Culture
Photos documenting the formerly incarcerated
New beginnings — A new project is documenting formerly incarcerated people as they transition back into civilian life.
Written by: Miss Rosen
Prison
Culture
Art behind bars: a portrait of the California prison system
Incarcerated artists — Photographer Peter Merts discusses his projecting documenting the importance of creativity for incarcerated people and his hope of changing public perceptions of prisoners.
Written by: Miss Rosen
Activism
Has lockdown created more empathy for prisoners?
Life inside — Lockdown could have created a greater understanding of the conditions prisoners face. So why are punitive policies even more popular?
Written by: Andy West
Activism
The fight to keep babies out of prison
No births behind bars — Earlier this week, protestors gathered in Westminster to call for an end to the imprisonment of pregnant people, highlighting the serious risks prison poses to mothers and their newborn children.
Written by: Ben Smoke
Activism
The Turkish mothers imprisoned with their children
‘It’s a psychological lynching‘ — In the aftermath of Turkey’s coup attempt in 2016, the number of pregnant women and women with small children in prison skyrocketed. Stephen Delahunty reports on the severe human rights violations they are facing.
Written by: Stephen Delahunty
Activism
As an Insulate Britain activist in prison, I keep on fighting
‘I haven’t regretted a second‘ — Emma Smart, 44, vowed to stop eating when she was jailed in November for breaching an M25 injunction. Writing on her 26th day of a hunger strike, she explains why she believes her actions are necessary in the fight to save humanity.
Written by: Emma Smart
Activism
A brutal portrait of gang culture in El Salvador
Sin Salida — In a new series of photographs, Tariq Zaidi captures the control gangs have over the wider Salvadoran society and the grief caused by the staggering levels of violence.
Written by: Joseph Marczynski
Activism
The callousness of Guernsey’s harsh drugs laws
Hypocrisy island — Guernsey’s tough drug laws ruin the lives of not just the people who commit crimes, but also their families. So why is big business allowed to profit off weed grown on the island?
Written by: Rebecca Tidy
Activism
How the pandemic is hurting women leaving prison
‘I don’t feel like I have a future‘ — Despite restrictions easing, women prison leavers are still dealing with complications around housing, benefits and mental health exacerbated by Covid-19. It’s made it even harder for them to rebuild their lives after prison.
Written by: Scarlet Hannington
Activism
I was pregnant in prison – the reality of it was devastating
Fight for survival — A formerly incarcerated woman shares her experience of finding out she was pregnant while in prison, exposing the total lack of support available to people who find themselves in this situation.
Written by: anonymous
Activism
Carceral feminism is not the answer to gendered violence
Justice for Sabina — In the wake of the devastating killing of primary school teacher Sabina Nessa, we must respond to gendered violence critically and not revert to calling on the expansion of state control and power, which ultimately ends up harming women, argues writer Shahed Ezaydi.
Written by: Shahed Ezaydi