As part of his plan to overhaul prison culture in California, Gov. Gavin Newsom on Thursday announced that an inaugural cohort of 34 prisoners at San Quentin Rehabilitation Center have enrolled in a Cal State Los Angeles bachelor’s program in liberal studies.
“By expanding access to college inside our correctional facilities, we’re strengthening rehabilitation, supporting successful reentry and helping make our communities safer,” Newsom said in a statement. “The majority of people who enter prison eventually go back once they’ve served their time, so it is deeply important that those individuals leave being better prepared to positively contribute to their community.”
The 21-month liberal studies program launched at the prison’s new learning center, a $239 million project that replaced a run-down office furniture factory early this year. The center is at the crux of Newsom’s prison transformation experiment he announced at San Quentin in 2023, dubbed the California Model…