Humans of San Quentin

Home
United States
San Quentin, CA
Humans of San Quentin

Directions Website

HOSQ collects real stories shared by people currently incarcerated in all prisons to bring awareness & build connections.

Our aim is to give voice to the unheard by sharing daily life inside prison.

10/31/2026

Since 2020, 5,019 people in prison have written to Humans of San Quentin, from every one of the 50 states. They have no internet, just mail, so every number in this video is a person who sat down and wrote us a letter. California leads with 1,763, followed by Oregon, Arkansas and Mississippi. Find your state and tell us in the comments where you're from. We want every voice, and we write back to every one. If you'd like to help us keep doing that, you can donate at humansofsanquentin.org/donate.

10/30/2026

As time passes me slowly,
my thoughts invade my soul.
My past pain and haunting memories crush me.
They invade what’s broken,
devouring what is whole,
as confusion contorts my reality.
My sanity runs far away.
My mind swallows every emotion.
My body screams, it’s all I can take.
Save me, for I am broken,
my pieces lost,
blown away in this treacherous wind,
for my mind has been left unspoken,
each word forgotten, unheard of, left
truly unsaid.

Depression

The longing for compassion is sad,
the begging for kindness is real,
the yearning for love is unattainable.
Depression haunts me,
this is how I feel!
Every day I strive for better,
every night I struggle to succeed,
every night I plea to Jesus
to be king of my very own knees.
It’s been a long winding road to follow,
never knowing what lays ahead.
Life tests me, breaks me,
torments me.
It taunts me to give into death.
It tosses my every emotion
till I sink from where I have been.
I’ve been lost,
I’ve been left,
I’ve been unstable & broken,
I’ve been unable to find the
strength to really
just live.

Acceptance?

The agreement, the conscious decision,
the acceptance of my reality
starts within myself. It’s the
change I need to be made. Hopefully
I made a better choice?
Only just within myself. Can I struggle?
Will it be hard? Will reality sometimes slip
far away? Will I beg for my soul to turn to
brighter days? To want better but accept the
worst is a pain that haunts my memories
for accepting forgiveness. Is the hardest thing
of turning my life could ever take but the
acceptance within a person might be the
truth to every lie? I accept better.
I accept my reality. I accept every
positive change, but only if... It starts
within myself.
I only write poetry. I write from the heart and my experiences. I have a whole book of poems I’m writing.
Read their full story and learn how your support helps us share thousands of voices from inside. Link in bio.
Anita, 35
Incarcerated: 2 years
Housed: Louisville Metro Department of Corrections, Kentucky

10/29/2026

Love is being seen. Love is being heard. 💛
Diane joined the very first episode of The Loving Uprising with Jessica Aviva to talk about what can happen when we stop defining people by their worst moment and start listening to their stories.
They spoke about human connection across prison walls, the assumptions we carry about incarceration, restorative justice, and what it means to build a more compassionate world.
We’re honored that Humans of San Quentin was part of episode one.
Listen to the full conversation and let us know what stayed with you.

10/28/2026

A closer look at our November Mail Club 💌
Every issue is put together by hand and filled with art, poetry, recipes, stories, and more from people inside prison.
Each piece gives you the chance to meet someone through their creativity, their memories, and their words, beyond the labels that so often define them.
One envelope. So many voices. 💛
Join Mail Club and have the next issue delivered to your mailbox. Link in bio.

10/27/2026

They say time is a thief,
Sitting in a jail cell dealing with grief.
Trauma, abuse, domestic violence,
Time steals moments and keeps you silent.

They say time is a thief,
Sitting in a jail watching time slowly go by,
Dealing with shock and disbelief.
Hours, minutes, seconds, days fade away.
Time steals memories I’ll never get back today.

They say time is a thief,
Sitting in a jail cell missing my life,
Knowing I’ll never get that time back, then
Slowly time starts giving back to me, time to
make some things right. What was stolen is
now being restored.

They say time is a thief, and ironically, I’m
given time. Sitting in a jail cell, time is given me
freely: time to heal, time to feel, time to speak.
Time is no longer a thief. Time is giving me
life to breathe. Sitting in a jail cell, I can
finally be free.

This picture was the last day I’ve seen my mom smile. I won’t let my family see me. This time I’m doing isn’t going to waste! I’ve been incarcerated for 1 year 6 months, and I’ve learned a lot about myself in a program for Domestic Violence class, grief, trauma, s*x trafficking. I love it. I’ve learned so much about myself. I’m so happy about you, Humans of San Quentin. I can help you when I’m out. Finally, someone to show our gratitude to! Thank you for everything you’re doing for all of us in here. I hope that you really know it’s a huge blessing. Sending you appreciation for this.
Estefana, 50
Incarcerated: 1 year
Housed: Plane State Jail, Dayton, Texas

10/26/2026

A life is more than its hardest chapter.
In his letter, Joseph reflects on his time on death row: the anger he felt toward the world, the anger he felt toward himself, and the pain of losing a friend to ex*****on.
Today, he’s living in Sacramento, has earned a degree from Bakersfield College, cheers for the Golden State Warriors, loves dogs, and is thriving. In this reel, our intern Hyla reads Joseph’s words and shares his story.
Take a moment to listen.

10/25/2026

In 2010, I was kicked out of a prison and shipped to one in Coldwater, Michigan. It was there that my life would change forever. I have been incarcerated since 1999 for the charge of homicide. I have dedicated my incarceration to correcting the flawed thinking utilized by me as a result of childhood trauma, an unknown wounded inner child, and an unfortunate upbringing inundated with child protective services and neglect. Succinctly, up until that point, I served my incarceration drinking, gambling, and perpetuating the crimes that led me to prison. One day, I realized that I wanted something different, but I did not know how to acquire such a thing. Dogs in prison were a new thing at that period, and I had zero confidence that I would be selected to participate. But there were powers in play greater than me. Those powers blessed me with the opportunity to participate in the dog program The Greyhound Inmate Experience in 2012. To my surprise, the trainers failed to mention the condition the dogs arrived in. Coming straight from the racetrack in Mobile, AL, the dogs were emaciated, riddled with fleas and ticks, open wounds, filthy, and terrified. I could not help myself. I cried as I helped the babies, and it was in that moment that my actions finally resonated within me. This was the pain my actions were inflicting on families via my poor decision making. The dogs were my catalyst to ameliorating me and becoming the man writing this letter. Today, I am a proud owner of a Bachelor’s Degree from Calvin University, and I currently train dogs for the blind through a program called Leader Dog for the Blind. The dogs provided a mirror for me that forced change and created a human. Hopefully, my picture can represent a human being that made a terrible decision, owns the bad choice, has used the time incarcerated to correct my thinking, and now lives as a man filled with love, compassion, empathy, and critical thinking, all thanks to some abused retired greyhounds that saved me. Read Mario’s full story and learn how your support helps us share thousands of voices from inside. Link in bio.
Mario, 50
Incarcerated: 27 years
Housed: Ionia, Michigan

10/24/2026

💌 “Your past may explain you, but it does not have to define you.”
In a heartfelt letter to the outside world, Tasha shares her journey toward faith, self-discovery, and unconditional love. Alongside her words, her vibrant artwork offers another glimpse into her creativity and the hope she continues to nurture.
Her story reminds us that behind every incarcerated person is a human being capable of growth, change, and connection. ❤️
At Humans of San Quentin, we believe every story deserves to be heard, and every person deserves to be seen beyond their past.

10/23/2026

Ten years inside Cook County, and Rogelio's mission was education.
A friend 20 years into his sentence never missed a day of school unless it was an emergency. Rogelio earned his high school diploma there. His words: "No matter how bad it gets, never stop learning."
Omar is one year in and writes poems every day. Don't just count the days, make the days count.
And in episode 10 of The Prison Podcast, "The Power of Bearing Witness," Martina Schneider brings survivors of violent crime face-to-face with the people who harmed them.
We've heard 4,500 stories. These are three of them. Sign up for our newsletter to read the rest.
humansofsanquentin.org

10/22/2026

In 2021, I was in a near death, life changing, very traumatic situation that I'm still processing and learning to cope with. Luckily, (I believe) God gave me the strength to fight long enough, and by His will I was able to find my way out and get to help. I still suffer, probably always will from a traumatic brain injury, frontal lobe damage, which has a lot to do with a person's memory, short and long. So, I struggle each day with memory loss. At first, remembering names of my own family was difficult. As time goes forward, it gets easier. Up until my arrest, I just used drugs to numb all the pain. Now, learning how to feel all these emotions is new and harder to face. My fiancé of 4 years recently took his own life, struggling with life also. He was in the country jail. The emotions I feel for that loss are very extreme. A pain so bad, some days it takes my air out my lungs. I have a beautiful 5yr old daughter, who is my heart, my whole world. Being gone, missing important moments eats at me each day. I try so hard to let those feelings motivate me, not bring me down. This is my second time doing this. My 1st time was almost too easy. I was barely 20 years old. At that age, I couldn't be told nothing. I'm still young now, but back then, not only was I reckless, but I didn't see a reason for change. So, here we are. This time ain't no joke, yet I have grown to be grateful for this length of time to work on myself and try to be a better person for my own good before anybody else's, keeping my girl as my #1 motivator. It's a scary thought, to be serving 16 1⁄2 years at 50%, outdated late 2033, especially when you're 25! That same feeling keeps me focused and helps me not let anyone get me out of my body! I'm struggling daily with life, but I'm a work-in progress! I'm grateful for this time to mentally learn how to deal with life and still become the successful woman I strive to be, the mother my daughter needs me to be. I'm grateful to still be alive, breathing. By God's grace! I hope my story helps another see that they can do it. Life is tough, but so are we! Bless up! Read their full story and learn how your support helps us share thousands of voices from inside. Link in bio.
Brienna, 25
Incarcerated: 2 yrs
Housed: Decatur Correctional Center, Illinois

Address

P O Box 417
San Quentin, CA
94964

Website

https://linktr.ee/humansofsanquentin

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Humans of San Quentin posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.