Category: Surviving In Prison

Dani Harris reflects on drug addiction, overdose, parole, and the consequences when substance use affects everyone living around it. There seem to be some prisoners…

Arnold Barnes explains how thriving in prison requires developing a purposeful routine, working toward personal growth, and turning incarceration time into an asset. There’s a…

Jerry Metcalf describes suicide watch in prison, including solitary confinement, Bam-Bam cells, degrading conditions, and what suicidal prisoners say about the experience. In federal prisons,…

Gordon Grilz writes about the loaded language used to label people in prison — and why labeling people in a dehumanizing way does nobody any…

Jamall Brown died in prison after being denied insulin while in custody at Riverside County Jail. Jayson Slaymaker explains why he thinks medical neglect is…

Markus A. Barry writes about being an incarcerated father and the lasting pain of leaving his young daughters behind, watching from prison as they grew…

The debate over whether we should call incarcerated people “inmate” versus “convict” may seem like a question of semantics, but for people living inside America’s…

Arnold Barnes III writes about hustles in prison and the many ways incarcerated people use talent, labor, and creativity to get basic necessities, build up…

Arnold Barnes explains that lockdown in Texas prisons requires preparation, endurance, and simple strategies to get through extended periods of confinement. In Texas, we have…

Derrick Walker talks about entering prison for the first time and what people need to know to stay safe. Drawing on his own years of…

Arnold Barnes offers survival tips for prison, offering hard-won lessons for navigating the unpredictable realities of prison life. Survival Tip #1: The One-Eyed Demon You’re…

Gordon Grilz, reflects on prison violence in the Florence Prison Complex in Arizona, while recalling the disturbing events, deaths, and spiritual weight that surrounded life…

Robert Porter IV explores what it means to refuse to commit violence in prison, arguing that true strength lies in restraint, compassion, and moral clarity…

This prison advice for women comes from Monique Houston, a woman who entered prison at just 20 years old and is now nineteen years into…

Chris Dankovich, a lifer in Michigan, offers prison advice on romance, finances, and mental health. Question: What’s some prison advice for dealing with depression? Some…

Derrick Walker explains how restrictions on religious materials in North Carolina prisons have resulted in a direct violation of religious rights and constitutional freedoms. The…