Tony Vick

    Tony has served almost three decades of a life with parole sentence in Tennessee. Before prison he lived as a closeted gay man; his Southern Baptist parents and an older brother have since died. While incarcerated he has worked as a tutor, clerk and newspaper editor. He’s also begun book clubs and writing workshops, and prisoner-led elder care programs. He writes about captivity in the hope of contributing to the prison reform movement.

     

    Veterans in Prison, Cut Off From Support, Try to Make It on Their Own

    C*, a 39-year-old Army veteran, struggled to adjust to daily life after coming home ...

    When the Prison Grievance Process Is Worth the Risk

    For nearly three decades, I’ve been hearing people scream for help. Screams of people ...

    To See the US Prisons Crisis, Look at the Books We’re Trying to Read

    The library at South Central Correctional Facility, a Tennessee prison privately operated by CoreCivic, ...

    How Prison Guard Became the Job Everyone Leaves

    Lonnie, in his late 40s, was a high school teacher for 20 years before ...

    Watching the Trump Trials in Prison, With Con Artists Cheering Him On

    Our living unit at South Central Correctional Facility in Tennessee doesn’t have a communal ...

    How We Still Find Joy After Decades in Prison

    After nearly 30 years in prison, I still find moments of joy and happiness. ...

    CoreCivic Manages Our Prison, and Tries Not to Manage Our Medical Care

    Five years ago, abdominal pain drove James to the infirmary at South Central Correctional ...

    TN Private Prisons Quietly Transfer Us, This Time Without Saying Why

    In 2016, the Tennessee Department of Correction (TDOC) opened Trousdale Turner Correctional Center—the largest ...

    The Private Prisons Industry Is Changing What Constitutes “Food”

    Prisoners in solitary confinement are often served something called Nutraloaf. Imagine taking all the ...