Category Archives: Prison Reform/Prisoner Rehabilitation

A list of some of the reasons that I help “criminals.”

Why do I Help “Criminals?” (Part II)

Posted on December 8, 2014 by Beth Waitkus

At the Insight Garden Program, we’ve worked with more than 1,000 people at San Quentin Prison. Aside from our great results (less than 10% rate of return to prison compared to CA’s 70%), a transformative curriculum (now grounded in the … Continue reading →

Posted in Citizenship, Community, Environmental Care, Gardening as Transformation, Prison Reform/Prisoner Rehabilitation | Tagged , | 1 Comment

Cultivating (Empathetic) Connections

Posted on March 28, 2011 by Beth Waitkus

Connection.  It is so utterly essential to healthy human and ecological functioning. Indeed, the mission of our garden program at San Quentin State Prison is to use nature “to reconnect people to themselves, their communities, and the natural environment.” In … Continue reading →

Posted in Associational Life, Community, Environmental Care, Gardening as Transformation, Gratitude, Organization Development, Prison Reform/Prisoner Rehabilitation | 3 Comments

Why do I help “criminals”?

Posted on October 19, 2010 by Beth Waitkus

Despite the recent revival of the death penalty controversy here in California and what “those people” must be like behind bars, there are reasons why people like me spend time working with prisoners. Recently our Insight Garden Program co-hosted the … Continue reading →

Posted in Prison Reform/Prisoner Rehabilitation, Uncategorized | Leave a comment