Midwest Books to Prisoners
@midwestbooks2p.bsky.social
We share free reading materials with people behind bars, undermining the lack of access to communication and education while amplifying voices the system silences by helping people self-publish their works as zines. Get involved! linktr.ee/midwestbooks2p
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Midwest Books to Prisoners is excited to announce our new home at Theatre Y, a free theater & abolitionist space in North Lawndale, located at 3613 W Cermak Rd (1 block from the Central Park Pink Line). 💗💗💗
Volunteers are welcome anytime during our open hours: 💞Wednesdays 3-7pm
💞Saturdays 12-5pm
Volunteers are welcome anytime during our open hours: 💞Wednesdays 3-7pm
💞Saturdays 12-5pm
Reposted by Midwest Books to Prisoners
When I and many of the men around me were at our hope’s end, letters and pictures were the knots at the end of the rope that we clung to.
In Prison, Holding Handwritten Cards Is a Rare Joy. Illinois Is Taking It Away.
When mail is digitized, it becomes sterile – no longer a precious handwritten card that smells like my gramma’s perfume.
buff.ly
December 25, 2025 at 5:15 PM
When I and many of the men around me were at our hope’s end, letters and pictures were the knots at the end of the rope that we clung to.
Reposted by Midwest Books to Prisoners
A Chicago man from Bulgaria died in ICE custody after immigration arrest. blockclubchi.co/49nejse
December 23, 2025 at 4:00 AM
A Chicago man from Bulgaria died in ICE custody after immigration arrest. blockclubchi.co/49nejse
Reposted by Midwest Books to Prisoners
ICE’s Illinois arrests during Trump’s crackdown were among the nation’s highest — and most people arrested didn’t have criminal records.
Here are 4 other findings our investigative team discovered from ICE's own data: blockclubchi.co/3YM9x1i
Here are 4 other findings our investigative team discovered from ICE's own data: blockclubchi.co/3YM9x1i
December 23, 2025 at 4:00 PM
ICE’s Illinois arrests during Trump’s crackdown were among the nation’s highest — and most people arrested didn’t have criminal records.
Here are 4 other findings our investigative team discovered from ICE's own data: blockclubchi.co/3YM9x1i
Here are 4 other findings our investigative team discovered from ICE's own data: blockclubchi.co/3YM9x1i
Reposted by Midwest Books to Prisoners
FCI Dublin was shut down in 2024 after revelations of abuse against prisoners. Residents want it to stay closed.
ICE Wants to Reopen Notorious California Prison. Locals Are Fighting Back.
FCI Dublin was shut down in 2024 after revelations of abuse against prisoners. Residents want it to stay closed.
buff.ly
December 20, 2025 at 3:02 PM
FCI Dublin was shut down in 2024 after revelations of abuse against prisoners. Residents want it to stay closed.
Reposted by Midwest Books to Prisoners
Prison Mail Rules Are Changing to Prevent Drugs. Has it Worked?
Prison Mail Rules Are Changing to Prevent Drugs. Has it Worked?
Oregon no longer allows many forms of physical mail. It’s become harder for people to send incarcerated loved ones Christmas cards.
prisonjournalismproject.org
December 19, 2025 at 2:45 PM
Prison Mail Rules Are Changing to Prevent Drugs. Has it Worked?
Reposted by Midwest Books to Prisoners
A 26-year-old Palestinian political prisoner has died in Israeli custody, where torture-related deaths have sharply increased over the past two years. At least 100 Palestinians known to have died in Israeli jails since October 2023, though the actual number is believed to be higher
Palestinian prisoner dies in Israeli custody amid surge in torture-related deaths
Sakhr Zaoul is among at least 100 prisoners known to have died in Israeli jails since October 2023, though the actual number is believed to be higher
www.middleeasteye.net
December 15, 2025 at 3:33 PM
A 26-year-old Palestinian political prisoner has died in Israeli custody, where torture-related deaths have sharply increased over the past two years. At least 100 Palestinians known to have died in Israeli jails since October 2023, though the actual number is believed to be higher
Reposted by Midwest Books to Prisoners
Protesters gathered outside of Texas Gov. Greg Abbott’s mansion on Dec. 13, calling for better access to health care for incarcerated Chicano activist Xinachtli and other political prisoners.
https://prismreports.org/2025/12/18/xinachtli-political-prisoner-protest/
https://prismreports.org/2025/12/18/xinachtli-political-prisoner-protest/
Protest calls for better treatment of Chicano political prisoner Xinachtli
Xinachtli, an activist imprisoned for over two decades, did not receive proper health care after a bad fall in the shower, activists say
prismreports.org
December 18, 2025 at 10:26 PM
Protesters gathered outside of Texas Gov. Greg Abbott’s mansion on Dec. 13, calling for better access to health care for incarcerated Chicano activist Xinachtli and other political prisoners.
https://prismreports.org/2025/12/18/xinachtli-political-prisoner-protest/
https://prismreports.org/2025/12/18/xinachtli-political-prisoner-protest/
Reposted by Midwest Books to Prisoners
While arrests spiked in Illinois, a combination of popular resistance and state policy offered some protection to immigrants, especially compared to more collaborationist states. Places like New Jersey could do much more to protect residents and stop police collaboration with ICE.
December 11, 2025 at 9:48 PM
While arrests spiked in Illinois, a combination of popular resistance and state policy offered some protection to immigrants, especially compared to more collaborationist states. Places like New Jersey could do much more to protect residents and stop police collaboration with ICE.
Reposted by Midwest Books to Prisoners
Illinois lawmakers and reform advocates are calling for stronger oversight of the state’s new prison health care provider following a Sun-Times report.
'There is no accountability.' Lawmakers, advocates call for more oversight of prison health care
chicago.suntimes.com
December 18, 2025 at 4:21 PM
Illinois lawmakers and reform advocates are calling for stronger oversight of the state’s new prison health care provider following a Sun-Times report.
Reposted by Midwest Books to Prisoners
NEW — On Friday, youth justice advocates will host its annual “Loud and Lit Up” rally and noise demonstration outside the Illinois Youth Center and the Cook County Juvenile Detention Center.
thetriibe.com/2025/12/chic...
thetriibe.com/2025/12/chic...
Chicago youth justice advocates to host annual ‘Loud and Lit Up’ rally to demand that incarcerated youth be released • The TRiiBE
On Friday, youth justice advocates will gather for a rally and noise demonstration outside of the Illinois Youth Center and the Cook County Juvenile Detention Center. Their goal is to shine a light on...
thetriibe.com
December 18, 2025 at 6:48 PM
NEW — On Friday, youth justice advocates will host its annual “Loud and Lit Up” rally and noise demonstration outside the Illinois Youth Center and the Cook County Juvenile Detention Center.
thetriibe.com/2025/12/chic...
thetriibe.com/2025/12/chic...
Reposted by Midwest Books to Prisoners
Check out the transcribed interviews with Xavier de Janon of the @nlg.org and two members of the #DFW Support Committee discussing the #Prairieland Case in light of Trump Regime threats against antifascists
tfsr.media/zines/#Novem...
tfsr.media/zines/#Novem...
December 18, 2025 at 8:37 PM
Check out the transcribed interviews with Xavier de Janon of the @nlg.org and two members of the #DFW Support Committee discussing the #Prairieland Case in light of Trump Regime threats against antifascists
tfsr.media/zines/#Novem...
tfsr.media/zines/#Novem...
Reposted by Midwest Books to Prisoners
NEW — Community members decried local police in Chicago and suburban Evanston; both departments were accused of assisting Border Patrol Commander Greg Bovino and his Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents.
thetriibe.com/2025/12/mayo...
thetriibe.com/2025/12/mayo...
Mayor Brandon Johnson calls Bovino a ‘liar,’ says Chicago police did not assist immigration agents • The TRiiBE
These accusations aren’t new. Organizers and community residents have accused Chicago police of assisting the feds in multiple instances this summer and fall.
thetriibe.com
December 18, 2025 at 8:07 PM
NEW — Community members decried local police in Chicago and suburban Evanston; both departments were accused of assisting Border Patrol Commander Greg Bovino and his Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents.
thetriibe.com/2025/12/mayo...
thetriibe.com/2025/12/mayo...
Reposted by Midwest Books to Prisoners
Rare survey done in IDOC shows at least 2/3 of incarcerated people experienced homelessness or housing instability in 3 years prior to entering prison. Illinois needs a statewide reentry housing strategy to ensure effective reentry into society, advocates say.
chicago.suntimes.com/public-safet...
chicago.suntimes.com/public-safet...
Thousands leaving Illinois prisons face high risk of housing instability, new study finds
A first-of-its-kind statewide survey shows many reentering society may face difficulty finding housing. Advocates say the data underscores the need for major investment in reentry housing and services...
chicago.suntimes.com
December 9, 2025 at 3:44 PM
Rare survey done in IDOC shows at least 2/3 of incarcerated people experienced homelessness or housing instability in 3 years prior to entering prison. Illinois needs a statewide reentry housing strategy to ensure effective reentry into society, advocates say.
chicago.suntimes.com/public-safet...
chicago.suntimes.com/public-safet...
Reposted by Midwest Books to Prisoners
As Pres. Trump prepares to boast his administration's "accomplishments" from 2025, we want to highlight all the changes he's made to the U.S. criminal legal system this year. 🧵
Spoiler: It's really bad.
Spoiler: It's really bad.
December 18, 2025 at 1:50 AM
As Pres. Trump prepares to boast his administration's "accomplishments" from 2025, we want to highlight all the changes he's made to the U.S. criminal legal system this year. 🧵
Spoiler: It's really bad.
Spoiler: It's really bad.
Reposted by Midwest Books to Prisoners
Mothers Activating Movements for Abolition and Solidarity argue that the policy replacing physical mail with digital scans strips incarcerated people of dignity and creates new questions around privacy.
Illinois prisons don’t allow physical mail. Mothers are pushing to restore access.
Members of the advocacy group MAMAS argue that handwritten letters matter, especially to people who have been incarcerated for years.
19thnews.org
December 9, 2025 at 9:39 PM
Mothers Activating Movements for Abolition and Solidarity argue that the policy replacing physical mail with digital scans strips incarcerated people of dignity and creates new questions around privacy.
Reposted by Midwest Books to Prisoners
NEW — Criminal justice advocates are demanding that Gov. JB Pritzker and the Illinois Department of Corrections adopt their response plan to mitigate harm should both entities decide to relocate the Logan prison population before a new facility is built.
thetriibe.com/2025/12/crim...
thetriibe.com/2025/12/crim...
Criminal justice advocates demand humane transfer process for people incarcerated at Logan prison • The TRiiBE
Though move-out dates at Logan Correctional Center haven’t been formally announced by Gov. JB Pritzker or the Illinois Department of Corrections, advocates organizing on behalf of incarcerated people ...
thetriibe.com
December 9, 2025 at 10:55 PM
NEW — Criminal justice advocates are demanding that Gov. JB Pritzker and the Illinois Department of Corrections adopt their response plan to mitigate harm should both entities decide to relocate the Logan prison population before a new facility is built.
thetriibe.com/2025/12/crim...
thetriibe.com/2025/12/crim...
Reposted by Midwest Books to Prisoners
A new Amnesty International report on conditions at “Alligator Alcatraz” and Krome North Service Processing Center details how human rights violations at the two facilities amount to torture in some cases.
New Report Exposes Torture, Abuse, and Medical Neglect in Florida Migrant Jails
An Amnesty official noted that the abusive conditions the organization observed at the facilities “are not isolated.”…
truthout.org
December 4, 2025 at 6:31 PM
A new Amnesty International report on conditions at “Alligator Alcatraz” and Krome North Service Processing Center details how human rights violations at the two facilities amount to torture in some cases.
Reposted by Midwest Books to Prisoners
Whistle kits with zines were essential to organizing Chicago’s resistance to the federal invasion.
December 10, 2025 at 6:30 PM
Whistle kits with zines were essential to organizing Chicago’s resistance to the federal invasion.
Reposted by Midwest Books to Prisoners
“What none of us yet knew was that correctional officers across New York had staged a wildcat strike,…By the end of the strike, at least seven incarcerated individuals had died inside New York’s prisons”
New York prisons are still struggling to resume normal operations nearly a year after illegal officers’ strike, writes Devin A. Giordano in a new R2W story. New York’s prison system didn’t collapse simply due to understaffing, but rather a longstanding culture of minimal accountability for officers.
New York prisons struggle to resume normal operations after officers’ strike
New York’s prison system didn’t collapse simply due to understaffing, but rather a longstanding culture of minimal accountability for officers
prismreports.org
December 6, 2025 at 3:25 AM
“What none of us yet knew was that correctional officers across New York had staged a wildcat strike,…By the end of the strike, at least seven incarcerated individuals had died inside New York’s prisons”
Reposted by Midwest Books to Prisoners
"People may judge those of us in prison, but at the end of the day we are people, too," writes Walter.
‘Humanity Supersedes Everything Else’ on Thanksgiving
I've had 16 prison Thanksgivings, but who's counting? Here in my section, which houses 84 of us, we have an additional tradition.
prisonjournalismproject.org
November 27, 2025 at 10:47 PM
"People may judge those of us in prison, but at the end of the day we are people, too," writes Walter.
Reposted by Midwest Books to Prisoners
The San Diego Metropolitan Correctional Center was projection bombed last night. Images shown over the prison’s surface decried immigration enforcement, the current presidential admin, and the need to observe a day of mourning rather than one of thanksgiving.
More: www.instagram.com/p/DRkk970Ekt...
More: www.instagram.com/p/DRkk970Ekt...
November 27, 2025 at 7:40 PM
The San Diego Metropolitan Correctional Center was projection bombed last night. Images shown over the prison’s surface decried immigration enforcement, the current presidential admin, and the need to observe a day of mourning rather than one of thanksgiving.
More: www.instagram.com/p/DRkk970Ekt...
More: www.instagram.com/p/DRkk970Ekt...
Reposted by Midwest Books to Prisoners
NEW: Federal prison workers are jumping ship & heading to ICE for better pay + bonuses. Already BOP lost >1400 people this year, reversing all of 2024’s staffing gains. It’s an unintended consequence of Trump’s push for mass deportations
My 1st for @propublica.org
www.propublica.org/article/ice-...
My 1st for @propublica.org
www.propublica.org/article/ice-...
As Federal Prisons Run Low on Food and Toilet Paper, Corrections Officers Leave in Droves for ICE
Many of the problems the agency is facing now are not new, but staff and prisoners fear an exodus of officers could make life behind bars even worse.
www.propublica.org
November 21, 2025 at 6:38 PM
NEW: Federal prison workers are jumping ship & heading to ICE for better pay + bonuses. Already BOP lost >1400 people this year, reversing all of 2024’s staffing gains. It’s an unintended consequence of Trump’s push for mass deportations
My 1st for @propublica.org
www.propublica.org/article/ice-...
My 1st for @propublica.org
www.propublica.org/article/ice-...
Instead of cutting library staff, Chicago could cut out shotspotter and other tech fascist police technologies #stopshotspotter
November 24, 2025 at 6:13 PM
Instead of cutting library staff, Chicago could cut out shotspotter and other tech fascist police technologies #stopshotspotter
Reposted by Midwest Books to Prisoners
Daniel Sanchez is facing federal charges for what free speech advocates say is a clear attack on the First Amendment.
The Feds Want to Make It Illegal to Even Possess an Anarchist Zine
Daniel Sanchez is facing federal charges for what free speech advocates say is a clear attack on the First Amendment.
interc.pt
November 23, 2025 at 3:35 PM
Daniel Sanchez is facing federal charges for what free speech advocates say is a clear attack on the First Amendment.
Reposted by Midwest Books to Prisoners
“The steadfast organizing in Chicago remains a beacon of hope and essential guide for activists across the country,” said one organizer.
Chicagoans Refuse to Be Cowed in the Face of Unrelenting State Violence
Chicago is giving the US “a stellar example of how to fight back against these xenophobic pogroms,” said one organizer.
buff.ly
November 11, 2025 at 7:50 PM
“The steadfast organizing in Chicago remains a beacon of hope and essential guide for activists across the country,” said one organizer.