San Quentin State Prison is located in the town of San Quentin in Marin County, some 13 miles (or 21 kilometers) north of San Francisco.
It is the oldest prison in California and holds only male inmates. The state’s only execution chamber, located at San Quentin, was closed in 2019 following Governor Gavin Newsom’s moratorium on the death penalty in California. The last execution at San Quentin occurred in 2006.
Notable San Quentin prisoners include Charles Manson, Hans Reiser, Merle Haggard, Scott Peterson, and Eldridge Cleaver.
