This month we are bringing you the second in our series of essays from writers with lived experience who are directly impacted by the bills we advocate for. The  essay for this installment is written by incarcerated journalist Chris Blackwell and freelance writer Rachel Zarrow, and was originally published in The Nation. Blackwell and Zarrow's essay, entitled "The Invisible Labor of Women Who Love Incarcerated People," highlights the myriad of costs faced by women with incarcerated loved ones.

Communication costs are one part of the picture—it can cost hundreds of dollars to visit a loved one in prison. And people are frequently moved from prison to prison, making visits difficult, if not impossible. One of the bills we advocated for in the 2024 Legislative Session,  SB 6021, would have required the Department of Corrections to provide free phone calls and other communications services for people who are incarcerated. Unfortunately, that bill did not make it out of the Senate Ways & Means Committee.

The burdens of incarceration change, but don't end, upon reentry. In addition to difficulties in securing housing and jobs, there are few resources available to address the mental health needs arising from incarceration and reentry. Blackwell concludes by citing an astonishing statistic—94% of  women surveyed reported that the strain of their partner's incarceration has had a "significant or extreme" impact on their emotional and mental health. 

You can read Blackwell and Zarrow's powerful piece here, and learn more about how the bills we advocated for fared during the 2024 Legislative Session on our webpage.

About Christopher Blackwell:

Blackwell, 42, is a Washington-based award-winning journalist currently incarcerated. He is the 2023 Narratively Memoir Grand Prize Winner. The cofounder and Executive Director of Look2Justice.org a grassroots organization of system-impacted organizers working to cultivate justice, fairness, and accountability in Washington State's criminal legal system through research, public education, and advocacy that leads with racial equity. His work has been featured in the New York Times, The Washington Post, Boston Globe, Huff Post, and many more. He is a contributing writer with Jewish Currents and a contributing editor at The Appeal. He works closely with Empowerment Avenue, a nonprofit organization that uplifts the voices of incarcerated writers and artist. You can read more of his work on his website or follow him on X (formally Twitter).