See how incarcerated writers are breaking stereotypes and shifting the narrative from behind the wall.
Check out this article by incarcerated writer Jeffrey Shockley. Shockley has been incarnated for 23 years. He is currently incarcerated in Pennsylvania.
In the article “Pennsylvania Institutes Prison Pay Increase, A First in 30 Year,” Shockley discusses the recent pay raise implemented by the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections in which prison wages have been increased by 20%. As of 2023, the minimum wage has gone from 19 cents to 23 cents, and the hourly range is now 23 cents to 50 cents for most jobs.
Shockley says this pay increase is significant as the cost of prison commissary and essentials have increased due to inflation.
“A packet of ramen noodles that used to cost 28 cents is now 38 cents. A 4 ounce bag of Maxwell House coffee went from $2.91 to $3.61. A particular brand of deodorant went from $2.31 to $2.95; a bar of soap that used to go for 83 cents is now $1.49”.
He says it can take a full day’s work to afford a single bar of soap.
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I spend a lot of my spare time studying and advocating for crime and prison reform. I’ve never been to prison but it’s something I’m extremely passionate about.
I ran across this story and it really triggered me to want to open up more discussion about what can be done behind bars to not only rehabilitate criminals, but create a pipeline for mental health services that are very much needed both during the entry and residency stages.
After watching the system fail over and over my opinion is it does not a bit of good to send criminals to prison and offer no options to help them navigate both in and outside prison life. Doing the opposite will continue to perpetuate more criminal activity and negligence lawsuits such as this one. I hope this family receives the proper compensation.
There also has to be some kind of clinical medical care provided for substance abuse users. Let’s be honest, drugs are real and people use them. Detox is a crucial phase of rehabilitation.
Why not use our tax dollars to address these issues plaguing the prison system. Doing that will in term rehab the criminals. When we rehab the criminals — down goes the crime. It’s simple math. And a win for us all.
According to CNN – A lawsuit has been filed in Indiana on behalf of a man with a history of schizophrenia and substance abuse who died in 2021 while he was being held in solitary confinement.
The lawsuit filed Wednesday seeks compensatory and punitive damages.
The complaint accuses jailers of putting Joshua McLemore in a small, windowless, padded isolation cell, during his nearly three-week stay at the Jackson County jail where he reportedly suffered from dehydration and malnutrition.
The Pen Hustle With Brandy Cavalli 
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