At Adopt an Inmate, we believe that education is a form of resistanceâand truth is a powerful tool for change.
Starting this week, weâre launching Fact-Check Friday, a series that tackles myths, misconceptions, and misleading narratives about incarceration in the U.S. With nearly 2 million people behind bars, itâs more important than ever to question the policies and assumptions that keep our friends, loved ones, and neighbors locked away.
Each Friday, weâll spotlight a common claim about the justice systemâthen hold it up to the light.
With facts. With humanity. With hope.
Because behind every statistic is a person. And every person deserves the truth.
At Adopt an Inmate, we believe in the power of storytelling to change hearts and minds. Our Good, Bad, Change campaign invites people in prison to reflect on three simple yet profound prompts. By sharing these personal responses, we amplify the voices of those directly impacted by incarceration â voices too often silenced or ignored.
This new series will highlight responses from our inside-outside network. To submit your responses:
Snail mail:
Adopt an Inmate
*Good Bad Change*
PO Box 1543
Veneta, OR 97487
đŹ The Good: What’s one positive thing youâve seen or experienced in prison?
A: Inmates help each other out regardless of race or color. For example, I have personally done thisâwhen someone does not have soap, I have given them soap or stamps to write a letter. I have done this even when I had very few things or little to nothing. But it is prison, and not everybody is the same. The good people who do good things are fewâat least from what I have seen. As far as officers go, I have seen them help people out, which is part of their job. However, a good officer doing good and treating people like humans is rare. I have seen an officer go out of his way to make something right if it was wrong. For instance, I had just received my Level One status, but they still had me listed as Level Two. An officer helped me get it fixed so I could get my property for my Level One status.
đŹ The Bad: Whatâs one negative thing youâve seen or experienced in prison?
A: There are so many bad experiences, and a lot of those things I cannot say openly because they are too severe. But this is prison, so I will try to name a few. I have seen people throw feces and urine on each other. I have seen us get rotten food on our trays. I have seen people fight. A lot of racism exists. There are just so many bad things to name. For one, you do not want to live in prison. Despite everything, it is still prison, and bad things happen here. But there are good things too.
đŹ The Change: If you could change one thing about prison, what would it be?
A: I would say encourage prison reform nationwide for all prisons. This includes improving living conditions, creating second-chance programs, providing better education, offering better food, fixing the grievance system, improving health services, and reforming the parole system to actually give people a chance to go home. There is so much more that can be done.
Responses by:
Iris
(Ray’s Adopter)
đŹ Please tell us about your experience adopting an Inmate.
A:Â When I first encountered Ray at the end of 2022, I couldn’t have imagined how profoundly his story would impact me. What began as an exchange of letters turned into an extraordinary friendship, bridging two vastly different worlds: mine as an insights consultant and his as a former gang member navigating the isolating confines of solitary confinement. Over the past two years, this unlikely connection has become a profound source of learning and growth for us both.
About a year and a half ago, I created a blog to document this journey. Through the posts, I shared Ray’s experiences, my reflections, and the insights we uncovered together. Writing these entries gave me a platform to amplify his voiceâa voice shaped by resilience, creativity, and a determination to grow despite unimaginable constraints.
Ray’s transformation is nothing short of remarkable. His artistic talent, which he continues to hone, has become a cornerstone of his personal and emotional rehabilitation. Itâs not just about the stunning realism of his drawings but about how art provides him a means to process his past and imagine a future beyond the prison walls.
This friendship has deepened my understanding of what it means to extend empathy and support, to see the humanity in someone society has often overlooked. Itâs taught me to celebrate progress, however incremental, and to believe in second chances.
Writing about my experience for Adopt an Inmate feels like a natural continuation of this journey. My hope is that sharing our story will inspire others to connect with those incarceratedânot out of charity, but out of recognition of their potential and shared humanity. Adopting an inmate is as much about changing our own perspectives as it is about helping them.
Thank you for giving me the opportunity to share this journey.
We’re delighted to share the work of our friend Phillip Alvin Jones, a talented writer, speaker, and advocate. In this post, you’ll find links to his website, podcasts, and booksâoffering powerful insights from inside the walls. Don’t miss the chance to explore his work and support his voice!
We are delighted to share Phillip A. Jones, Jr. is the founder and CEO of Phillip A. Jones Consulting LLC, providing a wide range of services to government agencies, educational institutions, and advocacy organizations to bring meaningful and sustainable changes to the carceral system through substantive policy change, focused curricula, and public speaking engagements and events. Mr. Jones is also the founder of Inside-Outside Consults, a comprehensive and full-service nonprofit organization supporting and teaching justice-impacted men and women how to successfully reintegrate into mainstream society. Mr. Jones hosts a podcast called The Wall: Behind and Beyond, talking to guests about topics ranging from mental health support to reentry services. In short, Mr. Jones is a justice-impacted individual who has used his time behind bars to not only change the trajectory of his own life but to help countless other incarcerated men and women as well as their families. Mr. Jones has just published his second book, From Risk 2 Resilience, which is a gang prevention manual for adolescents. This critical work complements his education curriculum, Exit 2 Excellence Workbook, and follows his first book of the same name. This comprehensive workbook teaches about the reentry process from start to finish, with crucial resources, activities and support. Both books can be purchased on Amazon.
Mr. Jones was born and raised on the harsh streets of southwest Baltimore and was unavoidably both the product of his environment, as well as collateral damage in the brutal world of gangs and poverty. At the age of only 19, Mr. Jones got into an altercation over drugs. As a result, he ended up shooting another young man, who thankfully survived his injuries. For these offenses, Mr. Jones was arrested, tried, and sentenced to two concurrent life sentences plus an additional 20 years. He has spent more than three decades behind bars and, despite the statistics and predictions, Mr. Jones has reinvented himself into a hardworking and dedicated advocate of change. Mr. Jones firmly believes that education is the key to growth and has built educational programs and modules to teach what he has learned both through the process of earning various degrees, as well from the demoralizing experiences to which he has been subjected during his incarceration. Mr. Jones uses his knowledge and experience to educate justice[1]impacted individuals, and his expertise to effect meaningful changes within the justice system.
***** PLEASE SHARE WITH YOUR CONTACTS IN PRISON *****
Lately, we’ve heard concerns from people inside and their families about rumors that incarcerated individuals are no longer considered U.S. citizensâor that they could be deported after serving their sentences. Letâs set the record straight. Current law is as follows:
â If you were born in the U.S., you are a U.S. citizenâperiod. Incarceration does not change that.
â If you became a naturalized citizen, your citizenship is permanent. It cannot be revoked unless the government proves fraud in your naturalization process (which is rare).
â If you are undocumented or have immigration concerns, deportation may be a risk, but you still have rightsâand there are organizations fighting for fair treatment.
đ¨ What You Need to Know:
đš Extreme political statements donât mean instant law changes. Policies must go through legal challenges before taking effect.
đš Fear and misinformation are used to control people. Stay informed and connected to reliable sources.
đš You are not alone. We and many others are fighting against policies that harm incarcerated people.
Here’s what happened when we (twice) attempted to share an email from Burke Butler, Executive Director of Texas Defender Service about President Trump’s Executive Order to “restore” the death penalty that demanded the United States Attorney General try to overturn long-standing U.S. Supreme Court precedents that protect the constitutional rights of people facing a capital sentence. (Note: You can view the memo here.)
After months of planning, weâre thrilled to kick off this nationwide effort to collect 2+ million dimesâone for every person impacted by mass incarceration. But this campaign is about more than just coins. Itâs about raising awareness, sparking conversations, and demanding change. Itâs about showing the world that people behind bars are still people and that we must do better.
To mark this milestone, weâve issued a press release announcing the campaignâs launch. Check it out below, and help us spread the word by sharing with your networks. Every dime, every conversation, and every voice matters.
VENETA, Ore. – Feb. 4, 2025 – PRLog — Adopt an Inmate, a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing mentorship and support to those impacted by incarceration, is excited to announce the upcoming launch of its campaign, “Drop a Dime.” Founded by siblings Rick and Melissa, the organization was born out of a personal journey that began with Rick’s wrongful arrest in 2013. After nearly six years of unjust imprisonment, Rick was released in 2019, and together they have been working tirelessly to foster connections between outside volunteers and people in prison.
To commemorate a decade of impactful work, the campaign aims to collect dimes symbolizing the approximately two million people currently incarcerated in the U.S., along with millions more on community supervision and those affected by loss of voting rights, criminal records, and the ripple effects on families. “Reliable estimates indicate that one in three Americans has been touched by the system,” said Rick. “Yet, due to stigma and shame,these stories often go unheard.”
Campaign Highlights
The term “drop a dime,” once synonymous with reporting to authorities, has been reimagined to symbolize the urgent need to expose the shortcomings of the criminal legal system. The campaign emphasizes the lack of rehabilitation resources, harsh prison conditions, and barriers to reintegration into society.
Key Goals of the Campaign:
â Build empathy and understanding about the realities faced by people in prison.
â Mobilize communities to advocate for systemic changes that prioritize rehabilitation and reintegration.
â Raise funds for the build of an interactive prison exhibit.
Interactive Exhibit:
A centerpiece of the campaign will be a prison immersive experience, including a cell constructed by justice-impacted volunteers Oregon. Featuring authentic fixtures and a soundscape that recreates the prison environment, the exhibit aims to provide visitors with a powerful immersive experience of incarceration,fostering dialogue and community engagement.
Our vision is to educate and inspire change by providing a glimpse into the lived experiences of people in prison,” added Melissa. “We hope this leads to more inclusive policies and a reduction in recidivism.”
Adopt an Inmate invites everyone to “drop their dimes” to support this cause and drive meaningful change.
On September 5, 2024 I celebrated 19 years of sobriety, and honestly, I’m of two minds. On the one hand, it feels great to be able to say I am clean and sober today. On the other hand, I do retain significant shame knowing that if I had been responsible and stayed clean in the first place, I wouldn’t have harmed so many people. I carry that with me, and while my sobriety is certainly an exemplary accomplishment, the celebration is mingled with a heaping portion of torment as I’m haunted by my shameful past.
My journey has been difficult, to put it lightly. I endured trauma, physical and emotional abuse, and a dysfunctional home life during my formative years. I began smoking mĂ rijuana when I was 12-years-old, and I was hooked the first time I inhaled that smoke. I remember it vividly: It was the first time in my young life that it felt \\\”okay\\\” to be me. My anxiety and self-consciousness were gone as soon as the drug hit my brain. A year or so later I became addicted to sex because although my initiation into the sexual experience was not under the healthiest of circumstances, sex met an insatiable need to be accepted. By 15 I was a problem drinker, consuming Ă lcohol to extreme Ăntoxication every time I drank, and by 16 I was effectively an alcoholic. A few weeks before my birthday in 1997 (I was 17), I snorted mèth for the first time with some acquaintances, and I was instantly a methamphetaminè addict.
I spent the first 10 years of my sobriety trying to better understand myself and my struggles. I found that throughout adolescence and young adulthood, I hid my true self behind a mask of toxic masculinity that I used to compensate for my perceived weaknesses, my fears of not being good enough, and my discomfort with all the things that make me unique. I used drĂşgs and Ă lcohol to numb the pain of feeling so inferior that I required a mask to be accepted, and I used sex as a substitute for intimacy.
After working to remove my mask, which was a real battle in itself, I went through a process of self-discovery and self-acceptance. It took a lot of hard truth, a lot of self-work, a lot of tears, and a lot of talking to and even arguing with a black-and-white photograph, and a lot of failure before I came to any meaningful conclusions about who I am, who I was, and who I want to be. Although that process was indescribably painful, it was worth it, for if I did not commit to the struggle of genuine mental, emotional, and spiritual growth and been willing to put in the work, I would never have been able to overcome my past in order to step into my future.
The last 9 years of sobriety has been a continued process of personal growth with an added element of learning how to use my experiences to positively impact others. Through my sobriety, I have found meaning and purpose I have never known. Today, I can feel. I can experience empathy and compassion, and I don\\\’t need a mask. I know how to love and be loved. I know how to accept the flaws of others because I accept my own flaws. I know how to persevere when things get difficult, and I know how to use those difficulties for growth opportunities. I know how to engage reality in ways that make me better, that make others better, ways that make my community better.
I think that is what life as a recovering addict is all about, for the mess I made of everything never really gets cleaned up. Recovering is an active, present tense, progressive verb: I never reach a point where I’m recovered. I will continue attacking active recovery as I did active addiction–relentlessly. So… I look forward to the next 19 years of sobriety and the continued evolution of becoming the man I was always supposed to be. I look forward to being able to love back those who love me, especially those who loved me even when it hurt them to do so. I am excited for new opportunities to grow with them, learn from them, and most of all, not hurt them anymore. The privilege of purpose sobriety offers allows me to impact the world powerfully and positively. While admittedly imperfect, I’m a better, truer, more grateful version of me, clean and sober 19 years later.
Back from a lengthy hiatus and reviving our Quarterly-ish Newsletter! Click below for our latest issue. Donât forget to share, and send a copy to your loved one inside. We welcome your feedback and comments.
Prison time can feel a lot like quantum physics. Sounds crazy, I know. But itâs true. Quantum physics is an obscure, often confusing field of particle science. The short version explains that quantum physics involves the study of particles smaller than an atom and how those particles behave when separated from their natural connection with other particles. The laws of quantum physics are completely foreign to the physical realities that help you and me understand the world.
For example, isolated particles exist in what is known to physicists as the quantum realm and particles in the quantum realm can actually be in two places at once, a phenomenon known as superposition. In addition, a recent experiment took place in Germany that demonstrated how a single particle of light, which exists in the quantum realm when isolated, can move both forward and backward in time at the same moment, which essentially means it is moving neither forward nor backward in time while simultaneously moving both forward and backward in timeâŚat the same time, which is a confusing place to be, for sure.
Doing time in prison can feel much like that â abnormal, confusing and uncomfortable. In prison, the aim of your days is often about getting time to move more quickly, but movement through time is relative â the perception of motion depends upon your frame of reference. If youâre in a moving car and the car next to you is moving in the same direction at the same speed, it can seem like youâre not moving at all, but turn your head and look out the opposite window and fence posts are zipping by. Time in prison can be similarly disorienting.
A popular saying holds that time heals all wounds. That may sound good, but it isnât always true. Even when healing takes place over time, the reason healing occurred was not the mere passage of time. Otherwise, both victims and perpetrators of crime would heal through the prescription of time, butâŚneither do. Healing takes place because we have the courage to look at our pain, to engage it and figure out how to process it effectively enough to move forward and connect with the important people and significant events that help us navigate our emotions and actualize our growth as human beingsâŚand time just ticks away while weâre not looking.
I have been incarcerated for over 23 years and I experience the movement of time very differently than you. In the outside world, the movement of time feels natural, like a burden of overwhelming rapidity even. Like a massive river carving its way through a canyon, years rush by in a blur of laughter, tears, birthdays, graduations, weddings, barbeques and Superbowlâs. Before you know it, lives are built, kids are grown and decades are gone, like a snowflake on your tongue.
In prison, however, the flow of time is pinched to a constipated trickle. Significant experiences are few and far between, sprinkled in among years of meaningless moments drawn out into droplets and splatters. Each one is broken up into incomplete portions, delivered one by one in an emotionally exhausting holding pattern that constantly leaves you waiting to feel.
The incarcerated dwell in that liminal space where inner darkness meets outer darkness. Unfulfilled expectations of a life well-lived galvanize shame, breeding self-hatred. Emotions become manipulative illusions that pull the strings of a desperate attempt to find meaning, to feel worth, to find hope and to heal. We find ourselves grasping for a life that isnât there in order to comfort the life that is. Anger, anxiety and depression take root in the personality as you realize your friends and family on the outside have been carried away by the river while you sit in your cage waiting on your drips.
Eventually, a shroud of detachment becomes refuge, insulating you from the pain of a life lived without purpose in a warehouse for the discarded, where even laughter feels hollow. It is like living outside of time while being forced to feel every minute of the separation. Pictures of a world moving on without you dance through the haze in your mind. You call out, but nobody listens â for they donât have the time.
The emptiness of prison culture, the exploitative nature of the prison system, the unrelenting violence within the prison environment and the lunacy of trying to remain focused on emotional and spiritual growth while being packed in elbow to elbow with narcissists, sociopaths and predators seems to conspire against your resolve, almost granting you permission to give up trying to become a better person. You can feel compelled to join the crowd and lie, cheat and steal in order to get whatever you can from anyone you can. To secure power, pleasure and material possessions by any means necessary can be the perfect distraction, but the pursuit of shiny things in the dark will almost always destroy you. The danger of moving beyond the point of no return increases when getting becomes more important than becoming.
Virtually everyone in prison has experienced some kind of trauma prior to incarceration, used alcohol, drugs and sex to numb the pain and learned maladaptive coping methods to mask the shame of feeling broken and irredeemable. Prison time doesnât teach you how to move beyond your past or even how to process your present and the prison system doesnât care about your struggles. Youâre a number to be counted and cattle to be corralled.
Prison time is slow and lonely and difficult and dangerous. Youâre never by yourself but youâre always alone. Youâre daily presented with problems that have no solutions and you canât truly trust anyoneâŚever. Youâre separated from everything you know and everyone you love and regularly required to follow often arbitrary directives in order to satisfy somewhat abusive authority figures.
Without question I am here as a direct and correct consequence of my own actions, but people, like particles, were not designed to function properly when disconnected from their reality. You have to move differently to find light in prison and if you donât find it, youâll be consumed by the darkness. Yet, if you do find it, the search will inevitably contort your spirit in permanent ways. No matter what, youâre never the same, and admittedly, that can produce a positive or negative outcome, depending on the response of each incarcerated individual. Trying to convey time in prison is complicated. I might as well be explaining quantum physics.
We are happy to share these courses offered by Wise Communications and developed by our featured writer Dr. Eric Burnham.
The information in our home-studies is based upon the finest work done in the field by the National Institute of Drug Abuse, the Center for Substance Abuse Treatment, the Center for Substance Abuse Prevention, and other leading professionals in the field.
Wise Communications Home Study Programs is pleased to offer several new courses developed by Dr. Eric Burnham for the substance use disorder counseling community from a faith-based perspective.
This course will equip counselors with an integrated Christian view of Emotional Intelligence. The findings of neuroscience and contemporary psychology will be key areas of focus, but biblical wisdom and the transforming power of the Holy Spirit will be emphasized, showing that when scientific principles and findings are deployed in concert with biblical truths, a grander vision of the human condition becomes clear. This course is designed to build on the skills of a mental health professional, and provide a targeted approach to emotional growth that can be implemented both personally and professionally.
This course encompasses the publication and worksheets in one document, unlike other Wise Communications courses. As communication is critical for Substance Use Disorder counselors, this biblically based course, Communication in Substance Use Disorder Counseling: A Christian View, will explore the counseling and communication topics important to a follower of Christ working in the field of chemical dependency counseling. Developed by Eric Burnham, Ph.D., topics in this course include authentic communication, how to integrate your faith into your counseling, how to improve listening skills, ways to strengthen a scriptural worldview, and looking at the listening element in prayer.
Counseling those who struggle with SUDs can be a formidable endeavor under the best of circumstances, but it can become overwhelming if the counselor does not spend the necessary energy on professional wellness and self-care. The goal of this course is to look at professional and personal wellness through the lens of Scripture.
The intent of these courses is to provide up to date information in concert with a faith-based perspective that can help the Addictions counselor understand how to better serve their clients while simultaneously using their faith in a professional and ethical manner. They are fully written by recovering addict Eric Burnham.
