The AOUON Newspaper is a monthly print publication sent to our members who are currently incarcerated. All the PDF's are available below.
If you’re interested in sharing a personal story—whether it’s one of triumph or hardship—please reach out to info@prisonerswithchildren.org. Your stories matter!
Past Issues 2022-2020
Black August: A Legacy of Freedom Fighting
August 2021 (Vol. 3, Issue 7)
Protecting Visiting Rights for Families
July 2021 (Vol. 3, Issue 6)
AOUON Wisconsin chapter shares how to put on a social justice gala fundraiser, AOUON National updates on the campaign to abolish slavery and involuntary servitude, and the Coalition for Family Unity moves closer to making visiting loved ones a right, not a privilage.
Jim Crow: From Then to Now
June 2021 (Vol. 3, Issue 5)
Dorothy Maraglino shares insight about crime prevention. Dortell Williams shares insight about domestic violence. And Brandon LaVergne asks for help fighting a sentence of life in solitary confinement.
A Place to Call Home
May 2021 (Vol. 3, Issue 4)
The state of reentry housing and how the formerly incarcerated people’s movement is stepping in to take care of our own.
My Life is Not a Game: Ending Three Strikes
April 2021 (Vol. 3, Issue 3)
Incarcerated writer Kelin D. Harris writes about the personal and historical impact of the Three Strikes law and the need to repeal it.
Ending the Vestiges of Slavery
March 2021 (Vol. 3, Issue 2)
Fighting to remove slavery and involuntary servitude from state and federal constitutions is a difficult but necessary battle.
Enough is Enough
February 2021 (Vol. 3, Issue 1)
Law enforcement has a white supremacy problem. Our feature story discusses some of the
reasons why and how we can root out systemic racism among police, prison officials, and
parole/probation officers.
Visitation as a Right
December 2020 (Vol. 2, Issue 9)
Nearly 2.7 million U.S. children have an incarcerated parent, and, with visitation suspended indefinitely in several jurisdictions, many of them have suffered nine long months with little to no connection to their mom or dad. The time is now to ensure visitation as a right.
The Art Issue
November 2020 (Vol. 2, Issue 8 )
The INjustice System Incarcerated artist Donald “C-Note” Hooker writes about the restorative power of art and why prisons should be encouraging incarcerated artists, not limiting their access to supplies and ways to get their work beyond the walls.
Democracy 2020: Election Special
October 2020 (Vol. 7)
You may be jaded by the insanity of the election cycle at this point. But local elections can pave the way for significant reforms -- or make change harder. Check out the state ballot measures that stand to impact our community, for better or for worse and vote like your life depends on it. Because this year, it truly does.
Democracy’s Missing Voices
September 2020 (Vol. 6)
The backbone of the campaign for voting rights is the stories of the directly impacted. As our California chapters push for the passage of Proposition 17, which would restore voting rights to 50,000 parolees if it wins a majority vote in the November election, we’ve asked our membership to share their stories. We hope you will read them and be moved to push for change in your community.
The Devil’s Deal: Plea Bargaining and the De Facto Sixth Amendment
August 2020 (Vol. 5)
The 6th Amendment of the United States grants each person the right to trial. Since the invention of the plea bargain, however, individuals who choose to exercise that right are, more often than not, severely penalized for doing so. This month’s feature looks at the vast discrepancies between what prosecutors and judges say cases are worth when they offer a plea and the time they dole out if a case is taken to trial.
5 Years, 1,988 Names...
July 2020 (Vol. 4)
5 Years, 1,988 Names, ZERO Accountability Black Men, Women Killed by Law Enforcement
Involuntary Servitude: Life as Civilly Dead
June 2020 (Vol. 3)
It reveals itself in prison fire brigades, the replacement of a name with a number, and the plantation fields of the Louisiana State Penitentiary, a.k.a. Angola. It is slavery by other names -- “mass incarceration” or “prison labor” -- and it is an intentional continuation of America’s shameful past.
A Cunning Past: How America Betrayed Democracy
May 2020 (Vol. 2)
It’s becoming a common trope: Haven’t we fought this battle already? Our nation was founded on the belief that you only pay into a system if you receive representation in return. Yet it has only been recently that some states have considered amending laws that keep millions of citizens disenfranchised because of their conviction history.
The Modern Civil Rights Movement is Here
April 2020 (Vol. 1)
Inside this issue... The INjustice system, Our Stories, and Chapter Highlights
