Prison Can Be A Hostile Place. Then the Birds Came.
The birds quickly became the talk of the unit. Suddenly, everyone an ornithologist, claiming to know whether barn swallows were endangered.
Christopher Blackwell Aug 09, 2023
Facing the Climate Crisis From a Texas Prison Cell
For the past seven summers, I have lived in solitary confinement without air conditioning. A trip to medical during a heat wave helped put the climate crisis into perspective.
Kwaneta Harris Jul 28, 2023
The Two Months I Didn’t Eat: Inside the Longest Prison Hunger Strike in California History
Ten years ago this month, nearly 29,000 people in California prisons staged a hunger strike to protest solitary confinement.
Brian Quintanilla Jul 25, 2023
I Spent Over a Year in Solitary Because of One Man’s Imagination
The conditions I faced were outrageous. But the prison administration’s justification for keeping me in the hole was even worse.
Kevin Light-Roth Jul 13, 2023
In Spite of the Consequences: Prison Letters on Exoneration, Abolition, and Freedom
Lacino Hamilton spent 26 years in prison for a murder he didn’t commit before being exonerated in 2020 after DNA evidence cleared him.
Lacino Hamilton Jul 12, 2023
How Toxic Masculinity Drives Homophobia in Prison
The phrase “toxic masculinity” is ubiquitous these days, but there are few places where it’s more all-consuming than in a men’s prison
Christopher Blackwell Jul 05, 2023
How LA County’s Zero-Bail Rules Can Help Others Like Me
Los Angeles County lawmakers should enshrine the zero-bail rules into law so people in Los Angeles County jails can see their families.
Angel Lopez Jun 28, 2023
The Appeal Presents: A Conversation on Open Prisons With Phillip A. Jones and David Shipley
David Shipley tells Phillip A. Jones, who has spent more than 30 years in U.S. prisons, about his experiences in a British “open prison.”
Phillip A. Jones, David Shipley Jun 06, 2023
I’m Getting Out After Decades in Prison. But Prison Might Follow Me Home.
Incarcerated writer Nick Hacheney is getting ready to leave after being incarcerated for more than 20 years. He’s glad he’ll have his freedom—but he’s also worried about the lack of care for longtime prisoners, the trauma he’s endured, and what the world outside holds.
Nick Hacheney Jun 05, 2023
Calls Are Free, But California Prisoners Still Face Communication Obstacles
Months-long outages, equipment shortages, and unreliable service have plagued the roll out of new telecoms contract in California prisons.
Steve Brooks, Olivia Heffernan May 22, 2023
How the Prison Litigation Reform Act Blocks Justice for Prisoners
Legislation signed by Bill Clinton makes it nearly impossible for people in prison to have their cases heard in court.
C. Dreams May 08, 2023
How Florida’s Dire Prison Staff Shortage Hurts People Inside
Ron DeSantis called in the National Guard to staff Florida prisons. The staffing shortage is hurting incarcerated people.
Ryan M. Moser Mar 22, 2023
Washington Prison Mishandled Court Mail, Impeded Access to Justice
Officials delayed the delivery of critical documents for months, leading to the premature dismissal of at least two appeals filed by incarcerated men. The mistakes underscore much deeper challenges for indigent prisoners.
Christopher Blackwell Feb 15, 2023
Paper Mail Gave me Hope on Rikers Island. Don’t Take it Away from Imprisoned People.
I was lucky enough to get a lot of mail while imprisoned on Rikers Island. Paper mail is one of the few things that keeps prisoners feeling human.
David Campbell Feb 08, 2023
San Quentin’s Rolling Lockdowns Are Not Keeping Anyone Safe
We’re still overcrowded and set up for disaster.
Rahsaan Thomas Feb 07, 2023
What It Means to Spend the Holidays Behind Bars
Incarcerated writers reflect on the pain, joy, and other complicated emotions associated with getting in the so-called “holiday spirit” in prison.
Chris Blackwell, Antoine E. Davis, Jonathan Kirkpatrick, Aaron Edward Olson & Raymond Williams Dec 22, 2022
How Georgia’s Sex Offender Registry Traps People in Debt and Homelessness
I was arrested in 2011 after engaging in sex work to survive and later forced to register as a sex offender. Since then, social stigma, footage laws, and crushing monthly court debts have made it difficult to get back on my own two feet and succeed after prison.
Christina Lynch Dec 08, 2022
How Prison Visit Restrictions Force Parents to Make Tough Decisions
Patrick Stephens, a formerly incarcerated writer, explains how arbitrary, byzantine, and punitive visiting rules tear apart the families of the incarcerated—especially after the pandemic.
Patrick Stephens Sep 22, 2022
Instead of Rehabilitation, Prisons Fuel a Vicious Cycle of Instability
Incarcerated people need opportunities to learn and grow.
Phillip A. Jones Aug 16, 2022
How The Prison Food System Denies People Healthy Choices
I wanted to have a better diet in prison. But when you’ve been stripped of your freedom, it can be impossible to make the “right” decisions.
Michael Capers Jul 05, 2022
‘Reborn Into A Strange New World’: A Trans Woman Prepares For Release After 18 Years In Men’s Prison
An incarcerated writer reflects on what her “going home” story will look like when home no longer exists.
Jessica Phoenix Sylvia Apr 28, 2022
How I Helped Fight Vaccine Misinformation While in Prison
One incarcerated author used skills from an HIV/AIDS group to push imprisoned people and prison guards to get vaccinated against COVID-19.
Patrick Stephens Apr 26, 2022
Buying a Home Is Hard. Doing It While Incarcerated Is Nearly Impossible.
Serving out a sentence in a Washington state prison, I was certain I’d never own a home. When my wife and I started the process, we found out just how difficult it would be.
Christopher Blackwell Apr 04, 2022
Let’s Bring Back ‘Prison Warehousing’
Two years into the COVID-19 pandemic, “prison warehousing”—which used to be a derogatory term—would look like an upgrade. At least warehouses care about the value of the goods they store.
Nick Hacheney, Tomas Keen Mar 24, 2022
The Pandemic Isn’t Over Inside Prisons—and It Might Never Be
A cycle of hopelessness is taking its toll in prisons across the country, amid continued restrictions on the things that make life more bearable.
Christopher Blackwell Mar 11, 2022
How Corporations Turned Prison Tablets Into A Predatory Scheme
After giving tablets to incarcerated people, prison telecoms giants are charging prisoners and their families exorbitant prices on everything from emails to movies.
Tommaso Bardelli, Ruqaiyah Zarook, Derick McCarthy Mar 07, 2022
When It Comes to Reporting Deaths of Incarcerated People, Most States Break the Law
Our team at the University of North Carolina analyzed death-in-custody reporting policies at every state and federal carceral entity. Data collection is a mess—and many states don’t follow the law at all.
M. Forrest Behne, Craig Waleed, Meghan Peterson, and Lauren Brinkley-Rubinstein Mar 02, 2022
How Prison Writers Struggle to Be Heard
Sky-high costs, fear of retaliation, and isolation create roadblocks for incarcerated people to join conversations about reform.
Christopher Blackwell, Nick Hacheney Nov 15, 2021