January 2019 

 

​

​ ​ ​ ​COMPILED AND EDITED BY
 

Bonnie Kerness

 

Program Director, American Friends Service Committee 
Prison Watch Program 
89 Market St, 6th Floor 
Newark, NJ 07102 
973-643-3192 
bkerness@afsc.org 
 
Lydia Thornton 
Editor, Prison Watch Program 
 
Rachel Frome 
Editor, Prison Watch Program 
 
Margeaux Biché 
Editor, Prison Watch Program 
 
 

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The American Friends Service Committee Prison Watch Program is a 
human rights monitoring and advocacy program focusing on conditions 
of confinement in United States prisons.  
 
The human rights abuses that occur in U.S. prisons, jails, and juvenile and immigration 
detention facilities are a violation of international laws, such as the United Nations Convention 
Against Torture and the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Racial Discrimination — 
two treaties that the U.S. has signed and ratified. These abuses serve to create a cycle of 
violence whereby United States society suffers. 
AFSC has long opposed the use of isolated confinement by prison administrations and 
has challenged conditions of them. We continue to provide direct services on a limited basis, 
largely to those inside requesting “The Survivor’s Manual: Survival in Solitary Confinement.” 
Prison Watch first published this manual in 1998 in response to the “no touch” torture 
reported from isolation units inside U.S. prisons. That manual consists of extensive testimonies 
that people held in solitary confinement units wrote on surviving these illegal and cruel 
conditions of confinement. Not only is U.S. prisons use of isolated confinement inappropriate, 
it also violates international law in the United Nation Convention Against Torture.  
 

Statement to the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Torture
by Juan Mendez, NOVEMBER 7, 2014
"Segregation, isolation, separation, cellular, lockdown, Supermax, the hole, Secure Housing
Unit…whatever the name, solitary confinement should be banned by States as a punishment or
extortion technique,” UN Special Rapporteur on torture Juan E. Méndez told the General
Assembly’s third committee, which deals with social, humanitarian and cultural affairs, saying the
practice could amount to torture.
“Solitary confinement is a harsh measure which is contrary to rehabilitation, the aim of the
penitentiary system,” he stressed in presenting his first interim report on the practice, calling it
global in nature and subject to widespread abuse.
Indefinite and prolonged solitary confinement in excess of 15 days should also be subject to an
absolute prohibition, he added, citing scientific studies that have established that some lasting
mental damage is caused after a few days of social isolation.
“Considering the severe mental pain or suffering solitary confinement may cause, it can amount
to torture or cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment when used as a punishment,
during pre-trial detention, indefinitely or for a prolonged period, for persons with mental
disabilities or juveniles,” he warned.

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The practice should be used only in very exceptional circumstances and for as short a time as
possible, he stressed. “In the exceptional circumstances in which its use is legitimate, procedural
safeguards must be followed. I urge States to apply a set of guiding principles when using solitary
confinement,” he said.
There is no universal definition for solitary confinement since the degree of social isolation varies
with different practices, but Mr. Méndez defined it as any regime where a prisoner is held in
isolation from others, except guards, for at least 22 hours a day.
 
In  our  work  producing  other  resources  for  prisoners,  it  became  clear  to  us  that  a 
publication  that  directly  addressed  the  specialized  survival  needs  of  women  in  prison  was 
necessary.  This  Women’s  Survivors  Manual  is  a  resource  created  by  and  for  women  in  prison, 
which will facilitate support and well-being among women who are prisoners. 
 

The United Nations Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination against
Women (CEDAW)​ includes the following statement:
ARTICLE 2
(d) To refrain from engaging in any act or practice of discrimination against women and to ensure
that public authorities and institutions shall act in conformity with this obligation
(g) To repeal all national penal provisions which constitute discrimination against women
 
As you read through the testimonials, and the survival skills that these amazing 
imprisoned women have developed, it becomes abundantly clear that misogyny exists at 
extreme measures in our prison systems. The fact that a separate manual is needed for women 
to be able to share these skills is a statement unto itself. Prison facilities were not designed for 
women. As far as we have come, there are still significant differences both physically and 
emotionally between men and women, as well as those who identify beyond the gender binary. 
Physically most women are smaller with different hormonal and physiological needs. The 
physical plant of jails and prisons is not designed to accommodate those needs; they were built 
for men. So as women, we adapt, we adjust, and we determine our own survival. 
 

 

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Dedication 
​

 
 
This Manual is dedicated first to ​Marilyn Buck​ who would want us to remember to dedicate 
our continued survival to the thousands of women we have lost in the system. With tears, 

remembrance, honor, and love we commemorate these women. We dedicate this manual to 
the lessons that they taught each who came after them about love, loss, tenacity, wisdom, joy, 
patience, how to survive, and thrive, in an environment that is designed to destroy. 
 
In addition, it is dedicated to ​Andrea Harris​, who many were blessed to know, and few 

were allowed to share her last days. Her choice was not to fight death, as it released her from 
the bars. To clean her room and pack her belongings was a singular honor. To not be allowed 
to hold a memorial for her, inside, with her “sisters” was painful beyond description. 
 
There are so many who have not survived their imprisonment. To these women, and 
those who come after us, we dedicate this manual, we take the lessons, blessings, and 
brilliance of each of them into each page, and into each of our souls.  
 
May they never be forgotten.  
 
 
 

 
 

“ ​When a woman is incarcerated, she's expected to give up
her freedom, but not her soul. ​”
—Michelle Williams
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

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Table of Contents 
 
 
 
I.

Introduction: A National Sisterhood of Concern

Page 7 

 
II.

Well-Being

Page 16 

 
III.

Social Life

Page 26 

 
IV.

Family

Page 29 

 
V.

Self-Preservation

Page 32 

 
VI.

References

Page 44 

 
VII.

Resources: The Community Outside

Page 45 

 
VIII.

American Friends Service Committee Publications

Page 60 

 
IX.

Acknowledgments

Page 61 

 
 
 

 

 

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I.​ Introduction: A National Sisterhood Of Concern 
The United States of America has been built upon the backs of women of color, as 
coined by Cherr​íe​ Moraga and Gloria ​Anzaldúa in their anthology “This Bridge Called My Back” 
(1983). We need to alter the core of every system that slavery, racism, and poverty has given 

birth to, particularly the criminal legal system. There are many things that we can do to push 
for social change. We must stop violations of human rights, particularly those of girls and 
women. We must change the economic and racial profiling of arrest and sentencing practices. 
We need to decriminalize poverty, mental illness, and queer identity. We must eliminate 
solitary confinement, torture, and the use of devices of torture. We must support a vigorous 
monitoring of police, the court, and prison systems with a national review process. We need to 
ensure enhanced use of international law. We desperately need to redirect the dollars going 
into prisons that belong in communities and in schools. And finally, we must alter the 13th 
Amendment. The link between poverty, race, discrimination, sexual orientation, and 
imprisonment cannot be denied. ​We are in need of a national sisterhood of concern.  

The U.S. criminal legal system executes structural violence that is especially brutal for 

women and girls. The population of incarcerated women is the fastest growing segment of the 
prison population (Fuentes, 2013). The number of incarcerated women has grown 700 percent 
since 1980, with 1.2 million women under surveillance in 2015 (The Sentencing Project). ​There 
is no way to look into any aspect of prison or the wider criminal legal system without being 
confronted with the racism and white supremacy that prisoners of color endure. If we dig 
deeper into these practices, the political function they serve is inescapable. Police, the courts, 
the prison system, and the death penalty all serve as control mechanisms. The economic 
function they serve is equally chilling. We believe that in the U.S. criminal legal system, politics 
of the police, courts, prison system, and death penalty are a manifestation of the racism and 
classism that governs so much of our lives. The criminal legal system encumbers the poor and 
people of color.  
Many understand the 13th Amendment as the act that abolished slavery, but the reality 
is that the reverse is true; the 13th Amendment ​guaranteed​ slavery under the U.S. Constitution. 
Its text states, “Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude,​ except as a punishment for crime 

whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exists within the United States, or any 
place subject to their jurisdiction.” This clearly gives the U.S. government the right to continue 
to enforce, develop, and deepen slave labor, especially given the fact that the U.S. government 
determines ​what​ qualifies as crime and ​who​ is guilty, in ways that are clearly demonstrated to 
discriminate against people of color, queer people, people experiencing poverty, people with 
disabilities, and other marginalized communities.  
Over the years, people have said to me that the criminal justice system doesn’t work. 
I’ve come to believe exactly the opposite - that it works perfectly, just as slavery did, as a 
matter of economic and political policy. How is it that a young woman of color in Newark, or 
Detroit (for instance), who the country labels as worthless to the economy, suddenly is 
generating between $45,000 and $60,000 a year once trapped in the criminal legal system. 

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The required expansion of the control systems - police, bail, the court, prisons (including 
private prisons owned by corporations), parole, and probation - have resulted in an enormous 
bureaucracy of people (and money) all with one thing in common - many paychecks earned by 
keeping human beings in cages.  
In comparison, a year in most state colleges averages $35,000-40,000 - and at the end, 
students are tax-paying, productive, motivated members of that same ‘society’. This is 
illustrative of how racial capitalism is a primary motivator of the U.S. government — 
investments, social, economic, or otherwise, are only made based on an individual’s potential 
contribution to the economy. Therefore, people with race, gender, and class privilege are given 
access to education and higher-earning careers, while those without these privileges are 
relegated to cages, where free labor can be forcibly extracted from them to benefit the rest of 
the so-called “free world.”  
This increase of systems has been a boon to everyone from architects, plumbers, and 
electricians to food and medical vendors, whose salaries cannot be separated from their 
employment which centers on keeping human beings imprisoned in human warehouses. The 
criminalization of poverty is a lucrative business that has replaced the social safety net with a 
dragnet. I doubt this would be tolerated if we were talking about mostly white or rich folks. 
Not unlike the U.S. era of chattel slavery, there is a class of people dependent on mostly poor 
people and bodies of color as a source for income.  
The AFSC has always recognized the existence and continued expansion of the penal 
system as a profound spiritual crises. It is a crises that allows children to be demonized, and 
which legitimizes torture, isolation and abuse of power. It is a crises which extends beyond 
prisons ito school and judicial systems. I know that each time we send a child to bed hungry, 
that is violence. That wealth concentrated in the hands of a few at the expense of many is 
violence, that denial of dignity based on race, class, sexual preference and gender identity is 
violence. And that poverty and imprisonment are a form of state-manifested violence.  
AFSC’s Prison Watch has received numerous testimonies from women and girls in U.S. 
prisons that are in violation of dozens of International Treaties and Covenants. The conditions 
of confinement in US prisons violate the United Nations Convention Against Torture, the U.N. 
Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination, the United Nations 
Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the U.N. Convention on the Elimination of 
Discrimination Against Women, the U.N. Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners, the 
UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and a dozen other international and regional laws 
and standards. The practices also fit the United Nation definition of genocide, with which this 
country has a long history. Oppression is a condition common to all of us who are without 
power to make the decisions that govern the political, economic, and social life of this country. 
We are victims of an ideology of inhumanity on which this country was built. The political and 
economic functions of imprisonment are inescapably slavery. Many people with whom I work 
believe that prisons are a form of neo-slavery and economic slavery.  
 
 

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The United Nations Declaration on the Elimination of Violence against Women
ARTICLE 2
Violence against women shall be understood to encompass, but not be limited to, the following:
a. Physical, sexual and psychological violence occurring in the family, including battering, sexual abuse of
female children in the household, dowry-related violence, marital rape, female genital mutilation and other
traditional practices harmful to women, non-spousal violence and violence related to exploitation;
b. Physical, sexual and psychological violence occurring within the general community, including rape, sexual
abuse, sexual harassment and intimidation at work, in educational institutions and elsewhere, trafficking in
women and forced prostitution;
c. Physical, sexual and psychological violence perpetrated or condoned by the State, wherever it occurs.
ARTICLE 4
States should condemn violence against women and should not invoke any custom, tradition o​r ​religious
consideration to avoid their obligations with respect to its elimination. States should pursue by all appropriate
means and without delay a policy of eliminating violence against women and, to this end, should:
c. Exercise due diligence/ to prevent, investigate and, in accordance with national legislation, punish acts of
violence against women, whether those acts are perpetrated by the State or by private persons.
i. Take measures to ensure that law enforcement officers and public officials responsible for
implementing policies to prevent, investigate and punish violence against women receive training to
sensitize them to the needs of women​. 

 
Women in prisons have unique needs that go unmet. Most women in prison are poor 
and working-class people who need jobs, education, and oftentimes drug treatment. Many 
women in prisons are trauma survivors. Some individuals in women’s prisons are transgender 
and/or gender non-conforming but have been sorted into a facility based on their biological 
sex or genitalia, not their own personal identity; these individuals are often highly visible. They 
often become targets for transphobic violence, brutality, isolation, and poor medical care. 
Oftentimes, transgender prisoners are placed into involuntary protective custody units 
(solitary confinement), which places them at greater risk of violence at the hands of guards and 
higher mental health crises. Regardless of whether it provides some level of protection or 
safety, isolation should never be an alternative to general population.  
The physical, emotional, and spiritual impacts of solitary confinement are tantamount 
to torture. At a time when the term “torture” has become part of the national conversation, we 
must think seriously about the violence in our systems of punishment and detention, and 
expose and acknowledge the disproportionately harsh treatment of transgender people in 
prison. Transgender people experience violence and are persecuted for their visibility within 
the criminal legal system, but remain a marginalized and misunderstood community to an 
indifferent world inside and outside.  
 

The United Nations Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading
Treatment or Punishment
ARTICLE 1
1. For the purposes of this Convention, the term "torture" means any act by which severe pain or suffering,
whether physical or mental, is intentionally inflicted on a person for such purposes as obtaining from him or
a third person information or a confession, punishing him for an act he or a third person has committed or
is suspected of having committed, or intimidating or coercing him or a third person, or for any reason based
on discrimination of any kind, when such pain or suffering is inflicted by or at the instigation of or with the

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consent or acquiescence of a public official or other person acting in an official capacity. It does not include
pain or suffering arising only from, inherent in or incidental to lawful sanctions.
This article is without prejudice to any international instrument or national legislation which does or may
contain provisions of wider application.

2.

ARTICLE 10
1. Each State Party shall ensure that education and information regarding the prohibition against torture are
fully included in the training of law enforcement personnel, civil or military, medical personnel, public
officials and other persons who may be involved in the custody, interrogation or treatment of any individual
subjected to any form of arrest, detention or imprisonment.
2. Each State Party shall include this prohibition in the rules or instructions issued in regard to the duties and
functions of any such person.
ARTICLE 11
Each State Party shall keep under systematic review interrogation rules, instructions, methods and practices
as well as arrangements for the custody and treatment of persons subjected to any form of arrest,
detention or imprisonment in any territory under its jurisdiction, with a view to preventing any cases of
torture.

ARTICLE 12
Each State Party shall ensure that its competent authorities proceed to a prompt and
impartial investigation, wherever there is reasonable ground to believe that an act of
torture has been committed in any territory under its jurisdiction.
 
Prison issues are class issues, and until both prisoner activists and outside organizers 
begin opposition on a more concrete level, neither prison administrators nor the U.S. 
government have any impetus to respond to these complaints. We need to find ways to reach 
into women’s prisons, just as we are going to have to find ways to further our own social and 
political consciousness and activism. The crippling of our poor, uneducated young men and 
women of color in our prisons is expanding in unconscionable ways that are unrelated to the 
rate of crime. It is about capitalism and racism.  
It is about fighting the poison that drips from the American culture, which to me is a 
culture of greed, a culture of no values, and a culture that fears the joy of diversity. We are in 
need of a national sisterhood of concern between women inside and out. 
 
Bonnie Kerness, AFSC Program Director 
Prison Watch, 2018 

“When I dare to be powerful, to use my strength in the
service of my vision, then it becomes less and less
important whether I am afraid.​ ”​
—Audre Lorde

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Art by Rachel Frome

No One Can Stop the Rain 
Assata Shakur 
 
Watch, the grass is growing. 
Watch, but don’t make it obvious. 
Let your eyes roam casually, but watch! 
In any prison yard, you can see it, growing.  
In the cracks, in the crevices, between the steel and the 
concrete, 
Out of the dead gray dust, 
The bravest blades of grass shoot up, bold and full of life.  

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Watch, the grass is growing. 
It is growing through the cracks. 
The guards say grass is against the Law. 
Grass is contraband in prison. 
The guards say that the grass is insolent. 
It is uppity grass, radical grass, militant grass, terrorist grass, 
They call it weeds. 
Nasty weeds, nigga weeds, dirty, spic, savage indian, 
wet-back, pinko, 
Commie weeds - subversive! 
 
And so the guards try to wipe out the grass. 
They yank it from its roots. 
They poison it with drugs. 
They maul it. 
They rake it. 
Blades of grass have been found hanging in cells, covered with 
Bruises, “Apparent suicides”. 
The guards say that the “​GRASS is UNAUTHORIZED.​ ” 
“​DO NOT LET THE GRASS GROW​.” 

 

You can spy on the grass. You can lock up the grass. 
You can mow it down, temporarily,  
But you will never keep it from growing. 
Watch, the grass is beautiful. 
The guards try to mow it down, but it keeps on growing. 
The grass grows into a poem. 
The grass grows into a song. 
 
The grass paints itself across the canvas of life. 
And the picture is clear and the lyrics are true,  
And the haunting voices sing so sweet and strong  
That the people hear the grass from far away. 
And the people start to dance, and the people start to sing, 
And the song is freedom.  
Watch the grass is growing. 
Thank you. 
 
 
 

 

 

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What Would Edna Do? 
According to legend, Edna Mahan cared about the women housed in her facility. Often I 
would hear women say, “she would turn over in her grave if she saw what was happening to 
the women now.” Personally, I think she would get up out of her grave and raise hell at the 
conditions faced by the women housed at Edna Mahan Correctional Facility today. 
When I first arrived at Edna Mahan 31 years ago, I never imagine that when judge Ronco 
said I was being sentenced to 30 years without parole, that meant I would be penalized to 
endure 30 years of physical, mental, emotional, verbal and spiritual abuse until the day I got 
out.  
Like some folks who had never been in prison, all I had ever heard about prison was 
what I saw on TV or sometimes read in the newspapers. However, those articles or news clips 
- didn’t reflect the reality of what prison is actually like. Therefore, I think that it is best that 
someone who has genuinely been in incarcerated for decades tell you the about prison life. 
Orange is not the new black – unless it’s meant to symbolize that more Blacks than ever are 
wearing Orange uniforms in prisons throughout the U.S. 
Would you kindly put down those newspapers and turn off your television? I would like 
your attention for a few. Let me share with you what I have found out about prison life. My 
experience is just that – my experience. If you have never lived inside a prison, then I suggest 
that you do your very best to never end up in one. Three hots and a cot isn’t the only thing that 
awaits those who become incarcerated. 
Life on the inside, is just that – life. You are alive but you are no longer allowed to live, 
at least not in the terms most would consider living life. You are alive but what kind of quality 
of life under oppressive circumstance can anyone have. The first stage is the transformation. 
It begins from the time you take your mugshot, get fingerprinted, have your name change to a 
number and get classified to a cell or a dorm that will be your environment for duration of 
most of your imprisonment. You will be identified by the number assigned to you. I see it as 
an agency taking away your sense of self in the dehumanizing process that comes with 
incarceration. 
My first day I had to strip butt naked, bend forward and spread my butt cheeks. It felt 
humiliating having strange eyes inspect one’s most personal body parts. It matters not what 
time of the month it is – it must be done whenever you make movement in prison from one 
place to another. At Edna Mahan, for example, if you are housed in minimum security and must 
be taken to the prison hospital for any kind of medical care – you are required to have a body 
search before you are transported and before you leave. It’s amazing especially when you are 
either fully shackled or handcuffed. There is absolutely nothing fun or rehabilitative about the 
prison experience. 
I believe that it is designed to destroy the human spirit. It is an oppressive place. Every 
aspect of your life is dictated by someone else. It makes you powerless and eventually 
voiceless. Once a person is sent to prison they become civilly dead. They forfeit pretty much all 
their rights and privileges. People no longer see you as a human being who made a mistake – 
for whatever reasons the mistake was made you should still have a right to your humanity. 
It’s a subculture in which only the strong can survive. No, I am not referring to physical 
survival I am talking about spiritual, mental survival; and even then, some damage has been 
done.  

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My first year was extremely traumatic. I never knew how cruel people could be to 
others and I was exposed to street knowledge because I had never been a street person. I did 
not go to clubs, hang out on street corners, I worked and went to school. I had passed several 
civil service tests and envisioned a future that did not include prison – not even in my worst 
nightmares. I was not raised to cheat, misuse, manipulate and harm others for amusement or 
selfish gain, no this convicted murderer found herself in a world that rose-colored glasses 
were smashed as soon as the prison door closed behind her. 
My first seven years were spent in and out of solitary confinement. You name the 
season and holiday and I was there – locked in a cage like a wild animal. Why? All prisoners 
soon learn that they are at the mercy of their captives. If a guard don’t like you for whatever 
reason they can write any type of disciplinary charge on you that they want. And with the 
collateral damage of being convicted, there’s that stigma that all prisoners are liars. You will be 
found guilty and punished.  
I received assault charges from guards that were never even in my housing unit. All the 
disciplinary officer had to do was to check the log book at the front desk to see if those two 
guards were ever in the building. Nope! It would have been too much work to take about 
twenty steps to check my statement at the front desk.   
The discrimination, false charges, abuse of power, deprivations of necessities are some 
of the things that make prisoners bitter instead of better. Yet, the thing that saved me was that 
I come from a very spiritual family. I have Bishops, Evangelists, Preachers, Shamans, Ministers, 
and even some satanic worshiper in my family. So, spirituality in some form runs strong in my 
family and it was that spiritual connection that provided my strength to keep focus.  
—Cynthia Cupe 

 

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II.​ Well-being 
Total inactivity in the hole is inexcusable and detrimental to your health. It is true that 
lying in bed all day poses health risks like hypertension, muscle atrophy, depressed immune 
system and irregular heart beats. And not to mention back problems and hip problems. You 
need to keep your heart healthy and body geared for defense against illness, stress and even a 
possible attack. I recommend at least 45 minutes of exercise, 4 days a week, using a couple of 
progressive exercise routines to alternate with week to week. Your routines should target 
core, legs, back and arms, and include 10 minutes of cardio each day at least. For cardio I 
personally favor shadow boxing, high-knees, running in place and even dancing. 
For strength I favor “burpies” crunches, mountain climbers, squats, wall sits, plank and 
old fashioned push ups. For free weights you’ll have to get creative filling a pillowcase or trash 
bag with heavy books and pockets is an idea. Even filling a trash bag or trash can with sheets 
and towels soaked in water to add weight. Otherwise bodyweight exercises with higher reps is 
sufficient. On “rest” days yoga and breathing exercises are good for meditation and stretching 
sore muscles. Exercise releases endorphins that give a natural high and helps fight off 
depression. It also opens the mind for creative energy. Bob Marley was known to write songs 
after a good workout. As far as diet, I prefer and recommend a vegetarian diet due to 
questionable meat products and even more questionable cooking methods. And last but not 
least, drink LOTS of water. Segregation here, and in a lot of prisons, is very dry and hard on the 
skin.  
—Julia “J-Honey” Gregg 
 
 
Develop several different forms of exercise for different days and conditions. One 
technique of control used in every unit I've been in is withholding or postponing rec time. 
Since exercise was a very important way I controlled my anger so that I didn't become upset or 
stressed, it was crucial for me to develop ways to avoid letting this necessity for exercise 
become one more tool for them to use against me. I learned yoga and did isometric 
weight-training in my cell, and I ran on the occasions I was able to go out to the rec yards. 
—Laura Whitehorn 
 
 
Prisons are designed for privation of many privileges afforded to free-world citizens 
perhaps arguably and rightfully so. However, a prisoner’s incarceration still must include those 
intangibles that allow us to endure the despondency and abjectness that can end will. These 
classes (college classes) remind us that we are human and capable. We thirst for knowledge, 
enlightenment and edification. Educating prisoners align with and promote the precise 
rehabilitative goals of the DOC, the betterment of communities and satisfies prisoner’s human 
needs. We can return to society as empowered citizens as a result of exposure to college 
academia! Now in my 11th successful completion of a college class in prison, I can truly say: 
“My body is confined by these walls, but when I am in class I know that my mind is free.”  
—T.C. 

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I try to take care of myself physically and mentally. The saying is I came in alone I’m 
leaving alone. A lot of the commissary is so delicious but so unhealthy. So if you overindulged 
in commissary especially during our periods when we crave chocolate, it’s fine, but be careful 
because commissary is loaded with sodium and sugar. You don’t want to end up with high 
blood pressure and diabetes from all the starches. The food is sometimes undefinable because 
it is very low grade. I switched my preference to vegetarian because it is a little healthier tray. 
It contains peanut butter for protein, and a lot of different beans which is another good source 
of protein. Also then you don’t have to buy beans on commissary.  
We are able to order a food package twice a year if your infraction free for a year - it’s 
an incentive program (sic). We are able to order 40 lbs of food it ranges from vegetables, 
granola bars, Kentucky Fried Chicken, etc. You can stock up on some healthier foods such as 
fiber cereals, granola bars, flax seeds etc. You can also order some spices such as garlic, curry 
and doctor up the state food. The spices/condiments are sold in large quantities but you can 
have a friend who you trust to buy one type and she buys another type and then you split it.  
—Anonymous 
 
 
Your body is yours, make sure you take care of it and protect it from getting sick, 
germs, watch the food you eat, prison food isn’t always clean, nor fresh. Keep your mind clean, 
by checking yourself at all times, self-care is very important to survival. Get vegetables when 
you can. Fried food kills the germs, don’t eat a lot of sugar, or starch, you have to watch your 
weight it’ll slip up on you. Rinse the lettuce, eat a lot of salad, fruit. Drink lots of water. Juice 
when they have it.  
—Phyllis Hardy 
 
 
Tips from a transgender woman in a men’s facility on surviving 
in Ad Seg​ (higher levels)  
 
1.

Try to maintain a respectful stance with inmates and staff alike because staff control 
who stays and who leaves. Even though other inmates are in your situation, it’s best to 
be respectful to them because you could very well create a situation with another 
inmate that will follow you for years unresolved.  
 
2. Find things to do to spend your time productively such as writing songs, poems, 
reading. Idle hands are the devil’s playground. 
 
3. Remember that guys hate rejection. There are ways to tell someone you’re not 
interested that doesn’t hurt his pride so much. If you’re too harsh in your tone, he may 
be concerned about how others think and will try to show off for their behalf.  
 

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4. It’s best to remain single but if you must, be cautious of “getting with” more than one 
guy. You’re playing a dangerous game when you toy with someone’s emotions. There’s 
no safe way to have sexual intercourse. Many guys have different health problems that 
they hide. Ask for paperwork ensuring his health is up to code (at that moment). Be 
watchful that he isn’t messing around with more than one partner. Some choices don’t 
end well.  
 
5. Focus on a goal; build a timetable of when you’d like to be released or your custody 
reduced. Remain misconduct free.  
 
6. Choose your friends closely. Remember you’re locked up with prisoners who are locked 
up for being in some type of trouble so some people enjoy continuing that same 
behavior. Don’t gossip or spread rumors as this will only keep you in constant conflict.  
 
7. Some guys (predators) will do anything to get with you against your will, creating 
situations where you’d need his assistance! Remember it’s only a ploy. He could very 
well be behind the situation. Don’t go into debt. If someone wanted to squeeze you for 
money, they’d be able to continuously keep you owing them simply by taking you. Or 
your debt could be passed on from inmate to inmate. Guys look at transsexuals as being 
the weakest link and will play off of that. If you don’t have it, consider going without it 
or if the risk is worth it!  
 
8. Many transsexuals and homosexuals get with other inmates in a relationship for money. 
Remember if a guy feels used he may cause you harm. Many guys believe that they own 
you after they’ve bought you so much. Then think about that if you realize his money is 
gone, then what? Many guys are in prison because they felt betrayed by family, friends, 
wives, or girlfriends and once betrayed again, you could be in a situation that’s hard if 
not impossible to get out of. 
—Anonymous 
 
 
I crocheted and knitted almost constantly. It is creative and made the time go by. I also 
read a lot of books and wrote a lot of letters.  
I enjoyed walking the compound. Walking was good exercise as well as a good stress 
reliever. I also did not get involved in drama or conflict. That brings a lot of stress and it is one 
thing you want to avoid whenever possible. Yoga was something else that helped me cope. 
You have to do all you can to be proactive about your own health, and really be careful 
what you eat, especially if you have high blood pressure or any other health issues. If you are 
hurt or sick go to Medical as soon as you can, not that they will always do something for you, 
but at least you will have documentation. Let someone know on the outside as soon as you 
can, just in case you need an advocate on the outside.  
—Chrissa Matthews 
 
 
 

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T’ai Chi Ch’uan 
This article is to let you know the benefits you can receive from the regular practice of 
T’ai Chi Ch’uan. 
T’ai Chi is a form of martial art that emphasizes achieving balance within yourself 
through slow movements and deep breathing. It originated in China and is referred to at times 
as “moving meditation.” If you practice it regularly you will notice an increase in energy to face 
the day, you will be calmer, able to handle situations that would usually end in conflicts or 
arguments. T’ai Chi can be used for self defense and is designed to deal with an opponent in 
the least violent way.  
The health benefits of T’ai Chi have been proven in tests conducted by medical experts. 
It has reduced blood pressure, aided people with asthma and heart trouble. It can be practiced 
by young, old, weak, and strong. 
Since I have been practicing T’ai Chi each day, I have overcome depression. My outlook 
on life has changed from a negative one to a positive one, and that is saying something because 
of my long exposure to the prison system. The best thing about T’ai Chi is that with as little as 
10–25 minutes each morning you can meet the day with a steady head, heart, and body. You 
will benefit physically, spiritually, emotionally, and mentally. This isn't any snake oil salesman’s 
“come on.” IT WORKS, but you only get out of it what you put into it. T’ai Chi works for me; I 
know it can work for you.  
—Anonymous 
 
 
I took a lot of different correspondence courses. There are many free correspondence 
courses available for prisoners. I taught myself how to read and write Greek and Hebrew. I got 
a degree in Religious Education and others. Every time that a program was offered I signed up. 
It was important to take advantage of whatever opportunity the prison provided. If they 
offered a class on plumbing, forklifting or even art therapy, I went. I realized that if I didn’t 
keep busy and didn’t stimulate my mind by learning and doing new things, the time was going 
to get the best of me. It made no sense to just sit around playing cards and watching TV. 
Keeping yourself busy with positive things is very important in prison. The more a person 
opens up their mind to learning the better your life becomes. It’s not so much that you won’t 
have any problems but it will help you deal with them better. Why, because you have learned 
new things and can now look at a given situation in different ways. 
I read self-help books about how to cope with different childhood traumas, from sexual 
abuse to domestic violence. And I made time to practice some of the techniques mentioned in 
those books. We know ourselves better than anyone else - so when some things didn’t work or 
I instinctively knew certain things were not the right fit for me, I didn’t try it. Surviving in 
prison meant that I had to take full responsibility for healing and changing me. Embracing the 
things that I could not change enabled me to move forward in life. I think it had to do with me 
making a conscious decision not to allow my past to determine my future. 
—Cynthia Cupe  
 
 
I eventually started dancing, working out and changed my eating habits. The one thing 
that I thought was the worst thing that had ever happened to me became the best thing that 

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had ever happened to me. You see as time went on as the years passed by I noticed that I was 
physically in a prison but my mind was free and clear like never before. I was free physically on 
the streets but my mind was imprisoned. I mean my thinking was cloudy and confused, it was 
times when I didn't know whether I was going or coming. 
The first six months I let the time do me and one day something clicked. I realized that 
if I was going to be in prison for my ten year sentence, I'd better make the best of it. I started 
renewing my mind by reading my bible. My perception about myself, my life and things of life 
started changing. I kept myself busy by taking classes, doing programming and working. I 
chose to wake up everyday despite being incarcerated with a positive attitude. It wasn't easy 
but my faith in God was the one thing that kept me going. I had learned to put my total trust in 
him. I did have my family and friends and fortunate enough they were my support system but I 
left four children and until this point in their lives all they had was me.  
—Deberal Rogers  
 
Eight constructive activities for a prisoner in lockdown  
1.

Study  an  area  of  law  or  learning  that  would  be  of  use  to  yourself  and  others  (a 
language,  art,  history,  etc.).  Develop  an  expertise  in an area that others do not have. 
Share your learning and information with others.  

 
2. Organize  a  family  member  or  friend  to  do  prison  support  work  on  the  outside. 
Persuade  them  of  the  importance  of  hooking  up with a prison support group on the 
outside  that  is  working  to  turn  the  prison/industrial  complex  around.  Tell  your 
loved ones not to mourn, but to organize.  
 
3. Write  about  your  feelings  and  emotions  in  a  way  that people on the outside can get 
a  sense  of  your  humanity  and  concerns.  Break  down  the  image  of  prisoners  as 
selfish,  brutal,  uncaring  monsters.  Let  others  see  the  individual  qualities  of  each 
person on the inside, and their potential for change.  
 
4. Keep  a  chronicle  of  the  oppressive  conditions  in  prison.  Make  the  chronicle 
available  to  others  who  can  document  the  dehumanizing  effect  that  cruelty  has  on 
people  incarcerated.  Be  specific,  and help break through the cynical suggestion that 
prison is a “country club” where people don’t have to work.  
 
5. Engage  in  physical  exercise  to  keep  your  body  in  shape.  Refrain  from  physical 
activities and conduct that is detrimental to your health.  
 
6. Write  to  newspapers,  elected  representatives,  and  others  to  describe  conditions  in 
prison.  Don’t  just  complain  about  your  own  case,  but educate the reader about how 
prisons destroy people, rather than improving them.  
 
7. Take  every  chance  you  get  to  create  solidarity  among  prisoners.  Break  down  the 
issues  that  divide  prisoners  from  one  another—racism,  homophobia,  etc.  Help 
prisoners  to  respect  each  other’s  differences  and  space.  Don’t  allow  the  prison 
administration to divide you from other prisoners, through debriefing or bribery. 
 

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8. “Write  poetry,  short  stories,  novels,  or  any  other  kind  of  fiction  that  lets  your mind 
free  itself  from  the  boundaries  of  the  four  walls.  Expand  the  walls  through  your 
imagination and creativity.” (Quote from Luis Talamantez)  
 
—Louis Hiken, Prison Law Project, National Lawyers Guild 
 
 
Learn  something—undertake  to  study  something  and  use  the  mind  so  I  left  each  unit 
having  grown  rather  than  been  diminished  by  the  experience.  Write  letters—get  pen  pals  if 
needed;  some  active  communication  with  the  outside.  For  me,  as  a  political  creature,  it  was 
essential  to  get  a  subscription  to  a  major  newspaper. (I then managed to share it by smuggling 
it  to  another prisoner in the unit.) I was fortunate to have friends who chipped in to get me the 
paper. In women's prisons and most control units, no news media are provided. 
—Laura Whitehorn  
 
 
I kept a journal. It is very helpful if you can write your feelings down. It helps you to 
process your emotions. I suggest signing up for any program that you feel will help you to 
stay busy, grow as a person, as well as programs that are designed to help you stay out of 
prison once you are released. Some prisons offer drug and alcohol treatment, and if you have a 
substance abuse problem, I highly recommend participating.  
—Chrissa Matthews

“When the prison gates slam behind an inmate, he does
not lose his human quality; ​his mind does not become
closed to ideas; his intellect does not cease to feed on a
free and open interchange of opinions; his yearning for self
respect does not end; nor is his quest for self-realization
concluded. If anything, the need for identity and
self-respect are more compelling in the dehumanizing
prison environment​. ”
—Thurgood Marshall,
U.S. Supreme Court Justice,
Procunier v. Martinez, 1974

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Art by Julia “J-Honey” Gregg 

 
I strongly believe in a universal God. Faith was the key that motivated me to keep going 
under such oppressive circumstances. I prayed constantly. I studied the Bible and the Quran. 
I became a Christian, a Muslim, Jehovah Witness, practice Hinduism, studied Zen and 
Buddhism and finally I started practicing Siddha Yoga. And this was when I started learning to 
meditate that I could see things more clearly. I was able to regain inner peace and not allow 
those in my environment to change who I am at my core. I stopped seeing the abuse I had to 
go through in prison as something personal. It was not a reflection of who I was - it revealed 
what was in their hearts. Learning yoga helped me to become more disciplined and feel more 
connect to the universal God. I felt that regardless to what I had to deal with that there was 
underlying purpose for it. What was the universe trying to teach me?  
—Cynthia Cupe 
 

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My Mind is Contraband (for all of you who stay awake at night using their pens as light) 
 
(VOICE)  Are  you  authorized  to  birth  that  thought?  Unlawful  possession  of  any  material  which 
disrupts  the  security  of  the  institution  is  considered  CONTRABAND  and  treated  as  such.  Any 
and  every  thought  requires  meticulous  monitoring,  inspecting,  and  if  approved,  an  escort  will 
safely  edit  any  words  upon  being  released  from  the  frontal  cortex  to  the  vocal  cords.  Are  we 
clear on the rules on HOW to think? 
(ME)  We  all  develop  tactics  to  our  degree  of  understanding  and  complacent  minds  need 
agitation,  to  be  awakened,  you  can’t  put  a  tracking  device  on  my  words,  just  quote  me.  Stop 
and  frisk  tactics  can’t  silence  me,  they  never  did.  Don’t  expect  me  to  swallow  your  abusive 
aversion  with  bitterness  because  I  am  past  self-destruction.  No  gag  laws  can  hush  the 
alphabetized  wounds  of  the  frontline,  you  don’t  tell  pain  to  be  obedient  ‘cause  it  can  turn 
deadly.  I  have  seen  the  soul  genocide  over  the  years,  complacency  should  come  with warning 
signs:  it  will  constrict  your  ability  to  act  when  needed,  it  will  shut  down  your  intuition,  force 
you  to  stay  in one corner, no space, nor choice. And that’s exactly what I miss the most, there’s 
always  a  fusion  between  my  bones  and  my  spirit,  subversive,  unbounded.  I  look  in  the  mirror 
every  morning  and  open  my mouth to pass a full inspection of my tongue, just making sure the 
DOC  hasn’t  put  one  of  those  censoring  devices  they  usually  offer  to  the  population  as 
“necessary  programming”,  conspicuous  tactics  in  a  world  where  FEAR  is  used  as  a  weapon. 
That’s  why  I  have to pass a full inspection of my tongue. Did I tell you I speak in tongues? Yeah, 
liberating ones. 
(VOICE) Put your hands on your mouth so we cannot see it. 
(ME) I WILL NOT! 
(VOICE)  The  10A  Penal  Code,  sub-chapter  4.1  states  in  the  Prohibited  Acts  Section  that 
possession  or  introduction of an unauthorized weapon such as, but not limited to, a sharpened 
mind  will  be  confiscated  and  deemed  as  contraband.  YOU  HAVE  THE  RIGHT  TO  SAY 
ANYTHING AS LONG AS YOU SAY NOTHING AT ALL. 
(ME)  Hmmm,  so this is how oppressions survive, but I will scream like an amputee realizing the 
limb  was  removed.  Can  you still feel it, still moving, still a part of you, even when dismembered 
and  dis-posed?  THIS  (the  mind,  the  heart)  poses  a  threat.  Dare  to  be  a  contraband  in  a  world 
menace.  Think  what  you  must,  do  what  gets  you  blacklisted.  I  mean,  you  can’t  deny  my 
community  release  forever.  We  are  under  surveillance  anyways,  pat-frisked  at  every  podium 
for  poetry  that  incites,  pat-frisked  at  any  street  because  of  defective  lights  which  were 
functioning  as  my  spirit:  UNBROKEN,  pat-frisked  at  loosie-selling  bodegas  and  prison  yards, 
like  Braille’s  touch  deciphering  every  syllable.  Touch  my  passion,  the  one  which  forces  me  to 
affirm  my  worth  and  smuggle  my  words  to  freedom  so  others  can  emerge  and  see  THE 
EMERGENCY,  the  I.C.U.,  life-support  monitored  sound  of my failing heart. I know your moves, 
your  barbaric  regulations,  GO  AHEAD,  strip  me  like  the  auction  block.  Strip  me  until  you  can 
see  the  nerves,  the  muscles,  the  blood  pulsing  from  this  body.  THIS  IS  WARRIORS  BLOOD. 
Look  at  me,  you  can’t  annihilate  the  sound,  is  the  open  uni-verse,  OMMMMMMM,  eternal 
rhythms  that  reach  even  though  they  were  banned.  I  am  walking  contraband  in  a  world  of 
menace,  stop  me  at  the  border,  ask  me  if  I  have  proper  documentation  to  speak  while  calling 

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me  a  spic.  Yeah,  I  AM  SPICTA-CULAR  at  smelling  your  fear  frontiers  away.  I  AM  A  WALKING 
CONTRABAND  in  a  world  of  menace.  Let me be that virus spreading, go ahead, sneeze so I can 
bless  you  with  the  ability  to  seek  WHAT  THEY  TOOK  AWAY  FROM  YOU  long  ago  before  you 
realized it was yours to begin with. 
Long ago before someone decided 
to sell your voice 
as a silent 
truth  
don’t you at times ask yourself 
how did the world get to where it is… 
to where it is? 
—Bibi Chehata

 
Learn a new language. In A Block there weren’t any Spanish/English dictionaries, so 
instead I checked out an English Bible and a Spanish Bible in the same version and learned that 
way. Get familiar with policies and procedures, the grievance process and chain of command. 
It’s an important thing to know your options. Read on a new subject. I like to read non-fiction 
essays, business books, biographies and self-empowerment books. Begin writing your 
autobiography, or a memoir about a particular time in your life. Record your dreams. Read the 
dictionary and begin learning and using new words. Anything to keep your mind stimulated! 
As  women  we  tend  to  process  our  emotions  differently  than  men.  I  suggest  keeping  a 
journal,  logging  your  moods  and  thoughts  for  the  day.  Write  letters  to  your  higher  power.  To 
find  your  center  when  feeling  emotional,  meditation  and  prayer  helps.  Also,  listing  positive 
affirmations  and  things  you’re  grateful  for  and  posting  them where they’re immediately visible 
helps  fight  the  negativity  bias  of  a  wandering  mind.  When  mental health personnel make their 
rounds,  you  don’t  have  to  talk  with  them, but you can request self-help packets and journaling 
paper so you can work on yourself.  
—Julia “J-Honey” Gregg 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

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To Stop ME from Being 
  
I have surrendered. I am taking my heart 
out of my chest to wear like a damnable piece of art 
Maybe, ya maybe, if it is HERE you will see it, and see me 
realize that you are killing destroying my spirit, I'll never be free 
  
But I see now, I'm wrong, again it is not that much of a shock 
letting everyone see this part of me only gives them the key to the lock 
I am simply going to leave it here maybe someday someone will care 
to see this dripping... destroyed…. part perhaps some kind soul will see there 
  
I cannot continue to wear this, my heart has slowed to a crawl 
the blood is basically all gone now-- my skin a deathly white pall 
So, I will crawl away somewhere that nobody else can see 
to keep myself away from those who would stop me from being free... 
 
—L. Thornton 
 

 

 

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III.​ Social Life 

  

 
Your  mind  is  your  greatest  weapon,  so  keep  it  sharp!  Correspond  with  resource 
centers,  activist  groups,  churches,  publications,  newspapers,  newsletters,  etc.  and  offer 
insight;  poetry,  articles,  artwork  and  whatever  else.  Expect  that  you  might  not  always  get  a 
response,  but  you’d  be  surprised.  This  gives  you  a  sense  of  purpose  outside  yourself  and 
directs your focus beyond the prison culture. I find that I will lose a large part of the  
day writing and drawing.  
—Julia “J-Honey” Gregg 
 
 
I  developed  some  creative  activity  that  allowed  me  to  admire  my  own  human 
creativity—  i.e.,  draw,  write,  make  things  from what is available, etc. Reminding myself that my 
place  in  the  universe  was  as  a  sentient,  loving,  creative  human  being,  not  a  caged  animal, was 
helpful. (This is why so many prisoners turn out incredible drawings in ballpoint pen!) 
—Laura Whitehorn
 

Rise
I have to rise up out of this institutionalized state that I am inraptured in, never 
bargaining for more, but settling for less. Afraid to speak when the time comes to be heard. I 
want to rise above my small mindedness, I must always think outside the box. Try many 
options, open doors that were slammed shut in my face. I must take what is given and leave 
the rest. Don't be afraid to ask for what I need. I must Rise above the design set for to 
institutionalize my mind and keep my body perpetually subjugated behind bars, I must stand 
apart from those who are blinded by ignorance and those who are tangled in a myre of their 
own hatred and contempt. My hatred has gotten the best of me, but it is not too late, for I 
have risen above my Karmic circumstances. I walk a higher ground, and although I'm 
confound, my mind is free like a roaring tundra. I want to write great words, capture and 
spark minds. I want to teach and be taught; love and be loved;and be held back by no 
self-proclaimed limitations. I want to rise above gender inequality, racial inequality, and the 
economic indifference that sets people apart.  
I want to rise against prison rape, in the form of exchange for privilege from officer to 
inmate. Its RAPE when you are in the position of power and abuse that power against weak, 
broken, hurt, and desperate women.I want to rise above hating the next female when in fact, I 
am only hating myself. Today, I shout it all out from a blank piece of paper, about how I want 
to Rise tomorrow. I shout it from papers of formality how I have RISEN. 
—Julie Walker
 
I took time to understand myself and not accept the labels that prison and others threw 
on me. I had to reclaim my own sense of self. People can call you anything – but you don’t 
have to answer to what they call you. Sure, there were times when I was mad as hell and it was 

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my anger that motivated me. Then there were times when the desire for revenge motivated 
me.   
Plus, there were moments when I saw other women being abused or denied medical 
treatment that led to their deaths and that motivated me. I felt like I had to be their voice and 
live so I could let others know what happened to them. There were a variety of things that 
enabled me to endure 30 years of prison. And it was in no way easy – but I am grateful that I 
am still standing. I guess that Malcom X words “by any means necessary,” was my mantra. Yet, 
that did not mean selling my soul to the devil by doing things that would harm others. It was 
faith that only God can judge me that helped me survive Edna Mahan and my desire to be my 
best me. Granted, not all prisons cultures function in the same way, but you can survive it if 
you set long term and short term goals for yourself and be realistic about it. Self-motivation, 
self-determination, eliminating negativity, and choosing your best option will take you a long 
way. The bottom-line is that you have to put in the work and do what needs to be done to get 
to the place where you want to be. Focus, one day at a time 
— Cynthia Cupe 
   
 
Our Time  
 
Memories are all we have now, 
for across the miles we are.. 
In mind and heart we’re together, 
physically the other is far… 
The mailman is our best friend, 
for he delivers our love each day… 
Anxiously we wait for his return,  
hoping he’ll bring another letter our way… 
Your letters make me laugh and cry,  
they give me strength, courage, and hope… 
Knowing that you love and miss me,  
makes it easier for me to cope… 
Our love will get us through life, becuz,  
it is true and comes from the heart… 
I know our love is special and unique,  
becuz everyone said we’d part… 
We’ll be together through our letters, 
while waiting for our time to end… 
Only when we get our halos and wings, 
is it our time to be together again… 
—Dawn M. Frazier

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My Child’s Hands 
eyes of a child looking to you 
small fingers grasping big  
inhaling clean baby smell 
or grubby, played all-day smell 
tells me there is Wonder still 
 
—LThornton 

IV. Family 
 

Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners
ARTICLE 8
The different categories of prisoners shall be kept in separate institutions or parts of institutions taking
account of their sex, age, criminal record, the legal reason for their detention and the necessities of their
treatment.
a) Men and women shall so far as possible be detained in separate institutions; in an institution which
receives both men and women the whole of the premises allocated to women shall be entirely
separate.
ARTICLE 23
1. In women's institutions there shall be special accommodation for all necessary prenatal and
post-natal care and treatment. Arrangements shall be made wherever practicable for children to
be born in a hospital outside the institution. If a child is born in prison, this fact shall not be
mentioned in the birth certificate.
2. Where nursing infants are allowed to remain in the institution with their mothers, provision shall
be made for a nursery staffed by qualified persons, where the infants shall be placed when they
are not in the care of their mothers. 

 
If  you  have  children,  you  can  continue  to  be  a  parent  from  prison.  Just remember they 
love  you  and  you  love  them,  and  make  things  to  send  home  to  them.  Try to think of them as a 
motivating  factor  to  keep  improving  yourself  and  striving  to  set  a  better  example  despite  the 
circumstances.  If  you’ve  lost  custody  or  your  rights,  as  the  natural  mother  the  bond  you  have 
with your kids is unique and irreplaceable, and the choices you make still affect them. 
 
—Julia “J-Honey” Gregg 
 
 
Stay  connected  with  people  involved  in  keeping  the  legal  system  available  to  inmates, 
family,  and  organizations  that  are  working  to  help  make  changes  in  the  judicial  system/bop 
changes,  helping  inmates  restore  their  lives  when  they  go  home,  especially  organizations that 
help on the outside to see about your children. 
—Phyllis Hardy 
 
 
Get  your  hometown  newspaper,  if  you  can  afford  it,  or  have  someone  get  you  a 
subscription.  Any  type  of  newsletters  geared  towards  inmates  and  legislative  news  in  your 

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state.  Watch  the  news  if  you  have  access  to  television.  Contact  with  family  members  and 
friends when at all possible is very helpful.  
—Chrissa Matthews 
 
 
The key is to stay in very regular contact with your child through letters, phone calls, 
cards, and presents to the child, and to keep your worker informed about parenting classes or 
other programs that you’re doing. 
The problem for incarcerated parents is that they’re often invisible, so you want to try 
to be as visible as possible to your caseworker, judge, lawyer, and the agency. Make sure 
everyone involved in the case understands that your commitment to your child is very high. 
Document everything you do. Keep a log with the dates of phone calls to your child and 
caseworker, keep copies of letters, keep certificates from programs. Showing a sustained 
interest in your child can keep a termination case from being filed or help you win. 
 
—Anonymous 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

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Art by Rachel Frome 

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V.​ Self-Preservation 
“More  people  would  learn  from  their  mistakes  if  they  weren’t  so  busy  denying  them.”  I 
was  thumbing  through  some  random  book  and  seen  that  quote.  It  has become a focal point of 
my  rehabilitation.  Was  it a mistake I participated in that murder? No, that was intentional. Was 
it  a  mistake  when  I  committed  my  first  crime  and  went  to  prison?  No,  that  was  a result of me 
wanting  fast  money.  Was  it  a  mistake  when  I  returned  to  prison  three  more  times  with  new 
cases?  No,  those  were  choices.  My  mistakes  were  the  constant  finger  pointing,  denying, 
blaming,  deflecting,  blatant  refusal  of  any  responsibility  for  my  actions.  Was  it  a  mistake  I 
received  a  LWOP  sentence?  No,  I  can  honestly  say  I  earned  that  sentence.  Fast  forward  20 
years later. 
I’ve  made  peace  with  my  life  behind  these  concrete walls. Had I never come to prison, I 
would  never  have  had  the  opportunity  to  learn  new  things  such  as  small  engine  repair, 
landscaping  or  carpentry.  My  life  would  have  continued  down  a  destructive  path  of hate, pain 
and  loss.  Only  when  my  life  was  interrupted  and  I  got  kicked  out  of  the  world,  did  I  begin  to 
see  my  gifts,  talents,  strengths  and  my  true  essence,  along  with  my  shortcomings,  distorted 
thinking patterns and areas needing improvement. 
I  was  lost  coming  from  a  dysfunctional  home,  neighborhood  and  community.  I  would 
never  have acquired the skills of deductive reasoning or how to use judgment and reason when 
making  critical  choices.  Now  I  can  think  ahead  of  my  actions  and  play  out  the  nature  of  their 
consequences.  I  can  heighten  my  cognitive  awareness  and  control  my  responses  to  everyday 
scenarios,  even  the  unpleasant  ones.  I changed my world from behind these concrete walls. As 
a  result,  I’ve  convinced myself I am a good person. I am worth of something better. I don’t have 
to exercise abuse, anger, violence or pain. I can strive for more. 
For  all  the  LWOP’s  (Ed:  Life  Without  Parole)  and  lifers  struggling  with  the  idea  of  their 
time,  I  know  it’s  difficult  to  be here when every molecule of your body wants to be somewhere 
else.  Yet,  you’re  hurting  yourself  by  not living in the now. You’re also hurting yourself if you do 
not  begin  the  journey  into  self-reflection,  improvement,  growth  and  ultimately,  change.  As an 
LWOP I may never get out of prison. So the question I ask you is, “When shall I live if not now?” 
—Laverne Dejohnette 
 
 
I’m  planning  ahead for my future. According to the sentencing judge I have a lot of time. 
But  every  situation  can  change.  I  have  taken  a re-entry program called S.T.A.R.S. they recently 
opened  it  up  to  the  women  with  time.  They  offered  free  birth  certificates  and  social  security 
cards.  They  hold  onto  the  documents  until  you’re  released.  This  is  one  thing  now  I  have  and 
one  less  thing  to  worry  about  when  I’m  released.  I’ve  taken  every  program  and  class  that  the 
prison  offers.  You  should  keep  your  mind  active  and  open  to  new  ideas.  I  recently  took  a 
flagging  class,  never  in  my  life  would  I dream I would consider directing traffic but it pays well 
and  they  hire  ex-convicts.  You  never  know  what  you  might  learn  from  one  of  the  groups  or 
classes  you  take.  I  also  enrolled  in  NJ  STEP  college  classes;  knowledge  is  power.  No  matter 
your age or situation take advantage of GED or college programs.  
—Anonymous 
 

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You  must  know  your  rights  and  know  all  of  their  rules.  That  means  the  rules  you  are 
supposed  to  follow  and  all  the  rules  the  cops  must  follow.  Then  hold  the  cops  and  yourself to 
abide  the  rules  100%  of  the  time.  Trust  me,  the  cops  hate  the  rules  more  than  the  prisoners! 
When you follow all the real rules and then also hold them to the same standard you effectively 
take away a lot of the cops power over you the prisoner!  
When  you  break  a  rule  and  get  caught,  DO  NOT  LIE!  Admit  your  guilt  and  take  full 
responsibility.  Doing  this  will  build  you  a  powerful  fortress  of  trustworthiness  and  credibility. 
When  you  admit  when  you’re  guilty  and  accept  full  responsibility,  goodwill  comes  of  it.  Court 
time  will  be  extremely  lenient  (after  you  have  an  established  record  of  frank  honesty). 
Administrators  will  take  you  more  seriously  and  all  staff,  even  some  cops  will  learn  to  trust 
you.  After  you’ve  established  a  reputation  for  yourself as a completely honest prisoner no cop 
will  have  the  courage  to  write  any  false  charges  against  you  (unless  they’re  a  moron),  and  if 
such  a  moron  does  write  a  false  charge  on  you  then  you  have  your  fortress  of  perfect 
trustworthiness  and  credibility  to  fall  back  on  to  prompt  a  real  investigation  and  have  your 
word  truly  relied  upon  and  with that you will almost always be proven innocent, as long as you 
are really being 100% honest! 
Always  ask  questions!  Are  cops  verbally  disrespecting  you  or  saying  things  that  are 
intended  to  offend  or  upset  you?  If  you  want  something  that’s  currently  not  permitted  don’t 
be  sneaky  as  your  go-to  method  to  get  it!  Petition  the  Administration,  petition  the  DOC 
commissioner,  write  write  write  and  make  phone  calls.  Ask  family  to  make  phone calls all of it 
with the goal of getting the rule or restriction changed! 
—Michelle Angelina 
 
 
I  call  this  my  reality  check:  I  utilize  the  grievance  process  at  the  prison  but  I  pick  and 
choose  my  battles.  I  write  about  issues  I’ve  seen  that  really  trouble  me  and  make  me  feel 
helpless and hopeless.  
I  do  a  lot  of  artwork  from  cards  to  paintings. I’m not trained in art nor do I have a lot of 
skills  but  artwork  is  therapy  to  me,  as  is  writing  prose  and  poetry.  I  read  a  lot  in  fact  I  read 
myself  to  sleep  at  night.  I  watch  the  news  a  lot.  I  like  hearing  about  the  outside world even if 
it’s negative. I buy magazines to read about stuff outside as well.  
The  biggest  survival  skill  for me is to never give up hope and to be prepared to go home 
every  day.  The  best  thing  is  I  keep  myself  busy.  I  treat  this  time  like  I  would  in  the  outside 
world.  I  work  full-time  and  I  take  a  college  class each year. I go to recovery groups, I work out 
at  the  gym,  and  I  have  socializing  time  with  friends  and  family.  I  also  write  to  people.  I  have 
many hobbies, and I plan for my future. Overall, I use my time productively.  
—C.B. 
 
 
People  will  take  note  of  a  dedicated  person.  Stay  in  your  lane.  Take  responsibility  for 
your  behavior,  decisions,  and  your  own  personal  failures.  Let  integrity  and  uprightness 
preserve  you.  Good  judgement  is  the  power  of  judging  rightly  and  following  the  soundest 
course of action. Basically, pay attention to your surroundings.  

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Report  your  issues  on  paper.  Time  and  date  your  complaints,  this  is very important. Be 
strong  and stay in the fight, remember that a squeaky wheel gets heard! (meaning don’t give up 
or allow anyone to intimidate you). Make a difference.  
—D. Stout 
 
 
Be aware of my surroundings, and who is around me, just like in the street, you don’t 
walk the streets without watching around you. Always help another inmate, it’s not their fault 
that you are there. Remember your business is your own, and so is the other person’s. Never 
ask “why are you in prison.” That’s a no no, if they want to tell you, that’s fine.. don’t give family 
information out to another inmate.   
—Phyllis Hardy 
 
 
Making  a  schedule  for  my  days,  instead  of  allowing  the  cops  to  determine  my  days. 
Having  several  different  schedules,  and  alternating  them, to avoid having the days all melt into 
sameness,  and  to  keep  track  of  what  day  and  date  it  was,  etc.  Using  external  signals,  such  as 
changes  in  light,  shift  changes,  regular  noises  from  outside  my  cell,  to  keep  track of time. The 
first  few  weeks  I’d  note  a  sound  or  other  objective  occurrence,  then  yell  for  the  cops  to  find 
out what time it was, etc. 
Knowing  what  your  enemy’s  goals  are  helps  you  a  lot  in  resisting  giving  ground.  In  my 
case, on days when I felt (and was) particularly abused and mistreated, I could always find hope 
and  strength  in  feeling  it  was  an  honor  to  be  held  in  conditions  of  control—in  the  way 
Chairman  Mao  meant  it  in  that  old  quote  we  used  to  love  so much about it being a good thing 
to  be  hated by the enemy. For example, for some people, keeping busy is important; for others, 
maybe  stillness  and  inward  thought  is  important.  What  resources,  internal  and  external,  each 
prisoner has available make a big difference, too. 
—Laura Whitehorn 
 
 
I’m  a  transgender  female  prisoner  currently  incarcerated.  I  live  in  a  culture  that  thinks 
it  is  okay  to  treat  me  differently  or  “less  than.”  We  all  deserve  a  future  that  is  better.  I’m 
fighting  for  a  different  future  than  the  one  currently  shoved  down  our  throats.  I  believe  that 
any  human  being  should  feel  safe and secure to express who we are, wherever we are, without 
fear of government=sponsored terror forcing us back into our “assigned seats”.  
 
For me, this is war.  
These are my non-negotiable demands for transgender prisoners: 
1. Availability  of  all  property  items  available  to  prisoners  of  their  same  gender 
identity and security level. 
2. Mandatory  enforcement  for  all  ORDC  staff  to  reference  prisoners  by  the 
appropriate pronouns consistent with their gender identity. 
3. Accommodation  for the grooming and maintenance consistent with their gender 
identity. 
4. Accommodation  for  cell  assignments  that  eliminates  the  possibility  of 
“discrimination  by  proxy”,  by  forcing  the  prisoner  to  cell  with  someone  who  is 

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not  a  sexual predator, but has antithetical beliefs that will subject the prisoner to 
an intolerable living environment.   
If  there  is  anyone  out  there  reading  this  who  wants  to  add  fuel  to  the  fire,  I  am  taking 
these  demands  to  the federal courts for recognition of all transgender prisoner’s rights. What I 
don’t  have  currently  is  legal  counsel  or  the  funds  to  hire  legal  counsel,  but  I  am  hoping  that 
there  is  a  community  out  there  beyond  the  fences  that  cares  as  much  as  I  do  about  the  next 
generation of children who otherwise will be murdered with scorn and condemnation. 
That stops here. It stops now.
 
Who’s down? 
—K.B​. 
 
 
Women inside should make their voices heard by writing to their congressmen and 
women, senators, etc. when they are abused and keep documentation. Also to send those 
letters out to their families or a trusted friend to mail them to whoever they have written. 
—Cynthia Cupe 
 
 
Redemption 
The enemy strikes again 
The subjugation begin 
The victim becomes 
The Perpetrator 
Because they are a complainer 
Today, All Hope Ceases 
As “I” 
Fall to a million pieces 
Questioning my motives 
Am I truly devoted to my causes? 
...And as my mental tape pauses 
I remember how 
The law is 
And how it’s Not 
Designed for  
Someone like me in mind 
To be a beneficiary 
Of its’ officiary  
But the system can’t break me 
And since my family 
Forsake me 
Nothing else can shake me  
These shackles can’t even 
Restrain me 
Cause all my pain will 
Make me free 
The hands that should lift me up 

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Are pushing me back down 
But somehow I know 
I’m homeward bound 
 
My poetry may be 
Without sound 
But redemption 
Redemption WILL be found 
 
So, as I lay on the ground 
Beaten and bound 
My head is bloody 
But unbowed, 
To my dead mother I vowed 
To keep on pushing through 
Cause you see 
She just knew 
I was destined to fail…. But… 
 
I will prevail 
I will rise from this jail 
Set foot upon the shores of my birth 
And my lessons will be worth 
All the pain I’ve endured 
And I will feel secured 
Cause the cops 
Won’t be able to pick me up from the streets 
And leave me tying sheets 
Around my neck saying, 
“What the heck, life is a bitch and then you die” 
 
No, Not I 
I will swim 
Through the bowels 
Of Hell 
And survive to tell the tale 
Of how the system fails its’ people 
 
Redemption 
Redemption will not be for the many 
Who never had any 
Redemption 
Will be our state of mind. 
I will find 
 
The Quickest path 

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to such a fate 
Cause to that we can all relate 
So I wait 
And I debate 
About what I’ll do 
With my new 
Source of Power 
Will I falter 
At my darkest hour 
Or will I remember 
To Mosh on 
 
Cause Redemption… 
Is OURS. 
—Poetic Assassin 
 

 
Art by Todd Tarselli 

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Exhale... 
Survival? I have survived many things over the course of my 31 years. Survival is a word 
that comes short to what I actually want to do. To survive means to continue to live or exist, 
especially in spite of danger or hardship and to manage to keep going in difficult 
circumstances. I am so forgetful these days. I have become so accustomed to simply surviving 
that. I think at times I forget to live and enjoy life, to enjoy my freedom. I forget that I no longer 
have to hold my breath in anticipation of the next downfall, the next blow, or the next 
disappointment. 
I survived 9 years of sexual abuse at the hands of my step father and I have survived 
countless years of verbal, physical and mental abuse by my mother. So, I was well prepared to 
survive the 10 plus years I spent within the prison industrial complex. There are many publicly 
known stories of women being abused by correctional officers and the overall oppressive 
design of prison. They are all true. I used to hear while I was inside to “believe nothing you 
hear and half of what you see.” I laugh at that now and am here to tell you to believe everything 
you hear of the testimonies of what women not only saw but survived within the walls of 
confinement. 
I went to lock over 20 during the course of my stay at EMCF. I will admit that at times I 
preferred solitary confinement over general population when I had my fair share of verbal 
abuse and sexual harassment by prison staff; may I add, that were sworn to protect the prison 
population. I barely witnessed them protect us from each other, let alone the staff themselves. 
There is an unshakeable camaraderie to prison guards that many women have felt that raft of 
retaliation for. Being in confinement, halfway shields one from those horrifying truths. I would 
simply use it as both a mental and literal escape. I remember all the ladies standing at our 
doors, yelling through the inch wide crack in the door, playing a game called ​In The Mix. ​The 
rules of the game were that one person sang a few seconds of a song and when they shouted 
“in the mix” the next person would immediately follow with a song of their choosing. No song 
could be repeated or you were disqualified and you never knew when the person singing 
would abruptly stop so you had to pay attention. It was a light hearted game that helped us 
escape from our current horror and to a place of reminiscence. Songs would trigger memories 
of happier times and places and of course we would all share those stories, with nothing but 
endless time on our hands. Hangman was another game we could yell through the crack of the 
doors to hold onto whatever sanity and humanity we could find within ourselves. Laughter is 
key to survival and through all our turmoil of the criminal legal system or verbal and physical 
fights amongst ourselves, in solitary confinement we were all the same. There was an 
unspoken time of healing and understanding of our current situation that we helped one 
another survive. 
I wonder if any of those big tests out there include the exhaustion of one's soul that 
comes hand in hand with survival. Do we not deserve to be more than content? Can we be 
happy for more than a few spurts out of life? Why should our happiness always lie with making 
everyone around us happier than we ever are. There is an obvious connection between the 
extensive abuse women endure and the end result being a prison sentence. So, yes, with 
conviction, I can say I have survived but I’m not that forgetful that I don’t know I deserve more 
than just that. When do I, how do I, do more than just survive? I no longer want to hold my 
breath, I want to exhale… 
—Tia Ryans 

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Barbwire 
 
Sun rays connecting with bladed curls of barbwire  
Bright beams of fire 
Light ricocheting back up to the heavens 
Living in hell 
Confined to a cell 
Heart encased in pointy metal twine 
Messing with the mind 
Dark hues of gray 
Deep darkness but not blind 
Artificial light  
Sucking out the living light 
This solitaire sentence has nothing to do with the crime  
What is the time? 
Day and night they no longer have a beginning or an end 
  
Reality and hallucinations pretend meshing together  
One ball of tournament they blend 
Fighting for survival  
Mentality created friends 
Some positive 
Some condemn 
Pushing through mental cold slaps of stone 
The system casting stones  
For it's not good for man to be alone  
Concrete home 
Pulsating palms pressing up against ears 
Protecting eardrums from being blown 
Seeking to silence screams  
Soul wrenching moans 
Mirages of home 
Memories turn into tsunami of destroy symmetries  
Flowing through trembling fingers  
Unable to hold 
Emotions switch 
Control lost 
Involuntary twitch 
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Inhumane hygiene destained  
Skin itch 
Overheated 
Freezing  
Immune system sick 
Same small space 
Eat, piss and take a shit 
Nowhere in this does the spirit of humanity fit 
The "bing" where life in the mental no longer sings 
The "hole" was solely designed to destroy the human soul 
  
Where Prison guards become control gods  
No way to escape 
Women are beat, belittled and raped 
More than any other 
Solitary confinement is hell's dungeon for people of color 
Acceptance of this behavior is unacceptable  
Those laws need to be tossed 
Lives are being physically, spiritually and mentally lost 
Money is the name of the game 
Big boss 
There is a high price to be paid for this treatment  
And souls are forced to pay the cost 
Stand up and call for immediate departure  
Solitary confinement stop the torture 
—Ajeedapoet 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

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FINALLY... 
 
To every woman who has ever served time - whether in prison, jail, or institution - and 
was brave enough to answer a request to share - that others may survive that tiny bit easier, 
better, or just be able to breathe and know that others survived - we not only acknowledge you 
- but we HONOR you - your strength, your courage, and your ability to put into words what is 
completely unspeakable. We acknowledge your pain, but it is not all you are - You are a 
Warrior of Spirit and will emerge as a Phoenix, if you choose to fly. 
We salute those who did not make it, who passed alone, without family of their blood. 
They had the family of sisters that they had built around them - who LOVED them 
unquestionably - but also were rarely allowed to care for them as they deserved.  
Those who have walked in our shoes know the little pains, the moments where you just 
can’t believe that this is where you are - and the giant pains - the surrender of your child a day 
after birth, the call announcing the death of a family member, and not being able to go see 
them off to their next stop and so very many more. 
We honor each who reads this. We honor YOU. We bless your spirit and your 
knowledge - your grace and your determination. You are NOT EVER just inmates or last 
names, or numbers. You are Mothers, Sisters, Daughters, Aunts, Cousins, Besties, Lovers, 
Wives and ever so much more - you each have in you an indomitable spirit that you must not 
let anything that has or will happen to you extinguish. You are the survivors, the Queens, and 
the Dreamers, you KNOW with certainty what must be better and through your words, your 
wisdom, your willingness to share; you have made a difference. Cherish that knowledge, and 
pass the lessons on, even with the hope that there will be far fewer coming after you, be a 
guide and teacher to the young; both yours and those you encounter. Simply by breathing, 
you make a difference - Choose to embrace each breath, Choose to be the change you wanted 
to see. Choose to Thrive, not just survive. Choose Life, because you have already experienced 
a piece of the other side. 
You have Value. You have Talent. You have Love. Never let anyone steal these gifts. 
 
—Lydia Thornton, Editor 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

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Rhinoceros Woman 
Rhinoceros woman  
who nobody wants 
and everybody used. 
They say you’re crazy 
cause you not crazy enough 
to kneel when told to kneel. 
 
Hey, big woman - 
with scars on the head 
and scars on the heart 
that never seem to heal - 
I saw your light 
and it was shining. 
 
You gave them love. 
They gave you shit. 
You gave them you. 
they gave you hollywood. 
They purr at you 
cause you know how to roar  
and back it up with realness. 
 
Rhinoceros woman,  
big momma in a little world. 
You closed your eyes  
and neon spun inside your head 
cause it was dark outside.  
 
You read your bible 
but god never came. 
Your daddy woulda loved you 
but what would the neighbors say. 
 
They hate you momma  
cause you expose their madness. 
And their cruelty.  
They can see in your eyes  
a thousand nightmares 
that they have made come true. 
 
Black woman. Baad woman. 
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Wear your bigness on your chest like a badge 
cause you done earned it. 
 
Strong woman. Amazon. 
Wear your scars like jewelry 
cause they were bought with blood. 
 
They call you mad. 
And almost had you 
believing that shit. 
They called you ugly. 
And you hid yourself 
behind yourself  
and wallowed in their shame. 
 
Rhinoceros woman - 
this world is blind  
and slight of mind 
and cannot see  
how beautiful you are. 
 
I saw your light. 
And it was shinin 
—Assata Shakur 

 

 

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VI.​ References 
Goldstein, J. (2017). Pregnant Inmates say a federal jail is no place for them, and some judges 
agree. ​New York Times. N
​ ew York: The New York Times Company.  

Moraga, C., Anzaldua, G., & Bambara, T.C. (1983). This Bridge Called My Back. Kitchen 
Table/Women of Color Press. New York. 
Silverstein, J. (2017). Dozens of Milwaukee county jail inmates have been forced to give birth 
while shackled, lawsuit alleges.​ New York Daily News.​ New York: Zuckerman.  

United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime. (2015). The United Nations Standard Minimum 
 

Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners. ​The United Nations. ​Vienna.  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 
 
 
 

 

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VII.​ Resources: The Community Outside 
 
The Abolitionist Law Center (ALC)​ is a public interest law firm inspired by the struggle of 
political and politicized prisoners, and organized for the purpose of abolishing class- and 
race-based mass incarceration in the United States. To accomplish this goal, the ALC engages 
in litigation on behalf of people whose human rights have been violated in prison, produces 
educational programs to inform the general public about the evils of mass incarceration, and 
works to develop a mass movement against the American penal system by building alliances 
and nurturing solidarity across social divisions. 
Abolitionist Law Center 
P.O. Box 8654  
Pittsburgh, PA 15221 
Phone: 412-654-9070 
Email: ​info@abolitionistlawcenter.org 
 
The AIDS Law Project of Pennsylvania​ is a nonprofit public-interest law firm providing free 
legal assistance to people living with HIV and AIDS, including PA prisoners. English and 
Spanish spoken. 
AIDS Law Project of Pennsylvania 
1211 Chestnut Street, Suite 600  
Philadelphia, PA 19107 
Phone: 215-587-9377 
 
Alliance of Families for Justice​ supports, empowers, and mobilizes families of incarcerated 
people and people with criminal records to marshal their voting power and advocacy skills to 
bring about systemic change.  
Alliance of Families for Justice 
8 W. 126th Street, 3rd Floor 
New York, NY 10027 
Phone: 347-973-0580 
 
American Job Centers​ offer job finding assistance to ex-offenders; American Job Centers in 
Bridgeport and Hartford, Connecticut also offer workshops for ex-offenders that are designed 
to assist them in their efforts to re-enter society and the workforce. Workshops focus on 
education and training, job search and networking techniques, resume preparation and job 
applications, effective job interviewing techniques, how to handle employer felony questions, 
and special employment programs for ex-offenders. 
AMERICAN JOB CENTERS - BRIDGEPORT: Ex-Offender Re-Entry Workshop 
2 Lafayette Square  
Bridgeport, CT 06604 
Phone: 203-455-2700 
 
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Black and Pink​ is a volunteer organization that connects LGBTQ pen-pals through their 
website, distributes a monthly newsletter of primarily queer/trans prisoner writing, and 
advocates specific prisoner needs when possible while also working to abolish the prison 
industrial complex as a whole. 
Black and Pink 
614 Columbia Road 
Dorchester, MA 02125 
Email: members@blackandpink.org 
 
Book 'Em​ is an all-volunteer, non-profit organization that sends free educational books and 
quality reading material to prisoners in Pennsylvania only. Prisoners may request books by 
subject. 
Book ‘Em 
c/o Thomas Merton Center  
5129 Penn Avenue  
Pittsburgh, PA 15224 
Phone: 412-361-3022 x4 
Email: ​bookempgh@gmail.com 
 

Books Through Bars​ is a volunteer-run organization that distributes free books and 
educational materials to incarcerated people in PA, NJ, NY, MD, DE, VA and WV. Books 
Through Bars believe education, not incarceration, is the answer to the devastating effects 
that social, educational, and economic inequality has on communities. 
Books Through Bars 
4722 Baltimore Avenue 
Philadelphia, PA 19143 
Phone: 215-727-8170 
 

Email: ​info@booksthroughbars.org 

California Prison Focus​ is a human rights and civil rights group that investigates conditions in 
the California SHUs (control/isolation units), organizes and advocates for prisoners' rights, 
and provides self-help legal materials. Write for publications list. 
California Prison Focus 
1904 Franklin Street, Suite 507 
Oakland, CA 94612 
Phone: 510-836-7222 
Email: ​contact@prisons.org 
 

The Center for Returning Citizens (TCRC)​ assists returning citizens in Pennsylvania in the 
transition from incarceration to society by providing job training, housing assistance, 
counseling services, legal aid, and referrals. TCRC helps individuals, families and communities 
with the adverse impacts of incarceration. 

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The Center for Returning Citizens 
3850 Germantown Avenue 
Philadelphia, PA 19140 
Phone: 215-223-1680 
 
Chicago Books to Women in Prison​ is an all-volunteer, donation-funded 501(c)(3) nonprofit 
organization that distributes paperback books (including Spanish books) free of charge to 
incarcerated women nationwide, including trans women in men's prisons. They do not send 
books to jails outside of Cook County, IL. They send three books in a package. Please provide 
several options of genre or subject matter.  
Chicago Books to Women in Prison c/o RFUMC 
4511 N. Hermitage Avenue  
Chicago, IL 60640  
 
Critical Resistance​ seeks to build an international movement to end the prison industrial 
complex (PIC) by challenging the belief that caging and controlling people makes us safe. They 
believe that basic necessities such as food, shelter, and freedom are what really make our 
communities secure. As such, their work is part of global struggles against inequality and 
powerlessness. The success of the movement requires that it reflect communities most 
affected by the PIC. Because they seek to abolish the PIC, they cannot support any work that 
extends its life or scope. 
Chuco’s Justice Center 
1137 E. Redondo Boulevard 
Inglewood, CA 90302 
Phone: 510-444-0484 
 

Email: ​crla@criticalresistance.org 

Culmer Center​ provides services to over 4,000 clients a year with supportive services and job 
training in Florida. Clients are primarily ex-offenders but we also work with others who have 
barriers to unemployment – including veterans, persons with disabilities, the homeless and 
those afflicted with addiction. Each year, of those 4,000 clients who walk through Transition’s 
doors, approximately 400 are placed in permanent jobs. 
Culmer Center 
1550 N.W. 3rd Avenue, Building C 
Miami, FL 33136 
Phone: 305-571-2001 
 
Family Re-Entry ​This innovative demonstration project creates sustainable community-based 
opportunities for successful reentry in Connecticut. Success is achieved by combining 

entrepreneurial employment and training, supportive services, interagency collaboration, and 
a community driven to succeed. Enterprise House provides an environment with high 
expectations for success and standards of behavior peer-driven, professionally supported, 

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positive, prosocial environment that shifts the returning citizen from incarceration 
dependence to community integration and self-sufficiency. 
Family Re-Entry | Enterprise House 
Downtown West  
75 Washington Avenue  
Bridgeport, CT 06604 
Phone: 203-576-6924 
 
Garden State Equality​ is New Jersey’s statewide advocacy and education organization for the 
lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender community. GSE led efforts to ensure 
non-discrimination for transgender and gender nonconforming people in New Jersey, pass the 
most comprehensive anti-bullying law in the country, end sexual orientation and gender 
expression change efforts in New Jersey, and bring marriage equality to the Garden State.  
Garden State Equality 
40 South Fullerton Ave 
Montclair, NJ 07042 
Phone: 973-473-5428 
Email: ​contact@gardenstateequality.org 
 

GLAD​ works nationally to create a just society free of discrimination based on gender identity 
and expression, HIV status, and sexual orientation through strategic litigation, public policy 
advocacy, and education. As part of this work, GLAD handles legal issues involving GLBTQ and 
HIV-positive prisoners. 
GLAD 
30 Winter Street, Suite 800 
Boston, MA 02108 
 

Email: ​gladlaw@glad.org 

Hearts on a Wire​ is a group of trans and gender variant people building a movement for 
gender self-determination, racial and economic justice, and an end to policing and imprisoning 
our communities. Offers a free newsletter to incarcerated and detained people. Write to be 
added to their mailing list. 
Hearts on a Wire 
1315 Spruce Street 
William Way Center 
Philadelphia, PA 19107 
Email: ​heartsonawire@gmail.com 
 

His Healing Hand Ministries​ is a purpose-driven ministry working with those behind bars, 
those returning from a time away, those on probation or parole, or those who have a criminal 
past. The ministry is non-denominational and is located in the Orlando Metro area of Central 
Florida providing reentry, renewal, and recovery help for those in our community. We also 

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teach those preparing for reentry in State of Florida prisons, Federal Correctional Facilities 
and select County Jails. The ministry provides these resources to enable a person to have a 
better transition in our communities. 
​His Healing Hand Ministries  
P.O. Box 1854 

Goldenrod, FL 32733 
Phone: 407-219-7625 
 
 
The House of Hope​, a faith-based organization in Florida, offers shelter and job placement to 
recently released people with criminal records. Substance abuse, anger management and 
spiritual counseling are also available. Participants apply through the correctional facility 
chaplains' department six months before their anticipated release date. Program capacity is 
five residents. House of Hope staff utilizes one stop centers and program contacts to obtain 
employment for its participants. Residency time ranges from three to six months. 
House of Hope  
P.O. Box 12113 
Gainesville, FL 32604  
Phone: 352-376-3964  
 
InsideOUT LGBTQ​ Inmate & Formerly Incarcerated Support Program at Stonewall Columbus 
is a program created to act as a bridge to support, encourage and provide robust resources to 
LGBTQ inmates inside local correctional facilities in Ohio and LGBTQ formerly incarcerated 
individuals that are re-entering the mainstream population. The program facilitates group 
visits to correctional facilities by Stonewall Columbus staff and others, and organizes a variety 
of social programs, therapeutic and peer-driven support groups, counseling services and 
more. Stonewall Columbus does not, at this point, provide direct reentry support.  
InsideOUT | Stonewall Columbus 
1160 N. High Street 
Columbus, OH 43201-2411 
Phone: 614-930-2266 
Email: rbrewer@stonewallcolumbus.org   
 
Just Detention International​ is a health and human rights organization that seeks to end 
sexual abuse in all forms of detention. 
Just Detention International 
3325 Wilshire Boulevard, Suite 340 
Los Angeles, CA 90010

 

Phone: 213-384-1400  
Email: ​info@justdetention.org 
 

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Lesbian and Gay Insurrection​ is a grassroots organization doing direct action and education 
for radical social change from a queer perspective. Produces the bimonthly newspaper 
“ULTRAVIOLET,” which is free to prisoners.  
Lesbian and Gay Insurrection 
3543 18th Street, #26 
San Francisco, CA 94110 
Phone: 510-434-1304 
Email: info@lagai.org 
 
Lambda Legal​ carries out its legal work principally through test cases selected for the 
likelihood of their success in establishing positive legal precedents that will affect LGBT people 
and those affected by HIV. Lambda Legal recently represented a trans prisoner successfully in 
a lawsuit against the Texas prison system.  
Lambda Legal 
120 Wall Street, 19th floor 
New York, NY 1005-3919 
Phone: 212-809-8585 
 
LGBT Books to Prisoners ​is a volunteer-run organization that sends books and other 

educational materials, free of charge, to LGBT identified people in prison across the U.S. 
LGBT Books to Prisoners 
426 West Gilman Street 
Rainbow Book Cooperative 
Madison, WI 53703 
Email: lgbtbookstoprisoners@gmail.com 
 
The Lewisburg Prison Project (LPP) ​counsels and assists prisoners who write to LPP when 

prisoners encounter treatment perceived as illegal or unfair. Their geographic coverage area 
includes four federal institutions (Allenwood, Lewisburg, McKean, and Schuylkill), 11 PA state 
prisons, and 34 county jails in the middle district of PA. LPP also distributes publications to 
prisoners nationwide at a nominal fee. A partial list of their Legal Bulletins includes the 
following titles: Legal Research, Religious Rights, First Amendment, Access to Courts, 
Exhausting Administrative Remedies, Disciplinary Hearings, Racial/Religious Discrimination, 
Assaults, and Medical Rights. LPP also distributes the Prisoners' Rights Handbook (2009, 142 
pages) as well as other legal information by mail. Send an SASE for full list of available 
publications. 
Lewisburg Prison Project 
P.O. Box 128  
Lewisburg, PA 17837 
Phone: 570-523-1104 
 

Email: ​info@lewisburgprisonproject.org 

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McKinney Wrongful Conviction Clinic​ has students at the Robert H. McKinney School of Law 
at Indiana University represent indigent clients seeking relief from wrongful Indiana 
convictions in state post-conviction and/or federal habeas corpus proceedings. State cases 
are accepted in cooperation with the Office of the State Public Defender. Accepts cases of 
actual innocence; DNA and Non-DNA Cases; will consider arson, Shaken Baby Syndrome, and 
child abuse cases. 
Indiana Univ McKinney School of Law  
530 W. New York Street, Room 111  
Indianapolis, IN 46202-3225 
Phone: 317-274-5551 
 
Midwest​ Pages to Prisoners provides free books to prisoners in these nine Midwest states 
only: IA, IN, KS, MN, MO, ND, NE, OK, & SD. 
Midwest Pages to Prisoners 
P.O. Box 1324 
Bloomington, IN 47402 
Phone: 812-727-0155 
 

Email: ​mwpp@pagestoprisoners.org 

The National Clearinghouse for the Defense of Battered Women​ assists defense teams on 
cases involving domestic violence survivors charged with crimes related to their abuse. They 
do not provide direct legal representation or advice or any social services, but rather provides 
information and resources to defense teams at any stage of the legal process in an effort to 
increase the likelihood of a better – and more just – outcome. A very small nonprofit 
organization, they do what they can to answer requests for assistance promptly, but 
responding to letters may take a long time, so it's best to call. They accept collect calls from 
incarcerated battered women, and have Spanish-speakers on staff (personas que hablan 
español en el personal). 
National Clearinghouse for the Defense of Battered Women 
125 S 9th Street, Suite 302 
Philadelphia, PA 19107 
Phone: 215-351-0010 (for collect calls), or 800-903-0111 x3 
 
National Council For Incarcerated and Formerly Incarcerated Women and Girls​ (National 
Council) seeks to end the incarceration of women and girls by building a movement grounded 
in sisterhood, solidarity, and human rights. 
National Council 
42 Seaverns Avenue 
Boston, MA 02130 
Email: ​info@thecouncil.us 
 

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National Public Radio​ (usually shortened to NPR, stylized as npr) is an American privately and 
publicly funded nonprofit membership media organization that serves as a national syndicator 
to a network of 900 public radio stations in the United States. Write to Prison Watch to find 
out your local station. 
 
The Newark Office of Reentry​ provides transitional jobs in landscaping and light construction 
through the Transitional Jobs Program in New Jersey. The Opportunity Reconnect Program 
also offers former offenders who are seeking employment. Housing, clothing, family services, 
and legal assistance are available through the Opportunity Reconnect Program. Gateway ID is 
another program provided for former offenders who need to obtain identification cards.  
Newark Office of Reentry 
NJRC at Greater Newark Conservancy 
32 Prince Street  
Newark, New Jersey 07103 
Phone: 973-642-4646 
 
The Northern Maine Regional Reentry Center (NMRRC) ​is designed to assist men and women 

who are from Maine and have been convicted of a federal offense with successful reintegration 
back into their community. Under close supervision and monitoring, our team provides 
residents with treatment (including mental health and drug and alcohol counseling), 
educational and vocational opportunities that are focused on reducing recidivism. Our 
programs are gender-responsive and evidence-based and provide men and women with 
opportunities to practice newly acquired living skills. Our goal is to reduce recidivism and 
prepare our clients to return to their communities with the skills they need to build a better 
life. 
Volunteers of America Northern New England 
14 Maine Street, Suite 100  
Brunswick, ME 04011 
Phone: 207-373-1140 
 
Oakland City University Prison Ministries Projects​ offers educational opportunities to 
inmates in the following Indiana facilities: Branchville Correctional Facility, Madison 
Correctional Facility, Miami Correctional Facility, Rockville Correctional Facility, Newcastle 
Correctional Facility and Indiana Women’s Prison. Degrees Offered: Associate and Bachelor's 
Degrees. Programs Offered: Associate in Applied Science in Culinary Arts, Food Service Mgt, 
Heating/Air Conditioning and Refrigeration, Welding, Horticulture, Computer Technology, 
Business Administration, Human Services. 
Oakland City University Prison Ministries Projects 
138 N. Lucretia Street 
Oakland City, IN 47660 
Phone: 812-749-1224 
 

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One-Stop Career Centers ​assist job seekers in finding employment. There are 23 locations in 
Maine. Information and services about job markets, skill assessment, resume writing, and 

interviewing techniques are available. Referrals for upgrading skills and job training is also 
available. The Career Center hotline number is 1-888-457-8883. 
Bureau of Employment Services Maine Department of Labor  
55 State House Station 
Augusta, ME 04333  
Phone: 207-624-6390  
 
Operation New Hope Community Development Corporation​ rebuilds low-income 
communities in Florida by offering training and employment to neighborhood residents, 60 
percent of whom are people with criminal records. Operation New Hope works with area 
churches to provide building/construction skills as well as mentors for each participant. 
Participation in the program ranges from three months to one year, after which time 
graduates may be placed in private construction industry jobs. Operation New Hope evaluates 
applicants before release from incarceration and works closely with the Florida Department of 
Corrections. 
Operation New Hope Community Development Corporation  
1321 N. Main Street  
Jacksonville, FL 32206  
Phone: 904-354-4673 
 

Email: ​kghope@fdn.com  

Pacifica Foundation​ is an American non-profit organization that owns five independently 
operated, non-commercial, listener-supported radio stations known for their 
progressive/liberal​ ​political orientation. Write to them, or Prison Watch, to find out your local 
station.  
Pacifica Foundation 
1929 Martin Luther King, Jr. Way 
Berkeley, CA 94704-1037 
Phone: 510-848-6767 
 
The Pennsylvania Innocence Project​ only takes on cases from factually innocent individuals 
who have been wrongfully convicted and exhausted their appeals. The Project takes on cases 
with or without DNA evidence, and will consider arson, shaken baby syndrome, and child 
abuse cases. 
Pennsylvania Innocence Project 
1515 Market St, 3rd Floor  
Temple University Beasley School of Law  
Philadelphia, PA 19102 
Phone: 215-204-4255  
Email: innocenceprojectpa@temple.edu 

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PFLAG​ Unites people who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer with families, 
friends, and allies. PFLAG is committed to advancing equality through its 
mission of support, education, and advocacy. 
PFLAG 
1828 L Street NW, Suite 628 
Washington D.C., 20036 
Phone: 202-467-8180 
Email: ​info@pflag.org 
 

The Pride Center of New Jersey​ is a welcoming place where gay, lesbian, bisexual, 
transgender, queer, intersex, and questioning men, women, and teens can meet, socialize, 
share, bond, grow in self-awareness and thrive.  
The Pride Center of New Jersey 
85 Raritan Avenue, Suite 100 
Highland Park, NJ 08904-2701 
Phone: 732-846-2232 
Email: ​host@pridecenter.org 
 

Prison Activist Resource Center (PARC)​ is a prison abolitionist group committed to exposing 
and challenging all forms of institutionalized racism, sexism, ableism, heterosexism, and 
classism, specifically within the Prison Industrial Complex (PIC). PARC believes in building 
strategies and tactics that build safety in our communities without reliance on the police or 
the PIC. We produce a directory that is free to prisoners upon request, and seek to work in 
solidarity with prisoners, ex-prisoners, their friends and families. 
PARC 
P.O. Box 70447 
Oakland, CA 94612 
Phone: 510-893-4648 
 

Email: ​prisonactivist@gmail.com 
 

Prison Health News​ is a quarterly newsletter and health resource. Their newsletter is 
published four times a year for people in prison and strives to lift up the voices, experience and 
expertise of currently and formerly incarcerated people. They respond to all types of health 
questions from people in prisons and jails everywhere in the United States. Write to them for a 
free subscription or with health questions. Past issues are downloadable from the website at 
https://fight.org/programs-and-services/prison-health-news/. 
Prison Health News 
1207 Chestnut Street, 2nd Fl  
Philadelphia, PA 19107 
Phone: 215-525-0460 x 417 

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Prison Legal News (PLN)​, a project of the non-profit Human Rights Defense Center, is a 
72-page monthly magazine that reports on criminal justice issues and prison and jail-related 
civil litigation, with an emphasis on prisoners' rights. 
Prison Legal News 
P.O. Box 1151 
1013 Lucerene Ave. 
Lake Worth, FL 33460 
Phone: 561-360-2523 
Email: ​info@prisonlegalnews.org 
 

Prison Radio​'s mission is to challenge unjust police and prosecutorial practices which result in 
mass incarceration, racism, and gender discrimination. They do this by bringing the voices of 
men, women and kids into the public debate and dialogue on crime and punishment. Their 
radio broadcasts help spur the public to examine core issues that create crime and heighten 
disenfranchisement. Their educational materials serve as a catalyst for public activism, 
strengthening movements for social change. Prison Radio's productions illustrate the 
perspectives and the intrinsic human worth of the more than 7.1 million people under 
correctional control in the U.S and those not served by the justice system. 
Prison Radio 
P.O. Box 411074 
San Francisco, CA 94141 
Phone: 415-648-4505 
Email: info@prisonradio.org 
 
Prisoner Visitation and Support (PVS)​ is a nationwide visitation that has 300 volunteers 
across the U.S. who visit federal and military prisoners only. Their goal is to visit any federal or 
military prisoner who wishes to receive a visit with special priority paid to prisoners on death 
row, in solitary confinement, or those who are serving long sentences. The PVS volunteers visit 
once a month, with limited visiting services for Spanish speaking prisoners. 
Prisoner Visitation and Support 
1501 Cherry Sreet  
Philadelphia, PA 19102 
Phone: 215-241-7117 
 
Project 180​ seeks to break this cycle by providing workforce education and financial literacy 
classes for inmates plus an annual reentry lecture series for the general public. Our current 
goal is to open a long-term, 24/7 residential program in Florida for reentering men who wish 
to turn their lives around. Project 180 seeks to build community, not prisons. 
Project 180 
P.O. Box 25684 
Sarasota, FL 34277-2684 

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Phone: 941-677-2281 
Email: ​ceo@project180reentry.org 
 

Ready4Work​ is a national program that is available to former offenders who want to make a 
fresh start. However, restrictions apply to former offenders who have committed violent and 
sexual crimes. Stipulations also apply regarding release status. You must be newly released, on 
probation, recently charged or arrested within the last year. For detailed information, contact 
Volunteers of America Delaware Valley. 
Ready4Work 
Volunteers of America Delaware Valley 
531 Market Street  
Camden, NJ 08102 
Phone: 856-854-4660 
 
The Resource Center​ is NJAC’s oldest non-residential program, and serves as a walk-in center 
for ex-offenders. The goal of the Resource Center is to assist clients in becoming 
self-sufficient and productive within the community. Issues of major importance to recently 
released inmates are employment, housing and adjustment to community standards. Staff 
works with clients in order to remove these barriers and assist in their transition. Short-term 
case management services are provided that assist clients with emergency needs, community 
stabilization, and general assistance in becoming productive citizens in the community. The 
center provides a mailing address, phone usage, messaging service and information/referrals 
to community resources. Transitional Housing is provided on-site for approved individuals 
who are under supervision of the New Jersey State Parole Board, Intensive Supervision 
Program or Probation. 
Middlesex County Resource Center & Transitional Housing Program 
143 Remsen Avenue  
New Brunswick, New Jersey 08901  
Phone: 732-247-2770  
 
Resettlement Program​ provides comprehensive reentry (pre/post) case management and 
basic needs support services to approximately 75 individuals from the state of Connecticut 
annually. The program is based on the premise that all women and men involved in the 
criminal justice system, coupled with meaningful support from role models, mentors, and the 
community. Enterprise House is a have strengths and resources that can be mobilized to 
address and overcome challenges. The program acts as a bridge connecting individuals to 
community based agencies that are instrumental in securing appropriate housing, treatment 
(substance abuse and mental health), reunifications, employment, education, food, clothing, 
and other life necessities. 
Resettlement 
110 Bartholomew Ave. Suite 4020  
Hartford, CT 06106 

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Phone: 860-522-7400 
 
Second Chance Tiny Homes Program​ has emerged as a program of the Pinellas Ex Offender 
Re Entry Coalition in Florida. Students receive Carpentry and OSHA Certification at Pinellas 
Technical College and are paid part-time for hands on training in the construction trades. This 
program is the ultimate win-win-win-win, where innovative training is combined with 
community partners and resources to solve multiple social issues. During your on-the-job 
training (OJT), you will gain the knowledge, skills, and competencies that are needed to 
perform basic carpentry and construction jobs on an actual worksite, building Tiny Homes, 
working with Habitat for Humanity and other various construction projects. Employees will 
learn in an environment in which they will need to practice the knowledge and skills taught in 
class. Employees will use hand and power tools, to learn to effectively perform their future job. 
Second Chance Tiny Homes Program  
South County Office 
1601 16th Street S.  
St. Petersburg, FL 33705 
Phone: 727-954-3993 x207 
 

Email: ​stars@exoffender.org 

Set Free in Maine​ is a 10-year-old faith-based organization. Employment and life skills training 
are offered to former offenders upon release. Set Free in Maine has a working woodshop that 
employs former prisoners. Income generated from the sale of furniture is the funding 
mechanism for the program. Referrals to the program are made by religious organizations that 
operate within the prison system. Individual mentoring begins three to six months prior to 
release. Inmates are matched with a mentor in the area where the inmate is going to return. 
Set Free in Maine tries to meet individual needs such as housing and offering anger 
management groups. 
Set Free in Maine  
RR 1, 674 Riverside Road  
Augusta, ME 04330  
Phone: 207-622-4709  
 
The Stages to Enhance Parole Success​ program provides housing placement, life skill 
development, substance abuse counseling, career training, education, job placement, financial 
management, and transitional support services for New Jersey. NOTE: This is a NJ STATE 
Parole Board sponsored program 
Stages to Enhance Parole Success 
New Jersey State Parole Board Division of Community Programs  
P.O. Box 862 Trenton, NJ 08625  
Phone: 609-292-4257 x5   
 

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The Sylvia Rivera Law Project (SRLP) ​works to guarantee that all people are free to 

self-determine gender identity and expression, regardless of income or race, and without 
facing harassment, discrimination or violence. SRLP provides legal services to and does 
organizing work by and for trans, gender non-conforming, and intersex folks who are people 
of color and low-income.  
Sylvia Rivera Law Project 
127 W. 24th St, 5th floor 
New York, NY 10011 
Phone: 212-337-8550 
Email: ​info@srlp.org 
 

Transgender Law Center’s Detention Project ​works to end the abuses that transgender and 
gender nonconforming (TGNC) people experience in prisons, jails, immigration detention, 

state hospitals, and other forms of detention, as well as at the hands of law enforcement. Write 
to them concerning TGNC issues, or to obtain copies of their list of available reports and 
publications including Safety Inside: Problems Faced by Transgender Prisoners & Common 
Sense Solutions to Them, and Advocating for Yourself While in Custody in California.  
Transgender Law Center 
1629 Telegraph Avenue, Suite 400 
Oakland, CA 94612 
Phone: 510-380-8229 
 
The Women’s Project of the Ohio Justice & Policy Center​ offers a gender-responsive, 
trauma-informed lens to help women with criminal records, both in prison and in the 
community. The Women’s Project works to remove criminal-records-based barriers to 
community reintegration and to secure release from prison.  
Ohio Justice & Policy Center | The Women’s Project 
215 East 9th Street Suite #601 
Cincinnati, OH 45202 
Phone: 513-562-3200 
 

Email: ​snaiman@ohiojpc.org​ or ​tsmith@ohiojpc.org 

The Women's Re-Entry Network​ is a program within Community Reentry that focuses 
entirely on women with criminal records in Ohio. Services include assessment, intensive case 
management, individual and group counseling, and parenting classes. The Network also offers 
information and referrals for housing, employment and other needs. It has offices in the 
county jail and local women's prison offering support groups and case management. The 
Network acts as a bridge to services on the outside for women who are being released. 
Women’s Re-Entry Network 
1468 West 25th Street 
Cleveland, OH 44113 
Phone: 216-696-7535 

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The Work Release Program​ emphasizes employment and relapse prevention support. 
Residents are prepared for the world of work with employment readiness, job search, and job 
retention assistance. The program offers residents an opportunity to learn new skills through 
individual and group case management. Other services include identification restoration, 
medical services assistance, random urinalysis, life skills training, money 
management/banking, and discharge/aftercare planning. Residents may also participate in 
area educational and vocational opportunities. 
Work Release Program 
Program Manager: Bob Rametta 
121 Washington Street  
Hartford, CT 06106 
Phone: 860-543-8929 
Email: dthompson@cpa-ct.org 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

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VIII. 
 
American Friends Service Committee Publications 
The Fortress Economy (1990) 
https://www.afsc.org/sites/afsc.civicactions.net/files/documents/Fortress%20Econom
y.pdf 
Lessons of Marion: The Failure of a Maximum Security Prison - A History and Analysis, with 
Voices of Prisoners (1993) 
https://www.afsc.org/sites/afsc.civicactions.net/files/documents/LessonsofMarion1985
.pdf 
Survivors Manual - Surviving in Solitary (Fifth Printing November 2015) 
http://www.afsc.org/image/survivors-manual 
The Prison Inside the Prison - Control Units, Supermax Prisons, and Devices of Torture (2003) 
https://www.afsc.org/sites/afsc.civicactions.net/files/documents/PrisonInsideThePriso
n.pdf 
Inalienable Rights - A Human Rights Perspective (2009) 
https://www.afsc.org/sites/afsc.civicactions.net/files/documents/IRights57025.pdf 
Our Children’s House - a Pamphlet and a One Act Play of Testimonies of Imprisoned Children 
(2009) 
https://www.afsc.org/document/our-childrens-house-one-act-play 
Torture in United States Prisons (2011) 
https://www.afsc.org/sites/afsc.civicactions.net/files/documents/torture_in_us_priso
ns.pdf 
Survivors Speak: Prisoner Testimonies of Torture in United States Prisons and Jails (2014) 
https://www.afsc.org/sites/afsc.civicactions.net/files/documents/Survivors%20Speak%
20-%20AFSC%20CAT%20Shadow%20Report%202014.pdf 
Torture in New Jersey Prisons (2015) 
https://www.afsc.org/sites/afsc.civicactions.net/files/documents/TORTURE%20IN%20
NEW%20JERSEY%20PRISONS_0.pdf 
Aging in Prison: A Human Rights Problem We Must Fix (2017) 
https://www.afsc.org/sites/afsc.civicactions.net/files/documents/Aging%20in%20priso
n%20report%202017.pdf 
LGBTQ+ Prisoner Resource Guide (2017) 
https://www.afsc.org/sites/afsc.civicactions.net/files/documents/LGBTQ%20prisoner
%20resource%20brochure%202017_WEB%20%281%29%20v.2.pdf 
From the Inside Out: A Newsletter from Prisoners for Interested Allies (recurring) 
 
 
 
 
Please write to us for free copies of our publications.  
American Friends Service Committee | Prison Watch 
89 Market Street, 6th Floor 
Newark, NJ 08609 
973-643-3192 
 
 
 

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IX. 

 

Acknowledgments 
 

There are hundreds of people (students, activists, advocates, family members and more) 
who in small and large ways have contributed their time, thoughts, energy, and talent to this 
publication. The primary acknowledgement goes to Bonnie Kerness, of AFSC’s Prison Watch 
Program who first recognized the NEED for a separate manual for women, and then worked 
tirelessly to ensure that it was not only done, but done in a way that our sisters DESERVE. Her 
tireless advocacy and passion over 40 years of soul-numbing work don’t get enough 
recognition, although she would prefer none at all.   
But it ​must​ be said, because there are few left of the generation that would dedicate 

their lives to service of those unseen, unheard, and abandoned. Those individuals SEE the 

unseen, LISTEN to the unheard, and rescue, even in the smallest ways, the hopes of those who 
have been abandoned. 
It has been said earlier, but bears repeating that our other acknowledgements go 
strongly to those individuals inside, and released who took the time, and energy to reach 
inside to give back to our sisters who are still trapped, physically, mentally, and spiritually. 
—Lydia Thornton, Editor 
 

My personal gratitude to Lydia Thornton, who has been our “ground floor”, our rock 
and guiding light in moving this Manual forward; to Rachel Frome who contributed so much of 
herself, her talent and her artist’s eye and her patience, to Margeaux Biché whose thoughtful 
input and attention to detail was always so valuable and to Cynthia Cupe who examples the 
courage it takes to survive. We hope that this Manual helps to promote the concept of an 
internal sanctuary for survival and healing. Your body is imprisoned, not your spirit or your 
mind.  
—Bonnie Kerness, Director 
 

“If we are truly committed to ending oppression and violence, then

we must be committed to each other. Then we must live out of the
simple truth that we need each other. We need each other.”
- Mia Mingus,
Community organizer for disability justice and transformative justice

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1501 Cherry Street
Philadelphia, PA 19102-1403
afsc.org
 

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