This story was originally published by Prison Journalism Project.
Several years ago, I discovered that the California Department of Corrections (CDCR) did not have a legal policy in place by which state prisoners, regardless of their offenses, could legally freely donate organs and tissues to their biological family members. I thought to myself, this
needs to change.
So you think you have been wronged by the system, a corrupt corrections officer, mistreatment by other prisoners, malpractice by medical, or denial of your religious rights, and you want to sue them. Now, what’s the first thing you need to do? Start with assembling your “Tool Box.” You will need to effectively record and litigate your issues. It will look like this:
Continue reading “TO GRIEVE OR NOT TO GRIEVE”By Bryant Arroyo
From PHN Issue 55, Winter 2024
America! America!
Land of the free, a society filled with justice and equality.
This is a clear example of hypocrisy,
unless they forgot to include me,
and millions of others kept in captivity.
Confined behind tall walls and razor wires,
with the nation of prisoners constantly rising higher.
Countless amounts will never be released,
except in a body bag once deceased.
By T King
Coeffield Unit, Texas
April 2021
First, let me say Thank you so much, you guys are Awesome for what you do for us locked away.
I’m writing to get your take on an issue that happens more than it is talked about.
My name is T. King & I’m a lifer on the Coffield unit in Texas. The largest & one of the oldest joints in the Lone Star State. Being a maximum-security unit, movement is restricted, understandably, so you’re either locked in your cell or the day room & now during COVID-19 it’s 2 hours instead of 1 hour at a time. Sometimes you can get stuck in there 3-5 hours depending on if the count clears in time.
Continue reading “It Happens More Than It’s Talked About”By Daniel Ramirez
From PHN Issue 52, Spring 2023
Criminality begins with potential perpetrators dehumanizing potential victims in their own mind. Using words such as this person is a “monster” or an “animal” or even a “snake.” Not worth the ground he/she walks on. And so on… We put a negative spin on a person so we can have a reason to look down on them or treat them unfairly. Potential perpetrators use labels upon people whom they want to victimize and treat any way they want.
Continue reading “Dehumanizing of Persons Involves Words”By Marino Leyba
From PHN Issue 52, Sring 2023
Justice!
Just us!
Even when we are innocent they are always quick to try and bust us.
Turn up or turn out, truth out, the life we live I am not proud to talk about. Imagine being locked up and there is no way of walking out
I am barely walking now…
By Lily H-A
From PHN Issue 50, Summer/Fall 2022
On June 24, 2022, the U.S. Supreme Court voted 5-4 in the case Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization to overturn Roe v. Wade, stating that the U.S. Constitution does not protect the right to abortion. The new ruling does not restrict abortion on its own, but gives states the unlimited ability to restrict abortion.
Continue reading “Abortion Rights Update: ROE V. WADE OVERTURNED”By Ethan Macks
From PHN Issue 50, Summer/Fall 2022
Do you ever feel like you just don’t want to wake up and face the day? Do you feel unmotivated and restless? In small amounts, this is normal for most people, but if you find yourself experiencing this almost every day coupled with self-defeating thoughts and a feeling that overall things are just not worthwhile, you may be seeing the early signs of something I am all too familiar with. Depression is widespread in prison, and you may be thinking to yourself, “What is there to look forward to in the penitentiary?” Unfortunately, that is exactly the problem. Prison breeds emotions like anger, sadness, and despair. On top of all the negativity that goes on, there are countless reminders of what’s going on in the outside world. Some people handle these feelings better than others, but I believe that most of you who are reading this can relate. I feel that with the right tools, you can recognize a low mood and remedy this issue before you fall into a very dark place. An isolated mind is your own worst enemy.
Continue reading “The “BIG THREE” and Depression”By PHN Editors
From PHN Issue 50, Summer/Fall 2022
Activists in Pennsylvania have started a coalition to end the $5 copay for medical care in state prisons. The coalition includes FAMM, the Pennsylvania Prison Society, the Coalition to Abolish Death By Incarceration (CADBI), the Institutional Law Project, and Physicians for Criminal Justice Reform—and now Prison Health News has joined too. For those in prison in Pennsylvania, you can help! We need to show the DOC that the copays are truly a hardship for incarcerated people and their families. To do that, you can start using the grievance process when you are unable to afford a copay. The DOC tracks grievances, so seeing grievances over copays will help them understand how often people in prison can’t pay. If you’re not in Pennsylvania, you can do this too, but there is more power in numbers where there is a group of activists taking action together.
Continue reading “A Tool in the Struggle to End Medical Copays”By Lily H-A
From PHN Issue 50, Summer/Fall 2022
Omicron and BA.5
The current version of the coronavirus that is infecting the most people in the U.S. is called BA.5. This is a “sub-variant” of the omicron variant. It is the most contagious version of the virus yet, and it’s sometimes able to get past antibodies from prior infections and vaccination. However, these antibodies do still provide some protection from BA.5, especially against severe illness and death. BA.5 does not seem to cause more severe disease than other variants. Data are also beginning to suggest that long COVID may be somewhat less common for people after being infected with omicron sub-variants than with earlier variants.
Continue reading “COVID-19 Updates: JULY 2022”
Prison Health News 