by Randolph M. Fiedler NLG-Las Vegas Chapter “There is a narrative of racial difference that contaminates the thinking of most Americans . . . . We need to own up to the way racial bias and legalized racial subordination have compromised our ability to implement criminal justice. In the wake of avoiding or minimizing our […]
Archives
Beyond Bars: Windows of the World
by Scott PetrieYazoo City, MS How fragile life is on the other side of that window, so close, yet so so far, untouchable, unattainable, father, son, each holding a hand up to the glass that separates each from their loving touch, worlds separated to protect from the unseeable enemy, the virus. (As was seen on […]
In the Spirit of Abolition: JLS Call for Shut ’em Down Demonstrations
by Mr. Sundiata Jawanza, NLG member of Jailhouse Lawyers Speak Contributing Authors: Jenipher Jones, Esq., Lydia Ghuman, Audrey Bomse, Esq., Iltaff Bala of the JLS International Law Project In the spirit of abolition, let’s shut’em down!: The Jailhouse Lawyers Speak (JLS) national membership are calling for national Shut’em Down demonstrations to take place on August […]
Beyond Bars: A Throw Away Society
by Matt Baker A.K.A. “Doc”Abilene, TX Here in America, we throw things away. We throw away plastic and paper after one use. We throw away people after one mistake. Here at Robertson Unit, I look around me and see a whole “class” of people who have been thrown away by society. We throw them away […]
Beyond Bars: Rehabilitation is a Right
by David L. CruzSan Luis Obispo, CA Dear Guild Family, First and most importantly, thank you for your time and service to the People. I was filled with pride when I received the Guild Notes (Vol. 44, No. ¾, Fall/Winter 2019) because the organization took note on an issue that I had against the 13th […]
Legal Empowerment Toolkit Series—Legal Research: A Project of the Jailhouse Lawyers Initiative
The Legal Empowerment Toolkit Series is a project of the Jailhouse Lawyers Initiative (JLI). This is a brief training guide based on parts of a 12-week law clerk course taught in New York—please write to us at the address below if you are interested in a more detailed module. JLI works to ensure Jailhouse Lawyers […]
Beyond Bars: Just Chewing the Fat
by E. C. Theus-RobertsSterling, CO The Penal Institution is a broken social control mechanism that exacerbates root causes of criminality, perpetuating its necessity and enlargement. The Penal Institution and all its dichotomies must be abolished. Considering this reality it is interesting how many fall victim to “objectification rhetoric.” Violent and nonviolent, drug dealer and addict, […]
Newest Restrictions on Solitary Elevate Reformist Minds to Abolition
by Amani Sawari, JLS Spokesperson 2018 National Prison Strike, NLG Member, and SawariMedia Founder “Solitary”—administrative segregation (ad-seg), suicide watch, the hole, or even quarantine are all forms of solitary confinement that cages a person to a single room cell with no access to personal belongings, nourishing meals or human contact for an undetermined period of […]
Student Justice League Hiring Formerly Incarcerated Jailhouse Lawyers
The Student Justice League is a new prisoners’ rights organization founded by a former jailhouse lawyer, David Simpson, and a campus organizer at Columbia University, Anna Sugrue. Our mission is to train university students to file administrative remedies on behalf of people in federal prison. We are currently recruiting former jailhouse lawyers with experience with […]
President’s Column
NLG President Elena Cohen gave the following address at the start of the 2020 #Law4thePeople Convention. Read more about this year’s 2020 #Law4thePeople Convention here. Dear Guild Members and Allies, This year has been extraordinarily difficult. The dual pandemics of COVID-19 and state-sponsored murders and violence against Black people have shown us that we can- […]