AQS Inmate Call

This conversation delves into the critical issue of staff shortages in correctional facilities across America, exploring its causes, consequences, and the broader implications for incarcerated individuals, correctional officers, families, and public safety. The discussion highlights the human cost of understaffing, the impact on rehabilitation and healthcare access, and the need for systemic chang...

The conversation explores the experiences of Tina, an inmate at the Washington Correction Center for Women, who shares her insights on the challenges faced by women in prison, particularly regarding the treatment of transgender inmates, discrimination, mental health issues, and the need for reform in the correctional system. Tina emphasizes the emotional and mental abuse prevalent in the prison en...

Prisons and jails feel like concrete black boxes, but every carceral institution in the country runs on mundane paperwork: maintenance logs, vendor kickback contracts, intake sheets, and grievance reports. By law, almost all of it is public record. So why do so many advocates, organizers, and families hesitate to ask for it? In this episode of AQS Inmate Call , we pull back the curtain on how corr...

This episode explores the chaotic and emotional experience of inmates during transfers within the correctional system, focusing on the loss of personal property, the psychological impact of sudden moves, and the need for humane treatment and support for reintegration into society. It highlights the importance of connection, individualized care, and the systemic flaws that contribute to the struggl...

If you’ve never had a reason to love someone behind razor wire, your Saturday morning belongs to you. If you do, your weekend started Friday night—laying out three backup outfits, ditching underwires, and memorizing dress codes built to be enforced at a guard’s arbitrary whim. In this episode of AQS Inmate Call , Joel breaks down the reality of "The Visit Room Gauntlet"—the grueling, bur...

Behind the barbed wire, ruggedized tablets and digital messaging were promised as modern tools for rehabilitation. In reality, they've created one of the most lucrative, captive monopolies in North America. In this episode of AQS Inmate Call , host Joel Wilborn pulls back the civic curtain on the carceral telecommunications industry. From sixteen-cent-a-minute calls and overpriced digital stam...

This episode explores the complex issues surrounding transgender prisoners, gender-affirming care, and the legal and ethical debates in Washington state. We examine recent court cases, safety concerns, and the future implications for prison policies and transgender rights. Washington State Standard

What does it really take to maintain a connection when the person you love is behind bars? AQS Inmate Call pulls back the curtain on the raw, complex, and often misunderstood realities of navigating relationships, institutional bureaucracy, and daily survival within the correctional system. From dissecting the hidden social dynamics and unwritten rules of prison life to confronting systemic polici...

What if the real opposite of addiction is not sobriety, butconnection? Gerald Lott shares the hard-earned recovery playbook that turns isolation, prison, and relapse risk into community, purpose, and second chances. If you care about addiction, incarceration, or what actually helps people change, this conversation will stick with you.   Gerald does not speak in theory. He has lived 18 years inlong...

In this episode, Ann shares his journey of gender transition while incarcerated, his preferences in a partner, and insights into the experiences of trans individuals in prison. This candid conversation offers a unique perspective on gender identity, relationships, and the challenges faced by trans people behind bars. Anne Carpenter: DOC # 430572 (Washington Corrections Center for Women).

This episode sheds light on the critical issues of medical neglect and human rights violations within the prison system, featuring a firsthand account from Sophia Rhodes, a long-term inmate facing severe medical neglect. It emphasizes the urgent need for reform and accountability to ensure proper care for vulnerable populations.

In this episode of AQS Inmate Call , Joel Wilborn uncovers how forced psychiatric hospitalization expands the reach of the criminal legal system. From emergency civil holds to forensic commitments, learn why police act as medical transporters, how civil courts detain individuals without standard due process, and why coercive mental health practices act as a wingman to mass incarceration.

When a teenager is sentenced as an adult, the punishment doesn’t stop at the prison gate — it ripples through families, friendships, and futures. Host Joel Wilborn explores what happens when youth meet adult justice: the mental toll, the safety risks, and the cycle of recidivism that follows. This episode asks hard questions: Are there better alternatives? Which states lead in rehabilitation? And...

In this episode, Joel Wilborn shares a recent experience with the Washington Department of Corrections — including two visitation and communication denials with conflicting explanations, missing documentation, and a letter stating he would receive “no further replies.” This episode breaks down what happened, why it matters, and what families can do when DOC blocks communication, denies visits, or...

In this episode, William Bailey shares his powerful journey from trauma and addiction to hope and recovery. His story highlights the importance of resilience, faith, and the impact of sharing one's story to inspire others. https://www.amazon.com/Roseman-Folding-Kindness-Broken-Life/dp/B0GVQ23859/ref=sr_1_1?crid=G5WBXCA0NJ2O&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.TTCOQJDQ3MWPQyfiTydPOl3mGsDlSnuovcHcyHFxnHF-kcAJwNmJD...

When you are sentenced to life, the system doesn’t just take your time—it rapidly consumes your body. In this episode of AQS Inmate Call, we expose the brutal reality of "accelerated aging" behind bars. Studies show incarceration fast-forwards the human body by 10 to 15 years, but for women, that biological clock spins even faster. Right now, women in their early 50s are experiencing chr...

When states abolish discretionary parole, does early release actually disappear? In this episode of AQS Inmate Call , Joel breaks down a powerful, eye-opening brief by the Prison Policy Initiative that exposes the hidden reality of truth-in-sentencing laws. Seventeen states and Washington D.C. have shifted to "determinate sentencing," but their taxpayer-funded parole boards never packed...

Reentry isn’t a moment — it’s a maze. This episode breaks down Washington’s Reentry Navigator program, the statewide push behind it, and the lived reality of people trying to rebuild their lives after incarceration. The wins, the barriers, the policy, and the human cost of getting reentry wrong.

In this episode, we expose the quiet crisis spreading through America's correctional facilities: the systematic replacement of physical mail with digital scanning and the ongoing war of attrition against in-person family visitation. We look at the administrative arguments behind these policies and counter them with the harsh reality of the human toll they extract. Drawing heavily from the Pris...

In the podcast “The Case of Shalin Alltus,” Shalin recounts the events that led to her uncle’s murder. In this episode, Shalin’s cousin, Americus Alltus, provides the victim’s perspective on the incident.

Imagine your lowest moments becoming your greatest source of strength. Krissi Jacobson’s raw and powerful story reveals how she faced trauma in prison and endured sexual harassment, leading her to rediscover her purpose and resilience. After a tumultuous life marked by addiction, crime, and multiple stints behind bars, Krissi embarked on a journey of self-awareness and healing. Despite the negativ...

The debate over prison housing just hit the federal level. The U.S. Department of Justice has opened a civil‑rights investigation into the Washington Corrections Center for Women — and the stakes couldn’t be higher. This episode breaks down why the issue has exploded nationally, focusing on the core concerns driving public and legal pushback around housing biological male inmates in women’s prison...

When the gate opens, the real test begins. In this episode of AQS Inmate Call, we break down why post‑incarceration DOC support is the difference between rebuilding a life… or getting pulled back into the system. We spotlight DOC programs that work — trauma‑informed reentry, peer‑led support, gender‑responsive services — and expose the failures that keep recidivism high, from releasing people into...

When is the last time you questioned the real human cost behind prison policies? A shocking investigation by the Office of the Corrections Ombuds exposes terrifying abuses in Washington's largest women’s prison — pepper spray attacks where safety guidelines were ignored, a woman nearly losing her life in a delayed rescue, and weeks of unjustified solitary confinement that leaves scars long after r...

Constitutional violations within government agencies—particularly the Department of Corrections—often remain hidden behind non-disclosure agreements and out-of-court settlements. We’re pulling back the curtain on these transgressions and discussing why DOC officials must be held publicly accountable in a court of law. It’s time to move past systemic silence and demand transparency for victims and...