Tag Archives: prisons

This is the first of two conversations I had with Kimberley Brownlee about her recent book Being Sure of Each Other: An Essay on Social Rights and Freedoms. Brownlee writes that our social needs are so fundamental, basic, and universal, that they lead us necessarily into the territory of human rights. Meeting our social needs – for decent human contact, …

The entire country of Italy is now a “red zone,” not quite quarantined, but facing serious restrictions to movement and public gathering due to the coronavirus. Prisoners were told that they would lose all family visitation, even though the Justice Ministry was not taking any other steps to offer them medical care or prevent transmission in crowded conditions.  In response, …

The three largest providers of mental health care in America aren’t in hospitals, they’re in jails. According to a 2017 report from the U.S. Department of Justice, about 37 percent of people in prison have a history of mental health problems. More than 24 percent have been previously diagnosed with major depressive disorder, 17 percent with bipolar disorder, 13 percent …

On our show this week, we hear from Dennis Boatright, a co-organizer with MAPS- Michigan Abolition and Prisoner Support. Boatright presents ‘From Convict to Inmate’, tracing the counter insurgent and repressive measures- such as isolation, book restriction, and even the colors used within the facilities- used by the Michigan Department of Corrections to neutralize and depoliticize prisoners. He spoke about …

Catch up to date on LGBTQ+ news. We talk about the revocation of LGBTQ+ terms and statistics on the CDC website as well as a recent development to take away prisoner rights specific to transgender people. Also, a bit about Thanksgiving. Upcoming Events: Holiday Market, City Hall, 401 N. Morton, Bloomington, IN Nov 30 @ 10:00 am – 3:00 pm …

This week, we finish our conversation with Anastazia Schmid. This time around, she talks about labels- and the media’s role in the stigmatization of incarcerated and formerly incarcerated people. Schmid also talks to us about the Indiana Women’s Prison History Project, and other ways of presenting her historical research, especially outside of the academic setting, such as the play “The …

A new report, by the Monroe County chapter of the NAACP and the Unitarian Universalist Church of Bloomington’s Racial Justice Task Force, found African-Americans in Monroe County are disproportionately affected by the Criminal Justice system. Less than four percent of Monroe County residents are Black, but last year African-Americans made up over a quarter of those imprisoned from Monroe County. …

In 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 complicated choices they each faced …

Our topic this week is creativity behind bars. We showcase poetry from prisoners working with the Indiana Prisoners’ Writing Project, a piece by Shaka Shakur, entitled “Black Pain”, and a song by local musician Billy Young. Shakur is currently serving time in the Wabash Valley Correctional Facility here in Indiana. Billy Young will speak with us in a future episode …

This week’s episode is the second installment of our Families and Prison series. We speak with April, a formerly-incarcerated mother who works with House of Hope in Martinsville, Indiana. She shares her experiences and thoughts about the issues facing women in prison, as well as the work she has been doing since her release. We also hear some updates about …