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

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." 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

i work at san quentin prison. they segregate inmates based on color and gangs. why do prisons not work on educating inmates on social relations, racial tolerance, and why don't they find a way so the different races can get to know each other? >> i would like to enter that. segregation has -- i would like to answer that. segregation has always been a problem in this country. i grew up in new orleans. we believe that education is the key. we all need to sit at the table. i do not believe in segregation for inmates. they need to tear that barrier down and put people together, no matter what. 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

. >> 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

prisons, dangerous, often deadly. there are 2 million people doing time. every day is a battle to survive and to maintain order. >> down on your feet, now! >> 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 ca

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 ranges from 19-27 points. i probably have the highes

prisons. dangerous, often deadly. there are 2 million people doing time. every day is a battle to survive and to maintain order. >> down on your feet, down! >> 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." >> 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 f

we are talking about felons at san quentin and these fellows are getting a lifeline and they are partnering with the prisonaking the concept of rehab to another world. suzanne shaw has the story. >> behind the daunting walls of san quentin state prison, inside this old machine 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

prison. if they don't want me here, kick me out. >> eventually transferred to san quentin state prison, the manho 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. >>> 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

prison. if they don't want me here, kick me out. >> 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

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

. >> at san quentin state prison, we learned that not only do gangs force most of the prison population into racial segregation, they even draw boundaries on the rec yard. >> this is the lower yard. and the inmates segregate themselves out here, the reason being that the gangs want it that way. the blacks are over here. 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

joseph de la cruz is a gang dropout, serving nine years for attempted murder at california san quentin state prisonfirst 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 decides to pl

prison. >> it's eye-opening. 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

tavis: after 20 years of prison, he still has the capacity to blow? >> in san quentiney have an ongoing band. it is still up there. guys 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

line about san quentin and how the inmates there have tattoos, just to point out that your average tattoo person does not have exactly the best reputation in society. so people associated prisoning with the quarterback as if i was trying to bring him down. actually the quarterback is a fine face of the franchise. he is by all accounts a humble hardworking. i compared him to tim tebow who is about as good of an icon as you can get to a lot of people. it's not the face. it's the arms that bother people. there are a lot of reasons for that. stuart: you are saying that the image of someone with a tattoo covered in tattoos as the quarterback is, that image is inappropriate for the public face of a major sports franchise, which brings in a lot of money. i mean that's what you are saying; right? >> i think what it would do, it might actually advance the evolution of tattoos. you are seeing more and more people with tattoos obviously in the last 20 years. i see them at the gym and everywhere. where it is no longer just a san quentin and all that. but there's still something about it. in the corporate world, the ceos, they don't have the tattoos, and i think there's a reason for that.