To my friends and supporters. I hope you are well. I must admit that I have been a little stressed lately. I’ve been waiting to hear about my clemency petition from the governor. While I have not heard anything, some supporters from FAMM (Families Against Mandatory Minimums) released an article of support for my effort. […]
During the summer of 2008 I shed about 20 pounds while serving time at Central Prison, a maximum custody facility in Raleigh, North Carolina. I cut all carbs and sugar from my diet. I ate only meat and vegetables. At six a.m. I was out of bed and stretching with yoga routines I learned from […]
About ten of us were watching “Love After Lockup” on a Friday night when Tyrone (not his real name) stumbled into the dayroom high on K2. His bulky black boots threatened to trip him with every step. The Styrofoam cup he held sloshed coffee over the rim onto the floor when he walked past me […]
I’ve been called many derogatory names — even “nigger” by immature white kids ridiculing the only Black kid on the school bus — but the labels carceral systems use to brand incarcerated people can sound even worse. What do I mean by labels? Glad you asked. When I write “labels,” I’m referring to offender, inmate, […]
PUBLICATION: HuffPo DATE: April 10, 2024 Through his personal experiences, Phillip describes how under-staffing in North Carolina prisons caused overcrowding in his institution, creating a hotbed of violence. Phillip writes, “Prison violence should concern everyone, because most incarcerated people reenter society.” His research further depicts a nationwide problem that numerous state officials struggle to solve.
A 2020 report published by the Stanford Law Review examined whether formerly incarcerated people who had witnessed violence should qualify for disability benefits. Ninety-two percent of survey respondents witnessed nonsexual violence while incarcerated, which has been linked to depression, anxiety, violence perpetration, and future victimization. A separate study of 124 formerly incarcerated people found that […]