this is "lockup san quentin: extended stay." >> san quentin is home to more than 3,000 inmates ranging from the most violent offenders in california. >> i'll rob you in a minute. >> i pulled a gun on this man and shot him six times in his chest. >> to the all too common parole violators flooding the system. >> i do drugs. that's my violation. >> the overpopulated san quentin serves as the reception center for 17 counties in california. >> there's 384 inmates in this gym. right now i have six members. >> it's forced to house a dangerous mix of high and low risk inmates. >> you got the drugs, you got the inmates to manufacture alcohol, you got the gangs, the weapons. so it can be real dangerous at times ♪ >> i've been a pretty successful robber. >> level 4 inmates, the worst in california are housed at san quentin while awaiting permanent transfer to other facilities. >> i used to rob stores, you know, and that in itself is a rush that you can't explain. it's like whoa, i can -- i own the world. i can do whatever i want. i can better than any ceo in the world, i can instruct you to do wh

this is "lockup: san quentin, extended stay." in america's prisons violence is a way of life. [ screaming ] san quentin, the oldest prison in california, has one of the longest histories of violence. >> there's fistfights going on, there's guys getting beat up pretty good. >> whether it's an inmate fresh off the street -- >> i refuse to get disrespected by anybody. >> a gang dropout in protective custody. >> this happened a couple days ago. >> or an officer trying to maintain order. >> he was going for the jugular but he just missed. >> they've all fallen victim to violent attacks. in the three months we were at san quentin, we saw our fair share. ♪ i pray to god i don't die for the wrong people ♪ >> administrative segregation, otherwise known as ad seg, is a unit mainly reserved for the worst of the worst offenders at san quentin. >> it's a place where they need to be, they need to be separated from the general population. >> step forward. >> ad seg inmates live in single man cells, are on lockdown for 23 hours a day and are han

this is lockup san quentin. extended stay. san quentin serves the state of california. each week, the prison releases 150 prisoners. and welcomes 350 new inmates. san quentin was built to hold about 3,000 people. it currently houses more than 5,000. >> unfortunate for some of them, they think this is a step up. and in the circles they travel in, unfortunately, it is. you know, i made it. i'm in the state prison now. >> narrator: with repeat offenders clogging up the works, the officers struggled to keep the inmates under control. >> control. be advised we have an alarm in south block. >> i can only speculate. the only thing i think of is we have a missing inmate. >> my name is kavinsky. i've had this prison number since i was 18 years old. i just turned 37 on february 15th. from the discharge for this prison system, i met it by about four days. >> you know what, for the record, show that these people are harassing me for some reason. >> each inmate is assigned a security risk classification score based on his record and conduct in prison. the average inmates score range

when we go inside the walls of san quentin, it is not just black inmates. it is hispanic, pacific islanders, white, native americans, it is everybody. when they leave that room, they go back to their communities that are segregated. they, too, do not like it. it is a barrier that has to be torn down. i know it works. being in there for the last four years, we make it a point that everybody mixes up, even the seating. you do not just sit with a black person or a white person. it is about all of us, or none of us, and that is the bottom line. it has to be that mentality. >> it is a way to control the prisoners. it takes the pressure off the guards and everybody else. they say we want to stop violence, but you promote a violence by segregating. when an individual comes, the first in the asking, where are you from? what is your nationality? that is how to divide and conquer. that is the way the united states is made up. that is how you work. north and south vietnam, for instance. they divide people so that the pressure will not be on them. that is how i see the

the visitors center at san quentin prison.e went along for the ride as we put the holiday in focus. >> started 13 years ago. sitting in the kitchen, a first run every month. they decided it would be a good idea to bring toys to the children of san quentin inmates. >> i am very grateful i can do this for these kids. >> overwhelming. i cried last year. [ laughter ] >> a lot of us have been locked up, spent time in san quentin, for me to go back and give back is amazing. first time 20-30 riders. last year we had 350 bikes. the best moment of the toy run is the moment when all the bicycles coming up the -- bikes coming up the hill. they hear the roar of the bikes. they know santa claus is coming. get to see the kids' faces. >> merry christmas. how are you? >> merry christmas. how are you? >> i am so excited. >> i can't stop smiling. wait. let me try. no, no. >> thank you for coming. >> some kids don't get christmas because their fathers are inside so this is sometimes their only christmas. >> do you love santa? >> yeah. >> we love

suzanne shaw has the story. >> behind the daunting walls of san quentin state prison, inside this oldne shop, convicted felons are reaching for the stars. >> the whole nasa thing is just, wow. you don't even get that at the best technical school in the country. to get that in prison. >> studying math and science and under the strict supervision of nas a they are building cubes that may some day carry miniature satellites into space. >> do you actually program this? >> yes, we do. we actually sit here and tircnk around with the codes. >> they are proud of what they have learned. pa. >> you couldn't use any tools? >> i didn't know the names of them or how to use them. >> richard runs the metal shop. >> i'm really finicky about the work they do. >> a veteran of many aerospace jobs, the peace keeper missile and the space shuttle, this job is the most rewarding. >> to not only watch the guys use their skills, their machine skills and their life skills as well. >> here the inmates help each other, a stark contrast to the outside yard where turf is divided by race. black, white, mexican, asi

>> among the nation's most notorious institutions, san quentin state prison. our cameras spent months documenting life on the inside, where gangs, drugs and sheer boredom make up a violent mix. this is "lockup san quentin: extended stay." >> probably next to an inmate's release date, visits are the most important things in their lives. keeping in touch with their loved ones. >> i don't like coming here, but i have to so i can see him. >> for some, visits are rare moments of intimacy. and for others, a business transaction. >> a lot of drugs come in through the visiting room. a lot of drugs. >> you don't want to be here, man. >> and then the hustle just like the bona fide, hustler with the web and then with the two hands, like you said. >> the money. >> money in one hand, dice coming out the other. >> it's going to be hard. make sure that i do it, though, because if someone else does it, it's going to be different. >> no, i know. >> everybody hates prison. society hates prison. it's part of life. i've got to accept the things i put myself in. i can't try to be

it was so overwhelming, i started crying. >> i have spent time in san quentin and for me, it was theout with 20 and last year we had 350 bikes. the best moment is the moment when all of the bikes are coming up the hill. and then they hear the roar of the bikes and they know santa is coming. you get to see the kids' faces light up. >> look. merry christmas. >> how are you? >> i'm so excited! >> i can't stop smiling. let me try. nope, nope. >> merry christmas. >> some kids don't get christmas because their fathers are inside. so a lot of times this is their only christmas that they actually get. so it's a great event. >> you love santa? >> yeah. >> we love you, too. >> we all want -- especially the kids, we want them to have a chance at life. >> i can't wait to open. >> i got a baby doll. >> they don't ask for much. they just want to be loved. very emotional. the kids were just terrific. beautiful kids. they just -- they just steal your heart. >> thank you! merry christmas! >> reporter: in the heart of oakland, this basement bakery is only open -- open to the public a couple of days a

. >> eventually transferred to san quentin state prison, the man who is arguably california's most violentnmate completed his sentence and was released in 2007. >> you have people locked up in this, this type of environment and then you release them to the street. what do you expect? >> back up -- ha-ha. >>> next on "lockup: raw." >> they'll come across their enemy, slice them across the neck. >> the ingenious weapons inmates use to attack. and the lengths officers will go to in combating them. in the when you take a closer look... ...at the best schools in the world... ...you see they all have something very interesting in common. they have teachers... ...with a deeper knowledge of their subjects. as a result, their students achieve at a higher level. let's develop more stars in education. let's invest in our teachers... ...so they can inspire our students. let's solve this. ♪ secondhand smoke affects everyone's health. it's not just irritating. it can cause heart disease and even death. speak up about secondhand smoke. your health and the health of your family depend on it. >>> every day

. >> eventually transferred to san quentin state prison, the man who is arguably california's most violent inmate completed his sentence and was released in 2007. >> you have people locked up in this, this type of environment and then you release them to the street. what do you expect? >> back up -- ha-ha. >>> every day in america's prisons correctional officers are searching for them. >> a lot of these weapons were confiscated on the yards. >> in prison slang they're known as shanks. they're the deadly weapons inmates create from behind bars, with an ingenuity that almost defies imagination. >> what they'll do is get a disposable razor, put both blades, one on each side of the toothbrush. they come across their enemy. and slice them across the neck. because the two blades are so wide apart, it just filets the individual wide open. >> inmates will do almost anything to hide the weapons they spend so much time manufacturing. >> the first one looks like a wire shank. these are all covered or wrapped in some kind of latex material and then lubricated with whatever they can find. >> how long c

the northern hispanics is our main gang here at san quentin. and it's because they're better organized. the white guys are over here on the parallel bars and on the picnic table. over in the corner you see where the asians are sitting. you can't just walk and sit on a table. i had to explain that. i almost got into a confrontation with that two or three times because, you know, i saw a table and i sat down, you know, it's not like that. you got to ask for permission to sit down there. >> even such a minor misstep can be taken as a sign of disrespect, and that can lead to widespread violence. though correctional staff is constantly on the lookout for weapons, it's well known that many on this yard are armed for battle. and none more so than the northern hispanics. >> they have a minister of defense. and his thing is he's to have ten weapons ready at any time down here on this yard. their weapons are all hid over there. and in the morning we'll come over and we'll search that area and try to find their weapons. but they're getting better and bett

scott peterson remains on san quentin's death row. lawyers have asked for a new trial >> this morning police in watsonville are trying to track down someone who intentionally hit a man with his car. officers responded to a report of hit-and-run saturday night. a man driving a white minivan intentionally hit the victim before driving away. the victim's injuries not life-threatening. >>> south bay man and his daughter reaftering after being rescued while kayaking in the san francisco bay by the redwood city fire department after they got stuck in the mud when the tide went out they were stranded for hours in the middle of yesterday's storm. fire crews received he a call for help, rescue teams arrived quickly and found them quickly using triangulation equipment and help from the gps on the daughter's phone. >> we just got stuck it would have been a long time before the tides and storm went an we were freezing. had my iphone and it was charged. >> once on dry land they were given dry clothes and treated for mild hypothermia. crews say thi

we go inside of san quentin, we go inside of the county jail, the juvenile justice system. all entities -- the whole family is incarcerated. we want to kill the whole family. that is why we go when -- we want to heal the whole family. that is why we go in. we believe in empathy, we believe this violence is a learned behavior. restored of justice does work. -- restorative justice does work. [applause] >> elizabeth, you have been on both sides. as a teenager, you were a recipient of services. today, you are working in youth development. what do you think the answer is in reducing gang violence? >> i want to give thanks for another day here and an opportunity to share this space with everybody. all of the beautiful courage that it takes to be up here. a lot of energy to the healing circle as well. as a juvenile, i was in juvenile hall and i went through that whole system myself. i have worked with tattoo removal, i went to other development programs. through personal experience and being raised by a single mom and being proud of my dad imprisoned and now pursuing my education,

. >> at san quentin prison near san francisco, george leads a group called hope for strikers. most men here say their third strikes weren't violent. >> my name is eddie griffin and i got 270 years to life for possession of cocaine. >> my third strike is burglary of an unoccupied dwelling. it was my first relapse after being clean and sober for almost 10 years. >> so, michael, are those three men typical of the three strikers who were there, and what's the process for deciding who gets out under prop 36? >> well, there is about 9,000 people behind bars serving life terms under the three strikes law, the original three strikes law. of those the department of corrections estimates just under 3,000 might be eligible for resentencing under this new law. and, you know, there is questions about whether all those people will get resentenced and whether they'll actually get released. the process is that an inmate has to petition the court, the county where he was sentenced, or she, and if it's determined that he is eligible, that he meets the criteria, then he will be resentenced and t

>> in san quentin, they have an ongoing band. it is still up there.s get together and play every saturday night. and there was some really remarkable just artists in there with him, at different times. he really kept a tight. tavis: he is referenced in your work. how did you come together? >> i write about harry bosch, who has overcome his own obstacles. and he loves jazz. i would pick artists that had the same kind of journey, in a way. his clever guy is frank. i guess that got to him. he found out about it. we have mutual friends that put us together. there was a master class in saxophone. we had just started doing that when he got sick and he passed away. hopefully, this zone will do his idea, and go into schools. tavis: this is for theatrical release? >> we want to see what we have got. that is the best thing. it would get out on video. tavis: i will come forward to the book, "the black box." when i saw the title, i thought, as you might imagine, "an airplane crashed." i thought that would be what harry bosch would investigate. >> it is a metaphor

san quentin inmates go to work for nasa. this out of the world experiment that some say will reduce crime. >> some say people need protection from id thieves. we will tell you how it happened, coming up. >> an nbc exclusive with tim cook. [ female announcer ] why settle for plain bread? here's a better idea. pillsbury grands! flaky layers biscuits in just 15 minutes the light delicate layers add a layer of warmth to your next dinner. pillsbury grands biscuits let the making begin. aunt sally's singing again. it's a tradition, honey. [ singing christmas carols ] mmmm. [ female announcer ] make new traditions with pillsbury grands! cinnamon rolls. >> hundreds of people who called 911 for a medical emergency are getting warning letters. personal information may have been stolen. more than 900 patients are taken to the hospital and may have had their personal information stolen. the company that handles the billing had a security breech. >> they had an employee who had fraudulently and illegally accessed patient information of c

a run that left his shop they decided it would be a good idea to bring toys to the children of san quentinry grateful that my higher power told me to do this for the kids that it's not their fault that they don't have as much for us. that their dads aren't here to help them. >> it's overwhelming, it made me cry last year. >> i think the first time they started out with like 20 or 30 riders, last year we had about 350 bikes. the best moment of the joy run is the moment when all the rides are coming up the hill. and then they here the roar of the books they know santa is coming. you get to see the kids faces light up. >> merry christmas, how are you? >> hi. >> over here. look at the camera. >> merry christmas sweety. >> i'm feeling so excited. i can't even stop smiling. wait. let me try. no. no. i can't. >> merry christmas. >> merry christmas. >> some kids don't get christmas because their fathers are inside so many times this is the only christmas they get. so it's a really great evident. >> yeah, do you love santa? >> yeah. >> i love you too. >> we all want to -- especially the kids we wan

where it is no longer just a san quentin and all that. but there's still something about it.ld, the ceos, they don't have the tattoos, and i think there's a reason for that. it has a -- it has a bad connotation. when cam newton who was a quarterback for the panthers was interviewed, the owner of the carolina panthers asked him do you have any tattoos? he said no sir. let's keep it that way. he knows that he's there to put people in the seats. and a lot of people are bothered by the sight of a guy covered in tattoos. there are a lot of reasons for that. stuart: i want to get back to the race element here because the quarterback is black, i believe, that's correct? >> actually he's adopted and i think his parents, one was black, one was white, his birth parents. stuart: and you were criticized as being a racist, but i believe you have two adopted black children of your own, do you not? >> yes, i do. i sort of regretted making that point, but it had gotten so out of control frankly. you know, we're all in this business and we get criticized and we accept that. but certainly this

originally constructed to relieve overcrowding at san quentin state prison, folsom housed some of the most dangerous inmates of the time. today its history of a more violent time has not been forgotten. >> folsom, just the aura of this place hangs above us like a fog hangs over this place. >> daniel bell is a newcomer, only on the yard for four months. >> i mean you're like totally in awe of the fact that you're actually here, and so many men have died and lost their lives on this very yard right here, at the very spot we're standing, i mean, you know, men have got killed, so it's like you're terrified. >> this is my first time here. don't like it. i don't like it. >> a lot of people getting stabbed, you know. i've seen people's throats get sliced. my first night in this building behind me here, when i woke up in the morning to gunshots on the tier, you know. >> you always have a fear factor when you walk through those gates. anybody would be lying to you if they told you that they weren't scared when they were in here. >> there's not anyone who walks into folsom that looks at those g

. >> joseph de la cruz is a gang dropout, serving nine years for attempted murder at california san quentinson. when we first met him, authorities had just discovered that he had been assaulted inside his protective custody cell. >> this morning, you come out of your cell, we did a sweep to find out how many people stayed behind. you were discovered with injuries. and here's the medical report. >> despite obvious injuries, de la cruz refused to give correctional staff any information about the attack. >> we're trying to find out who -- i want to tell them what happened. >> any specific individuals you know are your enemies? >> no, sir. >> how about any prison weapons offenses? >> no, sir. >> do you belong to a gang? >> no, i don't. >> aside from what you're being accused of being a victim, are you involved in any other batteries in your history? >> no. >> due to this threat, you are deemed a threat to the safety and security of the institution, to staff and inmates. >> escort! >> without good information about what prompted the attack and whether this attack could lead to others the prison

you don't have to do anything except lift your baby finger in san quentin filibuster this.when you have 30 hours of post-cloture debate where nobody debates, they don't even come to the floor, that is an enhanced deliberation. if you want to liberation, talking filibuster would be a good thing. you get people on the. maybe it actually gets give-and-take. i'd like to see many more opportunities for debate and deliberation and other changes in the senate rules. i continue to believe everything i said, including judicial nominations, but also about the real dangers of making these changes. there's a distinction between making a change at the beginning of a congress are debating the question of whether the senate is in the body him in the middle of a session we've implicitly or explicitly agreed-upon. what did the troubles me about the notion of a continuing body for they can't be changed except by simple majority is imagine if democrats had the same number of votes they had a tape 60s. sega has 70 senators. imagine we go back to the nuclear 75 senators in the past april that s