I frequently write about incarceration, gender and resistance. On occasion, I have also written about race and gender in dystopic science fiction as well as issues of diversity (or lack thereof) in contemporary literature. Below are a selection of some of my writings.
2023
The New York Law Everyone is Watching, jointly published by The Nation and Solitary Watch, May 4.
A Texas Prison Guard Punishes a Woman for Talking About Abortion, The Nation, May 2.
She Spoke Out Against Mistreatment in a NY Jail. Then ICE Put Her Back Inside, Hell Gate, April 27.
Domestic Violence Survivors Seek a Pathway Out of Louisiana Prisons, Bolts Magazine, April 11.
These Men Fought White Supremacists and Got Sentenced to Over 200 Years, Truthout, March 12.
Sterilization Survivors Who Won Reparations Now Face Another Challenge—Getting It, The Nation, January 3.
2022
Democrats Got Tough on Crime. Now There’s a Crisis of Aging Behind Bars, jointly published by The Nation and Type Investigations, December 14.
Prison COVID Policies Fell Short. Incarcerated Activists Fight for Their Lives (co-authored with James Kilgore), Truthout, December 5.
A Judge Dismisses the Murder Charge Against a Domestic Violence Survivor, The Nation, December 2.
Incarcerated Women Wonder When Governor Hochul Will Actually Start Using Her ‘Overhauled’ Pardon System, Hell Gate, November 28.
The Manhattan DA Finally Keeps His Campaign Promise Not to Prosecute a Domestic Violence Victim, The Nation, November 21.
Oklahoma’s “Child Abuse” Law Doesn’t Protect Children–It Criminalizes Mothers, Truthout, November 19.
Forced Prison Labor Was Also on the Ballot, The Nation, November 10.
Blind Spots: Sexual Assault Allegation Exposes Self-Policing Prison System, jointly published by The Intercept and New York Focus, November 3.
Ordeal Is Not Over for Criminalized Survivor Wendy Howard After Trial Verdict, Truthout, October 27.
21,000 Supporters Urge Alvin Bragg to Free Tracy McCarter, The Nation, October 25.
Being Pregnant in Prison is a Nightmare That Won’t Be Ended by One Bill Alone, Truthout, October 22.
New York Prisons Are Blatantly Violating State Law Limiting Solitary Confinement, Truthout, September 21.
Prisoner Advocates Turn to the UN to End Extreme Prison Sentences, The Nation, September 15.
These Labor Unions Are Fighting to Keep Solitary Confinement, jointly published by The Nation and Solitary Watch, August 16.
17 States and DC Have Stopped Reporting Active Covid Cases Behind Bars, Truthout, August 5.
Hundreds of Thousands of Incarcerated People Are in Danger Amid Scorching Heat, Truthout, July 27.
Governor Hochul’s ‘Rolling’ Clemency Process Has Set Just One Person Free, HellGate, July 25.
“The Worst Abuser You Could Ever Have,” The Nation, July 18.
Health Care in Jails and Prisons is Terrible. The Pandemic Made It Even Worse, Vox, June 28.
Formerly Incarcerated Women Win Reforms Ending Shackled Births, Truthout, June 26.
“Mental Health Units” in Prison Are Solitary by Another Name, Activists Say, Truthout, June 20.
Less Incarceration, More Safety, The Progressive, June 14.
Rethinking Incarceration, Radcliffe Magazine, June 9.
Melissa Lucio’s Execution Was Put on Hold, But Threat of Death Penalty Remains, Truthout, April 26.
Prison Officials Block Most Requests from Terminally Ill New Yorkers for Release, NY Focus, April 14.
In an Ominous Pattern, People Are Dying Once Transferred to Louisiana Prison, Truthout, April 10.
As States Shed Masking Requirements, Uncertainty Lingers for Those Behind Bars, The Nation, April 1.
An Overhaul of Prison Health Care is Long Overdue, The Nation, March 17. (Co-published with
NY Focus.)
The Prison as Petri Dish, Radcliffe Magazine, March 11.
Texas Plans to Execute an Abuse Survivor Based on a Coerced Confession, Truthout, March 11.
Senate Holds First-Ever Hearing on Rape in Prisons and Jails, New York Focus, March 9.
After 51 Years in Prison, Louisiana’s Longest-Serving Incarcerated Woman is Free, The Appeal, January 28.
“You Come Out with Nothing”: What It Means to Bring Back the Box at Rikers Island, The Nation, January 11.
Black Sexual Violence Survivors Are Telling Their Stories–Only to Be Punished, Truthout, January 8.
2021
For Incarcerated Americans, the Pandemic Chaos of April 2020 Has Never Ended, The Guardian, December 12.
“People Are at a Breaking Point” After Transfer from Rikers, The Nation, December 10.
Attorneys Raise Body Camera Questions in Manhattan “Self-Defense” Murder Case, Gothamist, November 20.
“The Worst Prison in New York State,” co-published by The Nation and New York State Focus, November 10.
Closing Rikers Is Long Overdue, The Nation (print), November 2.
Rikers Detainees Are Being Transferred from One “Hellhole” to Another, The Nation, October 19.
Why Activists Are Calling on Hochul to “Free Them All,” The Nation, October 15.
Maddesyn George Killed Her Alleged Rapist. Prosecutors Blocked Her Self-Defense Claims, The Intercept, October 8.
Unlock Them Up! The Progressive, October 8.
The Court Knew She Didn’t Commit the Murder. They Sentenced Her Anyway, Truthout, August 30.
Fixing Their Mistakes, The Progressive, June 2021.
Fighting to Stay Well Behind the Walls, Positively Aware, May 15.
Activists Counter Anti-Asian Racism Through Community Safety Initiatives, Truthout, March 24.
Why Crime Victims Joined the Fight for Parole Justice in New York, The Appeal, March 22.
With Albany Close to Solitary Confinement Reforms, Long-Term “Psychological Torture” Continues, Gothamist, March 18.
Unprepared for COVID, Texas Women’s Prison Was Equally Unprepared for Uri, Truthout, February 20.
“Prisons Make Us Safer” Looks at Resistance Behind Bars (book excerpt), Teen Vogue, February 9.
The Execution of Lisa Montgomery and ‘the Craven Blood Lust of a Failed Administration,’ The Nation, January 13.
How the System Kept Failing the Only Woman on Federal Death Row, The Nation, January 6.
2020
The Graying of Mass Incarceration, The Progressive, December 2020/January 2021.
Under the CARES Act, These Moms Should Be Home. They Remain in COVID-Filled Prisons, Truthout, December 3.
After Six Months on Rikers, A Nurse Stands Accused of Murder in a Case She Says Was Self-Defense, Gothamist, September 9.
Advocates Hope Momentum Around Racial Justice Will Accelerate New York’s Plans to Limit Solitary Confinement, The Appeal, July 20.
The Pandemic Hits New York’s “Prison Nursing Home,” Gothamist, July 17.
Nationwide Calls for Police Reform Put New Pressure on Atlanta to Close City Jail, The Appeal, June 26.
Immigrants Who Defend Themselves From Sexual Violence Face Prison, Deportation, Truthout, June 10.
New York State Won’t Grant Temporary Release to Black Panther Hospitalized with COVID-19, The Appeal, June 8.
Parole Reform Might Have Freed Maryland’s Longest-Serving Woman Prisoner. Instead, She Was Hospitalized with COVID-19, The Appeal, May 21.
Louisiana’s Longest-Serving Woman Returned to Prison After Being Hospitalized with COVID-19, The Appeal, May 14.
Connecting with Incarcerated Parents Is Easier with PhotoPatch, An App Developed By a Teen, Teen Vogue, May 13.
Pregnant Woman in PA Jail Denied Release, The Appeal, May 11.
Coalition’s Efforts Amid Coronavirus Derail Plans for New Women’s Prison, The Appeal, May 4.
As Coronavirus Spreads Through Prisons, States Are Failing Incarcerated People, Truthout, April 18.
Louisiana Prisons Held in Notorious Isolation Unit Are Facing a ‘Slow-Moving Disaster,’ The Appeal, April 17.
Palm Beach County Sheriff Opposes Prisoner Release Amid Coronavirus Outbreak, The Appeal, April 8.
As COVID-19 Spreads Behind Bars, Will Officials Release Pregnant People? Truthout, April 6.
If Social Distancing Is Impossible in Prisons, People Should Be Freed, Truthout, March 19.
These Formerly Incarcerated Women Fought to Close a Jail and Won, Zora Magazine, March 4.
A New York Law Could Reduce Sentences for Domestic Violence Survivors. Why Are Judges Reluctant to Apply It? The Appeal, February 24.
Louisiana Continues to Imprison People Past Their Release Dates, The Appeal, February 18.
Will Albany Give Older NY Prisoners A Chance At Freedom? Gothamist, January 15.
In Indiana Prisons, Solitary Confinement by Another Name Still Feels Like Torture, Solitary Watch/Truthout, January 14.
Most States Saw Prison Reforms in 2019, But Incarceration Rates Remain High, Truthout, January 11.
2019
New Yorkers Freed From Prison Urge Cuomo to Set More Free–Before It’s Too Late, Gothamist, December 20.
Making a Killing, Ms. Magazine, Fall 2019 (print).
An Indiana Woman’s Long Fight for Justice, The Appeal, September 6.
Death of NY’s Longest-Serving Female Prisoner Intensifies Calls for ‘Elder Parole’, Gothamist, August 22.
When Abuse Victims Commit Crimes, The Atlantic, May 21.
Sexually Assaulted in a NYC Jail? Don’t Hold Your Breath for a Timely Investigation, Gothamist, April 24.
‘You Go Through It Alone’: New Bill Would Keep Incarcerated Pregnant Women from Being Put in Medical Isolation, Rewire News, March 22.
First of Its Kind Study Fills in Decades-Long Blank About Pregnancy in Prison, Rewire News, March 21.
New Book Explores the Overlooked History of Feminist Anti-Prison Activism, Rewire News, March 20.
Bill to Bring Libraries to NYC Jails Faces Opposition from Correction Department, Gothamist, February 27.
End Forced Labor in Immigrant Detention, The New York Times (op-ed), January 29.
2018
Thousands Held in NY’s Prisons Will Spend the Holidays in Solitary Confinement, Gothamist, December 24.
Paper Mail Still Matters to People Behind Bars, Bloomberg Businessweek, October 8.
‘Will I Get Out Today?’ The Appeal, September 26.
Brooklyn Residents Fight Plan to Build Tall New Jail in Boerum Hill, Gothamist, September 21.
Captive Audience: How Companies Make Millions Charging Prisoners to Send an Email, Wired, August 3.
‘As Long as Solitary Exists, They Will Find a Way to Use It,’ The Nation, July 13.
Corporations Are Profiting from Immigrant Detainees’ Labor. Some Say It’s Slavery, In These Times, May 29.
Convicted as a Teenager, Abuse Survivor Cyntoia Brown May Have the Chance to Leave Prison, Rewire News, May 23.
Bill Challenging ‘Safekeeping’ of Tennessee Teens in Adult Prisons Could Soon Become Law, The Appeal (formerly In Justice Today), May 18.
Mothers Are Incarcerated at Record Rates, Yet Prison-Nursery Beds Go Empty, Jezebel, May 13. (An investigation made possible with a grant from The Investigative Fund at the Nation Institute.)
Beyond Exonerating the Innocent: Using Storytelling to Humanize Youth Sentenced to Die in Prison, Truthout, April 28.
Did Gov. Cuomo Grant New York Parolees the Right to Vote? Not Exactly, The Appeal (formerly In Justice Today), April 23.
Can Police Opposition Overturn Parole Reform? The Appeal (formerly In Justice Today), March 27.
#MeTooBehind Bars: When the Sexual Assaulter Holds the Keys to Your Cell, Truthout, March 18.
North Carolina Has a Policy Against Shackling Prisoners Giving Birth–So Why Is It Still Happening? Rewire News, March 14.
I’m Reading 50 Books by Women of Color This year–Here Are Some of My Favorites So Far, Rewire News, March 2.
#MeToo in NYC’s Jail System: Why New Department of Correction Policies on Sexual Abuse Fall Short, The Appeal (formerly In Justice Today), February 13.
Efforts to Decrease Prison Populations Are Leaving Women Behind, Truthout, February 7.
“There’s Still a Serious Crisis in Black America”: Patrisse Khan-Cullors on Breaking the Silence, Rewire News, February 5.
Hungry, Shackled and Grieving: What Prison is Like for Pregnant People, Rewire News, January 24.
2017
Prison Video Visits Are No Substitute for Face-to-Face, Especially at These Prices, Bloomberg Business Week, October 2.
HIV Criminalization Update: Some U.S. Nondisclosure Laws Advance, While Others Recede, The Body, September 22.
Being Behind Bars Makes It Difficult–Sometimes Impossible–for New Moms to Breastfeed, Rewire News, September 18.
Trapped in a Transphobic Hell: Ky Peterson and the Trials of Transpeople in Prison, Truthout, September 15.
Photos: What People Locked Up for 23 Hours a Day Yearn to See, Gothamist, September 15.
New Legislation Would Soften Foster Care Rules That Tear Families Apart, Truthout, August 22.
‘You’re Cooking in There’: Every Summer Those Behind Bars Face Triple-Digit Temperatures, Rewire News, August 22.
Focusing on ‘Treatment as Prevention’ for HIV Criminal Law Reform Fails Marginalized Populations, The Body, August 3.
‘The Population Is Not Getting Smaller’: Women Behind Bars Aren’t Seeing the Effects of Oklahoma Prison Reform, Rewire News, July 26.
Trans People in Prison Fight Barriers to Changing Their Names and Gender Markers, Truthout, July 11.
Lawmakers Fail to Fix New York’s Broken, Stingy Parole System, Village Voice, July 5.
$15 for 15 Minutes: How Courts Are Letting Prison Phone Companies Gouge Incarcerated People, The Intercept, June 16.
What’s New in HIV Criminalization: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, The Body, June 15.
‘Orange is the New Black’ Overlooks the Rich, Real-Life History in Prison, Rewire News, June 14.
This Former Inmate is Fighting for Every Prisoner’s Right to a College Degree, Narratively, June 6.
New York’s Parole System is ‘Broken,’ But Cuomo Can Help Fix It, Village Voice, June 5.
Awareness of the Criminalization of Survivors is Increasing–Has It Entered the Courtrooms? Truthout, June 4.
‘Out of Flames and Fear’: How People with HIV Forced California to Reform HIV Care in Prisons, The Body, May 24.
Bresha Meadows Will Spend One More Birthday, Thanksgiving and Christmas Away From Her Family, Rewire News, May 22.
Women Imprisoned Under the Drug War Speak Out Against Sessions’ New Policy, Truthout, May 16.
“When a Parent is Taken Away, It’s Like Death”: Two States Consider Bills to Keep Parents Out of Jail, Truthout, April. 10.
Former Rikers Officer on the Culture of Violence: ‘It’s the Entire Judicial System,’ Village Voice, April 5.
‘Those Visits Were Everything’: How Prison Visitation Cuts Devastate Families, Broadly, March 22.
The Abuse Excuse: Dismissing Domestic Violence & Its Effects in the Criminal Court System, Rewire News, March 8.
After Seven Long Years, Freedom: An Interview with Marissa Alexander, Truthout, March 13.
Double Punishment: After Prison, Moms Face Legal Battle to Reunite with Kids, Truthout, February 26.
This Building Was Once a Notorious Women’s Prison. Now It’s Becoming a Center for Feminist Organizing, The Nation, February 22.
For Families Denied Clemency Under Obama, What Now? Truthout, February 19.
Taxi & Uber Drivers Protest the Uber-Trump Axis: “Your Loyalty Should Not Belong to an App,” Village Voice, February 3.
Why It Matters That an Imprisoned Domestic Violence Survivor Was Granted Clemency, The Nation, January 23.
A Mother, Serving 15 Years for Marijuana, Makes a Last-Minute Plea for Freedom, Broadly, January 17.
Can Understanding Neurobiology Provide a Better Approach to Working with Abuse Survivors? ReWire News, January 5.
2016
For Thousands in NYS Prisons, Christmas is Just Another Day in Solitary Confinement, Village Voice, December 24, 2016.
“If This is a Problem, Don’t Come to Jail”: Pennsylvania Jail Sued Over Treatment of Pregnant Women, Rewire News, December 20, 2016.
A Desperate Hope for Clemency: Mothers in Federal Prison Pin Hopes on Obama, Truthout, December 16, 2016.
How Organizers Can, and Do, Make Conferences Accessible to Parents and Caregivers, Rewire News, December 5, 2016.
Behind Bars Since July, 15-Year-Old Bresha Meadows No Longer Faces a Life Sentence, Rewire News, December 2, 2016.
Hundreds of Students Report Bullying, Threats and Attacks in Weeks After Election, Truthout, December 1, 2016.
A Women’s Prison in Chelsea Will Be Transformed, Village Voice, November 21, 2016.
Advocates Say New Rule Doesn’t Do Enough to Prevent Rape at Rikers, Village Voice, November 15, 2016.
Documentary About NYC’s Island-Jail Complex ‘Represents What Rikers Truly Is,’ Rewire News, November 14, 2016.
Disenfranchised by Misinformation: Many Americans Are Allowed to Vote But Don’t Know It, Truthout, November 2, 2016.
New York Officials and Advocates Address City’s Ongoing Domestic Violence Homicide Crisis, Rewire News, October 28, 2016.
Solitary’s Over, But ‘Enhanced Supervision’ for Young Adults on Rikers Is Just Beginning, Village Voice, October 12, 2016.
“The System Abuses Us by Locking Us Up Forever”: Aging Survivors Behind Bars, Truthout, October 4, 2016.
These Women Are Demanding a Voice in the Criminal Justice Conversation, The Nation, September 26, 2016.
Paid Pennies for Their Work, Those Behind Bars Go on Strike, ReWire News, September 13, 2016.
‘Whatever Your Worst Fear Was, That Was Attica,’: Former Prisoners Ask Cuomo to Shut Down NY’s Infamous Prison, Village Voice, September 9, 2016.
As Obama’s Presidency Enters Final Months, Thousands Behind Bars Hope for Clemency, Truthout, September 2, 2016.
What Bresha Meadows, Arrested for Shooting Her Father After Reported Abuse, Faces Next, ReWire News, August 25, 2016.
Private Prisons Are Far From Ended: 62 Percent of Immigrant Detainees Are in Privatized Jails, Truthout, August 19, 2016.
Suicide of 70-Year-Old John Mackenzie After 10th Parole Denial Illustrates Broken System, Village Voice, August 9, 2016.
Beyond Incarceration: What Could Accountability Look Like in Police Killings? Bitchmedia, July 19, 2016.
People with HIV Share Strategies for Outspoken and Unrelenting Advocacy, The Body, July 13, 2016.
In Quest to End HIV Criminalization, Advocates Choose Their Words Carefully, The Body, July 13, 2016.
Four Deadline Extensions Later, Teenagers Still Locked Up in Solitary at Rikers Island, Village Voice, July 13, 2016.
HIV Advocates Turn to Parole Reform, Seeking Release of Aging Prisoners, The Body, July 12, 2016.
‘Death Came Every Week’: How Prisoners Overcame Early HIV/AIDS Stigma Through Community Education, The Body, July 12, 2016.
What ‘Orange is the New Black’ Missed About the Obstacles Faced After Prison, ReWire News, July 11, 2016.
From HIV Criminalization to Restorative Justice: Christian Hui on Tackling Criminalization, The Body, July 6, 2016.
Who’s Hurt by the Supreme Court Deadlocking on Immigration? Millions of Families. Bitchmedia, June 24, 2016.
“People Are Being Tortured in These Units”: The Fight Against Solitary Confinement, Truthout, June 21, 2016.
Prison Overcrowding in ‘Orange is the New Black’ Reflect a Real-Life Crisis, Rewire News, June 21, 2016.
Aging, Sick and Incarcerated: The Need for Compassionate Release, Truthout, June 18, 2016.
Pregnant Women are Being Shackled in Massachusetts, Even Though It’s Been Illegal for Years, ReWire News, June 15, 2016.
Activists Win Overhaul of Colorado’s HIV Criminalization Laws, The Body, May 24, 2016.
Erika Rocha’s Suicide Brings Attention to the Dire Need for Mental Health Care in Prison, Rewire News, May 20, 2016.
Discrimination in Parole Hearings Keeps Trans People Behind Bars, Advocates Say, Truthout, April 5, 2016.
Connecticut Jury Finds Cherelle Baldwin Not Guilty in Death of Abusive Ex-Boyfriend, Rewire, April 1, 2016.
A New Book Shows We’re Asking the Wrong Questions About Justice, Bitchmedia, March 28, 2016.
It’s 2016 & the NYPD Will Still Arrest You for Filming Them, Gothamist, March 17, 2016.
Facing Decades in Prison for Fleeing Abuse, Cherelle Baldwin’s Story Is Far From Unique, Rewire News, March 14, 2016.
Formerly Incarcerated Moms Fight for Reforms to Save Families, YES! Magazine, March 11, 2016.
For Domestic Violence Survivors, Family Court Becomes Site of Continued Abuse, Truthout, March 6, 2016.
NYC May Pass “Freelance Isn’t Free” Act to Help Screwed-Over Freelancers, Gothamist, March 1, 2016.
How Criminal Justice Reform Fails Incarcerated Women, Al Jazeera America, February 13, 2016.
When Sexual Assault is Threatened, How Do Courts View Self-Defense? Al Jazeera America, February 1, 2016.
Supreme Court Decision Gives Juvenile Lifers and Their Families New Hope, Truthout, January 29, 2016.
Daniel Holtzclaw is Going to Prison–But That Won’t End Sexual Violence, Bitchmedia, January 22, 2016.
With Sons in Solitary, Mothers Fight for Their Freedom–and Their Lives, Solitary Watch, January 6, 2016.
2015
Punished for Survival: Domestic Violence, Criminalization and the Case of Naomi Freeman, Truthout, December 30, 2015.
Two Generations Watch Star Wars and See Princess Leia–and Rey–Two Different Ways, Bitchmedia, December 24, 2015.
Survivors of Domestic Violence Deserve Clemency, Not Prison Cells, The Nation, December 21, 2015.
I Read 50 Books by Women of Color This Year! Bitchmedia, December 15, 2015.
After Giving Birth, These Women Were Placed in Handcuffs, Leg Irons and Waist Chains, The Nation, December 2, 2015.
Wave of Hunger Strikes at Immigrant Prisons Gains Momentum, Waging NonViolence, November 6, 2015.
After Spending Years in Prison, 2000 Federal Drug War Prisoners Face Deportation, Truthout, November 3, 2015.
Almost Every Other Day, a Police Officer Loses Their Badge for Engaging in Sexual Misconduct, Bitchmedia, November 3, 2015.
What Happens When Old Prisons Are Given Back to Their Communities? The Nation, October 29, 2015.
When HIV Meds Are Locked Up: The Challenge of Adherence in Jails and Prisons, The Body, October 27, 2015.
Survived and Punished: How Criminalization and Incarceration Punish Abuse Survivors, Bitchmedia, October 23, 2015.
Prisoners’ Families Organize to Resist Incarceration and Its Costs, Truthout, October 18, 2015.
Thousands of Drug War Prisoners Are Going Home Early Thanks to Years of Organizing, Waging NonViolence, October 12, 2015.
Pregnant Behind Bars, In These Times, October 2015.
Why Are So Many Women Behind Bars in Oklahoma, The Nation, September 29, 2015.
Feminists Should Recognize that HIV Criminalization Harms Women, The Body, September 22, 2015.
As Activists, We Build the World We Want–Which Is Still Very Far Off, Bitchmedia, September 18, 2015.
What Does a Book Have to Do with a Movement? Waging NonViolence, September 15, 2015.
Mothers Serving Long-Term Drug Sentences Call for Clemency, Truthout, September 11, 2015.
Two Years After Hunger Strike, California Settlement May Release 2,000 Prisoners from Solitary, Truthout, September 2, 2015.
Hepatitis C is Common in Prisons, But Treatment is Rare, The Body, August 24, 2015.
Alabama Case Illustrates Difficulties Women Behind Bars Face When Seeking Abortion, RH Reality Check, August 5, 2015.
The Deaths of Sandra Bland and Kindra Chapman Reflect How the Justice System Sees Black Women, Bitchmedia, July 23, 2015.
What ‘Orange is the New Black’ Tells Us About Sexual Abuse in Women’s Prisons and How to Stop It, Waging NonViolence, July 21, 2015.
After Obama Clemencies, Activists Question Scope of Bipartisan Prison “Reform,” Truthout, July 15, 2015.
Taking Down the Flag Doesn’t Signal the End to White Supremacy, Bitchmedia, July 10, 2015.
Two Years After Pelican Bay Hunger Strike, What’s Changed for People Inside the Prison? Truthout, July 8, 2015.
Dilemma Faced in ‘Orange is the New Black’ All Too Real for Mothers Behind Bars, RH Reality Check, June 12, 2015.
How Real is Orange is the New Black’s Take on Prison Pregnancy? In These Times, June 12, 2015.
For Advocates, Push to End Solitary Confinement Only Begins with Youth Isolation, Truthout, June 6, 2015.
Despite Advances, the Trans Struggle for Justice is Just Beginning, Waging NonViolence, May 20, 2015.
Nan-hui Jo’s Case Shows How the System Fails Immigrant Abuse Survivors, RH Reality Check, May 4, 2015.
Your Pregnancy May Subject You to Even More Law Enforcement Violence, Truthout, April 23, 2015.
In America, There are 5.8 Million People Who Are Not Allowed to Vote, Bitchmedia, April 22, 2015.
Names Do Hurt: The Case Against Using Derogatory Language to Describe People in Prison, RH Reality Check, April 20, 2015.
Sentenced to 41 Years in Prison for a Miscarriage, Bitchmedia, April 16, 2015.
The Struggle to Abolish Bail Gaining Momentum in Massachusetts, Waging NonViolence, April 8, 2015.
Phyllis “Grandma” Hardy is Home, But Over 98,000 People Remain Prisoners of the Drug War, Truthout, April 7, 2015.
Reproductive Health Care in Women’s Prisons “Painful” and “Traumatic,” Truthout, March 27, 2015.
“Fresh Off the Boat” Takes On Sexual Harassment and Consent, Bitchmedia, February 26, 2015.
Why Aren’t We More Outraged When Police Kill Black Women? Ravishly, February 19, 2015.
7 Ways to Revolutionize Childcare and Build All-Ages Movements, Waging NonViolence, February 19, 2015.
Women in New York State Prisons Face Solitary Confinement & Shackling While Pregnant or Sick, Solitary Watch, February 16, 2015
Giving Birth While Shackled May Be Illegal, But Mothers Still Have to Endure It, The Guardian, February 13, 2015.
Black Girls Matter: A New Report Shows How Racism Plays a Role in School Suspensions, Bitchmedia, February 11, 2015.
Seven Ways to Support People in Prison, Waging NonViolence, Feburary 5, 2015.
Will Filming the Police Keep Us Safe? Bitchmedia, February 5, 2015.
Why is Marissa Alexander Still Being Punished for Fighting Back? The Nation, January 28, 2015.
Changing the Culture of Domestic Violence One Quilt Square at a Time, Waging NonViolence, January 26, 2015.
Women in Solitary Confinement, Truthout, January 18, 2015.
Why Don’t Sentences for Accused Sex Offenders Teach Them to Treat Women Like People? The Guardian, January 16, 2015.
Solitary Not Yet Over at Rikers, but Advocates Keep Fighting, Waging NonViolence, January 15, 2015.
Goodbye Solitary Confinement, Hello “Enhanced Supervision,” Gothamist, January 14, 2015.
Domestic Violence Victims in New York Prisons May Get Some Relief, Al-Jazeera America, January 1, 2015.
2014
It’s Time to Bring Domestic Violence Survivors Like Barbara Sheehan Home from Prison, The Nation, December 24, 2014.
Despite Enduring a Lifetime of Violence, Kelly Savage Emerges as an In-Prison Activist, Waging NonViolence, December 19, 2014.
What Does the U.S.-Cuba Thaw Mean for Assata Shakur? Bitchmedia, December 19, 2014.
I Read 50 Books by People of Color This Year, Bitchmedia, December 3, 2014.
Why is California Keeping Kelly Savage in Prison for a Crime She Didn’t Commit? Truthout, November 29, 2014.
A Thanksgiving Call for Help from a Mother in Prison, Waging NonViolence, November 26, 2014.
“A Girl Hung Herself Yesterday”: Deaths in Custody at California Institution for Women, Solitary Watch, November 5, 2014.
Public Prisons, Private Profits, Truthout, November 1, 2014.
A Mother Who Just Wanted to Know When Her Son Would Eat, Waging NonViolence, October 29, 2014.
What Do Private Prisons Have to Do with the Upcoming Election? Truthout, October 28, 2014.
Will Revenge Porn Laws Actually Stop Revenge Porn? Bitchmedia, October 17, 2014.
You’re Old & Out of Prison: What Happens Now? Gothamist, September 18, 2014.
How Many Women are in Prison for Defending Themselves Against Domestic Violence? Bitchmedia, September 16, 2014.
No Separate Justice Campaign Denounces 9/11 Abuses, Waging NonViolence, September 11, 2014.
Privacy Should Be a Right, Regardless of Who You Are, Bitchmedia, September 4, 2014.
Remembering Black Women Killed by Police, Bitchmedia, August 20, 2014.
Will Obama’s Commutation Finally Allow Grandma Hardy and Thousands of Other Drug War Prisoners to Finally Go Home? Truthout, August 20, 2014.
“We Thought We’d Be Safe”: Islan Nettles, the New Jersey Four, and the Illusion of Security for LGBTQ People of Color, Salon, August 18, 2014.
Bing Time: What It’s Like to Be 16 & in Solitary, Gothamist, August 5, 2014.
Most Americans Think We Should Help Children Crossing Our Border, Bitchmedia, August 5, 2014.
What Orange is the New Black Got Wrong About Compassionate Release, Waging NonViolence, August 1, 2014.
How Pubic Pressure Got Two Mothers Out of Jail, Waging NonViolence, July 22, 2014.
What Makes a Good Mother, According to the Government? Bitchmedia, July 17, 2014.
Time to Speak Up–Women’s Prison Resistance in Alabama, Waging NonViolence, July 15, 2014.
Teens in Isolation: State Advisers to the U.S. Civil Rights Commission Hold Briefing on Juvenile Solitary Confinement in New York, Solitary Watch, July 14, 2014.
Free Her: Formerly Incarcerated Women Demand an End to Mass Incarceration, Truthout, June 26, 2014.
Criminalizing Motherhood, Tennessee Students and Educators for Social Justice, June 25, 2014.
Do Black Lesbians Have the Right to Self-Defense? Truthout, June 11, 2014.
California Turns to Private Prison to Address Overcrowding and Medical Care, Truthout, June 10, 2014.
Can Orange is the New Black Change the Way Congress Thinks About Prisons? Bitchmedia, June 5, 2014.
What’s Gender Got to Do with Policing and Prison? Waging NonViolence, June 5, 2014.
NYC Hands Out 35 Million Condoms a Year, Then Arrests (Certain) People for Having Them, Bitchmedia, May 22, 2014.
Sci-Fi YA Series Tankborn Imagines Caste, Class and Skin Color in Dystopia, Bitchmedia, May 27, 2014.
“Trapped in the Dark”: Marissa Alexander and How Our Twisted Legal System Re-Victimizes Domestic Violence Survivors, Salon, May 16, 2014.
On the Way to Solitary, Women in Massachusetts Jail Get Strip Searched and Videotaped, Solitary Watch, May 15, 2014.
The Rhetoric of Immigration Reform: From “Si Se Puede” to “Bring Them Home,” Bitchmedia, May 1, 2014.
Nancy Drew’s Daughters: 5 More Detective Novels Starring Girls, Airship Daily, April 28, 2014.
New ACLU Report Examines Devastating Impact of Solitary Confinement on Women, Solitary Watch, April 24, 2014.
The Untold, Real-Life Story of the Prison in ‘Orange is the New Black,’ Waging NonViolence, April 23, 2014.
Linking Capitalism and Immigration: A Q&A with Migrant Justice Activist Harsha Walia, Bitchmedia, April 22, 2014.
What Does Rick Perry’s Refusal to Adopt the Prison Rape Elimination Act Mean for Texans Behind Bars?, Truthout, April 10, 2014.
Border Crossings Refocus Immigration Debate on Families, Waging NonViolence, March 28, 2014.
We Need to Face America’s Dark History of Sterilizing People Behind Bars, Bitchmedia, March 27, 2014.
Massachusetts Senate Votes for Childbirth Without Chains, Truthout, March 21, 2014.
How Can We Combine Direct Support Work with Political Analysis? (a review of Harsha Walia’s Undoing Border Imperialism), Monthly Review, March 2014.
Trying to “Rescue” Sex Workers by Arresting Them Is a Bad Idea, Bitchmedia, March 13, 2014.
Waiting for Season 2 of Orange Is the New Black? 5 Books to Read in the Meantime, Airship Daily, March 11, 2014.
Will Massachusetts Build a New Jail or Explore Alternatives to Bail?, Truthout, March 4, 2014.
Why Do People in Prison Go On Hunger Strike?, Bitchmedia, February 24, 2014.
My Challenge for 2014: Read 50 Books by Writers of Color, Bitchmedia, February 14, 2014.
Three Ways People Are Challenging the System Right Now, Bitchmedia, January 29, 2014.
Women in Solitary Confinement: Buried Inside the Federal Prison System, Solitary Watch, January 24, 2014.
“If the Risk Is Low, Let Them Go”: Efforts to Resolve the Growing Numbers of Aging Behind Bars, Truthout, January 19, 2014.
Here’s Why You Should Know About the Case of CeCe McDonald, Bitchmedia, January 10, 2014.
Revisiting Reentry: New Books Explore the Challenges of Coming Home from Prison, NewClearVision, January 7, 2014.
How Dede Adnahom Didn’t Get Deported, Truthout, January 5, 2014.
2013
My Mom Is Badder Than Yours: Women Prisoners Demand Better Conditions for Motherhood Behind Bars, Wagadu, vol 11, 2013. (For a pdf version, see http://appweb.cortland.edu/ojs/index.php/Wagadu/article/view/393/980)
Women in Solitary Confinement: Sent to Solitary for Reporting Sexual Assault, Solitary Watch, December 12, 2013.
Women in Solitary Confinement: “The Isolation Degenerates Us Into Madness”, Solitary Watch, December 11, 2013.
73-Year-Old Grandma Says She Was Put in Solitary Confinement for Wanting Decent Medical Care, Bitchmedia, December 6, 2013.
How Will Obamacare Impact Women of Color & People in Prison?, Bitchmedia, November 1, 2013.
Freeing Marissa Alexander, Truthout, October 16, 2013.
We Need to Stop Shackling Pregnant Women in Prison—Now, Bitchmedia, October 4, 2013.
What Awaits Chelsea Manning as She Begins Her Sentence as the Military’s First Openly Trans Woman?, Truthout, August 30, 2013.
Gang Instigation Alleged in CA Prison Hunger Strike; Force-Feeding Possible, Truthout, August 21, 2013.
With One Prisoner Dead, Will California Listen to the Hunger Strikers? , The Nation, August 2, 2013.
California Hunger Strikers Enter Third Week, Face Retaliation , Truthout, July 27, 2013.
Everyone Should Be Horrified That California Prisons Sterilized Dozens of Female Inmates, Bitchmedia, July 22, 2013.
Tens of Thousands of California Prisoners Launch Mass Hunger Strike, The Nation, July 10, 2013.
Pelican Bay: Two Years Later, Those Still Buried Alive Vowing Hunger Strike Till the End, Truthout, July 7, 2013.
The ‘Pathway to Citizenship’ Bill May Become the ‘Pathway to Deportation'”, Bitchmedia, July 3, 2013.
Girls of Color in Dystopia blog series, Bitchmedia, March to June 2013.
SNAP Judgment: Why No Food Stamps for Felons Is a Bad Idea, Bitchmedia, June 21, 2013.
New Law Gives Parents Behind Bars in Washington State a Way to Hold Onto Their Children, Truthout, May 11, 2013.
Closing Cages: People Power Helps Stop Youth Incarceration, Truthout, March 11, 2013.
States Cut Prison Budgets, but Not Prison Populations, Truthout, February 14, 2013.
2012
In US Since Age 10, but No Dream Act for Young Activist Who Helps Others, Truthout, December 26, 2012.
No Justice When Women Fight Back, Truthout, August 31, 2012.
Birthing Behind Bars: Fighting for Reproductive Justice for Women in Prison, Alternet, May 10, 2012.
Absent Compassionate Release, Austerity Helps Some Terminally Ill Prisoners Obtain Freedom, Truthout, March 12, 2012.
Occupy Prisons, New.Clear.Vision, February 14, 2012.
Breast Cancer Behind Bars: How a Prison Sentence Can Become a Death Sentence, Truthout, January 25, 2012.
2011
Anti-Transgender Violence: How Hate-Crime Laws Have Failed, Truthout, September 18, 2011.
Martori Farms: Abusive Conditions at a Key Wal-Mart Supplier, Truthout, June 24, 2011
Where Abolition Meets Action: Women Organizing Against Gender Violence. Originally appeared in Contemporary Justice Review. Reprinted on-line by New.Clear.Vision, March 2011.