Tessie Castillo

    Tessie is an international journalist and author from Raleigh, North Carolina, whose writing explores criminal justice, drug policy and harm reduction. Her first book, Crimson Letters: Voices from Death Row, offers a searing portrait of men on North Carolina’s Death Row and the broken systems that put them there. Sign up for her newsletter to receive her latest articles.

    “Swallowed Up in the Darkness”—The Humanity of People on Death Row

    [This article is excerpted from Crimson Letters: Voices from Death Row by Tessie Castillo, ...

    The Rise and Fall of Drug-User Activism in Thailand

    The atmosphere at the Rattanakosin Hotel in Bangkok, Thailand, was electric. It was the ...

    Incarcerated Women in Thailand Face Issues Seen Worldwide

    Natauboo Jama started selling methamphetamine in northern Thailand after her second child was born. ...

     The Ecuadorian Fishermen Snatched Away by US Drug Warriors 

    After a flood wiped out Bexy Guerrero Salmiento’s home in 2013, her husband disappeared. ...

    Banning Menthol Cigarettes Criminalizes Black Communities, Say Advocates

    Smoking might be out of vogue, but flavored cigarette bans—like those of flavored vapes—are ...

    When Cops Turn Against the Drug War

    Commissaris Muyshondt, sorry to bother you,” said a voice over the phone. “We arrested ...

    When Harm Reduction Expansion Stifles Activism: A Lesson From Europe

    For six weeks this summer I had the extraordinary opportunity to visit harm reduction ...

    How Can Harm Reduction Do Better for Transgender People?

    In 2015 Tori Cooper decided to leave a successful nonprofit career to blaze a ...

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