R.
J. Donovan State Prison has some of the most infamous criminals of all time behind its bars. But it has recently been in the headlines for the testing of innovative rehabilitation methods going on there.
Among the innovative rehabilitation projects going on in the prison, the most notable is a mural being made on a 1000 feet long concrete wall in a part of the correctional facility called the Echo Yard.
Watch the amazing project in the video below.
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Video credit: Rumble
Leaders of the workforce undertaking the painting of this mural are Lyle and Erik Menendez.
These two inmates got famous due to their high-profile trial back in the 1990s when they were charged with the murders of their parents at their residence in Beverly Hills.
During the trial, they tried to establish the point that they had been facing sexual abuse at the hands of their own father for years.
After being found guilty of the murders, the two were sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
The brothers spent 20 years in separate prison cells but were reunited in April 2018 in Donovan State Prison’s Echo Yard.
10News tried to interview the brothers to get to know their life in the prison but both of them denied to talk. However, they showed off the parts of the mural they’d been working on.
The mural shows some of the iconic structures across the city of San Diego, most noticeably Balboa Park, Mission San Diego de Alcala, and the Point Cabrillo lighthouse.
This mural project was initiated by Brahman Kyrie, a volunteer yoga and meditation instructor, in the correctional facility.
Speaking of the project, Kyrie said: “There’s got to be consequences but there also has to be the love.”
She also told that the idea of painting the murals was originally given by the Menendez brothers. She recalled: “I spoke to Lyle and Erik who had been thinking about the beautification.”
The project commenced in 2019 with the help of volunteers from San Diego State University and donations from Encore Art Paint and Visions Quality Coatings.
Echo Yard, where the mural is being painted, is called a “mixed” yard as inmates of different security levels are brought together here to live in peace and harmony.
An inmate from the project, David Armstrong said: “I do it for therapy, it keeps me grounded.”
Another inmate, Ruben Radillo, who’s to be released by the end of this month after completing a 25-year sentence, said: “It’s giving me a peace of mind.”
“Don’t be afraid of me,” he added. “I’m going to be a good neighbor, thanks to projects like this. Absolutely.”
Replaced!