Jenkins Hosts Access to Hope Symposium at San Quentin
Prosecutors from 11 counties heard from incarcerated and formerly incarcerated people about rehabilitation at the second annual event.
Updated on Oct. 31, 2026 in Criminal Justice
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San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins held the second annual Access to Hope Symposium on May 29 at San Quentin Rehabilitation Center's Chapel B. District attorneys from 11 counties attended with 33 lawyers and staff.
Why it matters
The symposium brought prosecutors into direct conversation with people who have gone through rehabilitation, offering a firsthand view of programs and progress. It reflects a continuing effort by Jenkins to engage San Quentin in criminal justice discussions.
The symposium was held May 29 with attendance from district attorneys in 11 counties and 33 lawyers and staff. Whether the attendance figures will grow in future years, and what specific outcomes will follow from the discussions, has not been reported.
The players
Brooke Jenkins
Brooke Jenkins is the San Francisco District Attorney who hosted the symposium and moderated the panel, and she has conducted many events at San Quentin Rehabilitation Center.
Nathan Hochman
Nathan Hochman is the Los Angeles County District Attorney who attended the symposium for the second time.
The details
Jenkins moderated a panel featuring one currently incarcerated person and three formerly incarcerated people, who described the rehabilitation steps they took and the programs most impactful to them. Prosecutors from El Dorado, Los Angeles, Mariposa, Merced, Placer, San Mateo, Siskiyou, Tuolumne, Ventura, and Yolo counties, along with San Francisco County, took part, and audience members questioned Jenkins at the close of the panel.
Timeline
May 29: Second annual Access to Hope Symposium held in Chapel B at San Quentin Rehabilitation Center.
Legal Context
San Quentin Rehabilitation Center has hosted repeated prosecutor-focused events, and this symposium extends that pattern of bringing district attorneys into direct contact with rehabilitation participants. Jenkins's hosting of the first Spanish-language symposium on resentencing shows the series expanding in scope.
Residents of San Francisco and surrounding counties may see prosecutorial approaches to rehabilitation and resentencing shaped by these discussions. The symposium's focus on programs that helped participants gives the public a concrete view of what rehabilitation looks like inside San Quentin.
The takeaway
Direct dialogue between prosecutors and people who have gone through rehabilitation offers a practical perspective that complements policy debates. Readers interested in how these conversations evolve can follow future symposium announcements from the San Francisco District Attorney's Office.
Further reading
Explore more Criminal Justice coverage from San Francisco to see how prosecutors and courts are approaching rehabilitation and resentencing.
Source note: This article includes information reported by Sanquentinnews.
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