Empowerment Avenue
@empowermentave.bsky.social
A collective committed to supporting incarcerated writers, elevating their published work, and advocating for fair payment.
Reposted by Empowerment Avenue
Pregnant women who are jailed, often for petty crimes, are miscarrying or giving birth in excruciating pain and into cell toilets or on filthy jail floors, according to an investigation from @bloomberglaw.com and NBC News.
'Why won't you help me?' Pregnant women and their babies endure inhumane conditions in jails
Dozens of pregnant women locked up in county jails described excruciating pain, saying their cries for help were ignored as they miscarried or gave birth into cell toilets or on filthy jail floors.
nbcnews.to
November 20, 2025 at 1:40 PM
Pregnant women who are jailed, often for petty crimes, are miscarrying or giving birth in excruciating pain and into cell toilets or on filthy jail floors, according to an investigation from @bloomberglaw.com and NBC News.
One of our writers, @joinjeremy.org, spoke to @inquest.bsky.social, about the obstacles he and other incarcerated journalists encounter when trying to share what is really happening inside our prisons, jails, and detention centers—the most secluded public institutions in the United States.
When Reporting Is a Crime - Corinne Shanahan & Andrew Crespo - Inquest
States have restricted, surveilled, and punished prison journalism for decades, with dire consequences—for incarcerated people and for democracy.
inquest.org
November 24, 2025 at 10:58 PM
One of our writers, @joinjeremy.org, spoke to @inquest.bsky.social, about the obstacles he and other incarcerated journalists encounter when trying to share what is really happening inside our prisons, jails, and detention centers—the most secluded public institutions in the United States.
Reposted by Empowerment Avenue
November is Native American Heritage Month.
Sadly, Native people are consistently overrepresented in the US criminal legal system, accounting for only 1% of the total population but 3% of the incarcerated population.
Sadly, Native people are consistently overrepresented in the US criminal legal system, accounting for only 1% of the total population but 3% of the incarcerated population.
November 22, 2025 at 8:15 PM
November is Native American Heritage Month.
Sadly, Native people are consistently overrepresented in the US criminal legal system, accounting for only 1% of the total population but 3% of the incarcerated population.
Sadly, Native people are consistently overrepresented in the US criminal legal system, accounting for only 1% of the total population but 3% of the incarcerated population.
Reposted by Empowerment Avenue
As the U.S. continues to criminalize substance use disorder, jails & prisons are often thought of as de facto treatment facilities – but the reality couldn't be further from the truth
Communities must prioritize public health, not punishment
Communities must prioritize public health, not punishment
November 23, 2025 at 8:15 PM
As the U.S. continues to criminalize substance use disorder, jails & prisons are often thought of as de facto treatment facilities – but the reality couldn't be further from the truth
Communities must prioritize public health, not punishment
Communities must prioritize public health, not punishment
Reposted by Empowerment Avenue
Kenneth “Swift Justice” Traywick began his protest days after allegedly being pepper-sprayed by an officer in retaliation for his advocacy.
Prison reform advocate goes on hunger strike in response to alleged assault by ADOC staff
Kenneth “Swift Justice” Traywick began his protest days after allegedly being pepper-sprayed by an officer in retaliation for his advocacy.
www.alreporter.com
November 24, 2025 at 2:48 PM
Kenneth “Swift Justice” Traywick began his protest days after allegedly being pepper-sprayed by an officer in retaliation for his advocacy.
Reposted by Empowerment Avenue
Gov. Jeff Landry eliminated parole for prisoners arrested after Aug. 1, 2024, and tightened eligibility rules for those already in prison. Then he set all of that aside for one group: undocumented immigrants. Why? To have them deported.
By @richardawebster.bsky.social & Bobbi-Jeanne Misick
By @richardawebster.bsky.social & Bobbi-Jeanne Misick
Louisiana Made It Nearly Impossible to Get Parole. Now It’s Releasing Prisoners to Deport Them.
Gov. Jeff Landry eliminated parole for prisoners arrested after Aug. 1, 2024, and tightened eligibility rules for those already in prison. Then he set all of that aside for one group: undocumented imm...
www.propublica.org
November 24, 2025 at 12:57 PM
Gov. Jeff Landry eliminated parole for prisoners arrested after Aug. 1, 2024, and tightened eligibility rules for those already in prison. Then he set all of that aside for one group: undocumented immigrants. Why? To have them deported.
By @richardawebster.bsky.social & Bobbi-Jeanne Misick
By @richardawebster.bsky.social & Bobbi-Jeanne Misick
Reposted by Empowerment Avenue
I always recommend anything by @laurengill.bsky.social, who really cares about the people she writes about.
boltsmag.org/death-row-cl...
boltsmag.org/death-row-cl...
Death Row Prisoners Granted Clemency by Biden Brace for "Living Hell" Under Trump - Bolts
Trump officials are retaliating by imposing the harshest conditions in the entire federal prison system, including near total isolation.
boltsmag.org
November 24, 2025 at 8:34 PM
I always recommend anything by @laurengill.bsky.social, who really cares about the people she writes about.
boltsmag.org/death-row-cl...
boltsmag.org/death-row-cl...
Reposted by Empowerment Avenue
“Thousands of incarcerated people in #Connecticut want to enroll in higher education ... but limited space & resources ... have prevented the programs from expanding.”
Read more: https://apnews.com/article/colleges-and-universities-prisons-connecticut-general-news-7025a7bac41590a2e6c0adebcd43298a
Read more: https://apnews.com/article/colleges-and-universities-prisons-connecticut-general-news-7025a7bac41590a2e6c0adebcd43298a
Connecticut prisons offer college courses, but a lack of space, resources is limiting enrollment
Thousands of incarcerated people in Connecticut want to enroll in higher education — and financial aid is available — but limited space and resources in the state’s prison system have prevented the programs from expanding to meet the demand.
apnews.com
November 24, 2025 at 4:05 PM
“Thousands of incarcerated people in #Connecticut want to enroll in higher education ... but limited space & resources ... have prevented the programs from expanding.”
Read more: https://apnews.com/article/colleges-and-universities-prisons-connecticut-general-news-7025a7bac41590a2e6c0adebcd43298a
Read more: https://apnews.com/article/colleges-and-universities-prisons-connecticut-general-news-7025a7bac41590a2e6c0adebcd43298a
For Columns, a quarterly publication produced by the Dallas Chapter of the American Institute of Architects, Xandan Gulley writes with Ben Reavis about unbearable heat inside Texas prisons.
www.aiadallas.org/columns/pris...
www.aiadallas.org/columns/pris...
Prison Heat - Columns - AIA Dallas
Prison Heat by Xandan Gulley I sit in a 6’ x 9’ concrete and steel cell, 24 hours a day, in solitary confinement. The heat drains me physically, leaving me exhausted, dehydrated, and petrified. The ve...
www.aiadallas.org
September 12, 2025 at 8:35 PM
For Columns, a quarterly publication produced by the Dallas Chapter of the American Institute of Architects, Xandan Gulley writes with Ben Reavis about unbearable heat inside Texas prisons.
www.aiadallas.org/columns/pris...
www.aiadallas.org/columns/pris...
For The Media Co-op, Demetrius Buckley writes about experiencing wildfires from Canada at his Michigan prison.
"June 3, 2025. I can’t breathe. I wake up in an eight-man cube at JCS Correctional Facility in Jackson, Michigan. I pull the air inside my lungs and heave."
mediacoop.ca/node/119308
"June 3, 2025. I can’t breathe. I wake up in an eight-man cube at JCS Correctional Facility in Jackson, Michigan. I pull the air inside my lungs and heave."
mediacoop.ca/node/119308
Experiencing Canadian Wildfire Smoke in a Michigan Prison
June 3, 2025. I can’t breathe. I wake up in an eight-man cube at JCS Correctional Facility in Jackson, Michigan. I pull the air inside my lungs and heave. “You OK?” An inmate says in the cube, holding...
mediacoop.ca
September 12, 2025 at 5:15 PM
For The Media Co-op, Demetrius Buckley writes about experiencing wildfires from Canada at his Michigan prison.
"June 3, 2025. I can’t breathe. I wake up in an eight-man cube at JCS Correctional Facility in Jackson, Michigan. I pull the air inside my lungs and heave."
mediacoop.ca/node/119308
"June 3, 2025. I can’t breathe. I wake up in an eight-man cube at JCS Correctional Facility in Jackson, Michigan. I pull the air inside my lungs and heave."
mediacoop.ca/node/119308
For The Journal of Blacks in Higher Education, Darrell Jackson writes from Washington State prison:
"While incarcerated, I became a “better late than never” enthusiast for higher education," his essay states.
jbhe.com/2025/09/thin...
"While incarcerated, I became a “better late than never” enthusiast for higher education," his essay states.
jbhe.com/2025/09/thin...
Thinking Beyond the Bars | The Journal of Blacks in Higher Education
How higher education helped a prison inmate develop confidence and rediscover his humanity.
jbhe.com
September 11, 2025 at 5:09 PM
For The Journal of Blacks in Higher Education, Darrell Jackson writes from Washington State prison:
"While incarcerated, I became a “better late than never” enthusiast for higher education," his essay states.
jbhe.com/2025/09/thin...
"While incarcerated, I became a “better late than never” enthusiast for higher education," his essay states.
jbhe.com/2025/09/thin...
For @solitarywatch.bsky.social, EIC Juan Haines reviews and reflects on "No Human Contact: Solitary Confinement, Maximum Security, and Two Inmates Who Changed the System,” by Pete Earley.
solitarywatch.org/2025/09/02/w...
solitarywatch.org/2025/09/02/w...
When Isolation Became the Supreme Punishment - Solitary Watch
SW editor-in-chief Juan Haines reviews Pete Earley's book about the unbearable conditions of isolation at the infamous federal ADX supermax.
solitarywatch.org
September 9, 2025 at 3:26 PM
For @solitarywatch.bsky.social, EIC Juan Haines reviews and reflects on "No Human Contact: Solitary Confinement, Maximum Security, and Two Inmates Who Changed the System,” by Pete Earley.
solitarywatch.org/2025/09/02/w...
solitarywatch.org/2025/09/02/w...
The latest in our partnership with Black Lipstick, where we highlight essays from women and queer incarcerated writers, is STATE PROPERTY by Kim Hricko:
"In 2025, a piece of cardboard is contraband."
blacklipstick.substack.com/p/state-prop...
"In 2025, a piece of cardboard is contraband."
blacklipstick.substack.com/p/state-prop...
State Property
Kimberly Hricko entered prison in 1999, when inmates still wore street clothes and ordered from JCPenney. In 2025, a piece of cardboard is contraband.
blacklipstick.substack.com
September 8, 2025 at 1:34 PM
The latest in our partnership with Black Lipstick, where we highlight essays from women and queer incarcerated writers, is STATE PROPERTY by Kim Hricko:
"In 2025, a piece of cardboard is contraband."
blacklipstick.substack.com/p/state-prop...
"In 2025, a piece of cardboard is contraband."
blacklipstick.substack.com/p/state-prop...
For Open Secrets Magazine, @chriswblackwell.bsky.social starts his essay with: "How did I end up a prison journalist? That is a question I’ve asked myself many times."
substack.com/home/post/p-...
substack.com/home/post/p-...
From Dropout to Journalist…In Prison
How I found my voice as a storyteller while incarcerated and now help others become prison journalists
substack.com
September 4, 2025 at 8:00 PM
For Open Secrets Magazine, @chriswblackwell.bsky.social starts his essay with: "How did I end up a prison journalist? That is a question I’ve asked myself many times."
substack.com/home/post/p-...
substack.com/home/post/p-...
Only about 25 percent of housing units in Florida's prisons are equipped with AC. Incarcerated writer Anthony Cobb and Alex DeLuca of @miaminewtimes.com write what this summer was like in Florida prisons:
www.miaminewtimes.com/news/life-in...
www.miaminewtimes.com/news/life-in...
Inside an Everglades Prison Without Air Conditioning
Only about 25 percent of housing units in Florida's prisons are equipped with AC.
www.miaminewtimes.com
September 4, 2025 at 4:19 PM
Only about 25 percent of housing units in Florida's prisons are equipped with AC. Incarcerated writer Anthony Cobb and Alex DeLuca of @miaminewtimes.com write what this summer was like in Florida prisons:
www.miaminewtimes.com/news/life-in...
www.miaminewtimes.com/news/life-in...
For the @thephilacitizen.bsky.social, @chriswblackwell.bsky.social and Deborah Zalesne share how their love of the Eagles bonded them across difference and prison walls:
thephiladelphiacitizen.org/eagles-fando...
thephiladelphiacitizen.org/eagles-fando...
Eagles Fandom Builds Unlikely Friendships
Being an Eagles fan is about more than just rooting for a team. It's a bond that can build friendships between outwardly unalike people
thephiladelphiacitizen.org
September 4, 2025 at 1:55 PM
For the @thephilacitizen.bsky.social, @chriswblackwell.bsky.social and Deborah Zalesne share how their love of the Eagles bonded them across difference and prison walls:
thephiladelphiacitizen.org/eagles-fando...
thephiladelphiacitizen.org/eagles-fando...
Latest from Tony Vick, incarcerated in Tennessee:
"Illiteracy has a profound impact on almost anyone. But in prison it has direct and immediate consequences for family connection."
The Barriers to Learning to Read in Prison
Illiteracy has a profound impact on almost anyone. But in prison it has direct and immediate consequences for family connection.
filtermag.org
September 3, 2025 at 5:35 PM
Latest from Tony Vick, incarcerated in Tennessee:
In conjunction with @chriswblackwell.bsky.social + Deborah Zalesne's upcoming book release of ENDING ISOLATION, Zeke Magazine has a dedicated print issue about solitary confinement.
View it here: www.yumpu.com/en/document/...
View it here: www.yumpu.com/en/document/...
ZEKE Magazine: Special Summer 2025 Issue
The Solitary Confinement Issue.
Window into Solitary
Stories of solitary confinement by 17 formerly
incarcerated
www.yumpu.com
September 3, 2025 at 3:43 PM
In conjunction with @chriswblackwell.bsky.social + Deborah Zalesne's upcoming book release of ENDING ISOLATION, Zeke Magazine has a dedicated print issue about solitary confinement.
View it here: www.yumpu.com/en/document/...
View it here: www.yumpu.com/en/document/...
Big congrats to Robert Lee Williams, who has a moving story about the power of trees in prison for the @nytimes.com.
"Beyond the chain-link fence that separates the yard from the rest of the prison, I saw not one but three towering, majestic black walnut trees..."
www.nytimes.com/interactive/...
"Beyond the chain-link fence that separates the yard from the rest of the prison, I saw not one but three towering, majestic black walnut trees..."
www.nytimes.com/interactive/...
Opinion | Finding Beauty in a Prison Yard
These trees were the only living beings that I could touch without fear.
www.nytimes.com
September 3, 2025 at 3:20 PM
Big congrats to Robert Lee Williams, who has a moving story about the power of trees in prison for the @nytimes.com.
"Beyond the chain-link fence that separates the yard from the rest of the prison, I saw not one but three towering, majestic black walnut trees..."
www.nytimes.com/interactive/...
"Beyond the chain-link fence that separates the yard from the rest of the prison, I saw not one but three towering, majestic black walnut trees..."
www.nytimes.com/interactive/...
"California’s REPAIR Act shows there’s a better way to manage restitution, for both incarcerated people and survivors."
Steve Brooks for @fastcompany.com:
www.fastcompany.com/91388476/fix...
Steve Brooks for @fastcompany.com:
www.fastcompany.com/91388476/fix...
Fixing restitution laws: Has paying one's debt to society gone too far?
California's REPAIR Act shows there's a better way to manage restitution, for both incarcerated people and survivors.
www.fastcompany.com
September 2, 2025 at 1:26 PM
"California’s REPAIR Act shows there’s a better way to manage restitution, for both incarcerated people and survivors."
Steve Brooks for @fastcompany.com:
www.fastcompany.com/91388476/fix...
Steve Brooks for @fastcompany.com:
www.fastcompany.com/91388476/fix...
In another contribution to @scalawagmagazine.bsky.social Abolition Week, Lanae Tipton writes about the grim reality of receiving mental healthcare in Texas prisons:
scalawagmagazine.org/2025/08/the-...
scalawagmagazine.org/2025/08/the-...
The reality of mental health care in prison – Scalawag
Mental health needs are prevalent in prisons. One incarcerated writer shares their experience with the mental health care system in a Texas prison.
scalawagmagazine.org
August 28, 2025 at 6:42 PM
In another contribution to @scalawagmagazine.bsky.social Abolition Week, Lanae Tipton writes about the grim reality of receiving mental healthcare in Texas prisons:
scalawagmagazine.org/2025/08/the-...
scalawagmagazine.org/2025/08/the-...
Continuing our contributions for @scalawagmagazine.bsky.social's Abolition Week, Xandan Gulley writes about Texas fight night:
scalawagmagazine.org/2025/08/the-...
scalawagmagazine.org/2025/08/the-...
The Gauntlet: Fight Night in a Texas Prison – Scalawag
In Texas women’s prisons, there is a "Fight Night" custom, where the officers choose inmates to fight each other in what they call "the gauntlet."
scalawagmagazine.org
August 28, 2025 at 5:50 PM
Continuing our contributions for @scalawagmagazine.bsky.social's Abolition Week, Xandan Gulley writes about Texas fight night:
scalawagmagazine.org/2025/08/the-...
scalawagmagazine.org/2025/08/the-...
"Two years into the California Model — which was implemented to decrease violence and stress inside facilities — violence is up and stress is through the roof."
D. Razor Babb for @knockdotla.bsky.social:
knock-la.com/is-the-new-c...
D. Razor Babb for @knockdotla.bsky.social:
knock-la.com/is-the-new-c...
Is the New California Prison Model Just California Dreamin’? - Knock LA
Two years into the California Model, which was implemented to decrease violence and stress inside facilities, violence is up and stress is through the roof.
knock-la.com
August 27, 2025 at 7:37 PM
"Two years into the California Model — which was implemented to decrease violence and stress inside facilities — violence is up and stress is through the roof."
D. Razor Babb for @knockdotla.bsky.social:
knock-la.com/is-the-new-c...
D. Razor Babb for @knockdotla.bsky.social:
knock-la.com/is-the-new-c...
“Our Commemoration of Black August Transforms These Spaces of Intended Destruction into Laboratories of Liberation” by @kwanetaharris.bsky.social for @solitarywatch.bsky.social.
Read her essay here:
solitarywatch.org/2025/08/22/r...
Read her essay here:
solitarywatch.org/2025/08/22/r...
Remembering Black August from Prison: The Struggle Continues - Solitary Watch
This Black August, Kwaneta Harris reminds us of solitary's oppressive origins and calls us to resist and persist towards liberation.
solitarywatch.org
August 27, 2025 at 3:08 PM
“Our Commemoration of Black August Transforms These Spaces of Intended Destruction into Laboratories of Liberation” by @kwanetaharris.bsky.social for @solitarywatch.bsky.social.
Read her essay here:
solitarywatch.org/2025/08/22/r...
Read her essay here:
solitarywatch.org/2025/08/22/r...
For International Examiner's On the Fence Line column, Felix Sitthivong writes about the positive and healing impact of gardening while incarcerated:
iexaminer.org/on-the-fence...
iexaminer.org/on-the-fence...
On the Fence Line: Gardening in prison brings peace, and a reminder to toil for a better world - International Examiner
It’s a beautiful summer morning in the Pacific Northwest. The sun is cutting through the light morning fog, signaling another perfect day to come. As the sun continues to rise, bringing with it sounds...
iexaminer.org
August 27, 2025 at 2:57 PM
For International Examiner's On the Fence Line column, Felix Sitthivong writes about the positive and healing impact of gardening while incarcerated:
iexaminer.org/on-the-fence...
iexaminer.org/on-the-fence...