We’ve got an update on the Texas inmate who was thrown in solitary confinement after her daughter raised money to help a sick cat (yes, really): She’s finally back in regular housing. Texas prison officials confirmed that Sonya Reed, 53, is no longer in administrative segregation, which is a nice way to say “solitary confinement.” […]
Tag: Prison
Posted inNews
After a Prison Cat Fundraiser Went Viral, Texas Officials Put His Caretaker in Solitary Confinement
Just days after a fundraiser to save a sick stray cat at a Central Texas women’s prison raised nearly $11,000, Texas prison officials placed the incarcerated woman who cared for the cat into solitary confinement — despite the fact that she did not organize the fundraiser or receive any of the money. Sonya Reed, a […]
Posted inNews
‘I Didn’t Know So Many People Cared.’ How the Daughter of an Incarcerated Woman Raised $11,000 for a Sick Prison Cat.
In a place defined by razor wire, locked doors, and long sentences, a stray cat named OJ became something rare: a constant, living comfort for women who have access to very little else. And recently when OJ fell seriously ill inside a Central Texas prison, his survival came down to a small group of incarcerated […]
Posted inNews
The Daughter of an Incarcerated Woman Is Crowdfunding a Vet Visit for Her Beloved Cat Named Orange Julius
This may be the sweetest GoFundMe ever created: The daughter of an incarcerated woman in Texas is trying to raise money to save a very sick orange cat who’s been keeping one of them going. Orange Julius, or OJ, is a cat suffering from a kidney infection and urgently needs veterinary treatment, according to the […]
Posted inOpinion
I Watched a Woman Nearly Die in a Cell Across From Mine. Texas Prisons Need Air Conditioning.
Editor’s note: Lanae Tipton is an incarcerated journalist in Texas whose work is supported by Empowerment Avenue, an organization that seeks to increase and normalize the inclusion of incarcerated writers in mainstream publications. Back in May, through the metal-plated mesh cutouts of my cell door in solitary confinement, I watched the gigantic terrorizer being rolled […]
Posted inCulture
Inside Texas Prisons, Women Smuggle Eyeshadow — and Risk Solitary — to ‘Feel Human’
Editor’s note: Kwaneta Harris is an incarcerated journalist in Texas whose work is supported by Empowerment Avenue, an organization that seeks to increase and normalize the inclusion of incarcerated writers in mainstream publications. On a hot day in the summer of 2024, the women’s prison visitation room had fewer than a dozen people in it. […]