >> it feels like it all just took place. >> inmates in good standing feel like they can participate, no skill required. >> are you nervous, excited? >> im a little nervous. >> the inmates also get rewarded for winning rodeo events.

>> been to over 20 american prisons. theyre usually located in remote areas far from cities for security reasons. so were on these busy warsaw streets and we turn and these massive blue doors open up and we enter into this facility. and when we were inside and i was standing on prison grounds, i would look up and see apartment buildings surrounding us, businesses. >> the prison was built in 1904. it used to be called the place of no return. between world war ii and the fall of communism in 1989,...

Their light fixture. >> brandon siverly would craft knives out of nearly any object he found on prison grounds. >> if it was big enough to put in your hand with a little left over, it was big enough to be sharpened into a weapon. usually i would just keep it on me because its no good if its hidden somewhere. if somebody comes on to you and [ bleep ], you aint got it on you, you cant tell him, hold on, let me go get my knife. thankfully, ive never had to use one. usually if somebody sees one, its...

A lapse of judgment. a crime is committed. it can result in years behind bars, and regaining freedom can seem impossible. >> we have a lot of freedom out here, you know. we have everything that a person would have at home. >> golden barnett, and nine fellow inmates share creature comforts that dont exist inside the castle. theyve become minimum-security inmates who live in a house on the prison grounds. >> trust is what i lost to society. to trust me in society. so this is a start, and its a gre...

And when one becomes vacant, they become available to officers in need of cheaper rent and a shorter commute. >> i hear a lot of people say they dont want to move here because they never leave the prison. well, i come home and im home. >> not everyone in the family is so excited about living inside a state penitentiary. in fact, the whole idea makes marthas son, chris, pretty nervous. >> its kind of scary because they could break out and come and sneak in. i just think about it sometimes. >> act...