Bloomington IN

202 | Re-Entry into an Uprising

On this episode, we have a letter from a prisoner at Pendleton Correctional Facility about his experiences with COVID-19 there. We share a short PSA about street safety during protests, and a message from Keith “Malik” Washington. On June 3rd, Bloomington residents occupied the courthouse square in order to support the movement for black lives. …

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176 | Winning Back Your Voice

This week, we speak with two writers, Laura Lasuertmer and Wendy Lee Spacek. Spacek and Lasuertmer run a writing workshop in the local jail. They tell us about the writing program, what led them to do this project, and its impact on folks in the inside. Then, we share a selection of writings that came…

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174 | The Human Cost of E-Carceration

This week, we share a recent round table on e-carceration here in Bloomington. This event was part of a series across southern Indiana, as community members hurt by e-carceration and their families come together to discuss their experiences and work together to understand this complex web of social control. E-Carceration involves local jails, county governments, and…

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83 | Reflections in Defiance: Kites From Florida, Indiana, and Greece

This week is focused on words from prisoners sent or smuggled from inside. From the jail in Evansville, Indiana, to letters from participants in Operation PUSH- the still-ongoing prison strike across the Florida department of corrections- to a collection of poems from our local jail, prisoners are finding ways to share their individual experiences and…

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79 | The Past Isn’t Passed: Cycles of Violence and Exploitation

This episode, we start out with a statement from Anastazia Schmid, a prisoner in the Indiana Women’s Prison. She walks us through a brief history of how prisons, and specifically the modern practice of prison slave labor, came about. She also talks through some basics of how prison serves to isolate those on the inside,…

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78 | More Insights from the Local Jail

In this episode, we start with updates from Operation PUSH. After that, we continue hearing from Craig, who spent significant time in the Monroe County jail. You can hear the first part of Craig’s interview in last week’s episode. He spoke about his experiences in the various parts of Monroe County Jail, and also his…

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77 | Inside the Local Jail

First off, we include an update from outside supporters of Operation PUSH, the strike in Florida prisons that is now in its fifth day. We will continue to give updates on the situation in Florida’s prisons as they arrive. After the news, we share the first part of Craig’s story, who was recently released from…

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46 | Memories of Boo

This week, we return to the story of Clinton “Boo” Gilkie, who died one year ago- on June 7, 2016- in the Monroe County Jail.  We discussed the circumstances of his death in our episode 2 weeks ago, and recommend that you to listen to this episode of Kite Line for more context. Our interview today is…

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44 | The Premature Death of Boo Gilkie

June 7th marks the one year anniversary of the death of Clinton Gilkie, and so we devote our June 2nd and June 16th episodes of Kite Line to his story and his memory. Clinton “Boo” Gilkie was held in the Monroe County Jail since he was 16 after a failed robbery using a toy gun….

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38 | Recovery From Above, Recovery From Below: The AIR Dorm

This 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…

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