While supporting all prisoners, the Defenders try to pay special attention to politically conscious prisoners. Here are four comrades who, at great personal risk, speak out strongly about social justice issues and so help others open their eyes to the true nature of the society we live in, whether inside or outside the walls.
A letter to the editor from Madeline Ivey, a Richmond resident moved to help by accounts of the crisis at Red Onion.
Last December, prisoner-activist Kevin “Rashid” Johnson put out a call “to create a prisoner support network composed of people who genuinely care about prisoners and the conditions we live under and abuses we suffer, namely our loved ones.”
A letter to the editor from Virgil Hawks, incarcerated at Red Onion, regarding the very difficult conditions there.
We always look forward to hearing from our sisters and brothers in Virginia’s prisons, jails and detention centers. But we don’t have attorneys, we’re not paralegals and we’re not able to provide legal advice. Here are some organizations that may be able to help with legal matters.
Reflections on Martin Niemöller’s famous poem and the vital importance of solidarity.
Last October, long-time prisoner-activist Kevin “Rashid” Johnson broke the story that men held at the notorious Red Onion Supermax prison in southwestern Virginia were setting themselves on fire in a desperate attempt to get transferred out of that hellhole.
The Virginia Defender 