It Takes Time to be an ASL/English Bilingual

By Jean F. Andrews Learning ASL and English does not happen quickly. It takes time as do all first language and second language learning. Delays in language learning is a fact in many deaf persons’ lives. But it does not have to be. Being deaf does not cause a language delay. It is the lack

Preschools, Prisons and Deaf Inmates

By Jean F. Andrews In Sunday’s New York Times (October 26, 2013), Nicholas D. Kristof wrote a compelling piece linking two ideas that seemed, at first blush, to be oceans apart–preschools and prisons. What comes to mind is an innocent looking, three year old playing with play dough next to a grizzled inmate who looks beaten down by poverty, low education

Kids in Adult Jails: Almost Half States Stopping Practice

By BitcoDavid The Campaign for Youth Justice just released a report that states that a number of legislative bodies in America have revisited the concept of warehousing teen offenders in adult facilities. America detains 70,000 youths per day — WaPo. There are now numerous bodies of evidence that this practice not only keeps the offenders

Haven’t Had a Digest Post in a While, Now

By BitcoDavid Former Parchman Farm warden passes at 67 Donald Cabana was the warden of what many consider to be the harshest prison in the United States. He was also a staunch anti-death penalty advocate. He was known for saying, “There is a part of the warden that dies with his prisoner.” — NYT. In

Reading and Deaf Researchers

By Jean F. Andrews Since I’ve been in higher education, I’ve seen an increase in numbers of graduate students who are deaf apply to deaf education programs. I have also seen the increase in the hiring of professors who are deaf in different institutions where I have worked. The topics of their research papers are

Massachusetts’ Saddest Day

By BitcoDavid This has nothing to do with the Deaf, or with the Justice System. But nonetheless, it’s an obituary that I am truly saddened to post. On October 20th, the legendary Hilltop Steak House will close its doors. I courted my wife there – or should I say, she courted me, being the member

Marsha Graham Speaks Out on Juvenile Crime

[Editor’s Note: Marsha Graham is one of my favorite Supporter Contributors, and a very dear friend. Without her help, I never would have gotten started learning ASL, and she’s been a cornerstone of aid and comfort to DeafInPrison.com, since we launched. This piece was originally a comment she wrote to the post Juvenile Crimes – Our

Juvenile Crimes – Our Main Pain!

By Supporter Contributor Paul Smith It’s sad to admit but over the past years the problem of youth crime is becoming more and more urgent. Teachers, social organizations and specialists working in this field are very concerned about the tendency to degradation of the new generation of our society. Young people who have not come

When Death Comes as a Kindness

By BitcoDavid Herman Wallace is best known as one of the Angola 3. Sites like Prisonmovement’s Weblog and Moorbey’z Blog have spent years trying to get him released from solitary confinement in Louisiana. Early on Friday, October 4th, Herman Wallace passed away, after a long battle with cancer. He was 71 years old. Wallace was a

I Flunk My Hearing Test

By Joanne Greenberg I was sure that I would pass because I hear so much better than my husband, and while some people were difficult for me to hear unless I was facing them, most of them speak clearly enough for me to follow. I did the bit in the soundproof box and when the