Derek Trumbo

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Articles

Anti-trans bills in Kentucky target health care for the incarcerated

2 weeks ago | prismreports.org | Derek Trumbo |Tina Vasquez

Maddilyn Marcum is proud to say she was likely among the first transgender women incarcerated in Kentucky to receive hormone replacement therapy (HRT), health care that the 36-year-old says helps alleviate the gender dysphoria she experiences while incarcerated at Northpoint Training Center. But Marcum may soon be denied this critical, gender-affirming care. Republican lawmakers in Kentucky recently introduced two bills targeting incarcerated trans people.
Never eat the candy on your pillow: You are what you eat

Jan 8, 2025 | prismreports.org | Derek Trumbo

Dear Reader,“You are what you eat.” How many times have you heard this phrase? In prison, the phrase takes on a whole new meaning. Incarcerated people have no control over what they eat or how it affects their health. It’s that prison food makes people sick. That’s because most of what incarcerated people eat is carbohydrates and starch. There is no fresh food in prison. I—like a lot of my fellow inmates—am diabetic.
Never eat the candy on your pillow: Time confines us all

Dec 17, 2024 | prismreports.org | Derek Trumbo

Dear Reader,This column is about—wait for it, drum roll please—time. What is time? What amounts to a waste of time? How much time do any of us have left? As I write this, I’m listening to the soundtrack for the Broadway musical “Rent.” Five hundred twenty-five thousand six hundred minutes,Five hundred twenty-five thousand moments so dear. Five hundred twenty-five thousand six hundred minutes,How do you measure, measure a year?
The forgotten toy box

Dec 5, 2024 | prismreports.org | Derek Trumbo

Dear Reader,When some folks think of “criminals,” they lump us into a one-size-fits-all box. But prison is populated by many different people, and just because they throw us all into the same box, doesn’t mean our stories and experiences are the same. As a child, my parents used to take me on what I call “curbside trips.” You might be asking: What is a curbside trip?
A conversation with the incarcerated about voting rights

Oct 28, 2024 | prismreports.org | Derek Trumbo

Dear Reader,What does voting mean to you? This may seem like an easy enough question to answer, but for some of us, it’s not so simple. It goes without saying that felony disenfranchisement laws make many Americans ineligible to vote, but across the U.S., there’s also a hodgepodge of laws dictating whether incarcerated people can cast a ballot—and this includes more than 400,000 “legally innocent” people held in jails who are eligible to vote but effectively barred from exercising the right.
Never eat the candy on your pillow: The ‘what if’ game

Sep 23, 2024 | prismreports.org | Derek Trumbo

Dear Reader,Today’s topic is mental health. There, I said it. I can’t begin to tell you how apprehensive I am about discussing this subject. Many people are. But why is this so touchy? Could it be that from time to time, people have unhealthy thoughts? Do people fear asking themselves hard questions like whether they should speak to someone about what they are going through? Is it normal to feel so angry? So depressed? So uncertain?
Prison Banned Books Week: Mark Twain Goes to Prison

Sep 19, 2024 | bookriot.com | Derek Trumbo |Kelly Jensen

This essay is part of a series to raise awareness during the second annual Prison Banned Books Week. Each essay, written by a currently incarcerated person, details the author’s experience of reading on prison tablets. Because every one of the 52 carceral jurisdictions in the country have different prison telecom contracts and censorship policies, it’s important to hear from incarcerated people across the country.
Never eat the candy on your pillow: Sun on my skin

Sep 10, 2024 | prismreports.org | Derek Trumbo

Dear Reader,I can still remember a teacher I had as a young child who enlisted my class to participate in a science experiment centered on a beautiful houseplant. Our task was simple enough: When our name was randomly pulled out of a box, it was our job to water the houseplant—that is, until the houseplant was placed in the closet. The teacher said this is how we’d learn about photosynthesis.
Never eat the candy on your pillow: Hope lies in the rubble

Aug 19, 2024 | prismreports.org | Derek Trumbo

Dear Reader,Imagine everything around you is in flames. There is smoke billowing up from the dorms, and the academic building, medical unit, library, and commissary are all ablaze. Picture incarcerated people running wild and wreaking havoc with their faces covered in towels and T-shirts. Now, place yourself behind the razor-wire fence with nothing to do but watch. That’s the situation I found myself in on Aug.
Never eat the candy on your pillow: Born free

Jul 9, 2024 | prismreports.org | Derek Trumbo

Dear Reader,Many children collect dolls, teddy bears, or other stuffed animals to make their lives feel comforting and complete. My sister had tons of dolls, including more than 20 plush Garfield dolls. Her favorite was a Garfield doll with a bowl of spaghetti over his head. My favorite was her lone Odie doll. Odie the dog was Garfield’s frenemy. As a kid, I loved dogs—even if they scared me. Where I grew up, most dogs had sharp, angular teeth and vicious growls.