prison

The Christmas Traditions I’ve Created Over a Decade in Prison

Many people I've spent Christmas with in prison have described this time of year the same way: feeling like there's…

December 22, 2022

How Drugs Grew in Our Prison Flower Beds for Over a Decade

[Read Part 1 of this story here.] Charlie was someone you’d expect to be an easy target in prison, and…

December 19, 2022

The Gardener Who Grew Our Health Care in Prison

For most of his time in Georgia Department of Corrections custody, Charlie was assigned to the horticulture crew. Over the…

December 15, 2022

Georgia Privatizes Prison Medical Care—With Contractor’s Goal to Cut Costs

After years of attempting to privatize prisoner medical care, the Georgia Department of Corrections has at finally done so—and chosen…

November 7, 2022

Prisoners Without Cells or Beds Are Sleeping Outside in Georgia

Many effects of the understaffing crisis within the Georgia Department of Corrections have been well-documented, if not actually addressed. Trans…

October 17, 2022

Don’t Brag About Hiring People With Criminal Records If You Ignore Those of Us With Felonies

The first thing employers are going to ask me when I get out of prison and start applying for jobs…

September 27, 2022

Restoring Pell Grants to Prisoners Boosts Our Education—in Theory

In 2023, the Education Department will restore Pell Grant eligibility to incarcerated students and allow any nonprofit higher education facility…

September 20, 2022

“Liberty Is Not What I Have”: Ashley Diamond Speaks to the Trans Women Still in Prison

In 2016, Ashley Diamond won a historic lawsuit against the Georgia Department of Corrections over its anti-trans policies. During her…

August 24, 2022

I’m 79 and in Prison. Cigarettes Have Shaped My Life.

Tobacco settles the nerves, relaxes the body, quiets the mind. A mild, pleasant high. I'm not making any scientific or…

August 16, 2022

Why Many of Us Began Playing the Stock Market From Prison

On a Monday morning in June, Derek Collier smiled from atop his bunk in Washington state's Monroe Correctional Complex. His…

August 11, 2022