Imagine living in our environment before you judge — By Robert Barton “If I leave here, I will leave nothing behind. They’ll never count me among the broken men. But I can’t say I am normal either. I have been hungry too long. I have gotten angry too often. I have been lied to and insulted too many times.” Lionel Stoddard, aka…

Race and gangs have become a toxic combo in the feds — By Askia A. Afrika-Ber “Research on Rhode Island guards in 1972 found that their potential for violence was slightly higher than that of inmates. The officer group actually had the potential for even more unexplained lashing out than did the inmates. Rather than being peacekeepers, the guards were as likely as inmates to engage…

It’s a question I get all the time, and it’s hard to answer — By Stanley Scott Throughout my incarceration, I’ve heard this statement so many times: “Boy, I don’t know how you guys do all that time…I’d go crazy.” My reply is always something like, …”I don’t know. We just do it…” Because honestly, there is no real answer to that. But what I’ve come to…

This West Virginia prison generates some of the most outspoken protests — an act of bravery, since officers are known for retaliation — More Than Our Crimes has compiled stories from throughout the federal Bureau of Prisons to bring to life the neglect and abuse that are rife throughout the gulag of 122 institutions. One of the prisons that generates the most outspoken protest — an act of bravery when officers are known…

‘Instead of being willing to die for you, I should have lived for you’ By Antwon Holcomb, dedicated to my brother, D I can remember it all like it was yesterday. Looking down at my brother D lying in casket while I’m in tears, asking, So, this is it, huh? This is how it…

And that’s why overdose rates are soaring inside — By Pam Bailey “Drugs and prison go hand in hand,” one of the guys in prison told me recently. It’s easy for us on the outside to accept this statement as proof of the dysfunctional, lawless nature of the individuals confined inside. But the truth is much more complicated than that — and…

Families’ hard-earned dollars are treated like a ‘slush fund’ — By Rob Barton On several occasions, after a brutal encounter in which I was treated inhumanely, I’ve told the COs* they “should be thankful for us, since otherwise they wouldn’t have a job; no one else would hire you.” And if I was really upset, I went on to say…

Samuel has a burning desire to show himself and others he can change for the better — By Samuel Allen I’m here in cell 210 in FCI Cumberland (Maryland), not a good place to be. I am around a lot of different people from all over the world and all walks of life. I talk to guys who are never going to see the streets again. I…

Can we create a world in which the goal of punishment is not to cast out but to bring back? We Are All More Than Our Crimes We’re living our lives to the fullest, doing good things along the way, when bad choices and tragic circumstances make for a bad…