Incarcerated journalist Christopher Blackwell speaks with Val and Hedge about reporting from prison, tech barriers, dehumanization, and the importance of building community inside and out.
The article critiques “Scared Straight” programs for their ineffectiveness and highlights how incarcerated individuals can positively mentor at-risk youth by sharing relatable experiences and offering guidance.
Now serving 45 years, Christopher Blackwell reflects on his path from troubled youth to journalist, mentor, and prison reform advocate, finding healing and purpose through prison’s “heal circle.”
NY suspended key HALT Act provisions after a CO strike, sparking backlash from activists who say it harms human rights and reverses progress on limiting solitary confinement.
The article argues that solitary confinement is not only inhumane but also counterproductive, as it exacerbates violence within prisons and hinders successful reintegration of inmates into society.
This essay is part of How to Live With Regret, a series exploring the nature of regret and the role it plays in all our lives.
In Washington State, incarcerated individuals, with support from organizations like Look2Justice, are actively engaging in the legislative process by testifying before state lawmakers on issues directly affecting their lives, such as prison communication costs, extreme sentencing practices, and the use of solitary confinement.
In his memoir, Christopher Blackwell recounts the psychological and physical challenges he faced during an unexplained stint in solitary confinement, striving to maintain his dignity and positivity amid the dehumanizing conditions.
Women, especially women of color, shoulder financial and emotional burdens to support incarcerated loved ones, crucial for reentry and reducing recidivism.
Christopher Blackwell reflects on a fleeting moment of unity and the longing for freedom in prison, as incarcerated men come together to watch birds nesting on a windowsill.
In January 2024, NYC Mayor Eric Adams vetoed a bill to ban solitary confinement in city jails, a move criticized as inhumane and counterproductive. The City Council overrode his veto, enacting the ban.
The article discusses Washington’s House Bill 2030, sponsored by Rep. Tarra Simmons, which seeks to grant voting rights to incarcerated individuals.
Medical Isolation Has Become the Latest Form of Abuse in America's Prisons
Incarcerated writer Christopher Blackwell reflects on a transformative justice group where men with violent pasts confront their own trauma, highlighting the link between systemic hardship and violence as key to healing and prevention.
A technical error by Securus Technologies in November 2023 deleted all draft messages from incarcerated individuals’ e-messaging accounts in Washington State prisons, erasing important writings with no recovery option, while the company offered minimal compensation.
Despite New Jersey’s 2019 law aimed at reforming solitary confinement, reports indicate the state’s Department of Corrections continues practices that may violate this legislation.
The phrase “toxic masculinity” is ubiquitous these days, but there are few places where it’s more all-consuming than in a men’s prison
Inside the towering walls and razor wire fences of U.S. prisons, slavery remains legal—and it is carried out with little oversight, often under horrific conditions.
Five incarcerated men on the minute-by-minute experience of solitary confinement.
I don’t know if I’ll ever receive the resentencing hearing I was once promised, but I do know this system must change.
Under state law, adult prison sentences are automatically enhanced based on prior youth adjudications.
Officials delayed the delivery of critical documents for months, leading to the premature dismissal of at least two appeals filed by incarcerated men.
Incarcerated individuals navigate the holiday season with a mix of loneliness and fleeting joy, finding comfort in small traditions, acts of kindness, and reflections on the outside world.
In his essay, Christopher Blackwell reflects on how his wife’s rescue dog, Betsy (affectionately known as Chicken Sticks), taught her unconditional love, enabling her to embrace a relationship with him despite his incarceration.
In their joint essay, Christopher Blackwell and Jamie Beth Cohen explore how their Empowerment Avenue collaboration bridges prison and suburban life, fostering growth and mutual understanding.
"There is something special about sharing space with a living thing that doesn’t know your past ― a space where judgment is nonexistent."
Under the guise of Covid protections, prisoners are denied family visits, yet forced to work through outbreaks.
Before covid, prisoners could meet politically. Closure of the Monroe reformatory ended that ability.
As sensational shows like ‘60 Days In‘ return this fall, so does one of television’s favorite tropes: the scary, evil-doing prisoner.
"I have witnessed prisoners and guards get beaten until their eyes could not open, for nothing more than calling someone a 'punk.'"
"I often think about how differently my life might have gone had weed been legal when I was a kid."
Because of the sheer numbers housed in prisons, social distancing to avoid infection is impossible.
How my restorative justice community helped me heal in prison.
“My college degree taught me that anything is possible when you show someone how to love themselves, through accountability, vulnerability and education.”
When I was sentenced to forty-five years in prison, I never thought I’d earn a college degree or be successful in any way. I couldn’t have been more wrong.
Serving out a sentence in a Washington state prison, I was certain I’d never own a home.
A cycle of hopelessness is taking its toll in prisons across the country, amid continued restrictions on the things that make life more bearable.
Prison reformists—many of whom are serving long sentences—have united to change the cruel and arbitrary carceral system.
An inside look at Washington State’s most dangerous prison.
Sustainability programs in prisons can benefit the environment, society and incarcerated people alike.
Every Covid lockdown means losing the few privileges that make incarceration more bearable.
“Disciplinary segregation” is just one of the many phrases corrections departments use to describe solitary confinement.
We can't end mass incarceration without first ending solitary confinement once and for all.
Incarcerated writers face significant challenges in exercising their free speech rights, including prohibitive communication costs, fear of retaliation, and isolation, which hinder their participation in public discourse on criminal justice reform.
Christopher Blackwell and Nick Hacheney argue that Washington should allow incarcerated individuals to earn early release through rehabilitation, reducing recidivism, prison overcrowding, and costs while promoting public safety.
Jessica Phoenix Sylvia details the systemic transphobia, abuse, and harassment she endures in a men’s prison, underscoring the urgent need for prison reform to protect transgender individuals.
Studies show that a prisoner's human contact with loved ones makes it easier to reenter society.
As the pandemic ravaged prisons and jails, officials opted to force people into inhumane solitary confinement. HuffPost spoke to some who described how they “nearly broke.”
Incarcerated people remain one of the most at-risk groups of contracting COVID-19. So when will guards start doing their job to protect us?
"When you think about prison, do you think about tenderness, caring, and connections? They’re not common, but they’re here."
In a Washington State Prison, Solitary Confinement Is the First-Line Response to COVID, and a Bureaucratic Nightmare
I sometimes wonder how I got here. Not the fact that I’m stuck in a prison cell with a 45-year sentence, I know how that happened – greed.
Climate change is intensifying the suffering of incarcerated people.
For incarcerated individuals, complaints about mistreatment often end up simply being ignored—or, at worst, lead to more punishment.
More than 200 received an expired dose. The incident has left prisoners’ trust shaken in the agency.
In a reflective letter to his younger self, an incarcerated writer shares hard-won insights, offering guidance and wisdom gained through personal experiences.
A Muslim resident at the Monroe prison is penalized for making masks out of discarded material.
"What I am seeing, what I am living through ... is a breakdown of policy with potentially deadly consequences that people, including the governor, need to know about."
Christopher Blackwell argues that early release decisions should be based on rehabilitation and risk assessment rather than solely on the original crime, advocating for data-driven parole policies.
Christopher Blackwell exposes how Washington State Reformatory failed to enforce COVID-19 safety measures, endangering prisoners while prioritizing institutional reputation over their well-being.
Christopher Blackwell argues that incarcerated individuals should receive COVID-19 stimulus checks to support their families, aid rehabilitation, and reduce recidivism.
“From time to time you hear someone shout something like, ‘Trump cannot be stopped!’ or, ‘Let’s get this White Nazi out of power!’ There is no gray area.”
A mask requirement expands prisoners’ opportunities for personal expression.
