Oak Smith Pt 1 | My Job as a Prison Warden Wasn't to Punish
Chad talks with Oak Smith, former warden of San Quentin State Prison, about his 27-year journey from believing his job was to punish inmates to realizing the prison itself is the punishment. Oak shares how working at maximum security prisons where he had to "check his humanity at the gate" nearly destroyed him, and how San Quentin changed everything. He discusses the data behind rehabilitation, why he only wrote two support letters in his entire career, and the moment hardened criminals broke down crying when they saw dogs for the first time in 20 years. Oak also talks about Bob Goff's Love Does program, the father-daughter dance that had never happened before, and why corrections has the highest suicide rate of any profession.
Key Takeaways:
The punishment is being separated from society, not what happens inside - Oak spent years thinking his job was to punish inmates until he realized these people will eventually be his neighbors and need tools to succeed
Programs work and the data proves it - Overall prison recidivism is 60-70%, but programs like the newspaper and certain vocations have 0% return rates because people leave with actual skills
You can tell who's really changed versus who's faking it - Oak only wrote two support letters in 27 years because he could see the difference between inmates padding their resume and those who had genuine heart change
One bad staff member can make everything dangerous - An officer having a bad day who takes it out on 600 inmates can create a violent environment, so getting staff buy-in on rehabilitation is critical for everyone's safety
