Jennifer Toon
@jennifertoon.bsky.social
Executive Director @lionessjiwa.bsky.social
Pinned
Reposted by Jennifer Toon
Prisons & jails are already inherently harmful, and placing people in solitary confinement can be lethal to their mental health:
January 17, 2026 at 2:15 PM
Prisons & jails are already inherently harmful, and placing people in solitary confinement can be lethal to their mental health:
Reposted by Jennifer Toon
Work for the Texas Observer! We currently have two openings accepting applications:
⚫McHam Fellowship for Investigative Reporting
⚫2026 Elections Internship
Find out more and how to apply at www.texasobserver.org/jobs/
⚫McHam Fellowship for Investigative Reporting
⚫2026 Elections Internship
Find out more and how to apply at www.texasobserver.org/jobs/
Work for the Texas Observer
We’re a nonprofit with a strong public service mission; we seek to expose injustice and to produce the kind of impact journalism that makes a difference.
www.texasobserver.org
January 15, 2026 at 11:00 PM
Work for the Texas Observer! We currently have two openings accepting applications:
⚫McHam Fellowship for Investigative Reporting
⚫2026 Elections Internship
Find out more and how to apply at www.texasobserver.org/jobs/
⚫McHam Fellowship for Investigative Reporting
⚫2026 Elections Internship
Find out more and how to apply at www.texasobserver.org/jobs/
Reposted by Jennifer Toon
On any given day in the U.S., more than 450,000 people are waiting in jail for their trial – meaning, they are legally innocent behind bars.
January 6, 2026 at 8:15 PM
On any given day in the U.S., more than 450,000 people are waiting in jail for their trial – meaning, they are legally innocent behind bars.
Reposted by Jennifer Toon
#BestOf2025, from Michelle Pitcher: “The question is not about the perpetrator. It’s about us. Are we righteous enough to kill someone? Are we righteous enough to judge someone in that way?”
‘How Innocent Do They Have to Be?’: Texas’ First Scheduled Execution of 2025 Raises Thorny Questions
Steven Nelson says he was a lookout for a robbery that ended in a pastor’s death. He’s set to be killed by the state February 5.
www.texasobserver.org
December 31, 2025 at 8:00 PM
#BestOf2025, from Michelle Pitcher: “The question is not about the perpetrator. It’s about us. Are we righteous enough to kill someone? Are we righteous enough to judge someone in that way?”
Reposted by Jennifer Toon
The @themarshallproject.org is asking people to tell them what it's like to go through menopause in prison. This doesn't get written about all that much so I'll be interested to see the results!
They have a form so you can tell them your experience: www.themarshallproject.org/2025/12/16/m...
They have a form so you can tell them your experience: www.themarshallproject.org/2025/12/16/m...
Tell Us What It’s Like to Go Through Menopause in Prison
Your insights will help inform a guide about the critical life stage that we’ll share with incarcerated people.
www.themarshallproject.org
December 16, 2025 at 2:55 PM
The @themarshallproject.org is asking people to tell them what it's like to go through menopause in prison. This doesn't get written about all that much so I'll be interested to see the results!
They have a form so you can tell them your experience: www.themarshallproject.org/2025/12/16/m...
They have a form so you can tell them your experience: www.themarshallproject.org/2025/12/16/m...
Today is Taylor Swift’s birthday.
And my freedom anniversary. I walked out of prison on this day in 2018.
Since release I learned to stop waiting for approval and to trust myself instead. Thanks for the inspiration Tay!
And to my friends and family, thanks for always rooting for this anti-hero.
And my freedom anniversary. I walked out of prison on this day in 2018.
Since release I learned to stop waiting for approval and to trust myself instead. Thanks for the inspiration Tay!
And to my friends and family, thanks for always rooting for this anti-hero.
December 13, 2025 at 3:46 PM
Today is Taylor Swift’s birthday.
And my freedom anniversary. I walked out of prison on this day in 2018.
Since release I learned to stop waiting for approval and to trust myself instead. Thanks for the inspiration Tay!
And to my friends and family, thanks for always rooting for this anti-hero.
And my freedom anniversary. I walked out of prison on this day in 2018.
Since release I learned to stop waiting for approval and to trust myself instead. Thanks for the inspiration Tay!
And to my friends and family, thanks for always rooting for this anti-hero.
Reposted by Jennifer Toon
Behind bars, people have restricted access to period products – and the ones they do have access to are low quality. This leaves many menstruating people left to:
🔴 Free bleed
🔴 Hoard tampons
🔴 Make their own tampons
And any of these outcomes could lead to severe punishment.
🔴 Free bleed
🔴 Hoard tampons
🔴 Make their own tampons
And any of these outcomes could lead to severe punishment.
December 6, 2025 at 2:15 PM
Behind bars, people have restricted access to period products – and the ones they do have access to are low quality. This leaves many menstruating people left to:
🔴 Free bleed
🔴 Hoard tampons
🔴 Make their own tampons
And any of these outcomes could lead to severe punishment.
🔴 Free bleed
🔴 Hoard tampons
🔴 Make their own tampons
And any of these outcomes could lead to severe punishment.
Reposted by Jennifer Toon
This weekend, the Texas Book Festival, which will gather some 250 authors in a bibliophilic tent city out front of the state Capitol, ironically the launching pad of myriad political attacks on supposedly intolerable tomes and sinful librarians.
Black Bookstore Owners, Government Spies, and Murder
At the 2025 Texas Book Festival, authors bring new insights to complex stories in nonfiction.
www.texasobserver.org
November 6, 2025 at 9:00 PM
This weekend, the Texas Book Festival, which will gather some 250 authors in a bibliophilic tent city out front of the state Capitol, ironically the launching pad of myriad political attacks on supposedly intolerable tomes and sinful librarians.
Reposted by Jennifer Toon
Native women are disproportionately affected by every part of the system. They account for a larger portion of the Indian country jail population than they do in other jails across the US.
They’re also incarcerated at higher rates than women of any other racial or ethnic group.
They’re also incarcerated at higher rates than women of any other racial or ethnic group.
November 6, 2025 at 9:06 PM
Native women are disproportionately affected by every part of the system. They account for a larger portion of the Indian country jail population than they do in other jails across the US.
They’re also incarcerated at higher rates than women of any other racial or ethnic group.
They’re also incarcerated at higher rates than women of any other racial or ethnic group.
Reposted by Jennifer Toon
Today, 1 in 5 formerly incarcerated people is experiencing food insecurity. That's at least 1 million people nationwide.
We should be making it easier for vulnerable people to access healthy food, not harder.
We should be making it easier for vulnerable people to access healthy food, not harder.
October 30, 2025 at 7:38 PM
Today, 1 in 5 formerly incarcerated people is experiencing food insecurity. That's at least 1 million people nationwide.
We should be making it easier for vulnerable people to access healthy food, not harder.
We should be making it easier for vulnerable people to access healthy food, not harder.
Reposted by Jennifer Toon
In culture: At Alienated Majesty Books, the "screamo bookstore," volumes from small and indie publishers, plus works in translation, comics, and poetry stand side-by-side with shoegaze, noise and hardcore punk bands.
October 24, 2025 at 10:00 PM
In culture: At Alienated Majesty Books, the "screamo bookstore," volumes from small and indie publishers, plus works in translation, comics, and poetry stand side-by-side with shoegaze, noise and hardcore punk bands.
Reposted by Jennifer Toon
Read it again.
June 3, 2025 at 11:42 AM
Read it again.
Having Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) is not us being “too emotional”. It's brain development affected by trying to survive in environments of extreme neglect & abuse.
Leaders and employers in social justice spaces, please confront your ableism and bias about people with BPD.
Leaders and employers in social justice spaces, please confront your ableism and bias about people with BPD.
May 30, 2025 at 3:01 PM
Having Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) is not us being “too emotional”. It's brain development affected by trying to survive in environments of extreme neglect & abuse.
Leaders and employers in social justice spaces, please confront your ableism and bias about people with BPD.
Leaders and employers in social justice spaces, please confront your ableism and bias about people with BPD.
Reposted by Jennifer Toon
Far too many mothers are entangled in the system and forced to leave their children.
Mass incarceration has a ripple effect and causes trauma that can last generations within a single family.
Mass incarceration has a ripple effect and causes trauma that can last generations within a single family.
May 7, 2025 at 9:15 PM
Far too many mothers are entangled in the system and forced to leave their children.
Mass incarceration has a ripple effect and causes trauma that can last generations within a single family.
Mass incarceration has a ripple effect and causes trauma that can last generations within a single family.
Reposted by Jennifer Toon
AVP’s Executive Director, Gabriel Solís (@gdsolis.bsky.social) had a conversation with Educopia about endangered forms of knowledge, restorative operations, and throwing out the rules as part of their Systems Leadership Series.
Read the full interview here!
educopia.org/blog/an-inte...
Read the full interview here!
educopia.org/blog/an-inte...
An Interview with Gabriel Solís, After Violence Project [Systems Leadership Series #01] — Educopia
Gabriel Solís of the After Violence Project discusses systems leadership through the lens of abolitionist advocacy, community archives, and restorative operations
educopia.org
May 2, 2025 at 6:29 PM
AVP’s Executive Director, Gabriel Solís (@gdsolis.bsky.social) had a conversation with Educopia about endangered forms of knowledge, restorative operations, and throwing out the rules as part of their Systems Leadership Series.
Read the full interview here!
educopia.org/blog/an-inte...
Read the full interview here!
educopia.org/blog/an-inte...
Reposted by Jennifer Toon
New today: Approving this bill would do a disservice to the families who value their own children’s curiosity and education, including their kids’ ability to access books needed for assigned reading or for research using nonfiction sources more advanced than those found in the children’s sections.
Texas Shouldn't Legislate Censorship
Public libraries are for the public—and that means access for all.
www.texasobserver.org
April 28, 2025 at 1:52 PM
New today: Approving this bill would do a disservice to the families who value their own children’s curiosity and education, including their kids’ ability to access books needed for assigned reading or for research using nonfiction sources more advanced than those found in the children’s sections.
Reposted by Jennifer Toon
Chanel Jones, our Director of Programming, reminds us that true second chances mean leaving judgment at the door.
Too many employers and landlords offer "second chances" while still holding past incarceration against people trying to rebuild their lives.
We’re fighting to change that.
Too many employers and landlords offer "second chances" while still holding past incarceration against people trying to rebuild their lives.
We’re fighting to change that.
April 29, 2025 at 1:51 AM
Chanel Jones, our Director of Programming, reminds us that true second chances mean leaving judgment at the door.
Too many employers and landlords offer "second chances" while still holding past incarceration against people trying to rebuild their lives.
We’re fighting to change that.
Too many employers and landlords offer "second chances" while still holding past incarceration against people trying to rebuild their lives.
We’re fighting to change that.
Reposted by Jennifer Toon
More than 50% of people in state prisons are punished at least 1x/year for misconduct, and almost all of them face harsh sanctions like solitary confinement.
Prison discipline is a system of petty tyranny with devastating consequences.
www.prisonpolicy.org/reports/disc...
Prison discipline is a system of petty tyranny with devastating consequences.
www.prisonpolicy.org/reports/disc...
April 27, 2025 at 1:15 PM
More than 50% of people in state prisons are punished at least 1x/year for misconduct, and almost all of them face harsh sanctions like solitary confinement.
Prison discipline is a system of petty tyranny with devastating consequences.
www.prisonpolicy.org/reports/disc...
Prison discipline is a system of petty tyranny with devastating consequences.
www.prisonpolicy.org/reports/disc...
Reposted by Jennifer Toon
On Saturday, April 26th at 4 PM we'll be honoring Second Chance Month by reclaiming our stories! Folks from across Texas are coming together to celebrate and discuss Second Chances. Groups or individuals can join virtually. Click the link below for all the details!
🔗 docs.google.com/document/d/1...
🔗 docs.google.com/document/d/1...
April 23, 2025 at 4:37 PM
On Saturday, April 26th at 4 PM we'll be honoring Second Chance Month by reclaiming our stories! Folks from across Texas are coming together to celebrate and discuss Second Chances. Groups or individuals can join virtually. Click the link below for all the details!
🔗 docs.google.com/document/d/1...
🔗 docs.google.com/document/d/1...
Reposted by Jennifer Toon
In honor of Second Chance Month, AVP’s next Sanctuary Friday will be Wicked themed! Watch the movie, sing along, engage with some Wicked-themed activities, and remember that everyone deserves a chance to fly! 💚
🗓️ Friday, April 25
⏰ 3 - 5 PM
📍 611 S Congress Ave #450, ATX
🗓️ Friday, April 25
⏰ 3 - 5 PM
📍 611 S Congress Ave #450, ATX
April 21, 2025 at 6:52 PM
In honor of Second Chance Month, AVP’s next Sanctuary Friday will be Wicked themed! Watch the movie, sing along, engage with some Wicked-themed activities, and remember that everyone deserves a chance to fly! 💚
🗓️ Friday, April 25
⏰ 3 - 5 PM
📍 611 S Congress Ave #450, ATX
🗓️ Friday, April 25
⏰ 3 - 5 PM
📍 611 S Congress Ave #450, ATX
Reposted by Jennifer Toon
We are not disposable or lost causes. Thank you to those who have never given up on us.
April 20, 2025 at 12:39 PM
We are not disposable or lost causes. Thank you to those who have never given up on us.
Reposted by Jennifer Toon
About 1 in 12 youth held for a criminal or delinquent offense is locked in an adult jail or prison, and most of the others are held in juvenile facilities that look and operate a lot like prisons and jails.
The carceral system is not a place for children.
The carceral system is not a place for children.
April 19, 2025 at 1:15 PM
About 1 in 12 youth held for a criminal or delinquent offense is locked in an adult jail or prison, and most of the others are held in juvenile facilities that look and operate a lot like prisons and jails.
The carceral system is not a place for children.
The carceral system is not a place for children.
Reposted by Jennifer Toon
🎬 You’re invited!
Join us for a powerful free screening of In Their Hands.
This film shines a light on how parole decisions are shaped by politics & power.
📍 Austin Community College – Highland Campus
Tuesday, April 29
5:30–8:30 PM CST
🎟️ Reserve your FREE ticket:
bit.ly/InTheirHandsScreening
Join us for a powerful free screening of In Their Hands.
This film shines a light on how parole decisions are shaped by politics & power.
📍 Austin Community College – Highland Campus
Tuesday, April 29
5:30–8:30 PM CST
🎟️ Reserve your FREE ticket:
bit.ly/InTheirHandsScreening
April 13, 2025 at 3:25 PM
🎬 You’re invited!
Join us for a powerful free screening of In Their Hands.
This film shines a light on how parole decisions are shaped by politics & power.
📍 Austin Community College – Highland Campus
Tuesday, April 29
5:30–8:30 PM CST
🎟️ Reserve your FREE ticket:
bit.ly/InTheirHandsScreening
Join us for a powerful free screening of In Their Hands.
This film shines a light on how parole decisions are shaped by politics & power.
📍 Austin Community College – Highland Campus
Tuesday, April 29
5:30–8:30 PM CST
🎟️ Reserve your FREE ticket:
bit.ly/InTheirHandsScreening
Reposted by Jennifer Toon
In 2024 AVP created the Keepsakes program, a series of workshops focused on personal documentation, archives, & memory offered at Travis County Correctional Complex in Austin, Texas. Visit the After Violence Archive (linked below) to explore the collections.
afterviolencearchive.org/collection/m...
afterviolencearchive.org/collection/m...
April 2, 2025 at 5:23 PM
In 2024 AVP created the Keepsakes program, a series of workshops focused on personal documentation, archives, & memory offered at Travis County Correctional Complex in Austin, Texas. Visit the After Violence Archive (linked below) to explore the collections.
afterviolencearchive.org/collection/m...
afterviolencearchive.org/collection/m...