Trenton Bishop discusses sweltering conditions in Kansas prisons and initiates a call to action for solidarity with residents of KDOC. “We're already suffering. We—we're already going through what we're going through. And I know the consensus is, ‘well, let those criminals sweat,’ but we're humans. We're human beings too. And this A/C thing is making it very hard to function. Like I can't get a full eight hours of sleep because I'm waking up tossing and turning.”

In the first installment of Notes from a Jailhouse Lawyer, Terry Antalek from Ellsworth Correctional Facility explains the injustice of placing a fixed time limit for filing a federal habeas corpus petition. “Many newly convicted individuals are not even aware that habeas corpus remedies exist,” he writes. “Many attorneys never inform their convicted clients of these remedies. Often it's too late when the prisoner learns of these remedies.”

I’m Devon Westerfield, a 29-year-old artist from Independence, Kansas. I am currently incarcerated at Lansing Correctional Facility in Lansing, Kansas. It’s been tough for me to endure these living arrangements, and this is only a peek into my experiences with this flawed system that claims to be in place to “correct” criminal behavior. In actuality, I’ve found that so many of us who are incarcerated have been the victims of true criminal behavior perpetrated by a system that claims to help us. I just want to create true change from within these cages and bring about real positive change for those of us in chains. But we can’t do it alone. We need help.