SAN QUENTIN, Calif. — For more than a century, San Quentin stood as a symbol of punishment in California — a fortress on the bay that housed the state’s death chamber and embodied a retributive approach to justice.
On Friday, Gov. Gavin Newsom returned to those grounds to mark what he described as a turning point: the opening of an 81,000-square-foot Learning Center meant to anchor a sweeping transformation of the institution into a rehabilitation-focused campus.
“Three years ago, I stood here and promised to turn this symbol of the old system into the crown jewel of a new one. Today, with the opening of this Learning Center, we are proving that rehabilitation and public safety go hand in hand — and that hope is a powerful tool for safer communities,” Newsom said.
The Learning Center is the centerpiece of the state’s effort to remake San Quentin into what officials now call the San Quentin Rehabilitation Center. It is intended not only to expand educational and vocational programming for incarcerated people but also to change the culture of the institution itself.
State officials describe the project as the physical embodiment of the California Model, an evidence-based approach to corrections inspired by international best practices that emphasizes dynamic security, normalization, staff wellness and meaningful programming. Dynamic security refers to fostering positive relationships and interactions between staff and incarcerated people; normalization rests on the principle that the more life inside resembles life in the broader community, the easier transition upon release will be.
Designed and built in 18 months — which the state described as the fastest state project of its kind — the $239 million Learning Center was completed on time and on budget through a lease revenue bond. The project, which aims for LEED Silver certification, incorporated more than 50 stakeholder meetings involving staff and incarcerated residents and was informed by collaboration among security, operations and programming personnel.
Once home to California’s death chamber, the site now features three interconnected buildings organized around a campus-like setting that emphasizes natural light, open sightlines and courtyards overlooking San Francisco Bay. For many incarcerated residents, officials noted, the outdoor classrooms provide the first unobstructed view of the water they have long been able to hear and smell.
The Learning Center nearly triples classroom and programming space. Building A houses the Technology and Media Center, including a reentry center on the ground floor — “reinforcing that preparation for release begins on day one,” according to state officials. The building also includes podcast studios, television production facilities and recording spaces that support nationally recognized programs such as Ear Hustle and Uncuffed.
Coding instruction is offered through partners including The Last Mile, a nonprofit that has provided technology training inside San Quentin for years. The California Correctional Training and Rehabilitation Authority, formerly the California Prison Industry Authority, administers a six-month, technology-based computer coding program under the supervision of instructors, business professionals and volunteers working with The Last Mile.
“The San Quentin Rehabilitation Education Center’s opening marks a significant step in transformation through education. The Learning Center provides opportunities for students to gain digital fluency and marketable skills that result in gainful employment,” said The Last Mile Executive Director Kevin McCracken. “This will create stronger families, safer communities, and better outcomes for all Californians. The Last Mile extends our heartfelt gratitude to Governor Newsom, his staff, CALCTRA, CDCR, and the team at San Quentin for their invaluable partnership in making this vision a reality.”
Building B serves as the Education Hub, anchored by partnerships with Cal State Los Angeles, UC Berkeley and Mt. Tamalpais College. It includes classrooms supporting high school completion, GED preparation and college-level coursework.
The expanded library marks a notable shift in philosophy. Instead of books being kept behind a counter, incarcerated people will be able to browse through stacks themselves for what officials described as a more normative library experience.
Building C provides Community and Workforce Space, including a multipurpose hall, a café and a store designed to normalize social and vocational experiences. The on-site café operates as part of a joint venture program with a locally owned coffee shop and is administered by the California Correctional Training and Rehabilitation Authority as a cooperative effort between private industry and the state.
The campus also includes dedicated reentry space for consultations with community-based providers and connections to employment opportunities aligned with educational goals and career training. State officials said the integrated use of technology and programming is intended to better prepare participants for successful reintegration.
“This historic initiative is aimed at making communities safer by creating change, using data-backed, proven measures to break cycles of crime for the incarcerated population, while improving workplace conditions for institution staff,” said California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation Secretary Jeff Macomber.
The transformation builds on Newsom’s 2019 executive order placing a moratorium on executions in California. That order halted executions, withdrew the state’s lethal injection protocol and ordered the closure of the execution chamber at San Quentin, though it did not release anyone from custody or alter existing convictions or sentences.
CDCR said it has since integrated people with death sentences into the general population, allowing them to work and pay victim restitution.
The Learning Center’s opening comes as Newsom’s administration highlights statewide crime trends. According to data from the Major Cities Chiefs Association cited by the governor’s office, violent crime in California’s major cities dropped 12% in 2025 compared with 2024, with homicides declining 18% and robberies declining 19%. Compared with 2019, violent crime across those departments is down about 12%, driven in part by robberies down about 29% and homicides down about 12%.
Not every major city has seen similar results, state officials noted, pointing to increases in some jurisdictions outside California.
National research shows that people who participate in correctional education programs are 43% less likely to return to prison, according to figures cited by the administration. For every $1 invested in rehabilitation, taxpayers save more than $4 in reduced reincarceration costs.
“The opening of the new learning center at San Quentin Rehabilitation Center marks a major milestone in the ongoing transformation of CDCR facilities into places that center rehabilitation, inspired by Governor Newsom’s launch of the California Model,” said San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins. “The new learning center will scale the work that has begun here and provide residents with more tools to advance their individual journeys as they work to become better than when they came in, making us all safer in turn.”
Supporters of the project framed the moment in moral as well as pragmatic terms.
“Thank you Governor for your willingness once again to act with boldness and clarity. Today’s historic opening is a testament to your insistence that accountability, compassion, and smart policy must go together,” said Darrell Steinberg, lead adviser to the San Quentin Advisory Council. “The San Quentin Rehabilitation Center will help define justice and hope in California. People who serve their time deserve a second chance to work, contribute, and come home safely to their families. This center must be a model for our state and nation.”
“This new Learning Center is more than bricks and mortar — it brings hope for the future of corrections in California,” said Neil Flood of the California Correctional Peace Officers Association. “If we are capable of building this at San Quentin, then we are capable of making the workplace safer for every officer who walks in the gates, and making every incarcerated person a better neighbor when they walk out.”
Advocates for survivors also endorsed the shift.
“Today marks a turning point for our state,” said Tinisch Hollins, executive director of Californians for Safety and Justice. “For too long, our prison system has focused almost entirely on punishment, at great cost and with too little return for public safety. The opening of this learning center signals a new direction — one that treats rehabilitation and healing as central to accountability. Given that the vast majority of people in prison will one day return home, when we invest in education and create real pathways to self-improvement and stability, we make our communities safer for everyone.”
Crime victims and survivors can contact CDCR’s Office of Victim and Survivor Rights and Services to learn more about how the Learning Center is intended to increase accountability and reduce recidivism. The office assists people impacted by crime in enforcing their rights, accessing services, seeking restitution and receiving timely notice of their rights and opportunities to participate in proceedings.
As sunlight filtered across the newly built courtyards and classrooms, the symbolism was difficult to ignore. A prison once defined by executions now houses podcast studios, coding labs and college courses. Whether the California Model can achieve its ambitious promises will unfold over years.
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