Lyle and Erik Menendez, holding onto a sense of optimism, have relied on rehabilitation over the past three decades in their ongoing pursuit of justice and potential release.
Veteran Menendez brothers' reporter Robert Rand told Newsweek he recently visited Lyle, and said the brothers remain "cautiously optimistic" and "certainly hopeful."
As part of their rehabilitation efforts, Lyle founded Rehabilitation Through Beautification, which partnered with the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation to develop the Green Space Project.
Rehabilitation Through Beautification improves communities by engaging individuals in beautification projects, often as part of rehabilitation or correctional programs. This approach involves inmates or individuals in recovery participating in activities such as planting gardens, cleaning up public spaces and creating murals.
The philosophy behind this initiative is by improving their surroundings, participants can foster a sense of pride and responsibility, which may aid in their rehabilitation and reintegration into society.
Newsweek spoke to Chandrika Kelso, a sponsor of the Green Space Project and a professor of Law and Public Service. Kelso also leads Helping Without Prejudice, a nonprofit foundation dedicated to supporting inmate-centered, peer-to-peer self-help groups.
Erik established four programs under the Helping Without Prejudice foundation: Insight Meditation, Life Care and Hospice, VIVE (Victim Impact and Victim Empathy), and 12-Step Recovery with Insight Meditation.
"R.J. Donovan is a very progressive facility; leadership is always exploring avenues to improve positive outcomes for their population," Kelso told Newsweek. "So, when Lyle suggested this project [Green Space], though we knew there would be many hardships ahead, we also surmised that the RJD's commitment to rehabilitation would ultimately lead them to visualize the benefits of this project."
Lyle and Erik are currently housed at the Richard J. Donovan Correctional Facility as they await a potential release.
In 2018, officials transferred Lyle from Mule Creek State Prison in Northern California to R.J. Donovan Correctional Facility in San Diego, where they had already placed Erik in a separate unit.
Later, they moved into the same housing unit. Lyle requested the transfer after learning about his brother's classification status.
Phase I and II of the Green Space Project
Kelso outlined the two phases of the Green Space Project: the first includes a mural featuring San Diego landmarks and scenes, with a special tribute to the military. Erik serves as the head of the prison muralist team, leading a group of talented incarcerated artists dedicated to transforming the facility's environment.
Phase one is 60 percent complete.
Rand said the project has significantly benefited the inmates, and Lieutenant Adam Garvey, the public information officer at R.J. Donovan Facility told him the staff has also experienced a positive shift, feeling more motivated and better about coming to work each day.
Garvey and the veteran journalist developed a strong rapport, which led Garvey to invite Rand and to see the Green Space Project mural in February.
"The mural is spectacular, it's hard to believe how large it really is," Rand said.
He continued, "Erik and the other inmate painters have to stack tables on top of each other to reach the highest points of the prison walls. It's prison so they don't allow them to have ladders."
The second phase focuses on a landscape redesign and structural enhancements to support service dogs.
Kelso said the project will include an enclosed dog run, sanitary elimination areas, hydration stations, shaded areas, and a dedicated dog shower. Currently, service dogs must share inmate showers, raising sanitary issues.
"We have not launched Phase II of the project yet, but based on the feedback on Phase I murals, I can honestly say it is rewarding," Kelso said. "Walking into this facility and being visually uplifted by the beautiful imagery that surrounds you, and knowing that it was accomplished by the dedication, countless months of hard work by inmate painters baring the weather, setbacks, barriers, and obstacles makes these murals special."
Kelso said involvement in rehabilitation programs can provide inmates with a sense of humanity and reduce feelings of isolation, helping them navigate the challenges of prison life.
"I think any time the confined population gets involved in projects and programs that help them improve themselves and their community, it is rewarding and deeply humanizing to the inmates," Kelso said.
Kelso continued, "Prison life is stark, devoid of color, can be isolating, lonely and at times debilitating, you suffer in silence your losses and you celebrate your joys in silence as well. Trust and sharing gets eroded and creates cynicism and skepticism, so it can be a challenge to reflect and learn from it."
Kelso said the goal is to expand both Erik's programs under Helping Without Prejudice and Lyle's Green Space Project beyond R.J. Donovan to other CDCR facilities.
"Our fervent hope is that should the brothers rejoin society, they will continue to support their current projects from the outside and use their platform to expand on making prisons better so as a community, we can benefit from some healthy outcomes of reintegration, rehabilitation, and reformation."
"They [Lyle and Erik] have asked the prison that if they are released, they would like to come back and work inside the prison to finish the Green Space Project," Rand said.
Newsom's Role in Menendez Brothers' Release
Rand told Newsweek Governor Gavin Newsom actively supports prison reform and is focused on the outcomes of the Green Space Project. This is significant for Erik and Lyle, as the governor's enthusiasm for reform suggests the project could expand to other facilities.
"Erik's programs are a testament to his quest for personal growth, maturity, altruism, and gratitude," Kelso said. "Lyle's dedication to the Green Space project is a testament to his desire to transform carceral spaces, to transcend human self-absorption and let go of our defense mechanisms to reap the benefits of communal responsibility."
On October 24, Los Angeles District Attorney George Gascón announced plans to recommend the Menendez brothers' life sentences without the possibility of parole be replaced with a 50-years-to-life sentence for murder. He said, due to their ages at the time of the crimes, they would be eligible for parole immediately.
The brothers defense team–Mark Geragos and Cliff Gardener–submitted a clemency request on Oct. 28, and the district attorney's office sent letters of support to Governor Newsom.
Newsom will now review the case, with the brothers' potential release ultimately in his hands. Clemency offers their quickest path to freedom.
If Newsom grants clemency, it could mean a reduced sentence or release for the Menendez brothers before their set court date on December 11.
However, the defense attorneys are also pursuing two additional paths: seeking Judge Michael V. Jesic's review of the resentencing recommended by Gascón and seeking Judge William Ryan's review of the habeas petition.
"They don't want to get their hopes up only to have them dashed, as they've witnessed many fellow inmates experience this," Rand said. "They've seen others who believed they might be getting out, marking off dates on a calendar, only to find they don't. Both Erik and Lyle have said, 'We're just waiting to see what happens.'"
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