Run time: 57:52
Episode 5: Prisons
Listen on your favorite podcast platform or here.
Episode transcript here.
In this episode we talk about mental and physical healthcare in Washington’s prisons. We speak with Tony Tyson, Queen J, and Darnell Jones, all incarcerated voices in our state, who talk to us about accessing care in prison, and also what they or the people around them have done to get or create care. Content warning: this episode includes first-hand accounts of medical neglect and suicidality in prison.
Relevant News Articles:
Jeanie Lindsay, “Suicides spike at Washington prisons, prisoners say they need more access to mental health care”
Jeanie Lindsay, “As Washington state’s prison population shrank, the cost of incarceration went up”
Laurel Demkovich, “‘Blindsided’ by a Washington prison closure”
Warm Closures
Tomas Keen, “A “Warm” Closure”
Raymond Williams, “In Washington State, Prison Closure Divides Abolitionist Community”
Jeff McKee
Jeffrey McKee, “Inside the Mental Health Unit at Washington State Penitentiary”
Jeff McKee’s writing for us on suicide in prison
Cultural Awareness Groups in Washington
Cultural Awareness Groups Zine
Black Prisoners’ Caucus - and on Instagram