The Invisible Labor of Prison Partners
What Reentry Conversations Should Start Years Before Release
When your partner is in prison, it’s easy to tell yourselves, “We’ll figure it out when they get out.” In reality, reentry is too important to leave until the last minute. Planning years in advance can make the difference between a…
What Reentry Conversations Should Start Years Before Release
When your partner is in prison, it’s easy to tell yourselves, “We’ll figure it out when they get out.” In reality, reentry is too important to leave until the last minute. Planning years in advance can make the difference between a…
How to Measure Progress When Nothing Feels Like It’s Moving
Incarceration distorts time. Days repeat. Systems stall. Decisions delay. From the outside, it can feel like effort disappears into a void. Progress still happens. You just need different tools to see it. This post focuses on how to…
Locked Up Love: Why Prison Relationships Struggle and How Some Survive
Maintaining a romantic relationship through the walls of a prison is an immense challenge. When one partner is incarcerated and the other is on the outside, the relationship must withstand years of separation, stress, and…
February Closes, But the Weight Lingers
February carries a strange kind of weight for those loving someone inside. It’s short on days but long on feelings. Love is everywhere, but rarely in the form we’re allowed to hold. We mark time through stolen phone calls, delayed letters, and vending…
NEW: A reform that helped hundreds of New Yorkers get out of life-threatening conditions in jail serves as a valuable model for safe and effective alternatives to incarceration, according to our new analysis. 📊
Documentary on Alabama prisons in the running for an Oscar
(via @alapublicradio.bsky.social)
https://pulse.ly/7coh4nsz3e
Chart showing that the term "Halfway House" can refer to facilities that differ in function, purpose, and level of carcerality. This includes sober living homes, restitution centers, residential correctional facilities, and more.
Thousands stay in halfway houses daily, yet there are TONS we don’t know about these facilities.
Why? Lack of transparency, privatization, poor data collection…the list goes on.
Halfway houses are an extension of the carceral experience and should be under the same scrutiny.
“You have the right to an attorney.”
It’s a familiar line from countless TV procedurals, but the reality is far more complicated for people who cannot afford their own attorney.
February Closes, But the Weight Lingers
February carries a strange kind of weight for those loving someone inside. It’s short on days but long on feelings. Love is everywhere, but rarely in the form we’re allowed to hold. We mark time through stolen phone calls, delayed letters, and vending…
Locked Up Love: Why Prison Relationships Struggle and How Some Survive
Maintaining a romantic relationship through the walls of a prison is an immense challenge. When one partner is incarcerated and the other is on the outside, the relationship must withstand years of separation, stress, and…
How to Measure Progress When Nothing Feels Like It’s Moving
Incarceration distorts time. Days repeat. Systems stall. Decisions delay. From the outside, it can feel like effort disappears into a void. Progress still happens. You just need different tools to see it. This post focuses on how to…
You’re Allowed to Change While They’re Inside
Prison freezes one person’s life in place. The outside world keeps moving. That gap creates pressure. Many partners feel guilty when life starts to shift in good ways. New job. New haircut. New confidence. New boundaries. You deserve growth anyway. You…
You’re Allowed to Change While They’re Inside
Prison freezes one person’s life in place. The outside world keeps moving. That gap creates pressure. Many partners feel guilty when life starts to shift in good ways. New job. New haircut. New confidence. New boundaries. You deserve growth anyway. You…
Low-Cost, High-Meaning Valentine’s Traditions That Actually Work Inside
Valentine’s Day hits different when your person is locked up. You do not need balloons, fancy dinners, or big gifts. You need a way to say, “You still matter to me,” in a system that limits touch, time, and privacy. Research…
Low-Cost, High-Meaning Valentine’s Traditions That Actually Work Inside
Valentine’s Day hits different when your person is locked up. You do not need balloons, fancy dinners, or big gifts. You need a way to say, “You still matter to me,” in a system that limits touch, time, and privacy. Research…
Love Under Surveillance: What Romance Looks Like When Everything Is Monitored
Romantic relationships rely on privacy. Prison removes that privacy on purpose. Calls are recorded. Messages are read. Visits happen under watch. None of this means love weakens. It means love changes shape under…
Love Under Surveillance: What Romance Looks Like When Everything Is Monitored
Romantic relationships rely on privacy. Prison removes that privacy on purpose. Calls are recorded. Messages are read. Visits happen under watch. None of this means love weakens. It means love changes shape under…
How to Start a Parole Packet…Even If You’re Not Ready
Most people wait to start a parole packet until a date appears. That delay costs time, clarity, and leverage. You do not need a hearing date to begin. You need records, structure, and steady progress. A parole packet is not a single document.…
Advocacy 101: A Comprehensive Guide for Families of Incarcerated People
Families with incarcerated loved ones face a daunting system, often feeling overwhelmed by challenges such as medical neglect or disciplinary issues. This comprehensive guide, based on Chapters and Chains’ “Advocacy 101”…
Advocacy 101: A Comprehensive Guide for Families of Incarcerated People
Families with incarcerated loved ones face a daunting system, often feeling overwhelmed by challenges such as medical neglect or disciplinary issues. This comprehensive guide, based on Chapters and Chains’ “Advocacy 101”…
How to Start a Parole Packet…Even If You’re Not Ready
Most people wait to start a parole packet until a date appears. That delay costs time, clarity, and leverage. You do not need a hearing date to begin. You need records, structure, and steady progress. A parole packet is not a single document.…
When Lockdowns Happen, You’re Locked Out Too
Prison lockdowns can happen for almost any reason. Someone fights. A storm hits. Guards call in sick and they are short staffed. The unit goes quiet. Phones shut off. Visits cancel. No calls. No messages. No updates. You don’t get a notice. You just…
When Lockdowns Happen, You’re Locked Out Too
Prison lockdowns can happen for almost any reason. Someone fights. A storm hits. Guards call in sick and they are short staffed. The unit goes quiet. Phones shut off. Visits cancel. No calls. No messages. No updates. You don’t get a notice. You just…
Who Gets Paroled (and Who Gets Set Off Again and Again)
Parole boards decide who gets out of prison early, but not everyone has the same chance at freedom. Data from across the United States reveal large disparities in parole approval based on race, gender, and location. For example, non-white…