prisons

FCC Proposes Revised, Higher Price Caps for Prison and Jail Phone Calls

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has proposed a revision of its historic regulations lowering the prices of phone and video…

October 6, 2025

National Guard Sent to “Fight” Gangs in Memphis—But Gangs Run Tennessee’s Prisons

Any moment now, an unknown number of Tennessee National Guard troops are expected to arrive in Memphis to fight so-called…

September 30, 2025

The Sex Offender Registry Shouldn’t Mean We’re Unwelcome at Church

In the Bible Belt, there’s basically a church on every corner—especially here in Nashville. It feels like there should be…

September 25, 2025

Battle Over Prison Phone Call Costs Heads to Court, FCC Teases New Vote

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is preparing for an October vote that the agency claims would reopen its historic 2024…

September 22, 2025

Corrections Departments Winning Imaginary Fight Against “K2 Exposure”

In 2021, the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department published body-cam footage of a deputy who collapsed after coming into contact…

September 16, 2025

Inevitably, FCC Moves to Let Prisons Use Illegal Cell Phone Signal Jammers

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is about to formally consider allowing corrections departments to use cell phone signal jamming devices.…

September 9, 2025

Many Prisoners Take the GED Test. It’s Hard to Get a Job in Here Without It.

In 2022, Tennessee amended its state constitution to prohibit slavery and involuntary servitude as punishment for a crime. Before this,…

September 4, 2025

The Barriers to Learning to Read in Prison

About 20 years ago, a man I was incarcerated with asked me to help him learn to read. Crane* had…

September 2, 2025

What Decades in Prison Have Taught Me About Resisting Incarceration

In 2006, the prison where I was being housed routinely served a breakfast that included worms in the oatmeal, and…

August 27, 2025

With a Contraband Market in Flux, More Prisoners Turn Toward Gambling

[Read Part 1 of this story here]   In May, Georgia Governor Brian Kemp (R) approved a budget increase of…

August 25, 2025