Life in an American cage. New work published here monthly. Account managed by volunteers.
| Platform |  | Pricing | Only free issues | Publishes | Weekly |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Issues | 38 | Founded | 2 years ago | Last Issue | 11 days ago |
| Active | |||||
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prisonlifeunlocked.substack.comLatest Issues
Another Day In Paradise: Still Life of a Prison Experience
Image by Manfred Richter from Pixabay
3:50 a.m.
The loud speaker blares: “Code three! Code three! Prepare for count in 10 minutes!” rousing me from a deep sleep. Neuse Correctional’s intercom repeats each announcement twice, giving me the...
What It’s Like to Have Scabies in Prison
Detail of Sarcoptes scabiei Credit: By Kalumet - de.wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0
I have scabies.
Before the itchy, pimple-like pustules raised from beneath my skin, I had never heard of scabies. I didn’t know how blissful ignorance could be....
Phill's Latest Article in Bolts Magazine: In North Carolina, a Shooting Victim Pleads for His Shooter’s Release After 30 Years
Illustration by Tara Anand for Bolts
Ramulus Mason was sentenced to life without parole because of North Carolina’s three-strikes-law. The man he shot says that he should be freed after having served 30 years.
Join Phill on a journey to...
Medical Malpractice in Prison: How a Broken System Failed to Help a Prisoner Who Needed It the Most
Image by estableman from Pixabay
Damien “Jersey” Gabriel knew something was wrong with his body when he could no longer dunk a basketball.
Back then, in 2014, he was serving life without parole at Marion Correctional, a sprawling maximum-...
Phill Receives an Award from Temple University's Participatory Law Fund
In August of 2025, Phillip Vance Smith, II became an award recipient of the Participatory Law Fund from Temple University, alongside Professors Deborah and Marsha Weissman, for coauthoring a law journal paper titled “Petitioning for Mercy:...
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Authors
The writers behind this newsletter.
Phillip Vance Smith, II has been serving life without parole in North Carolina since 2002.
I am AJ, one of the volunteers on the team of the award-winning incarcerated NC writer and journalist, Phillip Vance Smith, II, writer of the Substack, "Prison Life Unlocked." I'm also a big fan of his work.
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