Review by Christopher Santiago Columbia, SC More than 200,000 people are serving life sentences in the United States. That’s more lifers than in any other country, and despite declining crime rates, their number is growing. In The Meaning of Life: The Case for Abolishing Life Sentences (2018), Marc Mauer and Ashley Nellis of The Sentencing […]
Article Categories: Beyond Bars
Beyond Bars: Voices from NLG Jailhouse Lawyers that features articles, artwork, and poetry by people in prison.
These Stars Have Bars (Poem)
by Dustin Tate Hardwick, GA What does it say of us as a people, that we’re so eager to throw someone away? How shall we be called ‘Home of the Free’ when so very many do not live that way? Whether locked in cells—violent Hell or restricted, bonds of paper and phone And add economic […]
At What Cost Do I Become (Poem)
by Richard Moise Cumberland, MD Martin Luther King had a dream because he was free. I have nightmares because I am in prison. There is a guy down the hall. He is always screaming I know he will never be free because he never stops screaming. I wish desperately he would stop screaming. In here […]
Don’t Be Fooled by Court Clerks
by Douglas Ankeny Independence, VA I recently had the privilege of assisting a prisoner with a tort claim against the Commonwealth of Virginia. After ensuring the prisoner exhausted the offender grievance procedure, I helped him complete his notice of claim alleging a lieutenant deliberately destroyed his property. The Commonwealth at first denied liability, but then […]
To Serve and Protect, or Extort and Exploit
Cecil Guy Truman Craigsville, VA I just found out my friend Aimee died recently. Aimee testified against me in trial because the prosecutor offered her a deal and the detectives intimidated her to lie against me. When I was first arrested another friend of mine, Jeremy, also died. He, like Aimee, died of a heroin […]
If Walls Could Talk (Poem)
by Anthony Lee Harris Butner, NC The untold secrets are unspoken The strength of my elements stay unbroken The pain from my secrets leave a mother to cry But the restraints can’t dry my eye I stand aside while many men die Some look up and pray I ask myself why If I was that […]
Announcing New Jailhouse Lawyer Rep & Call for Inside VP Candidates
Thank you for participating in the election among jailhouse lawyer members for a formerly incarcerated, “outside” representative to hold the position of co-Jailhouse Lawyer Vice President (JLVP) on the National Executive Committee (NEC). There were five very qualified nominees. We are thrilled to announce that the winner is Diana Covarrubias! Diana joins our board with […]
America, You Exposed the Line (Poem)
By Jason Geray Represa, CA America, you exposed the line Back in my younger days your judges had their axes to grind, You promised us that justice was really blind, But that is not what we would find, You just saw me as someone who was born to do time, And yeah, I’m from California […]
Thrown to the Wolves
By Cecil G. Truman Craigsville, VA [Editor’s Note: The following story mentions suicide] This is a true story about a kid we will call Max. I met Max a few weeks ago in Bible study. Upon speaking with Max, I could tell that his heart and mind were very young. At the age of 19 […]
9 LIVES (Poem)
By Joshua Garner aka Mujahid St. Petersburg, FL This is a story about 9 lives that should be free, 9 lives taken by the Commonwealth and the DOC, This system is corrupt, I know first-hand believe me, So listen to their story so now you can see My big brother Hadi, strongest aqeedah I’ve ever […]