The Learning Center is an inviting, adaptable, campus-like space that encourages rehabilitation. Central to the campus’s identity are principles of openness and integration with nature. Buildings are placed to
optimize views and encourage positive interactions between staff and incarcerated people – a concept known as Dynamic Security. The project builds on important concepts for culture change, including Normalization. The more life in prison resembles life in the community, the easier it will be for people to transition and adjust to life in the community upon release. The Learning Center provides resources for all educational needs, expanding access to adult basic education, high school/GED preparation, vocational
training, and college courses. In the new library, instead of books being kept behind a counter, incarcerated people will be able to browse through stacks themselves for a more normative library experience.
CDCR has included dedicated space offering a full range of reentry services including consultations with community-based providers and connections to employment opportunities that match incarcerated persons’ educational goals and career training. The innovative way technology and resources will be used
will better prepare the population for reentry into our communities The new campus expands the already one-of-a-kind media center, with spaces that replicate real-world A/V working situations. The new, multi-level space, with donated state-of-the-art equipment, provides additional space to enable the
-Morepopulation to obtain employable skills through training in journalism, video production, and other media as they prepare for re-entry. The California Correctional Training and Rehabilitation Authority (CALCTRA), formerly the California Prison Industry Authority (CALPIA), offers a six-month technology-based, Computer Coding training program under the supervision of CALCTRA instructors, technology business-community professionals and volunteers with the non-profit organization The Last Mile.
The center’s on-site café is part of a unique joint venture program with a locally owned, community-focused coffee shop, operated by CALCTRA as a cooperative effort of private industry and the state of California benefiting businesses, victims, and the state while preparing incarcerated individuals for
successful reintegration into the community.
CDCR announces the completion of San Quentin Learning Center
