April 4, 2025
Dying Row inmate Albert Jones has documented the situations of the jail system by way of his journals and cookbooks.
Albert Jones has been condemned to die. However in an effort “to be remembered” and to help his daughter and grandchildren, he’s promoting his artistic efforts.
Jones’s creations might be auctioned April 3–5 on the New York Worldwide Antiquarian E book Truthful.
A demise row inmate, Jones spent greater than 30 years in one of many nation’s most infamous prisons, San Quentin. He was sentenced to demise in 1996 for the homicide of a California couple. Over time, Jones made a life contained in the place he knew he’d by no means go away. He started writing and creating artwork, utilizing his voice to doc jail life.
The atrocities of incarceration throughout the COVID-19 pandemic impressed his first e-book, I Survived COVID-19, which mirrored on sickness sweeping the establishment. He additionally recounted the deaths of cellblock neighbors, one in all whom was a convicted serial killer. In an interview, Jones spoke concerning the ache of isolation and his want for goal whereas residing beneath a looming demise sentence.
“I need to be remembered as, initially, a human being that made errors,” Jones informed the LA Instances. “I didn’t perceive what I used to be going to do with the remainder of my life, figuring out that the state needed to kill me, as if I wasn’t nothing. I do have price.”
Alongside his visible artwork, Jones is auctioning jail cookbooks that emphasize the communal facet of jail life and handwritten diaries that expose the neglect and brutality skilled by incarcerated folks.
“He was in a cell for 14 days as punishment for no matter, however you’re alleged to get 10 days in that cell,” Jones wrote in a single diary entry. “On the fourteenth day, he killed himself. I don’t know for those who can go to heaven for those who killed your self, however I pray that he made it and that his household is at relaxation. God bless.”
Jones is just not the one incarcerated individual whose artwork has made an affect. Throughout the nation, jail partitions have borne witness to extraordinary creativity. Some artists have gone on to point out their work in main establishments just like the Smithsonian and helped create packages aimed toward rehabilitation, deterrence, and particular person expression.
Former and Present Incarcerated Artists
Tameca Cole
A visible artist and author from Birmingham, Alabama, Cole started creating throughout her incarceration within the Alabama Division of Corrections. Her mixed-media collages, a lot of which discover themes of systemic oppression, mass incarceration, and Black identification, have been exhibited nationally. Cole’s work was featured in MoMA and PS1’s landmark exhibition, Marking Time: Artwork within the Age of Mass Incarceration.
Welmon Sharlhorne
A self-taught artist from Louisiana, Welmon Sharlhorne started drawing throughout his time within the Louisiana State Penitentiary, also called Angola Jail. Utilizing solely ballpoint pens and manila envelopes, Sharlhorne created intricate architectural drawings and surreal machines. Now free, Sharlhorne is identified for his signature model that blends construction, repetition, and creativeness. Sharlhorne’s artwork has been exhibited at establishments such because the American Visionary Artwork Museum in Baltimore and the Ogden Museum of Southern Artwork in New Orleans.
Mumia Abu-Jamal
The journalist, former Black Panther, and political activist has been incarcerated in Pennsylvania since 1981 for the homicide of a police officer. Abu-Jamal maintains his innocence. From demise row, Abu-Jamal turned a prolific author and commentator on problems with race, justice, and state violence. His best-known work, Dwell from Dying Row, chronicles his experiences. The work critiques the American felony justice system. Abu-Jamal’s essays and recorded broadcasts have had a large affect in political and tutorial circles. He continues to advocate for jail reform and abolition.
Mary Enoch Elizabeth Baxter
Also called Isis Tha Saviour, Baxter is a multidisciplinary artist, activist, and educator. Baxter attracts from her private expertise within the Pennsylvania jail system. Her chosen mediums are visible artwork, music, and movie. Her work typically addresses reproductive justice and the criminalization of Black ladies. Her quick movie, Ain’t I A Lady, examines the incarceration of pregnant ladies and was featured on the Sundance and Tribeca Movie Festivals.
Ndume Olatushani
Olatushani is an artist and activist who spent 28 years in jail—20 on demise row—for a homicide he didn’t commit. Born in St. Louis, he was wrongfully convicted in 1985 for a Memphis killing. Throughout his incarceration, Olatushani taught himself to color, utilizing artwork to manage and resist. His conviction was overturned in 2012 after proof of prosecutorial misconduct surfaced. Since then, he has used his story and artwork to advocate for felony justice reform and the abolition of the demise penalty.
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