Meet Our Spring Intern: Esther Melton by Juan Moreno Haines This spring, Back to the Start welcomed Esther Melton as an intern supporting our narrative and policy work focused on disrupting the cradle-to-prison pipeline. Esther is a fourth-year medical student from the Bay Area currently studying at University of California, San Francisco. She previously earned degrees in African American Studies and Human Biology from Stanford University, where she explored the intersections

On July 25th, San Quentin Rehabilitation Center held its annual Day of Peace, an all-day event highlighting unity and rehabilitative programming. The first Day of Peace originated after a race riot took place at San Quentin in 2006. In response, a group of inmates petitioned the administration to create the Day of Peace. Each year, attendees wear white T-shirts to symbolize unity among residents. Day of Peace 2026 brought many attractions to San Quentin’s yard including a c

Back to the Start is honored to have worked with Dharaa Upadhyaya and Amani Williams on our mission to empower incarcerated people to tell their stories and rewrite the narrative. During their internships, Dharaa and Amani took on work across all sectors from policy advocacy, to communications, to grants and funding; they served as the keepers of our workshop participants’ stories. We are grateful for their leadership and initiative, and are thrilled to have been part of thei

On June 24th, the University of California, Santa Cruz hosted night one of the 21st Annual California Youth Court Summit with the theme, “Level Up Justice for All.” Our Executive Director, Dr. Jenny Espinoza, was the keynote speaker and emphasized the power of stories and empathy to cultivate understanding. Our film, Reflections Behind Bars, was hosted at the summit, and after the screening Dr. Espinoza hosted a fireside chat with Markelle Taylor (“26.2 to Life”) and Anthony