This podcast contains distressing themes and is not suitable for children.

Listener discretion is advised.

This is the Lost Boys of Wineville.

Chapter 29.

Judge not and ye shall not be judged.

In Marin County is San Quentin, one of California's oldest and most notorious prisons.

Adjacent to San Francisco Bay, the correctional facility, situated on grounds that span over 400 acres, was the first prison to open in California in the early 1850s. Following the gold rush that attracted people seeking to make their fortune,

criminal activity increased as more disillusioned residents, unable to line their pockets, decided to take what wasn't theirs.

A ship anchored in San Francisco Bay had acted as a jail of sorts, but it was not equipped to house

the growing number of inmates. As a solution, land was purchased overlooking the bay, where a facility

could be built to house any convicted

inmates. Initially, they were both male and female, at least until 1933. At first, around 250 prisoners

could be held at San Quentin. Today, the capacity is approximately 3,000. It was hoped the facility would focus

on reform through hard work and moral guidance. This was not the case to begin with. Private management

led to abuse. Prisoners were mistreated. Brutal punishments were enacted,

and there were a few escape attempts before the state stepped in and made improvements,

focusing on educational training and the banning of flogging.

Although San Quentin has undergone numerous changes and expansions throughout its history,

the facility consists of multiple housing units, including California's only death row

for male inmates who are awaiting execution.

That unit was built in 1909, and 20 years later, it would house Gordon Stewart Northcott.

Well, would house Gordon Stewart Northcott. When Stuart Northcott arrived at San Quentin by prison bus early one morning in February

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