mass incarceration Archives

The Good, The Bad, and The CHANGE from Reynold in PA

by Melissa Bee | Aug 8, 2025 | From the Inside, Good Bad Change | 0 Comments

Thirteen years into his sentence in the Texas Department of Criminal Justice, Troy reflects on the good, the bad, and the urgent need for change — from building others up as a life coach to confronting the daily harm of an unforgiving system.

The Good, The Bad, and The CHANGE from Troy in Texas

by Melissa Bee | Aug 7, 2025 | From the Staff, Good Bad Change | 0 Comments

Thirteen years into his sentence in the Texas Department of Criminal Justice, Troy reflects on the good, the bad, and the urgent need for change — from building others up as a life coach to confronting the daily harm of an unforgiving system.

📚 Fact‑Check Friday: Do Prisons Make Us Safer?

by Melissa Bee | Jun 20, 2025 | Books, Fact Check Friday | 0 Comments

🎯 Myth Prisons Make Us Safer Victoria Law’s book Prisons Make Us Safer: And 20 Other Myths about Mass Incarceration challenges...

🔍 Fact Check Friday: “They’re just doing their jobs.”

by Melissa Bee | Jun 13, 2025 | Fact Check Friday, From the Staff | 0 Comments

Masked agents. No warrants. Rubber bullets. This isn’t immigration enforcement, it’s illegal, state-sanctioned terror. On this #FactCheckFriday, we break down what’s really happening in cities like LA and Nashville, and what your rights STILL are.

Locking People Up for Unpaid Fines or Fees

by Melissa Bee | Jun 12, 2025 | From the Staff, Policy vs. People | 1 Comment

In some courts, missing a payment can still land you behind bars. This post breaks down how “pay or stay” policies function as modern-day debtor’s prisons — punishing people not for crimes, but for being poor.

📉 Policy vs. People: “Good Time” That Doesn’t Count

by Melissa Bee | Jun 4, 2025 | From the Staff, Policy vs. People | 0 Comments

States say good time credits reward rehabilitation, but many incarcerated people never see the time they’ve earned. This post exposes how vague policies and quiet reclassifications keep people inside longer than they should be.

Memorial Week: “It’s large-scale business built on the bodies of those in its grasp.”

by Melissa Bee | May 31, 2025 | From the Inside, From the Staff | 0 Comments

This Navy veteran has spent 30 years serving—from 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. He’s written over 200 essays, and hopes someone will write back.

Fact Check Friday: If You Can’t Do the Time, Don’t Do the Crime

by Melissa Bee | May 23, 2025 | Fact Check Friday, From the Staff | 0 Comments

“If you can’t do the time, don’t do the crime.”
It’s catchy but it’s also misleading. Most people in prison didn’t get a trial. Many are innocent. And the punishment doesn’t stop when the sentence ends.