The 2023 legislative session has begun in most states. My husband, Jacob Schmitt, drafted a bill to correct an injustice for a handful of Washington state prisoners, providing public testimony on January 23, 2023. I received the below note through Washington DOC's...
Melissa Schmitt

Jpay to Securus Conversion
FL, TX, and WA State Adopters If your adoptee is in TDCJ (Texas state), FDC (Florida Dept. of Corrections), or WA DOC (Washington state), the emessaging service is in transition from Jpay to Securus. If you have an existing Jpay account, you will be prompted to...
Your support makes a difference for prisoners this giving season
Thanksgiving is tomorrow, and Giving Tuesday follows quickly after. If you haven't selected a nonprofit to donate to this year, this is a perfect time to support our work. Even small amounts make a big difference to those who can't be with their families. Your support...
Arizona Prisoner’s Annual Secret Santa Drive
Our dear friend Tricia in Arizona is looking for a little help to brighten the holidays for as many as 40 other prisoners. If you'd like to contribute a few bucks to this cause, just go to our Donate page and note that it's for the AZ Secret Santa Project. Hello...
Our Friend Ryan’s Podcast, The Shakedown
Friend of Adopt an Inmate Ryan Forbes has a new podcast, The Shakedown, and it's great! From Law and Order reruns to cold case podcasts, criminal justice has a very well known image in the media. However, is this image accurate? Ryan Forbes spent six years in prison...
Shining a light on the War on Drugs
From the Texas Center for Justice & Equality: A new report, Reversing the War on Drugs in Texas, authored by Policy Analyst Sarah Reyes and Director of Policy and Advocacy Alycia Castillo, shares research on who’s actually using drugs in Texas, the harmful...
Martin Lockett – Prison to Purpose Pipeline
Many of you are familiar with Martin Lockett, who has written many blog posts for us over the years. Today, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day 2022, is the perfect day to let you know that since his release in June of 2021, Martin has republished his book - formerly Palpable...
UPDATE: IRS Publishes Guidance on How to Obtain Stimulus Payments from Prison During 2021 Tax Season
The deadline to file 2020 taxes is May 17th, just over two weeks away. Monitor this page for updates - download blank and sample forms and instructions. See the FAQ and Resources at the top. Use the IRS online Get My Payment tool to check the status of...
Prisons Use Covid to Enhance Punishment
We've heard a few stories about how prisons use Covid as an excuse to enhance punishment of their charges. We received this letter from the mother of a person incarcerated at Stafford Creek Corrections Center in Washington Department of Corrections. We have reported...
Update: Here’s what’s happening
An update from our friend in WSRU in WA DOC - read his post Preparing for Quarantine that he wrote just before being moved. Today he was moved back to general population. I'm doing great physically. I developed a sore throat (which became a slight cough) and rolling...