Fatima’s Fight

by Fatima Malika Shabazz

From PHN Issue 27, Winter 2016

Peace and Love. I hope this letter finds all my brothers and sisters in the never-ending fight for our rights doing well. I have a great deal of faith in the strength and resilience of people like myself.

First steps of a lawsuit

For those who don’t know, I filed suit recently against the state of California’s Department of Corrections for denying me the chance to get genital sex reassignment surgery. It had already been denied by the prison’s medical department, and all appeals were denied at every level. I mailed the petition to the Central District of the California federal court, and it was received on August 13. Continue reading “Fatima’s Fight” →

Aging in Prison

by the Gray Panthers, Pennsylvania State Correctional Institution Graterford chapter

From PHN Issue 27, Winter 2016

Elderly people are now 12% of Pennsylvania’s prison population. The number of people 50 years of age or older in Graterford prison alone has increased to 25% of its total population, and the state’s hospice care facility was expanded. The Department of Corrections’ definition of elderly is those over age 50, for good reason. Prison culture stressors and lack of access to holistic healthcare cause “physiological aging” that could mean aging arrives up to 15 years sooner for people in prison. Prison age 50 is the new age 65! Continue reading “Aging in Prison” →

My Involvement with the HIV/AIDS Awareness Program at the Oregon State Penitentiary

By Timothy Hinkhouse

From PHN Issue 27, Winter 2016

In the mid-1990s, it was brought to the attention of the health staff at the Oregon State Penitentiary that an HIV/AIDS education program needed to be assembled to educate the population about this “scary new disease.” The Oregon Health Department contractor who was doing the HIV testing and counseling at the time brought it to their attention because she lost her brother to AIDS and she wanted to help those still alive. A team of incarcerated people who worked well together put together an outline for an education program, the HIV/AIDS Awareness Program (HAAP). We came together because we were on the same page about the necessity of reducing the rate of new infections and clearing up prevalent misconceptions about exposure and transmission. Continue reading “My Involvement with the HIV/AIDS Awareness Program at the Oregon State Penitentiary” →

It Starts with You: Planning a Health Fair

By Natalie DeMola

From PHN Issue 26, Fall 2015

My name is Natalie DeMola, and I am currently housed at Central California Women’s Facility in Chowchilla, California. I am serving life without the possibility of parole, and I have been incarcerated since the age of 16. I work as a peer health educator about sexually transmitted infections, HIV/AIDS, hepatitis, women’s health and the Prison Rape Elimination Act and support women here when a health crisis or issue arises. Continue reading “It Starts with You: Planning a Health Fair” →

Knowledge Is Power

by Michael Rigby

From PHN Issue 26, Fall 2015

True indeed—knowledge is power—but only to those who use it. The most powerful tool a prisoner has in the fight to maintain health is the pen. Unless it’s a life and death situation or an all-out emergency, the very first thing you should do when you begin to notice changes within your temple (body) is take note.

How to keep your own health records:

Headline a fresh sheet of paper with “Time,” “Date,” and “Notes.” Continue reading “Knowledge Is Power” →

Fight for Health Justice in Womanhood

by Fatima Malika Shabazz

From PHN Issue 26, Fall 2015

Dear Reader,

My name is Fatima Malika Shabazz. Some of you may be familiar with my name through a previous article I wrote. I want to thank all of you who in one way or another have reached out to a trans woman or trans man in any prison in America. I am currently doing time in the California prison system. In a state that is supposed to be very progressive in regard to LGBTQ rights, it would appear that the secretary of prisons has not gotten that memo. Continue reading “Fight for Health Justice in Womanhood” →

Battling Asthma in Prison

By Gregory J. Marcinski, EMT-P (ret)

From PHN Issue 26, Fall 2015

If you’re suffering from asthma, you’re not alone. More than 18 million American adults have asthma, and thousands go to the emergency room every day because of it. In prison, it can be a bit more difficult to be seen by medical staff, so I’ll discuss a few things that we can do on our own to help preserve our own health. Continue reading “Battling Asthma in Prison” →

How Loved Ones Outside Can Advocate for People in Prison


By Theresa Shoatz

From PHN Issue 25, Summer 2015

For readers who have family, friends or a partner on the outside to help them get urgently needed health care, here are some suggestions for those outside prison to try. Philadelphia activist Theresa Shoatz perfected these steps while advocating for her father, former Black Panther Russell Maroon Shoatz, a political prisoner in Pennsylvania. As she says, “I have a passion to keep him healthy because one day, we’ll get him out.”

10 steps for loved ones on the outside:

  1. Your loved one in prison will probably need to fill out a medical release form to let you access their health information. In many places, they can ask a counselor for this form. Continue reading “How Loved Ones Outside Can Advocate for People in Prison” →

Getting from Monday to Tuesday: Coping with Long-term Incarceration

By Patrice L. Daniels

From PHN Issue 25, Summer 2015

Knowledge of Self: A better understanding of who I am (and am not) has given me a sense of security and confidence when facing whatever life throws at me—as well as whatever I decide to embark upon. Continue reading “Getting from Monday to Tuesday: Coping with Long-term Incarceration” →

Immigrants in Texas Want Health, Freedom

by Suzy Subways

From PHN Issue 24, Spring 2015

   Immigrants held in two federal Texas facilities run by profit-driven private companies are refusing to tolerate neglect of their health and unsafe conditions. Continue reading “Immigrants in Texas Want Health, Freedom” →