Dear Readers, It has been over a year since I last contributed to the A Voice From Prison blog, and I owe you all an explanation. The truth is, I’ve been gripped by fear. Fear of retaliation, fear of judgment, fear of speaking my truth in a world where doing so can have dire consequences. Today, I write to you as a mostly free man, but not without the weight of my experiences behind bars still heavy on my heart. I am no longer confined within prison walls, but the shackles of fear have lingered, threatening to silence my voice once more. The journey from incarceration to probation has been one ..read more

There are over forty organizations in the United States that distribute donated books to prisons and incarcerated individuals. One of these nonprofit organizations is Books to Prisoners, located in Seattle, Washington. They have been responding to individual requests for books for close to five decades. We sat down with Andy Chan, who has volunteered there since 1994, to discuss how the organization works and some of the challenges and rewards of operating the book donation program.   Cornelia Mars Tell us a bit about Books to Prisoners.  It’s an organization that has been aroun ..read more

Every so often, the executive branch offers insight into the position on important political issues. Recently, President Biden issued an executive order (Exec. Order 14074 of May 25, 2022) that pertains to Policing and Criminal Justice Practices. Several conclusions can be drawn from his statements, which I would like to highlight here. Executive Orders often bring to light areas of concern in the way the government is functioning. While the President can not create laws that address current pollical issues (this right is reserved for Congress), he can address those Directors of various Feder ..read more

What has surprised me most through my extended stay within the United States Justice System has been by far the overarching message sent by justice leadership and administration. The message is simple – “This Is A Game, Try Harder To Not Get Caught”… Many might not believe this statement, so I will spend some time expanding upon my thought and development of the message through my own personal experience, as well as others, on top of common themes which exist through many correctional facilities throughout the United States. First, I would like to reinforce my knowledge and experience upon th ..read more

Support for punitive justice has a long-standing history in the US. From the post Civil War “prison boom,” to the “Tough on Crime” policies of the 1980s and 1990s, punitive measures are often rooted in, and contribute to, racial disparity and social inequities. While attitudes are slow to change, other systemic problems – over-policing, lack of accountability, and recidivism – feed into the cycle of mass incarceration and further complicate the path to criminal justice reform. Most 911 calls are not made in response to violent crime, or even property crime. Yet police officers are the de-fact ..read more

It’s interesting to see the disparity between inmates and staff. The line between has a clear demarcation that shows who is afforded the basic necessities and rights, as well as who isn’t. Currently, I am incarcerated at a Federal Prison Camp. Contrary to popular movies – we don’t have tennis courts and get to sit around playing games all day long. In fact, this facility is considered a working camp; every inmate is required to work and we do a majority of the work for the entire facility. Anything you can name, food service, warehousing, transit, maintenance, facilities, vehicle repair and se ..read more

This blog post is the continuation of a series, Transit During COVID-19. Read part one here. Grady County (Shady Grady) When you are on a prison transport bus, the windows are often too high for you to look out at anything and just barely thin enough to let in any light. So when you are transported, you don’t really get a good look at where you are going. Plus you are chained up. Chains around your waist. Chains on your wrists. Chains on your feet. Sometimes also chained to your seat or to each other. It gets even more uncomfortable when you are required to wear paper suits. Yes, suits made o ..read more

The COVID-19 pandemic has been a living nightmare for most, trapped at home without the ability to do things you used to enjoy such as visiting friends, going out to eat, etc. Many people have been subject to depression and other mental health challenges. It’s been rough, to say the least. However, it’s been even harder for those locked up and behind bars. As you may know, the criminal justice system has had widespread issues with containment of the virus. Many inmates lost their lives when they were not even subject to contact with anyone in the outside world [even when they did not have cont ..read more

Keeping people behind bars is a huge business, with huge costs associated with the effort. The latest publication issued by the BOP states that on average it costs roughly $40,000 per year to house an inmate. This has been an increasing upwards trend for a number of years, rising from just around $35,000 less than 4 years ago. And what is to show for this increase in costs – a decreasing recidivism rate? Fewer individuals being placed behind bars? Better rehabilitation and opportunities to make a living legally? No, we have actually seen a trend of increasing population behind bars, with worse ..read more

It’s been a short while since being able to write, due to a lock down nation-wide at all 120 U.S. Federal Prisons. The blackout eliminates all phone calls, computer access, and visitation. Every facility, even at the lowest security facilities, like the one where l am located with no gang ties, lose access to these vital privileges in the interest of security of the whole. Roughly two weeks ago, MS-13 gangs got into issues with other gangs and 2 inmates were murdered. Another two were taken to the hospital with injuries. Other than that, we had access to no information other than which was pro ..read more