san quentin. >> you want to use this restroom? when you come to prison, this is what you're putting yourself in. >>> built in 1852, and home to california's death row, san quentin stateseams due to overcrowding, when we shot our "extended stay" series there. but san quentin had one program designed to discourage troubled teens from ever joining its ranks in the future. >> okay, gentlemen. >> through the squires program, selected inmates shared their experiences with teenagers who had already had run-ins with the law. >> okay last person close the gate. >> what we need you to understand, you're in san quentin this morning. you're in a place that no kid should ever want to be in. you should be out playing somewhere in a park. but you're here because of something you did. >> what's your nickname? >> angel. >> angel? >> yeah. >> okay, how old are you? >> 13. >> miguel. >> okay. >> i'm 16. >> jonathan. i'm 16, too. >> what you want to know, that this is your life, man. you have an opportunity to leave out of this place and never come back. >> let me introduce myself to you guys. my name is david. i'm about to be 25 years old in a few more months. but i've been in prison s

after the murders, manson agreed to talk with "today" show correspondent heidi schulman at san quentin state prison about the book "manson in his own words" an autobiography of sorts. told to former prison mate nuel emmons. >> if i like this book, there would be a lot of people that probably wouldn't buy it. but if i don't like it, everyone that doesn't like me will probably buy it. >> you said you weren't impressed with it. >> no, not really, no. >> why not? >> well, we are good friends but we don't live in the same road. he's walking on one road and i'm living on another one, you know? he's making money and he's in business to be a writer. that's his trip. that's not my trip. i'm not into that. and he's kowtowed himself and compromised himself to the public. i think the public is full of it. they're a bunch of ants that want to eat me up, and they feed on fear and things that they're insecure about. they want to blame someone else, like a bunch of chickens pecking on each other. well, i fell up underneath the pecking order and i was convicted for being the father of this country. i was convicted

had the opportunity to view this issue from every point of view, having been the warden at san quentin state prison. i am absolutely impassioned about the fact that it is time to end the death penalty in this state. life without possibility of parole is the real sentence. hold people accountable and gives them the opportunity to change within the prison system, and they can give back by working within the prison system, giving restitution to family members and working on behalf of the state of california on a variety of projects that go on inside prisons. i also want to echo what the process said -- please join, please help -- i also want to echo what natasha said. talk to 10 of your friends, send e-mails, send letters. thank you. [applause] >> 1985, when i was sentenced to death for a crime i did not commit, i thought right away that this would be rectified. i was convicted of two different crimes. it took 18 years. it took me seven execution dates. i watched 12 then be executed while i was there -- i watched 12 and then be executed while i was there. i'm not in a position to say whether either of

this is the receiving and release area of san quentin state prison. every inmate that enters or exits san quentin will come through this area right here. >> come on, step up. >> you cannot get into san quentin nor can you leave san quentin without coming through this area. >> move on. >> when inmates first arrive, they are strip-searched. >> spread your cheeks. move on. >> they get their hair cut. then they're photographed and fingerprinted. >> starting with your right thumb, roll your fingers. >> eating. >> in an effort to avoid violent confrontations later, every inmate is evaluated and classified according to his history of violence outside and inside the penal system. >> enemies? >> none. >> gang-banger? >> share a cell with another man, no problem? >> it's all right with me. >> okay. thank you. >> as long as you're compatible. >> i wish we could make that call for you. you'll find out when you get to the house. thank you. >> flores. >> once evaluated the newcomers are placed in one of san quentin's four cell blocks. each cell block holds up to 800

joseph de la cruz is a gang dropout, serving nine years for attempted murder at california san quentin state prison. 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 dec

. ♪ >>> california's 150-year-old san quentin state prison has been the site of much history, includingst ever prison performance by johnny cash. >> we actually found out that johnny cash had played at san quentin ten years prior to his more famous folsom concert. so our producer asked us to find inmate musicians, and i could hear eric phillips playing all the way down this noisy tier. >> here in san quentin phillips's guitar has grown to be his best friend. >> i really wanted to play the guitar, so i picked one up, like back in the late '80s, i bought one and just started getting my practice on and playing. you know? and just picked up from there. that became my main thing, my main passion. >> but pursuing that passion is complicated by the fact that overcrowding in san quentin has forced two men to live in cells originally designed for one. that means musicians don't always get to choose their accompaniment. but no distraction can keep phillips from his guitar. >> it provides for me a comfort in a sense that it takes me away from all this. and you know, it's like it transcends me when

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

when we visited san quentin state prison, we discovered how committed some of the 5,000 inmates wereworkouts. the state of california banned free weights from the rec yard for security reasons, but that didn't deter anyone from lifting. >> it's weights. >> yeah? >> that's how we work out. we got water bags. we don't get weights no more. >> how much does it weigh? >> about 30 pounds. >> not very much. >> there it is. >> some of the challenges of working out in prison aren't only about the access to the equipment you have or don't have, but it's also the kind of restrictions you have. oftentimes these prisons go on lockdown and people are kept in their cells or housing units for long periods of time and not really allowed out. but they still always find a way to work out. >> this is about 100 pounds right here. >> this is about 55 or 60 pounds. >> and in a world where fist fights are all too real, many inmates incorporate shadow boxing into their workouts. but jamie daniels, a former jujitsu instructor doing time at indiana state prison went beyond just punching air. >> this is a makes

. >>> san quentin state prison sits on the edge of san francisco bay. surrounded by the city.that's fed by its fortress-like architecture and an infamous history, dating back to 1852. >> the first time i walked into san quentin it looked like a place time forgot. it was like a prison you see in old movies. the walls were crumbling. it was very dark. very depressing. the cells were stacked on each other, one by one, packed with other, one by one, packed with people. it had the most creepy feel you could possibly imagine. >> while san quentin produces images that are haunting to some, there are others who find inspiration behind its facade. >> the most interesting part about this that i see is the weeds that's growing up out of the cracks. and it's, you know -- i always find that interesting because you got life that always seems to push up. >> when we met ronny goodman he was in the seventh year of a ten-year sentence for burglary. >> i started drawing when i was 6 or 7 years old. my cousin, he drew a picture of batman. and i was, like, what is that? you know? i was -- it was l