notesonincarceration

[notesonincarceration]

[notesonincarceration]

[notesonincarceration]

[notesonincarceration]

[notesonincarceration]

A cage was no place for my father.

A cage was no place for my father.

Someone who abused substances as a result of never getting the proper mental health treatment. Someone who got involved with the justice system due to a lifetime of untreated trauma. Trauma he felt he could never speak about due to the shame and stigma surrounding it, due to a society we live in which discourages the sharing of these personal experiences. Someone who ended up taking his own life years after release because his demons only continued to torture him, no thanks to the additional trauma endured behind bars.

I remember jail visits with my father. The intimidation my sister and I felt by the CO’s when being buzzed in and going through the metal detectors. I’ll never forget those loud beeping sounds of the cells opening and closing. I’ll never forget seeing others in their orange jumpsuits waiting for their loved ones to come, watching others have visits, and theirs never showing up. It was not a welcoming or friendly place, especially not for children. To only be able to see my dad through plexiglass, where holding hands was discouraged, where if your goodbye hug lasted for too long the guards would accuse you of trying to sneak something in. To hear my father be called “inmate” or by his number, never by his actual name.

I’ve saved all the letters he wrote to me when he was inside. It hurts too much to read them, but I know some day I will. 

A cage was no place for my father. A cage is no place for any human being. 

[notesonincarceration]

Welcome

I wanted to create a space where people can share unfiltered and completely anonymous thoughts about what it is like to be incarcerated, love someone who is incarcerated, or stories about their experiences, rants, questions, photos, drawings, etc. 

You can submit your thoughts here on this blog or via mail:

Carla Canning

PO Box 4720

SUNNYSIDE, NY 11104-9997

Submissions will be posted as text, adapted onto photos, or read out loud and posted. If you have a preference for how your submission is posted, please include that when you send it!

All submissions will be kept entirely anonymous unless otherwise requested. 

This project is intended to help people feel less alone, share stories and information, create space and awareness for the different realities of incarceration — and as a reminder that incarceration has deep and lasting effects on people and families everywhere.