Open in app
Home
Notifications
Lists
Stories

Write
More Than Our Crimes
More Than Our Crimes

Home

Published in About Me Stories

·Pinned

About Me — Robert Barton

Incarcerated 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. …

About Me

6 min read

About Me — Robert Barton
About Me — Robert Barton

Published in An Injustice!

·3 days ago

Schools Should Shape Dreams, Not Create Criminals

Police have no place in places of learning — By Rob Barton, with Pam Bailey “I would absolutely say that the juvenile justice system in Maryland created a criminal…If you want to know how to create a criminal, interview my son.” Keisha Hogan, whose son spent 891 days in a Maryland juvenile detention center after stealing a cell phone. …

Black Lives Matter

7 min read

Schools Should Shape Dreams, Not Create Criminals
Schools Should Shape Dreams, Not Create Criminals

Published in An Injustice!

·4 days ago

A Look Inside My Email Inbox: Missives from Federal Prison

From suicide attempts to confiscated coats — Through my More Than Our Crimes network, I correspond with many incarcerated individuals. Below I share three of the messages I received just today. I think you will quickly understand just why I do this work — Pam Bailey Life and death on the cell block Today an inmate in my unit tried to commit suicide. He…

Black Lives Matter

4 min read

A Look Inside My Email Inbox: Missives from Federal Prison
A Look Inside My Email Inbox: Missives from Federal Prison

Published in An Injustice!

·May 9

In Prison, Complaining About Mistreatment Can Unleash a Whirlwind of Vengeance

Some prisoners give up….others keep at it, and pay the price — Note from blog editor Pam Bailey: I am in the midst of preparing a report on the inhumane conditions in federal prisons, and among the most common types of stories I have received are those about retaliation by facility staff against any incarcerated resident who dares to file grievances. …

Justice

7 min read

In Prison, Complaining About Mistreatment Can Unleash a Whirlwind of Vengeance
In Prison, Complaining About Mistreatment Can Unleash a Whirlwind of Vengeance

Published in An Injustice!

·Apr 30

Biden and Second Chance Month: What’s Good, What’s Missing and What’s Needed Next

Action was long overdue, and follow-up will be critical — By Pam Bailey Perhaps reacting to complaints from his progressive base that he has been neglecting his pledges to address criminal-legal reform, President Biden announced — with some fanfare — both a (very) limited number of sentence commutations and what he billed as a “comprehensive strategy to expand employment opportunities…

Black Lives Matter

5 min read

Biden and Second Chance Month: What’s Good, What’s Missing and What’s Needed Next
Biden and Second Chance Month: What’s Good, What’s Missing and What’s Needed Next

Apr 28

Angelo ‘Nut’ Daniels: Waiting for his Second Chance

Determined to succeed in a place that’s designed to break you Angelo Daniels is one of approximately 600 D.C. residents who are eligible to petition for immediate release despite their indeterminate sentences, thanks to the District’s Second Look Amendment Act. …

Black Lives Matter

13 min read

Angelo ‘Nut’ Daniels: Waiting for his Second Chance
Angelo ‘Nut’ Daniels: Waiting for his Second Chance

Published in An Injustice!

·Apr 20

Violence in Prison Comes in Many Forms

Beatings aren’t just prisoner-on-prisoner, but also guard-on-prisoner — By Pam Bailey Abuse of prisoners by the staff supposedly hired to assure their safety and security has been in the news lately. Most recently, the headlines focused on the federal women’s prison called Dublin in northern California. A fifth employee has been indicted on charges of sexually abusing a…

Prison

4 min read

Violence in Prison Comes in Many Forms
Violence in Prison Comes in Many Forms

Published in An Injustice!

·Apr 12

Days, Months, Years of Languishing

When rehabilitation occurs, it’s despite prison, not because of it — By Askia A. Afrika-Ber Prisons have been described by scholars, journalists, activists and prisoners as “revolving doors” due to the high recidivism rates. But for many of us, prisons don’t offer any kind of door. Mass incarceration in the 21st century has transformed the majority of American penitentiaries into modern-day mausoleums, with those of…

Prison

5 min read

Days, Months, Years of Languishing
Days, Months, Years of Languishing

Published in An Injustice!

·Apr 11

Are Halfway Houses ‘Reentry Centers,’ or Just Another Degree of Prison?

Too often, halfway houses set residents back in their attempts to reintegrate — On its website, the federal Bureau of Prisons describes the halfway houses it operates (which it calls “residential reentry centers”) this way: “RRCs provide reentry assistance that reduces recidivism, offering a safe, structured, supervised environment, along with employment counseling, job placement, financial management assistance, and other programs and services.”

Prison

7 min read

Are Halfway Houses ‘Reentry Centers,’ or Just Another Degree of Prison?
Are Halfway Houses ‘Reentry Centers,’ or Just Another Degree of Prison?

Mar 27

The Injustice of Being a ‘State’ Prisoner in the Federal System

D.C. residents behind bars deserve better By Pam Bailey In 2001, the District of Columbia shuttered its lone prison, the Lorton Correctional Complex, seeking a way out of its financial troubles and eager to offload a facility that had become known for being violent and overcrowded. …

Black Lives Matter

11 min read

The Injustice of Being a ‘State’ Prisoner in the Federal System
The Injustice of Being a ‘State’ Prisoner in the Federal System
More Than Our Crimes

More Than Our Crimes

Rob Barton has been incarcerated for 26 years. Pam Bailey is his collaborator/editor. Learn more at MoreThanOurCrimes.org

Following
  • FAMM Foundation

    FAMM Foundation

  • Damian Delune

    Damian Delune

  • Attorney General Karl Racine

    Attorney General Karl Racine

  • Tree Langdon

    Tree Langdon

  • Estacious(Charles White)

    Estacious(Charles White)

See all (17)

Help

Status

Writers

Blog

Careers

Privacy

Terms

About

Knowable