Rafael is a Social Worker Intern and student at Bronx Community College who has spent approximately 10 years in and out of the New York City and State prison system. Rafael's goals and aspirations are to empower our communities and disrupt the Prison Industrial Complex. First, I would like to say I’m one of those inmates that both New York City and State Department of Corrections don’t want to speak out against them. And it’s not just because I was assaulted by them numerous

With the generous support of a grant from Literacy for Incarcerated Teens (LIT)[1] Prison Writes workshops are being brought to youths living in group homes in Brooklyn under Administration of Children’s Services Close to Home program. “Launched in 2012, Close to Home allows youth who are deemed Juvenile Delinquents by the Family Court to be placed in residential programs closer to their families and communities. Under Close to Home, young people receive therapeutic services

Thanks to Save Our Streets Bed-Stuy for offering the opportunity for Prison Writes to join their community in gathering around the important issue of stopping gun violence. There was free food including burgers, hotdogs and home made fried chicken, a bouncy tent for kids, and tables with information with SWAG and raffles for all. Prison Writes invited guests to our table to share their thoughts, feelings and experiences around incarceration by writing on post cards we provid

Imagine you are a fifteen-year-old girl. You don’t feel safe at home where your mother hits on you, you don’t feel safe in your community where there is gang violence and your fourteen year old cousin was shot and killed outside of your building by a gang member last year, and you don’t feel safe at school where you are met each morning by school safety officers, a metal detector, and a dean patrolling the hallways shouting at you and your classmates. You’re already dreading

Therapeutic writing is writing to heal. Through writing individuals can connect experiences with feelings and move towards integrating a traumatic experience into an overall narrative of resilience. The first rule of therapeutic writing is that feedback must be entirely affirmative. The person’s language and voice must be heard in the writing and supported by the reader. Therapeutic writing, while it may naturally lead to an increased interest and curiosity about reading and