An article by Michael McLaughlin, first seen on Huffingtonpost.com It'll be a long time before Bretton Link can be with friends and family again. The 47-year-old is locked in the North Dakota State Penitentiary on a 40-year sentence for dealing meth, with an expected release date of 2030. Compared to his previous stints in prison, though, it's easier this time for Link to stay in touch with loved ones. In his cell, he drafts emails on a specialty tablet, designed for use by inmates, that can also download books and music. In common areas, he connects to one of the kiosks that sends and receives messages. "I've done time at other facilities and we had nothing like this," Link told The Huffing
An Article by Spearlt, First seen on HuffingtonPost.com Last month the Department of Education clarified the eligibility rules for Federal Pell Grant funding. Although Congress barred Pell Grants in 1994 for those confined in "Federal or State Penal institutions," according to the clarification, these are distinct from "juvenile justice facilities" and "local and county jails, penitentiaries, and correctional facilities." Although, this ruling will effectively increase the number of incarcerated individuals applying for and receiving Pell funding, the vast majority remain ineligible. Prisoners first became eligible for federal funding in 1972, when federal legislation directly allowed for im
By Christopher Zoukis Sitting in my cell I can feel the floor shaking. I can hear the banging. I can see a man dancing on top of a table in a common area. This is a typical afternoon in a federal prison; FCI Petersburg to be exact. As I sit at my desk, which is in a cell which has a shut door, I work hard on an English paper. Spread out on the desk before me are my col- lege study guide, a textbook on writing by Joseph Trimmer, and a pad of paper with notes across it. I mean business. I aim to complete another lesson in my college correspondence course. Yet, every few minutes my concentration is broken by another out- burst which I can hear over my ear plugs and feel through the floor of my
The Best 500 Nonprofit Organizations for Prisoners and Their Families (2nd Ed.), edited by George Ka
Loaded on DEC. 3, 2014 by Gary Hunter published in Prison Legal News December, 2014, page 14 Filed under: Reviews, Resources. Location: United States of America. The Best 500 Nonprofit Organizations for Prisoners and Their Families (2nd Ed.), edited by George Kayer (CreateSpace Independent Publishing, July 2014). 130 pages, $18.99 Book review by Gary Hunter Help! For prisoners and their families, “help” is a word that’s all too familiar. And while many share problems that are similar, each situation is unique. Sometimes the problem is legal, other times it’s domestic and sometimes the problem is just identifying the problem itself. The Best 500 Nonprofit Organizations for Prisoners and Their
