This week, we share two different reflections on time inside, focusing on how prison interrupts life, education, and development. The first is the conclusion of Chantal’s account of her weeks inside a French immigrant retention center after her arrest during Yellow Vest clashes in Paris. She describes her and other prisoners’ efforts to pass the time and take care of each other amid both neglect and institutional chaos. She then speaks to the emotional aftermath of her time inside.

The second reflection is from Chris, a former prisoner who recently spent nearly a year in a Gainesville, Florida work camp. He describes the senselessness of prison slavery and its distance from rehabilitation. This account was shared with the county commission in Gainesville just a few weeks ago- and contributed to Alachua County dropping its labor contracts with the Florida Department of Corrections. This is the first county in Florida to drop its prison labor contracts.