Transform Dane

04/04/2026

04/03/2026

04/03/2026

04/02/2026

"Most nights, the group’s discussions stay casual. They might argue about the best meals served in the chow hall or trade ideas for cooking commissary food ... Other nights, the conversations shift toward more personal topics. People talk about relationships inside and outside prison, family members, or what life might look like after release. Sometimes those discussions include experiences related to sexuality or gender identity. “For some people, it’s the only place they talk about that stuff,” Terrence said."

Trans and q***r inmates share their experiences in finding belonging and normalcy within the bounds of a hostile prison system.

04/01/2026

"Although there are still instances of transphobia, I no longer let it break me down. I feel sorry for those people. I am an out and proud trans woman; hear me roar."

“Although there are still instances of transphobia, I no longer let it break me down,” writes Lexie Handlang. “I feel sorry for those people.”

04/01/2026

'When I asked Farmer what people should do who want to be in solidarity with trans people in prison on this Trans Day of Visibility, she recommended reaching out to organizations helping trans people inside and finding out how to support their work. But in addition, she highlighted how crucial it is to reach out to individual trans people inside, who may be isolated or experiencing mental health crisis, “even if it’s no more than sending a card to say we’re thinking of you.”'

The vitriol of Trump’s anti-trans attacks has stoked anti-trans violence by prison staff and other incarcerated people.

03/21/2026

NAMI has released Navigating the Criminal Justice System: A NAMI resource for people with mental illness and their families.

This resource guide was created to help people with mental illness and their families better understand what to expect — from arrest through prosecution, incarceration, and community re-entry — and how to navigate each stage.

Download the guide at nami.org/CJGuide

03/19/2026

01/26/2026

NEW BLOG: "I can’t help but look around and notice everyone seems convinced that what’s breaking this country is disagreement. That if we could just convince the 'other side' to see things correctly; vote correctly, think correctly, believe correctly, we’d be fine. I don’t think that’s true anymore. The most destructive force I’ve seen, both inside institutions and out in the world, isn’t disagreement. It’s distance. Distance between the people making decisions and the people living with the consequences. Distance that looms so large no one feels responsible anymore."
https://transformdane.com/distance/

01/13/2026

Direct Mail has gotten busy enough to prompt Emrys to make us these fancy new fulfillment sheets for internal use. The date tracking will further assist us in monitoring the speed at which mail is making it in and out of institutions. With barriers to communication constantly being added (looking at you, mail scanning), this data is crucial for outside advocacy. At Transform Dane we believe direct outreach through mail is crucial to bringing impacted voices to political action.

12/30/2025

The most commonly torn down, torn up, removed and destroyed item from one year of monthly CO 'shakedowns'. Unrelated, duplicates are allowed in Dane Co Jail. Also, in the United States per the 1st amendment.