Houston Chronicle criminal justice reporter Keri Blakinger — who once served 21 months of a 2½-year sentence for felony drug possession — visits a women’s prison near Austin, Texas, and considers the ways in which women’s prisons don’t take into consideration women’s particular needs. She speaks with those involved in planning a new $97 million building at the prison, which would be “at the vanguard of a growing focus within criminal justice reform known as gender-responsive corrections.”
This piece is included in the Washington Post Magazine‘s “The Prison Issue,” exclusively featuring writing, photography, and illustrations by those who are currently incarcerated, or were in the past.