KPBS 89.5FM Is First to Tape Radio Program Inside a California Prison

“These Days,” KPBS Radio’s local talk show, transports listeners inside state prison with a two-hour broadcast taped at R. J. Donovan Correctional Facility in Otay Mesa. The broadcast, airing Monday, February 1 from 9 to 11 a.m. on KPBS 89.5 FM, marks the first time any radio station has produced a broadcast from inside a California state prison.

“These Days” host, Maureen Cavanaugh, speaks with staff members, inmates and psychologists from inside the walls and razor wire of Donovan. Donovan staff members tell of conditions including overcrowding (4,700 inmates in a facility built for 2,200); the cutting of rehabilitation programs; the availability of mental health facilities and treatment; and controlling the large and diverse population.

The program contains interviews from the following subjects:

• Inmate Terry Campbell, a lifer convicted of first degree murder, who has been incarcerated for 40 years. He talks about his daily routine, dangers of prison life, and how he earned two college degrees while imprisoned.
•  Inmate Robert Walker, a level-one, non violent felon, who is serving the last year of a sentence for possession and sale of crack cocaine. He tells of a much different experience with more movement and more privileges.
•  Officer William Edrozo, a specialist in gangs at Donovan, details the numbers and ethnic makeup of gangs at Donovan (44) and the differences between prison gangs and “disruptive” gangs.
• Psychologists Rick Bjorklund and Chris Beletsis provide insight into the severity and treatment of the many mental health problems prevalent among inmates at Donovan.
• Cavanaugh also speaks with Correctional Counselors Edward Franklin and Michael Hagemann, as well as Lt. Ken Spence, Lt. Michael Stout and Community Partnership Manager Patti Colston.

This special is part of KPBS’s ongoing coverage of California’s prison system, which can be found at www.kpbs.org.

“These Days: Life in Prison” was produced by Pat Finn. Director is Kurt Kohnen. Executive Producer is Natalie Walsh. KPBS is a public service of San Diego State University, serving the region with TV, radio, and Internet content that is educational as well as entertaining- and free of commercial interruption.

Denise Scatena is a founding editor of SoCalPRBlog and owner of Lemonade Public Relations in San Diego, California. You can follow her on Twitter @denisescatena.