States say good time credits reward rehabilitation, but many incarcerated people never see the time theyāve earned. This post exposes how vague policies and quiet reclassifications keep people inside longer than they should be.
Memorial Week: āItās large-scale business built on the bodies of those in its grasp.ā
This Navy veteran has spent 30 years servingāfrom the military to a prison sentence that may last the rest of his life. With no family contact and only one visitor in 8 years, he now dedicates his time to writing and prison reform advocacy. Heās written over 200 essays, and hopes someone will write back.
Memorial Week: āI need to find friends who are gonna have my back.ā
This disabled Iraq War veteran suffered a traumatic brain injury from an IED. Now permanently disabled, heās incarceratedāand searching for community. āI need to find friends who are gonna have my back. People like I had when I was in the Army.ā
Memorial Week: “I have almost no support in the outside”
This Army veteran served in the Airborne Rangers and fought in Iraq. After returning home, he struggled, and ended up incarcerated. He takes responsibility for his actions, but what he really needs now is support, connection, and the chance to be seen.
Memorial Week: āA challenging environment to live in and try to better yourself.ā
This U.S. Navy veteran is serving a 10-year sentence far from home, making visits from loved ones nearly impossible. Heās doing everything he can to grow in a violent, unstable environment, but prison doesnāt make it easy. For many veterans, isolation is a second sentence.
Memorial Week: āI served overseas. I have no contacts in the outside world.ā
He served overseas in the Army for six years. Now heās in prison, with no outside contacts, and fighting to receive the veterans benefits he earned. This is not what justice looks like. This is what abandonment looks like.
Memorial Week: “To treat a person inhumanely is violence.”
This Army veteran is a writer, teacher, and self-proclaimed coffee-loving book nerd. He also happens to be incarcerated. Todayās Memorial Week post highlights his voice, and the truth that “To treat a person inhumanely is one of the most awful acts there is. To do so is violence; you reduce a person to a thing.”
Remember Living Veterans: āI Need a Human to Know I Am Not Deadā
Over 100,000 veterans are incarcerated in the U.S., often without access to mental health care or support. Kenneth, a disabled Army vet and former teacher, shares what itās like to be erased while still alive.
Alcatraz (Probably) Isnāt Coming Back ā and We Shouldnāt Want It To
Every once in a while, a headline floats across the internet promising that Alcatraz might reopen. Most recently, itās come from...
Fact Check Friday: If You Canāt Do the Time, Donāt Do the Crime
āIf you canāt do the time, donāt do the crime.ā
Itās catchy but itās also misleading. Most people in prison didnāt get a trial. Many are innocent. And the punishment doesnāt stop when the sentence ends.