Available From UC Press

San Quentin State Prison, California’s oldest prison and the nation’s largest, is notorious for once holding America’s most dangerous prisoners. But in 2008, the Bastille-by-the-Bay became a beacon for rehabilitation through the prisoner-run newspaper the San Quentin News.

Prison Truth tells the story of how prisoners, many serving life terms, transformed the prison climate from what Johnny Cash called a living hell to an environment that fostered positive change in inmates’ lives. Award-winning journalist William J. Drummond takes us behind bars, introducing us to Arnulfo García, the visionary prisoner who led the revival of the newspaper. Drummond describes how the San Quentin News, after a twenty-year shutdown, was recalled to life under an enlightened warden and the small group of local retired newspaper veterans serving as advisers, which Drummond joined in 2012. Sharing how officials cautiously and often unwittingly allowed the newspaper to tell the stories of the incarcerated, Prison Truth illustrates the power of prison media to humanize the experiences of people inside penitentiary walls and to forge alliances with social justice networks seeking reform.

William J. Drummond is Professor of Journalism at the University of California, Berkeley. His award-winning career includes stints at the Louisville Courier-Journal, where he covered the civil rights movement, and the Los Angeles Times, where he was a local reporter, then bureau chief in New Delhi and Jerusalem, and later a Washington correspondent. He was appointed a White House Fellow by then president Gerald R. Ford and later became Jimmy Carter’s associate press secretary. He joined NPR in 1977 and became the founding editor of Morning Edition. At UC Berkeley, Drummond was awarded the 2016 Leon A. Henkin Award for his distinguished service and exceptional commitment to the educational development of students from groups who are underrepresented in the academy.

“Who would have thought that the dreaded ‘Q,’ San Quentin Prison, would come to serve as a model for an enlightened penal system and some of the best values of professional journalism? William J. Drummond, an enlightened citizen and a sterling reporter, proves to be the right man to tell the tale. It’s just what the country needs.”—Ted Koppel, award-winning broadcast journalist and former anchor of ABC’s Nightline

“Drummond has achieved something astonishing. He gives us prison journalism as a unique window onto a world that pulls us all in. His compelling storytelling reveals a vastly diverse lineup of characters who remind us that separation is an illusion. This fine book calls us to a kinship with each other. Its message is needed now more than ever.”—Gregory Boyle, founder of Homeboy Industries

“In a criminal justice system that’s far more focused on punishment and revenge than on rehabilitation, the journalists of the San Quentin News show us what incarcerated people are capable of achieving when the system chooses to believe and invest in them. Prison Truth gives us a tantalizing peek at how our system could look. It’s a must-read for everyone who’s interested in achieving true prison reform.”—Susan Burton, author of Becoming Ms. Burton: From Prison to Recovery to Leading the Fight for Incarcerated Women and founder of A New Way of Life Reentry Project

“Drummond guides us through a number of surprising and fascinating intersections between journalism, public opinion, mass incarceration, race, prison reform, and human redemption in a way that no other author has and very few, if any, could. He argues persuasively that prison newspapers and the transformative power they have over inmates can be a powerful tool for rehabilitation. But Prison Truth goes well beyond the many academic treatments that have been written on these topics. While Drummond deftly lays out the historical, social, and political trends that have shaped official policy on prisons as well as public opinion about them, he weaves in his personal experiences and impressions to tell a story—part social science, part memoir—that is truly special.”—Tom Johnson, former president of CNN and former publisher of the Los Angeles Times

“Drummond traces the history and significance of prison journalism in transforming individual lives and institutional culture. He demonstrates that those caught up in a meaningless existence, given half a chance, can find their own voice and make their own meaning. Prison Truth should be on every warden’s bookshelf, as an inspiration and a blueprint.”—Wilbert Rideau, author of In the Place of Justice: A Story of Punishment and Deliverance and former editor of the Angolite

“Prison Truth offers an authentic view of prison journalism and the prison experience that is replete with compelling narratives and thoughtful analysis. San Quentin is an iconic American prison, in part because of its role in the history of prison journalism. This book does justice to that history and offers a valuable guide to understanding the truths that emerge from the world of those we imprison and try to exclude from our cultural narratives.”—Robert Johnson, American University