among the nation's most notorious institutions, san quentin state prison. our cameras spent months documenting live on the inside. where gangs, drugs and sure boredom make up a violent mix. this is lockup san quentin. extended stay. san quentin has one of the longest histories of violence. >> there are fights. guys getting beaten up good. >> whether an inmate fresh off the street. >> disrespected by anybody. >> a gang dropout in protective custody. >> happened a couple days ago. so -- >> or an officer trying to maintain order. >> going for the jugular. >> they have all fallen vick tell to violent attacks. in the three months we were at san quentin we saw our fair share. >> 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 if they need to be separated from the general population. >> step forward. >> ad seg inmates live in single man cells, are on lockdown 23 hours a day and are handcuffed and escorted by officers for all moves. >> represe

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. >> 5-west-45, 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 s

. >> 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. the inmates segregate themselves out here. the reason being that the gangs want it that way. the blacks are over here, the hispanics is our main gang here at san quentin. it's because they're better organized. the white guys over here an the parallel bars and the picnic table, over in the corner you see where the asians are sitting. >> you can't just walk and sit down at a table. i have to explain that. confrontation with that two or three times. i saw a table, i sat down. it's not like that. you got to ask for permission. >> 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 ti

at california's san quentin state prison.lace 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 and the adjustment

san quentin. paul chambers reports.>>> boom. >> reporter: sports can be a common denominator. -- bring people around a common cause, winning. >> but this is not your normal softball game. one side, the inmates of san quentin state prison're not wearing blue. were wearing baseball uniforms. it is a blessing. >> reporter: the other is a soulful sunday softball team. >> want to give them some come artery and let them know that we are thinking of them. there making -- and they are made up of permanent -- current and former residents of richmond. they said that when you come home to richmond, california, we will have services available to you.to those somewhat cast away. >> when you get out, i want to show them that they can make a change into something positive. >> it is what giving back to me. and appreciating my time in the house. >> this is the second year that the two teams applied each other. last year, san quentin one, 22- 6. it is not just for those playing, it is also for the spectators on the yard. the once we spoke with, also from richmond. >> a lot of those who commit crimes, they become disconnected from the communities. >> it gives us some sort of humility to show us that we do matter. >>> he has been hearsay

>> 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. >> sir, sir, sir, back up, back up, back up. watch where you're walking. there's blood. there's blood on the ground. maurice, ge

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

he's taking his team on regular trips to san quentin state prison for face to face meetings with theris sanchez shows us. >> angry mad at the world. >> reporter: von miles has called the california department of corrections home for the last 22 years. >> i was arrested in 1995 for first degree murder. >> reporter: he said he dedicated those years to self-transformation and is a state certified crisis counselor. >> a whole lot of remorse and regret. if you sit there like i have sat in there for the past 22 years, bound to change me. >> reporter: now he sits in an unlikely circle made up of inmates from san quentin and prosecutors from the san francisco district attorney's office. >> name is alex. >> reporter: they're coming together as part of a new effort meant to humanize the criminal justice system. >> we need to be punished if we committed a crime. also we're not past being rehabilitated. >> reporter: the district attorney has been taking his prosecutors for san quentin for several years now. he says prosecutors have never struggled filling jeail cells bt he believes they miss the

one side, the inmates of san quentin state prison. >> right now we're not in prison. got baseball uniforms on, we're not wearing blue, and it's a blessing. >> reporter: the other, the soulful sunday softball team. >> we want to come in and show the brothers some camaraderie. >> reporter: it is made up of former residents of richmond who want to make a difference. >> the softball game is a vehicle, a gateway to getting to what needs to really be done. when you come home to richmond, we will have services available to you. >> a lot of people here may be forgotten on the outside. when they get out i want to show them that they can make a change and do something positive. >> it's all about giving back. >> reporter: this is the second year the two teams have played each other. last year san quentin won 22-6. the game isn't just for those playing. it's also for the spectators on the yard. >> we're able to reconnect to our communities. a lot of us, when we commit these crimes, we become disconnected to our families and community. >> this is a blessing to show that you say we

state seal. it was forged by inmate welders at san quentin from 1952. of the jails in prison that offer vocational trading, welding has always been aamong the most common. 20 miles south of sacramento's downtown jail sits its branch facility. it's here inmate welders carry on the tradition. >> you get that 9:00 to 5:00 job feeling like you're back on the streets working a job. i've been on a hiatus the last ten years doing nothing. at 52, i guess it's time i start doing what i should have probably been doing years ago. >> overton is serving one year on his laters conviction, possession of a firearm by a felon. >> i haven't been in this jail since '90 something. i thought i would never see the inside of this one again. >> he served time in jail several times over the past 25 years on multiple counts of forgery, identity theft and drug possession. >> i've got the experience of welding. keep a job and get money put away finally instead of screwing around like an idiot like i have been a few years. >> the more experienced inmates take on jobs for outside clients such as this cust