Tag: Prison

My wife will be the first person to tell you, that when it comes to getting medical care, I’m probably the most stubborn person there is. I lived with gallstones for around three years before I finally had no choice other than to get my gallbladder removed. When the surgeon got in there, he fo...

On a scorching hot day in Folsom state prison, a guard passed me a note thru the bars of my cell. It said, “Your mom is in the hospital.” Eight days later, my mom died. Externally, I had to exhibit that “I don’t give a shit” attitude so others didn’t think I...

2014 was another milestone year for me. I’d been out of prison 16 years and I just started my first technical writing contract at the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) — the same system that incarcerated me. The best part of 2014 was that I made one of the...

In my early twenties, I found myself with a teaching degree and no job. As Providence would have it, I found a “camp” looking for certified teachers. This “camp” was actually for teenage boys to serve their time for “criminal” behavior. My job, as described to ...

On a scorching hot day in Folsom state prison, a guard passed me a note thru the bars of my cell. It said, “Your mom is in the hospital.” Eight days later, my mom died. Externally, I had to exhibit that “I don’t give a shit” attitude so others didn’t think I...

When I first came to Hong Kong fifteen years ago, I noticed the Chinese characters on road signs looked a little odd. Chinese characters are the epitome of balance and proportion, but the Chinese writing on these street signs was often lop-sided or slightly awkward. They may not be graceful, but the...

In America, an estimated 50% of the prison population is dyslexic. It’s an illiteracy incarceration crisis that has been going on for generations, as we turn dyslexic children into juvenile delinquents, and then into inmates. A prison pipeline for the learning disabled; a criminalization of il...

The idea behind the criminal justice system used by most of the world is a simple one. If you break the rules of society, and are proven to have done so, the state punishes you. This is the model of justice I was raised with. It’s simplistic and easy to understand. Bad people commit crimes ...

Fred Tokars is dead. He has lived for the past 28 years in federal prison. He died in prison — the past decade, he lived under the protection of the federal witness protection program. In 1997, Tokars received a life sentence for murdering his wife, Sara Tokars. In 1992 Tokars and I shared ...

Prisons are notorious for being cruel and punishing, justified by the people contained inside of them, ranging from their criminal activity and cruel past. The philosophy goes that since Criminals have broken the law they should not be trusted with rights, and therefore be stripped of their freedom ...

Say less. When in doubt, say nothing at all. Listening, really listening, will educate you to the lingo and to what’s happening around you. Look, but don’t stare. Be mindful of what’s going on around you, without appearing to be paying attention to anything in particular. Don&rs...

Have you ever held a key that felt like a lifeline? That small piece of metal is more than just a tool; it’s a symbol of change and new beginnings. This weekend I will be honored with the key to my hometown of Bridgeport, CT. To say that I’m humbled would be an understatement, ...

There are a number of features of an adult correctional approach that are mirrored in youth prisons. To be clear, not every youth prison exhibits all of these features. Focus on punishment, not rehabilitation Youth prisons were designed to serve as an alternative to adult prisons by having a m...

I think it is pretty simple: the two dominant political parties operate similarly to prison gangs. If you’re not familiar with how prison gangs work, they are run primarily as protection rackets: A newly arrived prisoner is pressured to join a gang, otherwise they will be without protecti...

In the menagerie of American cultural insanity, few practices can outdo the perversity of our prison system. Racism has always been reflected in the makeup of prison populations, but when we started making it a profit center for corporations, our carceral system became something beyond even the nigh...