Tag Archives: Prison Reform

Jean Trounstine :
Mother’s Day in prison

Many wonderful articles appeared about mothers in prison as we celebrated this Mother’s Day. By Jean Trounstine | The Rag Blog | May 11, 2014 Nancy Mullane, on the blog she co-founded, The Life of the Law, interviewed Veronica Martinez … Continue reading

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Jean Trounstine :
‘Kids for Cash’: Taking abuse of power to a new level

Hard to imagine that a judge could devastate families and delay so many lives? Well guess what… By Jean Trounstine | The Rag Blog | January 28, 2014 There are movies. And then there are movies — and by that … Continue reading

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Jean Trounstine : Education in Prison Works

Image from audaciousideas.org. So are we listening? Study proves education in prison works The largest ever meta-analysis of prison education and its overwhelming positive effect on recidivism was released in August, so what are we going to do about it? … Continue reading

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BOOKS / Ron Jacobs : Incarceration Complex: ‘Beyond Walls and Cages’

Incarceration complex:The desire to imprison Walls and Cages provides example after example of how central the business of incarceration is to the U.S. power elites in the twenty-first century. By Ron Jacobs | The Rag Blog | August 7, 2013 … Continue reading

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Jean Trounstine : The Plight of California’s Prisons

Cruel and unusual: Overcrowded California prisons. Image from TheBusySignal.com. The plight of California’s prisons: Hunger strike, sterilization, and valley fever While we complain of 100 degree heat and take solace in our air-conditioned homes, prisoners across the country are suffering … Continue reading

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Jean Trounstine : Censoring What Prisoners Read

Werewolf erotica: Too sexy for prisoners? Image from The Atlantic Wire. ‘Werewolf erotica’ too ‘sexy’?Censoring what prisoners read The truth is that prisons want to control behavior. They want to ‘reform’ prisoners, which usually means they want to turn out … Continue reading

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Jean Trounstine : Italian Prison Inmates Perform Theatre Behind Bars

Italian prison inmate performing in Romeo and Juliet: Mercutio Does Not Want to Die. Photo by Clara Vannucci for The New York Times. Compagnia della Fortezza:Theatre in an Italian prison Punzo says that it is not therapy that drives him … Continue reading

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RAG RADIO / Thorne Dreyer : Yippie Pioneers Judy Gumbo Albert and Nancy Kurshan ‘Tell It Like It Was’

 Judy Gumbo Albert, left, and Nancy Kurshan, photographed in Hanoi, January 2013, were our guests on Rag Radio April 13, 2013. Rag Radio podcast:Sixties activists and original YippiesJudy Gumbo Albert and Nancy Kurshan Judy and Nancy discuss their recent trip … Continue reading

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Jean Trounstine : Compassion Cannot Be Piecemeal

Compassion cannot be piecemeal. Image from NPR. Reflections on the past week:Compassion cannot be piecemeal Justice does not mean mercy. That I know. But justice must be tempered by mercy. By Jean Trounstine | The Rag Blog | April 24, … Continue reading

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Jean Trounstine : Texas Calls it ‘Ad Seg’ but Prisoners Call It Torture

Image of life in solitary via Buried Alive in Texas Prisons. Solitary confinement:Texas calls it ‘Ad Seg’ butprisoners call it torture A recent conference on solitary confinement at Harvard University prompted prisoners at Between the Bars to tell their side … Continue reading

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INTERVIEW / Jonah Raskin : ‘Fearless’ Yippie Pioneer Nancy Kurshan Battles Prison Behemoth

Nancy Kurshan speaks to the press during the Chicago Conspiracy trial, 1969. To her left is Anita Hoffman and on her right, Susan Schultz. Back row: Ann Froines, Tasha Dellinger, and Sharon Avery. Photo courtesy Nancy Kurshan. An interview with … Continue reading

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Jean Trounstine : After 18 Years on Death Row

Damien Echols. Photo by Larry D. Moore / Wikimedia Commons. Damien Echols: After 18 years on Death Row Being on death row and in solitary confinement has got to be one of the most inhumane experiences we put prisoners through … Continue reading

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