The 2020 COVID-19 outbreak at San Quentin State prison was one of the worst virus outbreaks in the state. And some of the most detailed accounts came from people behind the walls — incarcerated people making phone calls to media outlets, collaborating with investigative journalists, and publishing their own stories in the prison newspaper.
Juan Haines was the Editor in Chief of San Quentin News during that time. He published dozens of articles detailing how the virus was affecting people on the inside. But, as Haines tells Uncuffed producer Anthony Carvalho, his experience with another outbreak, decades before, prepared him for this moment and shaped his investigative career.
Every person has their own truth. And I think every person ought to be entitled to their own truth, and power shouldn't determine what truth is.Juan Haines
This piece was brought to you from the team at Uncuffed. Our work in prisons is supported by the California Arts Council, the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, and donations from listeners like you. The producers fact-check content to the best of their ability. Content is approved by an information officer.
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