Doing Time in Q

In 1926, with the world still licking its wounds from a devastating war, a young man stands at the gates of San Quentin, hesitant at the thought of employment in this grim setting. But he walks through the gates into the bowels of the prison, where he remains for the next thirty-five years. He soon realizes that insanity reigns in the cell blocks and medieval practices of discipline are still enforced. He dreams of taking the prisoners out of their cells and onto a field playing ball, relieving growing racial tensions-because when men are engaged in sports, skin color disappears. "Doing Time is a fascinating and compelling story that reveals the depths of madness, hope and compassion that exist behind the walls of the infamous San Quentin Prison. Athletic Director Dan Coughlin touched the lives of thousands of prisoners through his innovative sports' programs and his belief that hardened prisoners can be rehabilitated. Today our nation's failed policies continue to breed violence and recidivism so we can learn a lot from this man's high standards of human decency." -Jeff Adachi, San Francisco Public Defender. Author Margery Ada McAleer is the daughter of Lt. Dan Coughlin, Founder of the San Quentin Prison Athletic System, whose life was the inspiration for this story.