Tag Archives: isolation

This week, we honor the late Russell Maroon Shoatz. On December 17th, Russell Maroon Shoatz passed away. In 1970, Shoatz was convicted for the murder of a police officer in Pennsylvania and was sentenced to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole. On February 20, 2014, Shoatz was returned to the prison’s general population after being held in solitary confinement …

This week, Mwalimu Shakur calls us from inside Corcoran prison in California to share his experiences in the Secure Housing Unit. He’s been on the show before, talking about the gladiator fights used by guards to punish and control the imprisoned population. Housed in Corcoran for decades, he describes how he kept going under such extreme isolation.  We will have …

Mwalimu Shakur, who spoke in last week’s episode about COVID-19 protocols in his facility, returns this week to share more reflections. He shares first-hand experiences of gladiator fights and organizing against the SHU (Secure Housing Unit) from the inside. Corcoran State Prison was the first prison to develop the ultra-repressive SHU.  He also talks about using his time inside to …

4,028 new cases of COVID-19 were reported in Indiana on Monday, according to the Indiana State Department of Health. There were 164 newly reported deaths. Locally, Monroe County saw 54 new confirmed cases yesterday, and reported 4 new COVID-related deaths. Lawrence County reported 47 positive cases and one new COVID death. Brown County reported 7 new cases. The City of …

This week on Kite Line, we share a call from a prisoner located in Seattle, who exposes his facility’s careless treatment of prisoners in the face of COVID-19, and how medical isolation and punitive isolation function similarly. Afterwards, we finish our conversation with Keith Malik Washington. Malik was recently released from prison after many years, and has been telling us …

Staying home all the time can be very stressful, and lots of people feel frustrated, lonely, and afraid. But remember that a hundred years ago, people coped with a much worse pandemic, and in those days they didn’t have the internet – in fact, they didn’t even have radio. Today we’re much more connected, and that helps. But watch out …

This week we feature an interview with Patrick, who reflects on his experience with addiction and prison. His story is both deeply personal and analytic, illuminating systemic connections and paths forward. We also share a long letter from a current Indiana prisoner, who makes an urgent plea to all of us for contact and for breaking with a life based …