What's Happening at High Desert
Let me start by saying that I wanted High Desert to be offered our R.I.S.E. program because I feel this particular institution is so far away from everyone and everything that I thought they didn't have much in the way of programming. I was wrong.
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High Desert is one of the most northeastern prisons in California. Located in Susanville, many of us have to travel through Nevada and then cross back into California just to reach it.
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I had been there once before when I met with an LWOP prisoner whose uncle may or may not have been the founder of the Crips way back when.
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I mention all this as the ever-lending lesson of not making assumptions and not assuming all prison programming makes sense or is standardized. It truly is the wild west out here.
Who, What, Where?
When I shared the need for a reliable facilitator at High Desert, my partner responded within two days with a name: Phillip Chacon. I reached out on October 29, 2025, and received a thoughtful, professional response. Our first call took place on November 3, and the new welcome packet was mailed on November 5. By December 13, Phillip had already recruited three additional facilitators and enrolled 25 participants for their first class.
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The speed of implementation was remarkable.
Phillip is highly organized and provides consistent Friday check-ins, allowing us to address questions in real time and offer meaningful support to the group.
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Ongoing support is essential when launching a program of this depth, and this level of communication has been key to its early success.
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We look forward to continued updates and photos as the program grows.
