Changing prison from the inside out.
An innovation lab led from inside San Quentin. We design and run original programs spanning art, recreation, research, and policy. We lead from the inside, and outside professionals support our work.
We can’t travel. Our ideas can.
About SkunkWorksEvery number below is a program we designed and run from inside the lab.
Proof, by the numbers
2026
Peer-reviewed paper we co-authored from inside San Quentin, with UC Irvine, published by Springer.
325 feet
The mural we realized inside San Quentin with international artist eL Seed, one of five completed large-scale works with world-renowned artists; four more are in development.
35
Residents in each Impact Team cohort lead the work from inside. More than fifty outside professionals back us.
SB 498
Our bill, California’s tablet messaging and call reform, co-drafted from inside and carried by lawmakers. The advocacy continues.
What works here can work anywhere.
We envision a world where the courage, experience, and the leadership of incarcerated people reshape the justice system.
Our Work
Culture is the program.
Most programs try to fix individuals. Ours change the place itself: what the walls look like, how people gather, what gets studied, and which laws get written.
Our Impact
Projects like San Quentin SkunkWorks’ Chiaroscuro [mural initiative] reflect the creative energy that defines San Francisco.
Get Involved
Supporting the lab helps fund everything we do: the murals, the game nights, the research, and our work advancing policy like SB 498.
Project sponsorships provide the materials, expertise, and resources needed to execute ambitious initiatives that demonstrate what rehabilitation can look like when we center humanity and creativity.