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"Gladys is not incarcerated, at least not physically. Her brother, Allen, is serving a sentence of life without parole in an Alabama prison. But, Gladys said, “Sometimes I feel like I’m in prison more than [he is].” 

To have a loved one in prison is to worry constantly. Gladys worries about her brother’s basic needs, whether he has enough warm clothes and enough to eat, whether he’s safe from violence. 

Gladys is not alone. Families of incarcerated people everywhere suffer a great deal when their loved one goes to prison. The best way to ease that fear is through phone calls and emails. But even simple communication is becoming a source of concern."

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I spent 44 days in confinement after using the phrase "blow this joint" on the phone.

"Three years ago, a woman incarcerated in the Barnstable County jail asked a member of the sheriff’s staff for help with her writing. The jail’s response became a class for incarcerated women on writing their own life stories. CAI’s Jennette Barnes joined the class for a day."