"We may have been raised in these institutions. That does not mean we want to die here" Read incarcerated writer Raymond M. Williams Jr.'s powerful dispatch on how prisons' emphasis on "family" marginalizes State Raised individuals, who grew up in institutions jewishcurrents.org/when-prisons-p…

really well-written and thoughtful piece by Raymond M. Williams Jr.. Incarcerated people get certain privileges and better chances of parole release if they have family support, but what about those raised in state institutions like foster care?

Raymond M. Williams Jr. writes for Jewish Currents about state-raised individuals and their experience inside prison, with a gut-wrenching illustration by incarcerated artist Corey Devon Arthur. jewishcurrents.org/when-prisons-p…

Countless former foster youth populate our prison system. These State Raised prisoners experience incarceration differently than those with families. Read about it in my latest piece with Jewish Currents. jewishcurrents.org/when-prisons-p…

MUTUAL AID REQUEST! Big warm welcome home to Dr. Christy Perez (C. Dreams)🏳️‍⚧️. We are helping with some funds as she starts up her life and continues her writing career from out here. If you can send any money her way, please send it to Venmo account Emily-Nonko with the line "For Christy."

Raymond M. Williams Jr.'s latest for The Progressive is about the shift he's witnessed as his prison got access to tablets and e-messaging, and all the data that @SecurusTech Aventiv Technologies is collecting as it happens. Read it here: progressive.org/latest/when-ta…

When tablets first came to my prison, it changed life inside -- but nothing in this world is free. Read about it in my latest publication with The Progressive. progressive.org/latest/when-ta…

State Raised: Raymond Williams Part 1of4 Check out the link in my Bio and on Spotify. What is the meaning of the term “State Raised”? As you listen to Aaron and Ray speak about the “State Raised” and “School to Prison Pipeline” phenomenon, keep a few facts in mind, bearing in

State Raised: Raymond Williams Part 2 Link to the audio is in my Bio above..... Please listen. What is the meaning of the term “State Raised”? As you listen to Aaron and Ray speak about the “State Raised” phenomenon – are there any benefits being raised by the state? Well, Ray

“I know my son as I know him—before the state kept him from any contact with me for more than 10 years. And I know his arrest was a direct result of my absence in his life.” My latest for ⁦Slate⁩: slate.com/news-and-polit…

Link to this recording is in my Bio above. State Raised: Raymond Williams Part 3 Reality dictates the quality of prison recordings and this one is not great at all but the content is worth putting up with a bad sound quality – prison reality. Ray is just one in far too many kids

State Raised: Raymond Williams Part 4 The link to this gripping four-part Podcast series is in my Bio above - Please give it the time it deserves and listen. The State is your parent when you are State Raised – except when you screw-up and then suddenly, there is no-one in your

I’m an incarcerated journalist. Today Securus, a predatory prison communication co, silenced journalists. With no warning they deleted all drafts of writing. Years of work. Manuscripts. Articles. Everything gone. We’re no longer able to save drafts. Now near impossible to write.

"Per a member of a transnational trafficking organization, there’s no financial incentive to put fentanyl in cocaine. Which doesn't stop it from happening by accident." Fentanyl Isn’t Being Cut Into the Cocaine Supply. Here’s Why. By Jonathan Kirkpatrick: filtermag.org/fentanyl-cocai…

Sexual abuse is often a taboo topic for men, especially Black men. Writing this article made me reflect & recognize the harm I've endured. Abuse affects entire communities, not just individuals. We cannot tolerate a society that protects abusers and silences survivors.

Marvel Cooke Fellow Raymond M. Williams Jr. explores how the closure of a prison in Washington State has divided a community of abolitionist organizers. Read the full story: shadowproof.com/2023/11/27/in-…

Are you following the writers in my incarcerated writers group? If not, you should! Get the latest stories from behind the walls. Last year they published over 100 articles. Antoine Davis Kevin Light-Roth TheAbolitionChristian℠ Raymond M. Williams Jr. Darrell K. Jackson Jonathan Kirkpatrick

I was charged as an adult for stealing guns at 16 years old. This crime is currently being used to keep me in prison until I die. Hear my testimony to Washington legislature on SB 6063 in this video (1:47:25) as I plea for the lives of myself and others. tvw.org/video/senate-h…

In Washington state, prisoners are organizing with community for the right to vote from prison. Hear our words in this video from the public hearing on HB 2030 (beginning 49:18). tvw.org/video/house-st…

“I face living my entire existence in a country that’s lecturing the world about democracy, while having never participated in it.” Read excerpts from my testimony on HB 2030 in this piece from Washington State Standard