San Quentin Rehabilitation Center has opened its new honor dorm program, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced this week. The dorm, located in the prison’s East Block, will house individuals who have demonstrated “exemplary behavior, accountability, and commitment to rehabilitation.”
The dorm is made up of single-occupancy living spaces repurposed from former death row cells, according to a press release Tuesday from Newsom’s office. The East Block contains 500 cells as well as amenities such as a kitchenette, laundry room and dayroom.
“The Honor Dorm creates a space that rewards growth, responsibility, and readiness for reentry,” Newsom said in the press release.
Potential residents are evaluated by a California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation panel, CDCR spokesperson Terri Hardy wrote in a statement.
The dorm’s first residents will move in on Monday.
According to Newsom, the Honor Dorm demonstrates “what the California Model can do,” referring to an approach by the CDCR. The model aims to promote rehabilitation, education and reentry. San Quentin in particular has been championed by Newsom as a prime example of the California Model in action.
“This space reflects the transformation happening every day at San Quentin,” said warden Chance Andes in the press release.
The dorm’s opening comes after a report released earlier this month about people released from California prisons during fiscal year 2020-21 who had record-high rehabilitation success rates in the following years, according to CDCR officials. The metric measures the percentage of formerly incarcerated people who avoid convictions after release.
“The data is clear: investing in rehabilitation means investing in public safety,” Newsom said.
Newsom’s press office did not directly respond to a request for further comment.
