The Underground Prison Economy
Little did you know, there’s an underground prison economy and, just like in the free world, you can pretty much get whatever you want as long as you can afford
Chris Dankovich
The Tales of A Former Prison Tattoo Artist
There are lots of reasons around 90% of prison inmates have tattoos, but survival is one of them. And as a former (and very popular) prison tattoo artist, I should know.
RealTalk: Chris and Loen Talk About The Coronavirus
Loen Kelley speaks with Michigan inmate Chris Dankovich about how his prison is handling the coronavirus.
My First Cellmate Was An Axe Murderer
My first cellmate in one of Michigan's adult prisons was an axe murderer. More specifically, he was a serial killer who killed multiple people with an axe on one Halloween night. I didn't know his background when they moved me into [...]
Chris Dankovich’s Dad On Raising A Son — In Prison
The situation, simply put: for families of the incarcerated, life is brutal. Sad. Devastating to family structure and closeness. Difficult financially. Painful. Wrenching, forcing families to drive six hours on Sundays to visit with no gas money. Getting rejected for a [...]
Cerebral Palsy in Prison
"Hey, did you see that kid in the wheelchair today?" "No." I say. "When did he get here?" "I think he just rode in yesterday or today," said Greg. "He break his leg or something?" "No, he's, like, seriously in a [...]
My First Girlfriend in Prison
The door opens, and when she walks in, my heart loses count, harmony broken. She is the most beautiful thing I've ever seen, not just in years but ever (and I have seen the Grand Canyon, the tropical rainforests in Mexico, the green flash that crosses the ocean at sunset, the Aurora in the Northern Sky...).
I HAVE THE CORONAVIRUS IN PRISON
My bunkie Michael Jackson (his real name... he's white; uhm, was born white), who came down with his symptoms just a few hours before me, is hanging out in the dayroom
A Juvenile In Prison Longs for the Night Stars
There is a distinctive "ting" when metal snaps: a sharp, high-pitched note reverberates through the air long after the metal stops vibrating. “Shit,” I grumbled under my breath. The small piece of metal had broken in my hand, not cutting [...]
When You Grow Up In Prison, Did Your Life Ever Really Begin?
Sometimes, after my roommate has gone to sleep (or has left the room, or when no one is looking), I grab my pillow and hold it tightly, pressing my face against it. I fall asleep with my arm wrapped around it, [...]
The Hurricane: Juvenile’s First Day In Prison
First days are sitting in an inflatable life-raft in the ocean while the winds whip around you in a hurricane. Giant waves crash violently around you, and the winds and currents own you. Paddle if it calms the current in your [...]
Juveniles Tried As Adults: Becoming A Man In Prison
My first visitor in prison was my dad. Looking back at the picture I have from that day, I realize that I must have smelled just awful. It was my second day in at Thumb Correctional Facility's Youthful Side, Michigan's prison [...]
How They Overmedicate Kids in Adult Prisons
We might have been crazy, and they certainly said that about us, though they said that about all the youth. Every child who came to prison was at least regularly seen by the psychiatrists, which really is a good thing. If [...]
A Prisoner Writes: A Case For Rehabilitation
Let me first off start out by saying that I'm not one of these prisoners who thinks that prisoners are awesome or that most are really just misunderstood. I've grown up in prison, lived around other prisoners for half my [...]
Dogs in Prison
When the prison I've grown up in partnered with a local animal shelter and a service-canine organization to start a dog rehabilitation and training program, it had been nearly 4,000 days since I had last seen a dog in person, last [...]