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

at california's san quentin state prison.th row is a quiet place where inmates are much more concerned with filing appeals than causing trouble. that's not the case here. [ alarm sounding ] >> me, myself, i consider every inmate in here a potential threat. >> our producer met two officers assigned to keep watch in the adjustment center, where san quentin's most violent death row inmates are housed. the daily grind here is bleak for both inmates and staff. >> mentality of most inmates in this unit is, i'm on death row, there's nothing you can do to me. if i assault you today, there's nothing you can do to me tomorrow. you can only kill me once. >> assaults are so common here, any contact with inmates even serving meals requires officers to suit up in full riot gear. >> but that doesn't stop them from gassing. which is where they throw a variety of substances, can be anything, urine, feces. >> any time you open the food port, there's an opening for that inmate to assault you. >> death row at san quentin is a really scary place

. >> in 1987, the "today" show went to san quentin state prison and interviewed the infamous charles manson. he was unshackled and unapologetic. >> you know, if i wanted to kill somebody, i'd take this book and beat you to death with it. and i wouldn't feel a thing. >> the interview sparked controversy within nbc. >> we here on the "today" show staff debated among ourselves whether to air his answers. half or

. >> darryl "big d" wright is serving hard time at california's aging san quentin state prison.lls shop. >> we have three barbers in here. we're pretty steady. you know, they come in. one of us try to be here at all times. so we all have to know how to cut all kind of hair. >> as with any barber, it's important to keep the customers satisfied. that's especially true when your clients are inmates. >> you know, occasionally guys, they drop by and want to give you a little something if you give a good haircut, you know? want to give you a soup or something like that or a canned good or something like that. it's not a mandatory thing but they won't let you refuse them. you know what i'm saying? they won't let you refuse them. >> barber shops have been a favorite stop for "lockup" crews at prisons nationwide. >> any man that walks through the door can get a haircut and he'll get a good haircut. he might not get a whole lot of layers and feathers and all that, but he'll get a good haircut. >> we met willard lucas at indiana state prison. he had been working the same chair for 26 years

. >> 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, mother -- ha 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. if you had a dollar for every dollar car insurance companies say they'll save you by switching, you'd have like a ton of dollars. but how are they saving you those dollars? a lot of companies might answer "um..." or "no comment". then there's esurance - born online, raised by technology and majors in efficiency. so whatever they save, you save: hassle, time, paper work, hair tearing out and, yes, especially dollars. that's auto and home insurance for the modern world. esurance. backed by allstate. click or call. t...to help sense danger before7 was engiyou do. . because when you live to

. >> at california's san quentin state prison, we saw how sophisticated some inmate weaponry can be. this homemade pistol is known as a zip gun. >> this portion is filled with groundup matchups. >> the two holes here, the inmate inserts a wick, inmate takeses a plunger, pokes shrapnel in the open end. pieces of metal, groundup zippers. when the target walks by the cell, may it be an officer, inmate, the inmate lights this. when it goes down, strikes the match heads, basically acts like a firecracker and shoots the shrapnel out. >> the majority of inmate-manufactured weapons or shanks, designed for slashing and stabbing. the ease and with lethal weapons are made is shocking. this san quentin inmate who goes by the name speedy, agreed to show correctional staff and "lockup" cameras just how simple it can be. he starts by using a roll of toilet paper as a crude forge to melt plastic coffee cup lids. >> i'm making a weapon right now. melting this plastic down into a shape. what i'm dying i'm trying to get a little wad of it to where i have something to work with, you know what i mean? ri

. >> 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

that the media as a lot inside with open access to talk to any of the prisoners >>reporter: san quentin state prison and nestle on the shore of san francisco bay in marin accounting some of california's most dangerous criminals call this place home over 700 of them sit on death row some notorious california killers are locked up here the night stalker richard ramirez the serial killer weapons and bird or died of cancer in 2013 he brutally murdered and dismembered his wife lacy and the unborn son, he dumped it remains an san francisco bank is a story that brought the nation he was convicted and sentenced to die by lethal injection more than a decade later scott peterson is just another in may his one and a centers screen hiding behind have been shaved as our cameras rolling sitting in his tiny cell douglas a. kent and the sunset strip keller and his girlfriend's carol bundy or convicted of a series of gruesome murders talk and prostitutes and lost and was back in the early '80s he says he did not do it with barely road between the bed and wall there is a limited amount of space to move around in the

>> our cameras were at california's san quentin state prison when officers received word that a 20-year-oldering severe chest pains. >> be advised, medical emergency. >> the thing you have to realize about san quentin is that this is -- this prison was built prior to the civil war and the cells are stacked five stories high. no elevators. so of course the emergency that we were covering, it was on the fifth floor. so not only did we have to haul our stuff up there but so did the responding correctional officers. >> up on the fifth tier, officers tend to the inmate inside his cell. >> you're going to have to take some deep breaths, man. i know you might be in pain, but you're going to have to help me. >> moments later the paramedics arrive on the tier. >> the paramedics had to make the five-story climb as well and it's difficult to respond right away because of that. but the bigger challenge though was getting the inmate out of his cell and back down all of those stairs. >> hospital door carson 2 be advised, we have inmate in stretcher, en route to the urgent care clinic. >> the officers and

few, though, made as lasting an impression on us as solon league of california's san quentin state prison a third termer. he's a first termer, he got 12 years. i only got 13 days now. so i'm really preparing him to what's ahead of him. we keep our house clean. >> league gave both his cellmate and our producer a lesson on the finer points of laundry behind bars. >> i get my t-shirt, grab my bar of soap, dip it in the toilet. i keep my toilet fresh and clean. scrub it out. like so. and once the toilet fills up, it's fresh water now. i can just rinse it. i fold my towels. put it here. right up under here is my clothesline. >> league went on to give us a cooking demonstration, using toilet paper like a stovetop burner. >> take this, set it on the edge of the toilet. because it's got to breathe. might set it here, might light it at the bottom. as you see, it's like a fire. you hold your can over it, and you cook. therefore your water gets hot. flush it down. grab a damp towel because you don't want it to be on your toilet. don't want to burn your toilet up. i get my bowl, crack my soup open an

san quentin's death row. as the prison begins to run out of room to house the inmates. find out what the state has planned. after three decades, the sound of music is back in one local high school, because a generous donation by someone with a huge heart. and a controversial court fight between apple and the federal government. over privacy, terrorism and cell phones. hey pal? you ready? can you pick me up at 6:30? ah... (boy) i'm here! i'm here! (cop) too late. i was gone for five minutes! ugh! move it. you're killing me. you know what, dad? i'm good. (dad) it may be quite a while before he's ready, but our subaru legacy will be waiting for him. (vo) the longest-lasting midsize sedan in its class. the twenty-sixteen subaru legacy. it's not just a sedan. it's a subaru. >> pam :a big battle is brewing over consumer privacy and public safety. tech giant "apple". has rejected an order by a federal judge, to help the f-b-i unlock the i-phone used by one of the terrorists in the december san bernardino attack. apple c-e-o tim cook says. that action would set a dangerous precedent. which would threaten the secur

san quentin sits in marin, on the banks of the san francisco bay. behind the 22ft high walls.hundreds of the state's worst offenders sit on death row. >> pam: the prisonis filling up fast.the department of corrections is running out of room to house these inmates. >> pam: kron 4's alecia reid looks at the future of the prison, and what's being done to keep these criminals locked up. s >> reporter:san quentin is home to the largest death row in the country. there hasn't been an execution since 2006. >> reporter:so right now, there are hundreds of inmates who will likely spend the rest of their lives awaiting execution. >> reporter:now, the prison is trying to find out where to put them all. >>--we'll still be accepting every new condemned inmate to san quentin >>--doing time isn't easy. >> reporter:some inmates in their 80s have been on death row for decades. for those in their 20s. their prison bid is just starting. >> reporter:most inmates spend an average of 15 years on this notorious cell block. >> -it's hard i'm not gon tell you no. >> reporter:some of the condemned. are holding out hope a retrial or appeal will set them free. >> reporter:one inma

prison sentencing reform here in the state. we'll take you inside the all walls of san quentin to talk to the inmates currently stuck under this sentence enhancement system. that's tonight at 11:00. >>> we'll see you then if you have a tip for stephen stock, give us a call 888-996-tips or send us an e-mail to theunit@nbcbayarea.com. >>> i'm jeff ranieri. currently 62 degrees and a little bit of drizzle. you'll see on the radar we're tracking some spotter showers. full details on how long this lasts coming up in my micro climate forecast. >>> plus -- in the right place at the right time. the woman credited with finding a beloved bald eagle who vanished from its peninsula home. >>> also -- >> it's not just a matter, i don't think of -- >> she would like to stay here. she has the right the stay here. >> two elderly women who are being evicted from their burling game home are taking legal action. i'm michelle roberts. facing eviction from a new backlord. 97-year-oldburlingameg tonight. =gfx= >>> facing eviction from a new landlord. a burlingame woman is fighting back tonight. michelle roberts has our continuing coverage. she's liv

san quentin's death row but i was wrong. there's nothing that can prepare you for going into a maximum security prison, housing some of the worst offenders in the state. securityis tight, and it has to be. the guards, took every precaution to keep me safe. >> alecia :life on death row looks like this. 23 hours locked in a 4 by 10 foot cell. >> : i'm waiting to be murdered >> alecia :the routinethe same, every single day. for these hardened inmateskeeping their sanity is the challenge >> : i can't see myself going crazy >> alecia :this is the yard. not a patch of grass in site, instead, a row of cages to allow these inmates to get some fresh air. a total of ten hours a week it's called hard time some here won' t admit or deny their guilt >> : i don't know if there's an amount of time that one can do for the crime that i'm accused of, that can satisfy everyone >> alecia :others like sunset killer doug clark insist they're innocent. he's pinning his murderous rampage on his girlfriend, who was also convicted and sentenced to life. he says she acted alone. >> : she killed these six women in this case and another 2 they tried to frame me for. >> alecia :t

were at california san quenton state prison when officers received word that a 20-year-old inmate was suffering severe chest pains. >> the thing you have to realize about san quentin, is that this is a -- this prison was bill prior to the civil war and the cells are stacked five stories high. no elevators. so of course the emergency that we were covering was on fifth floor. so not only did we have to haul our stuff up there but so did the responding correctional officers. >> up on the fifth tier, officers tend to the inmate inside his cell. >> you're going to have to take deep breaths, man. i know you might be in pain, but you have to try to help. >> moments later, paramedics arrive on the tier. >> the par med picks had to make the five-story climb as well. it's difficult to respond right away because of that. but the bigger challenge, though, was getting the inmate out of his cell and back down all those stairs. >> be advised we have inmate in stretcher en route to urgent care clinic. >> the officers and paramedics did a really great job of getting him down using the handrail to support the stretcher. it was prim pressive how swiftly they were able to move him do

states.>>> like on a dangerous cellblock can take its toll. she went behind the scenes in san quentin. she takes a closer look at the conditions inside in the world's most notorious prisonsnd a story will only see on kron 4. >> reporter: life on death row looks like this. 23 hours locked in a 4 x 10 cell. >> i'm waiting to be murdered. >> reporter: the routine, the same every single day. for these hardened inmates, keeping their sanity is the challenge. >> i could see myself going crazy. >> reporter: this is the yard, not a patch of grass insight, instead a row of cages to allow them to get fresh air. a total of 10 hours a week, it is called hard time. some here will not admit or deny. tilt -- their guilt. >> i don't know that there's a mound of time -- in amount of time that would satisfy everyone . >> like this killer insist that their innocence. he is penning his murderous rampage on his girlfriend who was also convicted and sentenced to life. he says she acted alone. >> reporter: this place is a fortress, guards are armed with automatic rifles. they are ready to react at a moments notice. the east block is home to most death row inmates. i've hundred 20 cells packed