Ronald is a formerly incarcerated person who defended himself in prison, succesfully advocated for his own release, and now works as a nationally recognized activist for prison reform. The interview goes over Simpson-Bey’s experience as an incarcerated person, and as a leader within his prison family. In this, we hear stories of dehumanization, found family, and the barriers to education within the prison system. Simpson-Bey also describes life after prison and his vision for the future of incarceration through the decarceration movement. Simpson-Bey calls for an end to the systemic injustice of mass incarceration as it exists today.

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Ayana talks about building a relationship with her father who was incarcerated for 17 years of her childhood and how family dynamics changed once he was released. She also discusses channeling these experiences into co-founding and leading an organization that supports young women affected by parental incarceration.

David, a volunteer at Prison Visitation and Support, talks about his experience in a minimum-security facility while incarcerated. He also talks about his experience visiting incarcerated people.

Larry recalls his volunteer visitor work at the Lompoc Federal Correctional Institute. He talks about his family’s history with the prison system, how he got introduced to the field of volunteer work, the stories he has gathered about the dynamics on the inside of a medium or minimum security institution, as well as the benefits and drawbacks of the work he does.

The interviewee describes his experiences visiting incarcerated folks with the non-profit Prisoner Visitation & Support.

Shantel describes what it is like to have an incarcerated cousin and talks about her visits to her cousin in prison.

Victoria shares how her personal experience with the carceral system shapes her writing and activist work. She describes her publications about resistance and organizing in women’s prisons and how her research connected her to producing a zine written and illustrated by incarcerated women.

Valerie speaks about her experience as a visitor to prisons and a family member of incarcerated individuals. She speaks about the punitive nature of the prison system and how she hopes for reform.

David Wynne shares his story of visiting people incarcerated in the same correctional institution he was held in thirty years ago. An important distinction he mentions is that he was placed in minimum security while the men he visits are in medium security. He revealed that while the sadness people experience in prison never changes. Over time, he observed how different people were treated and categorized between facilities. He also describes how he reconstructed his life through faith, family, and community support after his release. In his spare time, he is a coordinator for Books Through Bars, an organization that sends free books to prisons.

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