F*** Solitary Confinement
The hole, the new term for solitary confinement. It’s the place they take you when you break one of their “rules,” or at least they say you did. It’s supposed to be a deterrent from future acts of whatever they deem [...]
Pennsylvania
BLACK LIVES MATTER IN PRISON TOO
America was built off of profits made from the stolen bodies and labor of African hostages—slaves. History teaches us that the trans-Atlantic slave trade was about economics. As was the civil war and Jim Crow.
Five DIY Tips for Preparing for Reentry
In 1984, I was incarcerated for a homicide robbery and sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. I was 17 years old. Exactly what made me go out and commit a crime is not the focus here. [...]
Prisoners in College Inspire Their Kids To Work Harder
There aren't many positive prison programs available in the criminal justice system these days. But forty-years ago, college courses were offered with the possibility of achieving two and four year degrees. During the "Reagan Era," Pell Grants for prisoners was eliminated [...]
My Crime: How One Huge Mistake Sent Me To Prison For Life
On October 31, 1984, Halloween Night at 7:00 pm, gunshots rained on the streets of the middle-class neighborhood of Mount Airy in Philadelphia, PA. I was just 17 years old at the time. My mom worked as an Executive Secretary and [...]
A Real-life Andy Dufresne
Back in the 70s and 80s at Western Penitentiary, one of the oldest prisons in the world, the Shawshank Redemption was real; the prisons literally looked the same. I am a real life Andy Dufresne, only I never even tried to [...]