
Incarceration (2011–2021)
These essays chronicle a decade behind federal prison walls—from the first terrifying days of self-surrender to the final countdown toward release. They reveal the brutal social hierarchies, unexpected friendships, and daily survival strategies that define life inside. Through accounts of racial tensions, corrupt guards, and moments of surprising humanity, these stories expose the complex reality of America's prison system.
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All Posts
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Limbo: Freedom Posponed Due to COVID
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Mr. Winky: Porn Addiction and the Fear of Re-offense
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Send-Off: Farewell Rituals and Impending Release
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First Death: COVID Outbreak at Big Spring Federal Prison Reveals Pattern of Medical Neglect
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Compassionate Release: COVID and the Pursuit of Freedom
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Game Night: Pizza and Pandemic Pastimes
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Pandemic: Life Inside Prison During COVID
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Cell to Society: Two Brothers Face the Complex Reality of Post-Incarceration Life
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COVID: Pandemic Protocols in a Federal Prison
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Strip Searched: On Prison Sexual Abuse and Retaliation
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The Hole: A Month in Solitary Confinement
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Estate Sale: Saying Goodbye
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The Visitor: Reconnecting Behind Bars
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The Strike: Seven Days of Hunger and Protest
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The Short-Timer: On Medical Negligence, Sexual Assault, and Cover Ups
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The Weight Pile: Prison Life Through the Lens of Weight Training and Personal Transformation
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Tripping: On Addiction and Substance Abuse in Prison
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Eclipse: A Solar Event Witnessed from Behind Fences
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Love, Paul: A Brother's Letter from Behind Bars
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Fog: Meditations on Family and Isolation
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The Officers' Mess: Feeding the Captors
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The Hygienist: An Inmate's Illicit Affair with Prison Staff
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Mascots: On Roadrunners, Skunks, and Captivity
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The Pageant: When Inmates Perform Christmas
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Remediation: An Inside Look at Suicide Prevention in Prison
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Comrades: Finding Brotherhood in an Unlikely Exercise Class
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Seasonal Doldrums: An Inmate's Perspective on Seasonal Changes
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Artifacts: Unearthing Memories in a Prison Food Service Class
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Commutations: When Some Go Free
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The Meeting: On Inmate Law and Order
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Pressure Cooker: Heat and Housing Changes Ignite Prison Tensions
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Prison Reform: Hope vs Skepticism
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Routines: Finding Humanity Through Daily Rituals
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Brothers in Crime: Two Siblings, Two Sentences
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On the Lookout: Observations from a Prison Suicide Watch Unit
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Candy Man: On Inmate Ingenuity and Ostracism
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A Place At the Table: A Prison Cooking Class Reveals Social Hierarchy
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Always Prepared: On Survival and Safekeeping
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Patricide: How Two Incarcerated Brothers Break Their Father
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Going Straight: The Employment Crisis for Ex-Offenders
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Sunrise: A Night on Prison Suicide Watch
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Turbine Cowboy: On Prison Vocational Programs
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The Ball Drops: New Year's Eve in a Federal Prison
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Christmas Bags: Measuring Time in Christmas Care Packages
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Newcomer: Navigating The Social Hierarchy As A New Inmate
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Econo Lodge: Arriving at Big Spring FCI
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The Chain Gang: A Night Journey from Mississippi to West Texas in Chains
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Transfer: On Prison Relocations and Goodbyes
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Mail Call: Letters from Prison and the Pain of Separation
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One Team, One Mission: Corporate Culture in America's Prison System
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Static: Prison Tensions Rise as Rival Groups Face Off in Near-Riot
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Weakness vs Meekness: Prison Extortion and the Cost of Survival
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Faith vs Flu: A Prison Prayer Circle Confronts Illness
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The Exchange: On Contraband and Kindness
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Disconnected: An Inmate Father's Attempts to Reach His Children
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Elijah: A Gay, Black, Jewish Inmate's Search for Belonging
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Grits: Breakfast Debates and Social Dynamics
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Prayer Circle: Seeking Safety and Acceptance in a Prison Faith Group
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Miss Dominique: An Open Letter in a Prison Bathroom
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Smashed: An Assault on a Sex Offender
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The Forbidden Garden: Hope Growing Behind Prison Razor Wire
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Macaroni Salad: A Mess Hall Conversation on Death and Salvation
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Blue Shoes: On Adaptation and Prison Economies
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Teaching Behind Bars: Hope and Disappointment in Prison Education
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Cotton Swabs: Prison Life and the Psychology of Control
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Anecdote: Becoming Someone's Prison Story
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Piss Test: How to Cheat a Drug Urinary Analysis
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MLK: Notes On Food, Race, and Education
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The Law of Seriality: Coincidences and Patterns in the Chow Hall
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Watching: Inside the Inmate Suicide Watch Program
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Christmas Letter: Finding Joy Amid Confinement
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Christmas Cards: A Bittersweet Holiday Ritual
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Locks: Violence and Racial Tensions at Thanksgiving
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El Burro: Laughter in Unexpected Places
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Another November: Reflections on Time and Aging
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The Bottom Rung: Reflections on Fear and the Struggle to Maintain Connection
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Essays: Inmate Student Stories on Loss
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Visitation: Conversations and Vending Machine Meals with My Father
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No Sleep: A Night of Dreams, Memories, and Indignities
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Bitch: Sexual Politics and Survival Behind Bars
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Game Nights: Football, Food, and Racial Territories
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Pulled and Bagged: How Incarceration Kills Relationships
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Lockdown: On Cellmates, Riots, and Unexpected Peace
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Love Letter: Passion and Confinement
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South: A Grammar Lesson Leads to Intimacy
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Magic Shave: Inside the Prison Commissary
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Circling: A Walk Around the Prison Track
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Essays: Inmate Student Stories on the First Day of Release
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Fugitive: From Teenage Thrills to Adulthood Incarceration
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Shakedown Shorty: Inside a Prison Cell Search
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Harper's Index: One Year in Prison by the Numbers
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Love the Sinner: Confronting Homophobia in Prison Ministry
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Math Problems: Frustrations in Prison Education
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Bug: Adjusting to an Institutionalized Cellmate
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Dirty Business: How to Make Tattoo Ink From Hemorrhoid Cream
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Silent Killer: The Hidden Dangers of Pornography Addiction
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Bring the Hot Sauce: How Condiments Create Community
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Men Left to Themselves: Sexual Fluidity in an All-Male Prison Environment
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Waiting: A Punishment and Meditation
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Desire: The Desperation for Intimacy Behind Bars
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Pillow Talk: Late Night Confessions Between Cellmates
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Bubba: Sexual Tensions Between Cellmates
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Chicken and Waffles: On Race and Introversion
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Essays: Inmate Student Stories on Decisions
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A Merry Little Christmas: On Search Warrants, Shakedowns, and Goodie Bags
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Dreaming: Psychological Escapes and Waking Disappointments
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Opposites: On Mismatched Cellmates
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Toilet Paper Wars: Power Struggles and Rebellion
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Rain: On Freedom and Normalcy
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Gratitude: Thanksgiving Behind Bars
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Essays: Inmate Student Stories on Hands
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Fractions and Friction: Tensions in a Prison Classroom
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Bo: Another Confrontation Between Cellmates
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The Typewriter's Secret: A Love Letter Discovered
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Essays: Inmate Student Stories on Childhood Homes
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Down on All Fours: How to Clean a Prison Cell
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Duke: A White Supremacist Goes Gay
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Seeds Behind Bars: Fighting Cynicism in Prison Education
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Getting to Know You: Confession and Proposition
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Praying Mantis: Unlikely Pets Behind Bars
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Voodoo: The Aryan Cellmate
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Human Zoo: The Dehumanizing Experience of Prison Tours
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The Suicide: An Inmate's Choice in His Final Year of Incarceration
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The Weasel and the Rooster: Navigating Predatory Advances Behind Bars
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Brawl: Hollywood vs Reality
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The Act: Hiding Sexual Identity in Prison
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Hooch in the Ceiling: On Prison Ingenuity
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Cold Ramen: A Confrontation Between Cellmates
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The Divide: Race Relations and the Prison Racial Hierarchy
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Clerk: Inside Prison Education
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Escape: Finding Sanctuary in Books
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Law Library: How Prison Inmates Investigate Each Other's Crimes
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Macaroons: My First Birthday in Federal Prison
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Stamps: Prison's Underground Economy
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Rash: On Prison Psychological and Medical Care
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Fifteen Minutes: The First Call Home
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The Conversion: How I Became a 'Straight Christian' in Federal Prison
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The Solicitor: A White Supremacist's Advances
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Self-Surrender: My First Day in Federal Prison