C Dreams

C is a writer and advocate interested in prison/criminal justice reform, LGBTQ rights, harm reduction and government/cultural criticism. She has studied history/theology with the Third Order of Carmelites and completed degrees in Systematic Theology. She is currently studying law.

“Split Sentences” and the Right to Housing

The room I rent in a Georgia boarding house for people on the sex offender registry costs $800 per month.…

December 7, 2023

Not Everyone Chooses the “Sober Dating” Life. Some of Us Are on Parole.

Many people who are in recovery have noted that the culture of modern dating isn’t the most suited to them.…

November 3, 2023

If I Join a Church After Prison, How Much of My Past Is Safe to Disclose?

Last Sunday, I tried to work up the courage to go to church. I did some Googling of the churches…

October 25, 2023

Do These Sex Offender Employment Restrictions Make Sense to Anyone?

In the month since I was released from Georgia Department of Corrections custody, I’ve been offered four different jobs. I…

October 19, 2023

Trying to Make Friends as an Adult, After an Adult Life Spent in Prison

The other day I was in Walmart when a little girl, maybe 8 or so, struck up a conversation. Her…

October 13, 2023

Trans Health Care, Medicaid and the Shortfalls of Prison Re-Entry Services

For about three weeks, I'd been communicating smoothly with the clinic where I'm scheduled to undergo breast augmentation surgery and…

September 25, 2023

As a Trans Woman, Sex Offender Laws Make Re-Entry a Test I’m Meant to Fail

[Read Part 1 of this story here.] For the first 30 minutes of the drive to my release address on…

September 19, 2023

Leaving Prison After 13 Years, and the Preparations I Made to Get Here

On September 13, I got up at 4 am and took a shower. I fiddled with my belongings, which had…

September 18, 2023

“A More Loving, Just Church”: Harm Reduction and Faith Communities

On July 3, the United Church of Christ (UCC) approved the first harm reduction resolution by a mainline Protestant denomination.…

August 1, 2023

GA Escalation of Gang Prosecutions Boosts Gang Power in Prisons

Georgia Governor Brian Kemp (R) has been bolstering his "tough on crime" agenda by promising that the state will prosecute…

June 7, 2023