Inquest
@inquest.bsky.social
National Magazine Award 2025 finalist focused on ending mass incarceration. Sign up for our newsletter: https://inquest.org/subscribe-follow/
"Family and loved ones often have to fill the gap and help significantly with reentry plans. But if an incarcerated person doesn’t have outside support, they are basically stranded." Xandan Gulley on being paroled after a long sentence and nowhere to go:
Why Are Freed People Still in My Prison? - Xandan Gulley - Inquest
In Texas, when someone makes parole, they will only be released once they have an approved home. Many of us have nowhere to go, and no one to help us find somewhere.
inquest.org
December 3, 2025 at 1:00 PM
"Family and loved ones often have to fill the gap and help significantly with reentry plans. But if an incarcerated person doesn’t have outside support, they are basically stranded." Xandan Gulley on being paroled after a long sentence and nowhere to go:
"Those of us freed by the parole board often have nowhere to go, and continue to sit in prison until we are essentially kicked out to fend for ourselves." Incarcerated author Xandan Gulley on why paroled doesn't necessarily equal freed.
Why Are Freed People Still in My Prison? - Xandan Gulley - Inquest
In Texas, when someone makes parole, they will only be released once they have an approved home. Many of us have nowhere to go, and no one to help us find somewhere.
inquest.org
December 2, 2025 at 6:19 PM
"Those of us freed by the parole board often have nowhere to go, and continue to sit in prison until we are essentially kicked out to fend for ourselves." Incarcerated author Xandan Gulley on why paroled doesn't necessarily equal freed.
For #GivingTuesday we are sharing a thread of some 2025 features from incarcerated authors. About a third of our contributors are incarcerated or formerly incarcerated, and we believe in the necessity of centering them in the work of ending mass incarceration. [1/9]
December 2, 2025 at 2:07 PM
For #GivingTuesday we are sharing a thread of some 2025 features from incarcerated authors. About a third of our contributors are incarcerated or formerly incarcerated, and we believe in the necessity of centering them in the work of ending mass incarceration. [1/9]
Today, on #MovementMediaMonday we join partners across the country in amplifying media that moves us toward justice. Truth-telling is an act of resistance. For the people who write from inside prisons, it’s also an act of courage.
December 1, 2025 at 1:00 PM
Today, on #MovementMediaMonday we join partners across the country in amplifying media that moves us toward justice. Truth-telling is an act of resistance. For the people who write from inside prisons, it’s also an act of courage.
"'I knew what my reality was. This is what I was going to be doing for the rest of my life: visiting a prison.'"
Yearning to Go Home - Kunlyna Tauch & Abigail Higgins - Inquest
Life-without-parole sentences hit families especially hard. Yet they fight on, committed to their loved ones’ freedom.
inquest.org
November 29, 2025 at 1:00 PM
"'I knew what my reality was. This is what I was going to be doing for the rest of my life: visiting a prison.'"
"To abolish the family is not to outright get rid of the family and leave people as isolated individuals. Instead, family abolition seeks to preserve and expand the best part of caring families while rejecting the family as the only site of care and love."
Abolishing the Family - Quinn Lester - Inquest
The fight against police and prisons cannot be separated from the struggle to extend care beyond the limits of the family form.
inquest.org
November 28, 2025 at 1:00 PM
"To abolish the family is not to outright get rid of the family and leave people as isolated individuals. Instead, family abolition seeks to preserve and expand the best part of caring families while rejecting the family as the only site of care and love."
"You got the delicious / corn bread and turkey / Dressing, Slice turkey / [...] / There are about six / Officers standing in the / Dining hall, as we eat. / Watching ... / Just so no man / Double back" —from Leon Johnson's poem "Holiday Special Meal"
Three poems - Inquest
“Crying Johnny,” “Officer Judy Gives Instructions to the Lock Down Inmates,” & “Holiday Special Meal”
inquest.org
November 27, 2025 at 1:00 PM
"You got the delicious / corn bread and turkey / Dressing, Slice turkey / [...] / There are about six / Officers standing in the / Dining hall, as we eat. / Watching ... / Just so no man / Double back" —from Leon Johnson's poem "Holiday Special Meal"
Reposted by Inquest
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.
"A lot of my nieces & nephews were born while I was incarcerated, so for my 1st Thanksgiving after I left prison, I wanted to go visit them. But my parole officer refused to let me go. The 1st year I was home, I spent my birthday, Thanksgiving, Christmas, & New Year’s alone."
A Place to Be Free - Richard Cruz, Anthony Ammons & David Carranza - Inquest
Life in prison is hard. Transitioning back home through reentry shouldn’t be harder.
inquest.org
November 26, 2025 at 1:00 PM
"A lot of my nieces & nephews were born while I was incarcerated, so for my 1st Thanksgiving after I left prison, I wanted to go visit them. But my parole officer refused to let me go. The 1st year I was home, I spent my birthday, Thanksgiving, Christmas, & New Year’s alone."
In 2026 Inquest will pursue print distribution of our free digital magazine for people within the prison system. A gift from you can help unlock a quarterly print publication designed for circulation inside of prisons. inquest.org/donate/
November 25, 2025 at 1:00 PM
In 2026 Inquest will pursue print distribution of our free digital magazine for people within the prison system. A gift from you can help unlock a quarterly print publication designed for circulation inside of prisons. inquest.org/donate/
This week Inquest covered the growing real estate trend of prison flipping, and the inner workings of extractive capitalism's merger with mass incarceration. Get the full recap: mailchi.mp/inquest.o...
November 22, 2025 at 4:00 PM
This week Inquest covered the growing real estate trend of prison flipping, and the inner workings of extractive capitalism's merger with mass incarceration. Get the full recap: mailchi.mp/inquest.o...
At Inquest and our publisher @endmassinc.bsky.social we believe that every voice has the power to move systems—and people—toward freedom. Yet, too often, the voices of those most affected by incarceration are intentionally silenced.
A gift from you helps change that.
A gift from you helps change that.
November 21, 2025 at 2:00 PM
At Inquest and our publisher @endmassinc.bsky.social we believe that every voice has the power to move systems—and people—toward freedom. Yet, too often, the voices of those most affected by incarceration are intentionally silenced.
A gift from you helps change that.
A gift from you helps change that.
“Closing prisons is not the end point of abolition, but the starting point.” Artist/activist Ashley Hunt. Read more:
The Fight Over Prison Flipping - Abigail Glasgow - Inquest
As shuttered jails and prisons become luxury venues, a growing movement is calling for community-led alternatives that honor the sites’ violent histories.
inquest.org
November 21, 2025 at 1:00 PM
“Closing prisons is not the end point of abolition, but the starting point.” Artist/activist Ashley Hunt. Read more:
"Building an abolitionist future requires recognizing the harm and trauma that occurred in carceral spaces and paying homage to those who were lost to—or who survived—the system." Abigail Glasgow on challenges + necessity of finding new uses for carceral buildings.
The Fight Over Prison Flipping - Abigail Glasgow - Inquest
As shuttered jails and prisons become luxury venues, a growing movement is calling for community-led alternatives that honor the sites’ violent histories.
inquest.org
November 20, 2025 at 2:50 PM
"Building an abolitionist future requires recognizing the harm and trauma that occurred in carceral spaces and paying homage to those who were lost to—or who survived—the system." Abigail Glasgow on challenges + necessity of finding new uses for carceral buildings.
Reposted by Inquest
Thanks @inquest.bsky.social for featuring an excerpt from Legal Plunder: The Predatory Dimensions of Criminal Justice.
"Since the mid-1980s, government and business interests have retrofitted criminal legal institutions so that they function as generators of revenue." @joshpage.bsky.social & @joesoss.bsky.social on what happens when you merge extractive capitalism + the carceral state
Indentured Citizens - Joshua Page & Joe Soss - Inquest
Making incarceration profitable—for both the state and corporations—generates untold hardship not only for incarcerated people but also for their families and communities.
inquest.org
November 18, 2025 at 5:48 PM
Thanks @inquest.bsky.social for featuring an excerpt from Legal Plunder: The Predatory Dimensions of Criminal Justice.
"Penal operations that isolate, deprive, and control do more than just warehouse; they make incarcerated populations productive by ushering them into projects that generate substantial public and private revenues." @joshpage.bsky.social & @joesoss.bsky.social on prisons & $$$
Indentured Citizens - Joshua Page & Joe Soss - Inquest
Making incarceration profitable—for both the state and corporations—generates untold hardship not only for incarcerated people but also for their families and communities.
inquest.org
November 19, 2025 at 1:00 PM
"Penal operations that isolate, deprive, and control do more than just warehouse; they make incarcerated populations productive by ushering them into projects that generate substantial public and private revenues." @joshpage.bsky.social & @joesoss.bsky.social on prisons & $$$
"Since the mid-1980s, government and business interests have retrofitted criminal legal institutions so that they function as generators of revenue." @joshpage.bsky.social & @joesoss.bsky.social on what happens when you merge extractive capitalism + the carceral state
Indentured Citizens - Joshua Page & Joe Soss - Inquest
Making incarceration profitable—for both the state and corporations—generates untold hardship not only for incarcerated people but also for their families and communities.
inquest.org
November 18, 2025 at 4:06 PM
"Since the mid-1980s, government and business interests have retrofitted criminal legal institutions so that they function as generators of revenue." @joshpage.bsky.social & @joesoss.bsky.social on what happens when you merge extractive capitalism + the carceral state
Congratulations, Calvin Duncan! We were fortunate to get to talk with Duncan last year and hear in his own words what keeps him motivated to fight for people's freedom. inquest.org/ambassadors-...
November 17, 2025 at 7:13 PM
Congratulations, Calvin Duncan! We were fortunate to get to talk with Duncan last year and hear in his own words what keeps him motivated to fight for people's freedom. inquest.org/ambassadors-...
This week, Inquest launched our Defending Prison Journalism series with an article on the perils faced by incarcerated journalists, and what must be done to protect them. Get the full recap: mailchi.mp/inquest.o...
November 15, 2025 at 4:00 PM
This week, Inquest launched our Defending Prison Journalism series with an article on the perils faced by incarcerated journalists, and what must be done to protect them. Get the full recap: mailchi.mp/inquest.o...
"Prison journalism should not be starved, stifled, or silenced. In a free society, attendant to the needs of all its people, including most especially wards of the state, government institutions should be held accountable to the public—by a free press."
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 14, 2025 at 1:00 PM
"Prison journalism should not be starved, stifled, or silenced. In a free society, attendant to the needs of all its people, including most especially wards of the state, government institutions should be held accountable to the public—by a free press."
"Journalists behind bars, describing endless forms of payback, told us that retaliation was the greatest constraint on their work." Andrew Crespo & Corinne Shanahan of @endmassinc.bsky.social break down the ways prisons stop reporting of what goes on behind their walls.
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 13, 2025 at 4:32 PM
"Journalists behind bars, describing endless forms of payback, told us that retaliation was the greatest constraint on their work." Andrew Crespo & Corinne Shanahan of @endmassinc.bsky.social break down the ways prisons stop reporting of what goes on behind their walls.
Reposted by Inquest
"On June 9, 2023, an audience at Carnegie Hall witnessed an opera written by a person who had been convicted of murder, in collaboration with his fellow incarcerated artists. Over two years later, this fact is still striking to me."
Read this story in @inquest.bsky.social:
Read this story in @inquest.bsky.social:
I’m in Prison. My Opera Was Performed at Carnegie Hall. - Joseph Wilson - Inquest
Inside Sing Sing, I turned my twenty-five-year sentence into music fit for one of the world’s greatest stages.
inquest.org
November 7, 2025 at 4:33 PM
"On June 9, 2023, an audience at Carnegie Hall witnessed an opera written by a person who had been convicted of murder, in collaboration with his fellow incarcerated artists. Over two years later, this fact is still striking to me."
Read this story in @inquest.bsky.social:
Read this story in @inquest.bsky.social:
On Veterans Day, thinking about the military-to-prison pipeline that so many have experienced
Imprisoned by War | Jason A. Higgins | INQUEST
Over the past century, many Black Americans have joined the military in hopes of class mobility and improved civil rights—only to be chewed up by the system and then incarcerated.
inquest.org
November 11, 2025 at 1:01 PM
On Veterans Day, thinking about the military-to-prison pipeline that so many have experienced
This week Inquest covered the long history of opposition to Atlanta's racist policing, and how not even Sing Sing prison could keep Joseph Wilson from composing operas for Carnegie Hall. Get the full recap: mailchi.mp/inquest.o...
November 8, 2025 at 4:00 PM
This week Inquest covered the long history of opposition to Atlanta's racist policing, and how not even Sing Sing prison could keep Joseph Wilson from composing operas for Carnegie Hall. Get the full recap: mailchi.mp/inquest.o...
In 1901, "11,502 Black men, women, boys, and girls were arrested, comprising 64.5 percent of total arrests. Atlanta’s Black population was approximately 36,000." @jboothhistory.bsky.social on Atlanta's long history of racist policing
Stop Cop City’s Deep Roots - Jonathon Booth - Inquest
For 150 years, Atlanta has endured racist policing that has served the interest of the city’s economic elite. The fight to resist this “Atlanta way” goes back just as far.
inquest.org
November 7, 2025 at 1:00 PM
In 1901, "11,502 Black men, women, boys, and girls were arrested, comprising 64.5 percent of total arrests. Atlanta’s Black population was approximately 36,000." @jboothhistory.bsky.social on Atlanta's long history of racist policing