Guest commentary: Gov. Gavin Newsom wants to transform San Quentin State Prison by modeling the prison system in Norway. But changing one facility will not accomplish the sort of wholesale reforms required to mirror the Norwegian criminal justice system
Gov. Gavin Newsom speaks at San Quentin State Prison announcing that the facility will be transformed to focus on training and rehabilitation on March 17, 2023. Photo by Martin do Nascimento, CalMattersGov. Gavin Newsom wants to transform San Quentin State Prison by modeling the prison system in Norway. But changing one facility will not accomplish the sort of wholesale reforms required to mirror the Norwegian criminal justice system.
As the oldest prison in the state and the site where Californians on death row faced execution prior to Newsom’s 2019 moratorium, the selection of San Quentin to pilot a new Nordic-style prison model is steeped in symbolism. At face value, that symbolism is positive – we need to focus on rehabilitation, job training and education for folks in and out of prison because the punishment-centric model has resulted in a roughly 50% three-year recidivism rate. But while the Newsom administration is framing this as a new model for justice and public safety, the reality is far more complex.
To overhaul how we define public safety in California, it requires an honest reckoning with the violence and racism inherent to U.S. policing and prison systems.
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