In the Margins
My Memories of the New York Prison Where Inmates Say a Mentally-Ill Black Man Was Beaten to Death
Fishkill Correctional Facility is haunted by more than just ghosts.
How to Protect Yourself from Violence in Prison
Whenever you go to the prison yard, there's always a chance you won't make it back. I would know: I spent ten years inside and learned how to weaponize everything from magazines to cigarette filters.
The New York Prison the Two Murderers Escaped from Has a Terrifying Reputation Among Inmates
In my time as a prisoner in New York State, I always heard dark rumors about Clinton Correctional Facility.
The Pains I've Endured Inside Police Vans and Prison Buses
I estimate that I've spent more than 100 hours in handcuffs being shuttled from prison to prison. I've seen a lot of things on those trips.
Passover in Prison
What it's like to observe a ritual celebrating escape and hope among murderers, anti-Semites, and faux converts just looking for a holiday gift box.
What It's Like to Spend St. Patrick's Day in Prison
Corned beef and cabbage were served on St. Patrick's Day every year I spent in prison, a testament to the racial politics of the prison-industrial complex.
How It Feels to Return to the Internet After a Decade in Prison
A lot can change when you spend 123 months behind bars.
Why Do French-Canadians Dominate New York's Christmas Tree Market?
Each holiday season, NYC sidewalks host fresh faces from Quebec, young bohemians hocking Douglas Firs to wealthy locals.
The Disgusting Stuff Desperate Russians Drank During Soviet Prohibition
Cologne, toothpaste, and industrial solvents all provided cheap thrills for Soviet citizens.
My Journeys into the Margins of Society as an Ex-Con
The margins, the twilight, the fringe of society—that's where the present first rolls over into the future, and this column aims to report from there.