by Melissa Bee | Aug 14, 2015 | From the Staff
Yvette Louisell
Yvette Louisell is one of our adoptees. She was a 17-year old University of Iowa student when she was sentenced to life without parole. She turned 44 in the Iowa Correctional Institute for Woman (ICIW) last July 5th.
Because of the work of Brian Stevenson and his organization, the Equal Justice Initiative, juvenile life without parole sentences (JLWOP) were banned by the U.S. Supreme Court in June 2012. This decision affected several of the women in ICIW, including Yvette.Â
I believe that to say to any child that youâre only fit to die in prison is âcruel.â Itâs true that some of these crimes are very disturbing, but itâs also true that the lives that many of these children have lived are also disturbing. Theyâre in many ways some of the most vulnerable kids in society, and we owe them more than to simply throw them away.
-Brian Stevenson
(more…)
by Melissa Bee | Aug 8, 2015 | From the Inside
If you’ve written to an inmate for any length of time, chances are you’ve received a card, similar to the ones above. Cartoon characters are a popular subject for artists on the inside. Because no cash is allowed in prison, inmates will trade goods from commissary or other services for cards. This is technically against the rules, but not strictly enforced. The most commonly traded commissary items are stamps, coffee, and soups.
by Rick Fisk | Aug 3, 2015 | book review, Inmate Contributors
What’s Mercy, Anyway?
Reading a book about the work of someone who has dedicated his life to freeing the innocent is inspiring. When youâre reading that book behind bars, it also evokes melancholy and wishful thinking. No matter where you are when you crack the cover on Bryan Stevensonâs Just Mercy, be prepared to stay put until youâre finished reading it. Be prepared also to have your eyes opened – maybe even welling with tears.
Stevenson, who founded the Equal Justice Initiative, takes readers inside prison walls and courtrooms, introducing us to the human beings sentenced to die by the hands of justice system officials and a public whoâve forgotten to, or refuse to, view them as humans.
(more…)
by Melissa Bee | Jul 30, 2015 | From the Inside
  From an inmate in Texas
by Melissa Bee | Jul 27, 2015 | From the Inside
Jason in Texas writes often, has a big heart, and has connected us with others on the inside who need adopting. Jason is one of the fortunate ones in that he has access to his own funds for commissary, and wants to reimburse us for the cost of sending him e-mail and books. (Jpay charges 49¢ per page for an e-mail.)
TDCJ (Texas Department of Criminal Justice), where Jason is, offers a service called “e-comm,” that allows friends and family from the outside to purchase commissary-like items that do not count against the inmates’ spend limit for commissary ($85 every two weeks). There is also a spend limit for e-comm, which is $50 per calendar quarter, per inmate. Because e-comm is through a different provider than commissary, they carry different items, so inmates can have a little variety.
We are sending Jason some books that he can read and pass on to others. See our sidebar for a long list of prison book programs.
Please comment or send us an email if you know other angels on the inside that we can spotlight.
We love you Jason!
by Melissa Bee | Jul 24, 2015 | From the Staff
Treat people as if they were who they ought to be, and you may contribute to their becoming all they are capable of being. – German writer Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
by Melissa Bee | Jul 23, 2015 | From the Inside
Most of the adoptee names we receive come from inmates. Ron, an inmate in TDCJ, is one of our own adoptees who we first told about the idea for our organization.
“Adopt An Inmate,” that sounds cool. Thank God that my mom is putting money on my books for me, but there are a lot of good guys in here that have been left behind by their families that would love to be adopted.
(more…)
by Melissa Bee | Jul 22, 2015 | From the Inside
Jason writes that he prefers a cell to a dorm. In a dorm, it’s just you and your celly doing time; but in a dorm you are doing everyone’s time.
If you are interested in writing to Jason, please send us an email: info@adoptaninmate.org to get his mailing address.
by Rick Fisk | Jul 21, 2015 | From the Inside
Why the Death Penalty is Already Illegal
Due to recent scrutiny of American jurisprudence, specifically, an astonishing number of death row exonerations, there has been renewed debate regarding use of the death penalty. Some argue that the death penalty should be abolished because too many innocent people have been convicted, some seek to end its practice because it is biased against the poor and people of color, some are against it because it is âcruel and unusual,â and some adamantly argue that it should be continued even if the state must illegally obtain the drugs which make executions âlegalâ under the eighth amendment. None on either side of the debate satisfactorily explains where governments obtain the authority to administer death.
(more…)
by Melissa Bee | Jul 20, 2015 | From the Inside
[Chorus]
Lost in a battle that I canât win
I donât know when Iâll see my family again
No mail, oh well
Iâll just sit in my cell
And think about how close
I am to going to Hell
(more…)
