>> 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 r

>> 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." in america's prisons, violence is a way of life. 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. >> it happened a couple of days ago so -- >> 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. ♪ for the ruler of all evil 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

this is "lockup: san quentin, extended stay." san quentin state prison served as the reception center for 17 counties in 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. in the circles they travel in, unfortunately, it is. you know, i made it. i'm in state prison now. >> with repeat offenders clogging up the works, the officers struggle to keep the inmates under control. >> control, be advised we have an alarm in south block. >> i can only speculate and the only thing i can think of is we have a missing inmate. that's probably the number one thing. >> step on the tiers and conduct a count, submit it to patrol immediately. >> hernandez. i don't know where he is. >> his name is skanvinsky hymes. my prison number is e-04448. i've had this prison number since i was 18 years old. i just turned 37 on february 15th. i'll be discharged from the prison system in a

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 "lock up: san quentin-extended stay." >> they treat us like animals in here. >> don't let me catch you up in here. this ain't no regular penitentiary. it's the hole, man. >> basically, it's the same thing every day, you know? you sit in your cell. sleep in your cell. >> strip out right now. >> get down! >> yeah. >> as long as i keep busy, then i'll be all right. but the second i'm at a standstill, i don't know what to do and i'm looking for something to do, i'm going to get myself in a wreck. i'm going to get in trouble. >> pacing back and forth, two or three hours at a time. everyone here is like animals. back and forth, back and forth, back and forth. nothing happens. so it's like one day goes into another. and the next thing you know, weeks go by, months go by, years go by. >> a new day begins at san quentin. >> good morning, gentlemen. >> how are you doing?

>> 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." as the oldest prison in california, san quentin is steeped in a violent history. >> get out in the yard. take a hole. >> taking in and distributing inmates from 17 counties, its criminal population changes almost every day. >> just keeping this place functional is an enormous effort. >> the prison uses a set of regulations and procedures to maintain order. but inmates often operate under a different code of conduct. >> the inmates have what they call prison politics here, and the gangs control all of that. they have literally written rules and regulations, and the repercussions for not following those rules are serious. >> get down. >> anyone that's active, they are going to hit me if they see me. they are going to kill me, try to slice me. >> sir, sir, sir, back up, back up, back up. watch where you're walking. there's blo

. >>> built in 1852, and home to california's death row, san quentin state prison was bursting at theshot 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? >> 19. >> 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 since i was 15 years old for murder.

. >> this was ray nearly a year ago, an inmate at san quentin state prison. serving and a half years for manslaughter. >> the turning point was actually at the moment i committed my offense. i had enough. and i knew that i needed to make some changes. >> his transformation began with venture capitalists. the founders of the six month prison program, aimed as turning hem into tech entrepreneurs. there's pencil and paper, and passion for learning. they call it the last mile. >> what we want to do is make sure that the guys get out and they get the chance to assimilate back. >> california has more than 130,000 inmates, according to the department of corrections. 65% commit another crime after release. these statistics convinced the couple to start want program three years ago. >> we're not giving people the tools that they need to be successful in society once they're released >> reporter: students here learn to blog and tweet through books. and they wrote business plans through people like mc hammer, and all culminates with a demo date where they pitch to inves

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

. ♪ >>> california's 150-year-old san quentin state prison has been the site of much history, includinghe first 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 m

>> among the nation as 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. don't get me wrong. >> 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 staff 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 tran

he now waits transfer to california's notorious san quentin state prison just 40 miles west of santantil he leaves, he will be in the jail's most restrictive high security housing unit for an alleged act of violence that occurred two months earlier. this time the victim was another inmate, robert haynes. >> my face, i couldn't believe it. >> beautiful face. so sad, man. surprised, man. >> charged with pimping, pandering and human trafficking to which he has pled not guilty, haynes says he had a friendly relationship with white. >> he was cool though. i didn't really have no problems with him till that day the day he lost a bet. >> according to haynes, white lost a bet with him over a football game. the wager was two $1 containers of instant soup from the jail commissary. >> he didn't want to give it up. then he did. when he gave it up, he started mouthing. i started mouthing him back. come holler at me in the cell. >> hanes says when he stepped inside the cell, white lunged at him. >> sliced me in the face with a razor. i didn't even see the razor in his hand, he did it so fast. i gu

>> among the nation's most notorious institutions, san quentin state prison. ife on the inside where gangs, drugs, and sheer boredom make up a violent mix. this is "lockup: san quentin -- extended stay." as the oldest prison in

>> among the nation's most notorious institutions, san quentin state prison.eras spent months documenting life on the inside where gangs, drugs and sheer boredom make up a violent mix.

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