San Quentin - no not IN IT - VISIT IT!

Trip Start Jun 30, 2008
1
3
22
Trip End Jul 22, 2008


Loading Map
Map your own trip!
Map Options
Show trip route
Hide lines
shadow
Where I stayed
Holiday Inn Express, Roseburg
(San Francisco hotels)

Flag of United States  , California,
Tuesday, July 1, 2008

Up and at it we got to San Quentin for our tour of the facility. What an amazing experience. Interesting to learn that San Quentin is the only prison in California where the death penalty is carried out. Further, the average waiting period for inmates on death row is about 27 years until all the appeals are exhausted. One sort of wonders what it is like to have that hanging (no pun intended) over your head for that length of time. At one time, inmates were given the choice to die either by gas or lethal injection until the do-gooders decided that lethal injection was inhumane in that it created pain. So everything was stopped and no executions took place until the issue could be resolved in the courts. But Mike, the officer who was explaining things to us and who has supervised executions, reckons that with lethal injection, he has not witnessed anything remotely like an inmate going through pain. They go very peacefully. But with gas, he says it is extremely painful because cyanide gas burns terribly and people often thrash around. Listening to the explanations really sent goosebumps and weird feelings up and down my spine.

Inside the dining room area are a set of murals on the walls painted by an inmate who even returned to the prison after release - as a free man - to finish painting them. They are so spectacular The Smithsonian Institute has approached the prison to purchase the walls. Now that is something because we are not talking small murals on fibro walls. We are talking walls about 50 metres long and approximately 8 metres high on solid concrete! A pity we don't have pictures because of course one is not allowed to take cameras into a prison. A truly spectacular sight.

The only education that is available for the inmates is year 10 school. Any inmate who does not have a high school diploma is required to get it. I didn't think to ask if this was the same for the death row inmates but somehow my logic says not likely.

So, finishing up there at at about 1045, we hit the road and put pedal to the metal. After all, we had big miles to cover today and wanted to try and put as much behind us as possible. We have to get to Seattle for our next appointment on Thursday so we decided to go up the Interstate rather than follow the coast. Well, two reasons for that - speed and as well, last year we did the coast road down from Oregon to San Fran so we've already been there, done that. Just as well too because we heard along the way that the fires which were burning in Northern California were affecting traffic and cars were having to be escorted. Had we gone the coast road, that would have paid havoc with our deadline!

A fairly uneventful trip up today. Mainly just pushing it to make the miles because we want to stop off and see Mt St Helens along the way.
Print this entry