Published in About Me Stories·PinnedMember-onlyAbout Me — Robert BartonIncarcerated for 26 years and out to bring humanity to an inhumane “justice” system. — Indian activist Arundhati Roy once said: “There is really no such thing as the voiceless… only the deliberately silenced or the preferably unheard.” She’s right. People behind bars do have voices. But they are forcibly shut up and told no one wants to hear them. With their names replaced by…About Me6 min readAbout Me6 min read
Published in An Injustice!·2 days agoHunger Strike! Forever the Tool of Prisoner ResistanceBut is the long-term cost to the prisoner worth it? — By Pam Bailey Hunger strikes are an act of very last resort for prisoners who feel they are being treated inhumanely, and there is either no other way to challenge it or the grievance system is dysfunctional and/or biased. Perhaps the most famous example is the 1981 hunger strike by…Protest7 min readProtest7 min read
Dec 23, 2022Look at MeThe only thing I have to hold onto at night is my faith I am someone who never cried tears of joy. I always cried the tears of an unwanted boy — lost in the world with no way out, still fearing I didn’t know what being a man is about…Prison2 min readPrison2 min read
Published in An Injustice!·Dec 21, 2022The Meaning of Holidays When You Have a Life SentenceWhat is the significance of the holidays in a place plagued with so much misery and ugliness? — By Jeremy Fontanez, More Than Our Crimes staff writer This is the time of year when we are supposed to forget our troubles and appreciate the good things in our lives. Out “in the world,” families sit together around large tables loaded with plates of food, with a juicy, stuffed…Holidays6 min readHolidays6 min read
Published in An Injustice!·Dec 2, 2022Inflation in the Incarceration NationDo you think inflation is bad? In prison, it’s hitting hard — By Jeremy Fontanez, More Than Our Crimes staff writer Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction.” The 13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution Inflation is…Prison6 min readPrison6 min read
Published in An Injustice!·Nov 8, 2022Hugs Are Vital to Human HealthFor most of us, life has returned to normal despite COVID. That’s not true in prison — By Pam Bailey Out here “in the world,” as incarcerated individuals refer to us, COVID is still real, but we have largely returned to normal social interactions. Even in the highest-risk settings, such as long-term-care facilities and schools, COVID restrictions have largely eased: Children are back to full schedules of…Prison8 min readPrison8 min read
Published in An Injustice!·Nov 5, 2022Redemption is RealEveryone can change for the better, if they desire it and we allow them — By Robert Barton “I believe in redemption personally and politically; it is the basis of my religious belief.” Sen. Richard Durbin, at the first oversight hearing for the new director of the federal Bureau of Prisons, Colette Peters I recently read a book titled, “A Happy Pocket Full of Money”…Justice5 min readJustice5 min read
Published in An Injustice!·Oct 31, 2022A Palestinian in an American PrisonWhat happens when a person is oppressed twice over? — By Pam Bailey Long before I started More Than Our Crimes, I lived in the Gaza Strip for three years and founded a storytelling initiative called We Are Not Numbers. The Palestinian youth of Gaza are among the most stereotyped and misunderstood individuals in the world, often referred to with numbers — of…Palestine11 min readPalestine11 min read
Published in An Injustice!·Oct 2, 2022The Politics of TV in Federal PrisonIt may seem petty, but for us it’s what makes life inside tolerable — By Jeremy Fontanez, serving a sentence of life without parole We prisoners segregate ourselves according to race, religion, geography and other associations. The most common form of segregation is racial. Blacks group with Backs. Hispanics hang with Hispanics. Whites ally with Whites. And our communal televisions in the housing units are regulated according to these divisions.Television5 min readTelevision5 min read
Published in An Injustice!·Sep 30, 2022Dear Collette PetersA letter to the new federal BOP head, from one of her prisons — By Rob Barton Congratulations on your appointment as director of the federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP). I have been intensely following the changing of the guard at the top of the agency, and I genuinely wish you success. After all, the person who holds this position has a huge effect on my life. …Black Lives Matter7 min readBlack Lives Matter7 min read
