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
I visited Lang'ata women's max security prison in Nairobi, Kenya to meet Ruth Kamande - convicted of murdering her boyfriend. She studied for a law degree in prison and helps other incarcerated women. I wrote about her for @theguardian.com Women in prison series www.theguardian.com/global-devel...
How Kenya’s jailhouse lawyer turned a life sentence into a legal career behind bars
After being incarcerated for murdering her partner, Ruth Kamande studied the legal system to understand her own case. Now she is fighting to reform Kenya’s laws
www.theguardian.com
December 2, 2025 at 11:39 AM
I visited Lang'ata women's max security prison in Nairobi, Kenya to meet Ruth Kamande - convicted of murdering her boyfriend. She studied for a law degree in prison and helps other incarcerated women. I wrote about her for @theguardian.com Women in prison series www.theguardian.com/global-devel...
Reposted by Empowerment Avenue
From Victims to Offenders: How the Justice System Fails Traumatized Children
open.substack.com/pub/bruceles...
It is long past time we stop treating these children as invisible and disposable.
open.substack.com/pub/bruceles...
It is long past time we stop treating these children as invisible and disposable.
From Victims to Offenders: How the Justice System Fails Traumatized Children
A new report exposes the devastating truth: America is prosecuting the most abused and neglected children in adult courts and locking them up instead of healing their trauma.
open.substack.com
December 3, 2025 at 7:35 PM
From Victims to Offenders: How the Justice System Fails Traumatized Children
open.substack.com/pub/bruceles...
It is long past time we stop treating these children as invisible and disposable.
open.substack.com/pub/bruceles...
It is long past time we stop treating these children as invisible and disposable.
“There is a very clear and distinct caste system in prison.” Aaron Edward Olson reports for @thenation.com and @typeinvestigations.org about how prisons in Washington State intentionally discriminate against incarcerated immigrants.
How Washington State Discriminates Against Incarcerated Immigrants - Type Investigations
www.typeinvestigations.org
November 25, 2025 at 9:38 PM
“There is a very clear and distinct caste system in prison.” Aaron Edward Olson reports for @thenation.com and @typeinvestigations.org about how prisons in Washington State intentionally discriminate against incarcerated immigrants.
Reposted by Empowerment Avenue
Thrilled to share that Chris Duncan, whose conviction was vacated in April, was just granted bail today, after spending over 25 years on Louisiana's death row.
It's so rare to get good news when you're covering capital punishment, but this is one very real light in the darkness
It's so rare to get good news when you're covering capital punishment, but this is one very real light in the darkness
In January 2024 I got a one-line email from a woman I didn't know: "Jimmie Duncan an innocent man on death row is looking to get into contact with you."
I've been working on the story ever since. Here it is, finally - a @motherjones.com / @bolts.bsky.social feature: boltsmag.org/the-human-co...
I've been working on the story ever since. Here it is, finally - a @motherjones.com / @bolts.bsky.social feature: boltsmag.org/the-human-co...
The Human Cost of Jeff Landry’s Drive to Resume Executions - Bolts
Chris Duncan’s death sentence—built on the testimony of two discredited doctors—illustrates just how faulty the system can be.
boltsmag.org
November 22, 2025 at 1:15 AM
Thrilled to share that Chris Duncan, whose conviction was vacated in April, was just granted bail today, after spending over 25 years on Louisiana's death row.
It's so rare to get good news when you're covering capital punishment, but this is one very real light in the darkness
It's so rare to get good news when you're covering capital punishment, but this is one very real light in the darkness
Reposted by Empowerment Avenue
You can read about it in the New York Times today, as leading scholars of law and technology from around the country sound the alarm about what happens if the courts permit prosecutors to ignore basic conventions of truth and support on which we all rely. www.nytimes.com/2025/11/25/u...
November 25, 2025 at 9:12 PM
You can read about it in the New York Times today, as leading scholars of law and technology from around the country sound the alarm about what happens if the courts permit prosecutors to ignore basic conventions of truth and support on which we all rely. www.nytimes.com/2025/11/25/u...
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THREAD. Over many years, we became the national experts in fighting unconstitutional pretrial detention--all the more urgent because authoritarians need detention without process. But something wild just happened in one of our habeas cases: a DA used made up cases and citations.
November 25, 2025 at 9:12 PM
THREAD. Over many years, we became the national experts in fighting unconstitutional pretrial detention--all the more urgent because authoritarians need detention without process. But something wild just happened in one of our habeas cases: a DA used made up cases and citations.
In a beautifully illustrated piece for the @nytimes.com, Robert Lee Williams writes about how he came to embrace trees as a symbol of freedom.
Opinion | Finding Beauty in a Prison Yard
These trees were the only living beings that I could touch without fear.
www.nytimes.com
November 25, 2025 at 9:14 PM
In a beautifully illustrated piece for the @nytimes.com, Robert Lee Williams writes about how he came to embrace trees as a symbol of freedom.
“Until reproductive justice and climate movements truly center incarcerated voices ... their work remains incomplete.”
EA writer @kwanetaharris.bsky.social joined @omisadeburneyscott.bsky.social for a @scalawagmagazine.bsky.social piece about menopause, incarceration, and the climate crisis.
EA writer @kwanetaharris.bsky.social joined @omisadeburneyscott.bsky.social for a @scalawagmagazine.bsky.social piece about menopause, incarceration, and the climate crisis.
Cool the Cell, Feed the Spirit: Abolition as Reproductive and Climate Justice – Scalawag
This convergence of carceral violence, climate violence, and authoritarian detention regimes deepens the harm against aging bodies.
scalawagmagazine.org
November 25, 2025 at 9:08 PM
“Until reproductive justice and climate movements truly center incarcerated voices ... their work remains incomplete.”
EA writer @kwanetaharris.bsky.social joined @omisadeburneyscott.bsky.social for a @scalawagmagazine.bsky.social piece about menopause, incarceration, and the climate crisis.
EA writer @kwanetaharris.bsky.social joined @omisadeburneyscott.bsky.social for a @scalawagmagazine.bsky.social piece about menopause, incarceration, and the climate crisis.
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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...
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“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: