Note from the staff: We started this organization in an effort to help inmates and expose the public, one connection at a time, to the current state of our justice system. We also want adopters to have every tool to help their friends on the inside. Harm Reduction is...
Time for Oregon to pull back on Measure 11’s mandatory minimums. An opinion piece by one of our featured writers, Martin Lockett in Oregon, published in The Oregonian. Lockett is serving the final year of a 17-year sentence at Deer Ridge Correctional Institution in...
When I came to prison, it was commonplace for people to meet up at someone's house for a get-together to watch the Super Bowl or simply hang out and converse. When it was someone's birthday and they lived quite a distance away, it was standard practice to call and...
This past week came with one of the biggest shocks of my fifteen years of incarceration. My unit ('incentive housing' with extra privileges for those of us who have exhibited at least 18 months of clear conduct) was inspected by the administration. We had been duly...
What is the most effective approach to dealing with crime and punishment? Should the criminal justice system primarily be used to punish those who violate the law by sending them to prison for lengthy terms? Or should it rather serve as a mechanism for rehabilitation?...
For a peek inside the Restorative Justice process, see CNN's original series The Redemption Project with Van Jones. For the first twelve years of my incarceration I was convinced I had done everything I could to atone for my crime — then I was proven wrong. Although...
Dear Twin Brother, I love you. I know you know that, but I feel it's important to explicitly reaffirm it from time to time. Where do I begin? I don't quite know, but there is so much in me that I want to express to you, so you'll know exactly what's in my heart....
We are pleased to share this Opinion Piece in The Oregonian by guest columnist and frequent AI blogger Martin Lockett. I had been drinking all day on New Year’s Eve of 2003 and then, had gone to a party to celebrate more. Later, as I drove my twin brother home, he...
Christmas is a festive time of year, when family members get together to enjoy robust meals, open presents, and share good ole' rare quality time. During the holidays, people tend to let bygones be bygones, differences become trivial, and allow their love for one...
Being in prison for now fifteen years, it's pretty obvious that I have spent countless hours, days, and nights waiting: waiting for what will be my eventual release. On a daily basis, I'm forced — well, conditioned is more accurate — to wait for more mundane things...
