For prisons to function smoothly and profitably, the major tools of control – violence, surveillance, separation – must be complimented by a host of less obvious instruments and technologies. These include censorship in the mail room, the cultivation of racial tension, integration of prisoner labor into facility maintenance, cafeteria operations, and private contracting, among many…
Read MoreThis week features a variety of conversations that we are sharing with you through a partnership with StoryCorps. The event, Dismantling Barriers to Life, was about the impacts of mass incarceration. Dismantling Barriers to Life was hosted last month in Chicago, and these are some of the stories collected for the event. We hear people…
Read MoreThis week, we focus on the closing of a volunteer-run dorm in the Monroe County Jail. The Addicts in Recovery, or AIR Dorm, has been a unique part of the local jail programming for several years. The AIR program provides a place for selected inmates to participate in intensive addiction recovery programs (addiction treatment, anger…
Read MoreContent Warning: This episode contains strong imagery about domestic violence and other abuse. This week, we examine the intersections between domestic violence, along with other forms of gendered violence, the courts, and the prison system. To begin, we share thoughts from a collaborator about Bresha Meadows – a teenager facing murder charges after killing her…
Read MoreOur focus for this episode is writing to prisoners. After some prison-related news, we speak with Lukah Revolt, who explains how she went from writing a few political prisoners to writing more than 30 people on the inside. Lukah explains the basics of sending a letter inside, and why it is important to communicate with…
Read MoreThis episode is a conversation with Steve Garrett, who during his time in Ohio’s prison system, used the legal loopholes and statutes he learned to challenge the State on its own terms. He shares stories with us about how he used the law to his advantage.
Read MoreIn this episode, we speak to people with experience with both homelessness and incarceration. Often, there is a cyclical relationship between these two situations. We speak with Forrest Gilmore, the director of the Shalom Center here in Bloomington. Forrest talks about various barriers that both people who experience homelessness and those who have been incarcerated…
Read MoreThis week concludes our series on the mass escape from the Woomera immigrant detention center in 2002. Aren Aizura, who helped organize the solidarity camp outside the prison over Easter weekend of that year, tells us more about the aftermath: follow-up organizing with captive refugees, and the Australian government’s push to move the prisons to…
Read MoreIn the second episode of our series on the mass escape from the Woomera refugee detention center in Australia, Aren Aizura parses out the stakes of the protest camp, its participants, and the escalation to the breakout. From there, Aren moves to the escape itself, the emotional meeting between refugees and outside supporters, and the…
Read MoreIn 2002, imprisoned refugees inside Australia’s Woomera immigration prison coordinated with 2500 outside supporters who had pitched camp outside the facility. Their coordination allowed them to stage a mass breakout. This is the first of three episodes dedicated to telling this story, from an interview with a participant in the solidarity camp. It’s a vital…
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