I grew up on the grounds of San Quentin, became a Correctional Officer there and soon found myself driven to document prison life. Over the years, I witnessed the slow collapse of the 'con-boss' system and the birth of the lock-down approach, which rewards homicidal inmates at the expense of both staff and mainline inmates. After the brutal murder of a fellow officer, I decided I could no longer remain passively silent, and for the next three years smuggled my Hasselblad CM500 camera into the prison and documented candid, uncensored prison scenes. In1980, my camera was confiscated, and 8 months later I was terminated for shooting unauthorized photographs in the prison, though the official charge simply read: 'failure to meet minimum standards'. Devastated at losing my profession, I fled to Hawaii, where I spent the next 15 years. I now live in the beautiful mountains of Southern Oregon. Photography has always been my passion, and I now shoot scenics and sell prints and photocards.