Friends Outside

08/01/2026

Rise and Rebound interns are close to the end of their 6 weeks. They spent Friday morning at the Emergency Food Bank, volunteering and helping families with food insecurities get the food they need. Thank you for the orientation, CEO Leonard Hansen.

Volunteering teacher valuable skills necessary for successful employees.

Compassion, accountability, reality.

Emergency Food Bank - Stockton/San Joaquin, California

07/28/2026

We Believe in Second Chances

There are four ways that people can reduce prison sentences once they are incarcerated. When the public is not aware or informed about how that can affect original sentencing, it can cause voters to have a distorted sense of their state’s justice system, according to a report by National Affairs.

The four methods are the California Board of Parole Hearings process, remaining disciplinary-free while in custody, actively participating in-prison programming, and the Elderly Parole Program.

“In all but a few states, someone who hears of a carceral sentence imposed in court should assume that the convicted person will spend significantly less time in prison,” the report states.

🔗 Read more: https://sanquentinnews.com/does-a-life-sentence-mean-life-in-prison-sentence-reductions-explained/
✍️ Bostyon Johnson
📸 Courtesy of CACorrections

07/28/2026

This past weekend, Get on the Bus, Center for Restorative Justice Works, brought children and families to visit loved ones at San Quentin and Friends Outside was there to help make the visits fun! Thanks Jasmin and Juan for representing!

Kudos all around for helping make the parent child bond that much stronger. Visits, where appropriate, make a difference for everyone!

07/28/2026

The 2026 Get On The Bus season is here! 🚌

We look forward to visiting and reuniting children with their incarcerated parents this year at the following facilities:

✨️ April 11 — Calipatria State Prison (CAL)

✨️ April 18 — Avenal State Prison (ASP)

✨️ April 25 — California Men's Colony (CMC)

✨️ May 2–3 — High Desert State Prison (HDSP)

✨️ May 9 — Central California Women's Facility (CCWF)

✨️ May 23 — California Institution for Women (CIW)

✨️ June 6 — Folsom State Prison (FSP)

✨️ June 6 — CSP Sacramento (SAC)

✨️ June 13 — Correctional Training Facility (CTF)

✨️ June 13 — Salinas Valley State Prison (SVSP)

✨️ June 25 — San Quentin Rehabilitation Center (SQ)

✨️ July 24 — Substance Abuse Training Facility (SATF)

✨️ July 24 — CSP Corcoran (CSP-COR)

✨️ Aug 8–9 — Pelican Bay State Prison (PBSP)

More info at crjw.org

07/28/2026

Have you ever tried to understand the Federal System and surveillance ? Prison Policy Initiative offers this-

Because it is so fragmented, the federal system can be particularly hard to understand, which only makes it harder to change effectively through policy. We ...

07/24/2026

If you're in Stockton -

07/24/2026

Weekend visitation opens at 11AM at all CDCR Prisons except for CRC which is closed to visitors. Things change so check before you go by clicking here- https://www.cdcr.ca.gov/visitors/visiting-status/

07/23/2026

We are proud of Cassandra! She took advantage of the education offered in prison, got her bachelors and her Substance Use Disorder credential. She is on the new team at our Reentry offices providing support and treatment to Prop 47 qualified clients.

Help us welcome Cassandra!

When Cassandra Hamm arrived at the Female Community Reentry Program (FCRP) in Stockton, she was determined to change the course of her life.

07/23/2026

07/23/2026

We turned 70 last year and it looks like we are in good company! Thank you for highlighting the good work of Friends Outside as we both turn 70!

Friends Outside, a Stockton-based organization, supports families of incarcerated individuals and helps inmates reintegrate into society through various programs and services.