Jonathan Kirkpatrick

Jonathan covers harm reduction and re-entry. He’s incarcerated at Washington Corrections Center, where he’s a Teacher’s Assistant for re-entry workshops and trains peer educators in HIV and hepatitis C harm reduction. His Washington State Department of Corrections job is crafting quilts out of recycled materials to donate to nonprofits for fundraising. His writing has been published by the Appeal, Truthout, Jewish Currents and the Seattle Journal for Social Justice. His ID number in WDOC is #716850, and until WDOC corrects a 28-year-old paperwork error his name in Securus is “Jonathon.”

We’ll Know Harm Reduction Is Mainstream Once Dr. Fauci Likes It

In 2018, the syringe service program (SSP) in Cabell County, West Virginia, was shuttered by the local health department. By…

November 27, 2023

Tennessee’s HIV Sex Offender Law Discourages Testing, Not Transmission

In the mid-'90s at Washington State Penitentiary, a corrections officer (CO) and I had been yelling at each other for…

November 2, 2023

Fentanyl Isn’t Being Cut Into the Cocaine Supply. Here’s Why.

Over the course of my 28 years in prison, I've known a lot of people who sold drugs. I sold…

October 31, 2023

WA Prisons Clear All Guards to Carry Narcan. Not All Intend to Do So.

Washington State Department of Corrections (WDOC) staff are now permitted to carry Narcan while on duty. Though the change is…

October 4, 2023

Seattle Recriminalizes Drug Use, Adds Arrest Alternatives It Won’t Pay For

On September 26, Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell (D) unveiled his proposed 2024 budget. It indicates the city will not be…

September 27, 2023

“Never Give Up”: Rep. Tarra Simmons on Clearing Her Felony Record

Washington State Representative Tarra Simmons (D), the first person convicted of a felony to be elected to the state legislature,…

September 15, 2023

Learning to Do HIV Peer Education in the ’90s, by Unlearning What to Say

In the summer of 1992, a few weeks after I'd learned I had HIV, I was down at the local…

August 24, 2023

How We Clean Knife Wounds in Prison, Without Going to Medical

[Read Part 1 of this story here] Fighting is a fact of life in prison. I've spent most of the…

August 14, 2023

How Wound Care Works in Prison, Without Doctors or Running Water

Most wound-care guidance in the United States is premised on access to potable water. Even for first aid in outdoor…

August 10, 2023

FDA Blood Donor Ban Ends for Gay Men, While Staying in Place for Others

On August 7, the Red Cross implemented a new blood donor eligibility assessment that doesn't discriminate against men who have…

August 7, 2023