I’m not much of a gardener. Yet while I was away in prison, it happens that a couple rather large gardens emerged at our house. On the one hand, this
Category: Useless
Talking to, and about, The WallTalking to, and about, The Wall
Obviously I haven’t been posting much lately. I’d like to say it was because of some sort of “writer’s block,” but that’s not an accurate enough reason. Frankly, I have
Et tu, Washington Post?Et tu, Washington Post?
I really shouldn’t be surprised that, as much as I like the reporting in The Washington Post, the should also succumb to misleading sensationalism when it comes to reporting on
The Tailored Needs of ProbationThe Tailored Needs of Probation
Probation, like prison, is an exceptionally blunt tool for the enhancement of public safety. One of the real ironies of many studies into the prison and probation system is how
It’s Never OverIt’s Never Over
One thing that I find myself explaining is that once you are out of prison, you are still, in many ways, imprisoned. Some people grasp this concept fairly readily, even
“Random at our discretion.”“Random at our discretion.”
I’m a total fool. I really expect too much of myself, and that generally translates to me expecting too much from other people. Many people, including my criminal defense attorney,
Employment and Personality ProfilesEmployment and Personality Profiles
As part of the Job Skills class that I tutored in prison, the students were asked to take a series of personality and interest assessments, if for no other reason
Sympathy for the Devil, Minneapolis-styleSympathy for the Devil, Minneapolis-style
There are many things we might learn from Mick Jagger, but this is the most important for me: “Every cop is a criminal, and all the sinners saints.” If you
The Race of the ConvictedThe Race of the Convicted
Every reasonable person who has written about prison in America has observed that there is an unbreakable link between the American carceral system and and the institutionalized injustice of race.
Utopia Means NowhereUtopia Means Nowhere
I just finished taking an online grammar test for a company called Talentopia. Evidently, I failed. Within 5 minutes of submitting it, I received an email that said, “After very