Christopher Zoukis, JD | December 24, 2013 | Prison Life
A few months back, when I first started with In These Times, I had a talk with Logan Sachon at The Billfold about what I intended to do with The Prison Complex and why I find prisons so infuriating and fascinating. It was an enjoyable discussion. But when she asked me, “What do TV and movies get right … […]
Read MoreChristopher Zoukis, JD | December 23, 2013 | Prison Life
Prisoners incarcerated in both federal and state correctional systems are subject to prison disciplinary codes of conduct through which they can be sanctioned for committing disciplinary code violations. Often these disciplinary processes are nothing more than a proverbial kangaroo court. The prisoner is charged with misconduct, issued an incident report (sometimes called a “Disciplinary Report” […]
Read MoreChristopher Zoukis, JD | December 20, 2013 | Prison Life
If a Texas state prisoner dies or is executed, relatives or friends can pick up the body. If they don’t, he or she is buried in the largest prison graveyard in the United States – the Captain Joe Byrd Cemetery in Huntsville, Texas. Such burials occur around 100 times each year. Named after an assistant […]
Read MoreChristopher Zoukis, JD | December 2, 2013 | Prison Life
WASHINGTON—Today, U.S. Senators Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), and Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) announced that in response to concerns that they raised over the last two months, the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) has now indicated that it has altered its plan to turn the only secure facility for women in the […]
Read MoreChristopher Zoukis, JD | November 7, 2013 | Educational Programs
There are few religious institutions the world over as renowned as the Moody Bible Institute. Founded in 1901, Moody has educated some of the greatest religious scholars of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. Moody Distance Learning offers two levels of study: Undergraduate and Fee-Based Bible Study. Both of these are well respected in the industry. Undergraduate […]
Read MoreChristopher Zoukis, JD | November 4, 2013 | Educational Programs
Founded in 1890, Blackstone Career Institute is one of the oldest distance learning schools in the U.S. Over 125,000 people have changed their lives by taking a course with Blackstone. We have a long history of providing convenient and affordable education for prison inmates. Education is the cornerstone of success and has proven benefits for […]
Read MoreChristopher Zoukis, JD | November 1, 2013 | Educational Programs
Prison College Program Welcome to the Adams State University Prison College Program. Here you will find information about what Adams State University can offer to incarcerated individuals. At Adams State University, we know how important education is to all individuals, especially those who happen to be incarcerated. Through correspondence courses, Adams State University provides an opportunity for incarcerated students to work for college […]
Read MoreChristopher Zoukis, JD | October 17, 2013 | Advocacy and Reform
In the past several weeks I have been researching the sex offender laws applicable to sex offenders living in Rhode Island and in South Carolina. While not surprising, the laws are anything but rational and they are certainly not empirically based. This goes across the board, not merely in Rhode Island or South Carolina but […]
Read MoreChristopher Zoukis, JD | October 7, 2013 | Prison Life
Christopher Zoukis, a 27-year-old federal prisoner, is the author of Education Behind Bars: A Win-Win Strategy for Maximum Security (Sunbury Press, 2012), a contributing writer for Prison Legal News, and a regular commentator on prison matters in the penal press. He has navigated the troublesome waters of incarceration for the past 8 years, in both […]
Read MoreChristopher Zoukis, JD | August 23, 2013 | Prison Life
Initial Designation at a Federal Bureau of Prisons Facility Federal prisoners are not given a choice in which prison they are first designated to. This designation is made by the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) Designation and Sentence Computation Center (DSCC) in Grand Prairie, Texas. Initial designation determinations are based upon a number of factors. These factors […]
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