Friends Outside

2Pm Today at Victory Park!

Helping to celebrate the Grand Opening of Pathways at St Mary's Community Services. One of the largest shelter operations in CA.

Friends Outside represented by Sharee and Felix at the 2026 Juneteenth celebration in Stockton. Food, friends and fun were all on the menu. Celebrating freedom and the resilient spirt of the Black Community!

Visiting status can change, check before you go- https://www.cdcr.ca.gov/visitors/visiting-status/

Once in a while, "do-gooders” get the lime light and we are proud to see our very own Brenda Gunderson, Visitor Center Coordinator at California Institution for Men get recognized. She is being presented with a Senior Legacy Award!

Brenda shines through the incredible work she does with Friends Outside as a Visitor Center Coordinator, helping to make the connections between incarcerated loved ones and their families stay strong. Her dedication doesn’t stop there. She also gives back through her volunteer efforts in the community, making a meaningful difference wherever she goes.

We are so lucky to have you on our team and incredibly proud of the impact you’re making!

Join us in celebrating Brenda!

Friends Outside is an organization committed to serving all 31 California state prisons, including San Quentin Rehabilitation Center, by providing resources and reentry services to residents. 

During weekend visiting hours, families can utilize Friends Outside services while visiting the family center station at the facility. If a guardian forgets a child’s birth certificate and is prevented visiting access, the visiting coordinator will babysit children, providing a play area, food, and books during visiting hours.

The organization offers visiting family members clothing exchange options when a person’s outfit is outside California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation’s approved standards.

🔗Read more at https://sanquentinnews.com/reentry-programs-can-aid-in-public-safety/ (LINK IN BIO)
✍️ Eric Allen
📸 Marcus Casillas

More to come!!!

Reentry had a graduation!

Creative Conflict Resolution was the curriculum and emotions management was the purpose! Congratulations to these graduates!

Thank you for your masterful facilitation!

If you are visiting a CA State Prison soon, you should know the rules. Visits do get denied to well intentioned but uninformed visitors. Click here for more- https://www.cdcr.ca.gov/visitors/prepare-to-visit/

If you find yourself on grounds being denied, ask for directions to the Visitor Center. Staff there can usually help!

CDCR Visiting Guidelines - Prepare to Visit After receiving approval to visit, get familiar with CDCR’s visiting guidelines so you’re prepared to visit.

New research: How past incarceration affects people later in life Two recent studies authored by Professor Carmen Gutierrez and her colleagues show that prior incarceration is associated with various geriatric health conditions and reduced life ...