Defund D.O.C: Turning All Prisons Into Treatment and Career Centers

11/23/2025

I spent 48 solid hours at the prison. I could not sleep to save my life. My back is killing me. There were lights everywhere, and I had to be awake, present, and verbal at count times of 6am, 4pm, and 11pm daily. I FINALLY slept for 3 hours this morning when they came around at 6am. I need a massage really bad right now. That is definitely not the place for me. No wonder everyone has back issues! Oh, and the shower water stayed warm long enough for me to put shampoo in my hair, and rinse it out. Then it was ice cold. I had respect for incarcerated individuals before, but this brings a new level of respect.

11/19/2025

I wanted to share this with everyone here! 23and1.org is a new publication. This was just launched bby an incarcerated individual in Washington State. I’ve been waiting to hear what he had been working on, and just got word that the site is up. Show Bryce some support. Visit the site and subscribe.

This is copied from the site, and tells what 23and1 is about:

Sometimes things happen to us in this life we live, that we are totally unprepared for; a tragic accident, a divorced, the death of a loved one…that completely turns our world upside down. Some people turn to drugs and alcohol to self -medicate, others grow angry and become violent, some don’t know how to continue on with their lives and chose to end it early. There is a common saying that goes, “hurt people, hurt people”. Often times, these people that are hurting due to some unforeseen occurrence, end up hurting others while dealing with their own pain.

That does not make them bad people, it just makes them responsible for whatever mistakes they make while in pain or under duress. Many times, however, these people end up discarded by the justice system, stuck in prison for decades without a second thought.

I am one of these people, and I know many others just like me. We believe that people are much more than our worst mistakes. This is 23 and 1…

Bryce Huber is the founder of 23and1 and the Editor-In-Chief for Words from the Pen. He is incarcerated at the Washington State Penitentiary serving out a 380 month sentence for First Degree Murder.

23and1.org

11/17/2025

11/16/2025

Many of you know that my mom has been fighting cancer, and was placed on hospice in September, and I have been her caregiver. Some of you that are a friend on my personal page have already heard, but Daniel wanted me to share here as well since the Defund DOC community is family. The past couple weeks, there had been significant decline in my mom’s health. On Tuesday evening, she was no longer responsive to voice or touch. Wednesday, she would not drink any water, and hadn’t eaten anything at all in about a week. On Thursday morning, 11/13, I went to her room in the morning to give her medications, and the first thing I noticed were her purple nail beds. I knew she was passing, and let all of the family and others that loved her know that if they wanted to see her….. That was the time to do it. My mom had visitors all day. My brother sat with her at about 9:45 for a little bit and talked to her. She wasn’t responsive but we knew she could hear us. My brother finished sitting with her, and then I went and sat with her, holding her hand, and talking to her. At about 10:45pm, I noticed her breathing became very rapid, and I let everyone know that she would be passing soon. I continued holding her hand and telling her that she is loved, that I was there with her, and that she was ok. I noticed that her breathing slowed and there was more and more time between breaths. At 11:11pm, my brother was in the other room and I went to get him to let him know that if he wanted to be with her when she took her last breath, it was time. My mom passed at 11:15pm on 11/13/25 with myself and my brother holding her hands. It’s been a difficult couple of days without her, and it is painful, but she is no longer in all of the pain she was in. This year has been the hardest. I’ve been her caregiver since January. I sat next to her every day and watched her slowly fade away. But as hard as it was to see her go through that, I wouldn’t trade this year for the world. I was able to be with her, and make sure she had everything she wanted….and that she was taken care of how she wanted. This loss is a very difficult one. I am getting ready to prepare a tribute video for her memorial that we are planning to hold on December 13th. My mom was my rock, and there is so much more I could say. But I just wanted to let everyone know what we are currently going through. I also want to thank everyone for their prayers, and positive thoughts sent her way throughout this past couple of years.

11/05/2025

I haven’t been able to keep up on here as much as I had been. This is a long read, but I felt the need to share some things happening in our personal lives. Some of you who are on my personal page already know what is going on. I’ve posted updates this past year, and also spoke on podcast episodes, about my mom’s battle with cancer. After a 6 year battle with colon cancer which has spread through her whole body, the chemo was no longer working and the doctors didn’t have any other options. 2-3 months ago, she was taken off of chemo, and went on hospice. She has been kept comfortable, and was still completely her feisty self up until between 1-2 weeks ago. She was getting increasingly confused, was sleeping over 20 hours a day, had difficulty communicating, and lost all of her strength. She has been confined to the hospital bed that is in her room. She is unable to move from the bed. I care for her 24 hours a day. Last weekend, I noticed a drastic decline. I let all family and friends know, so they could come see her. Her nurse is now saying that she is expected to be passing any day now.

My mom has a fighter spirit! She’s not just giving up. This is how she is in all aspects of life, and she is the reason I have so much empathy for others. Through the Defund DOC journey, we have shared stories of incarcerated individuals with her, she’s spoken with many inmates on the phone. Her mind frame with inmates (all people really), is that they are still human. She’s never looked down on anyone, and does what she can to help people succeed. She had worked for the same company for a very long time, up until the cancer spread to her brain in January. Her job was a male dominated workplace. In the last year she was working, her company hired a man who was just reentering society. A lot of people would be judgemental, but my mom took him under her wing to help him succeed. This man didn’t have a car, and was living in a shelter. She would leave early every morning to drive to pick him up and give him a ride to work. In areas that she saw him struggle, she spent extra time training him. She gave him a chance, where others wouldn’t.

My mom is loved so deeply by so many people because of who she is. She’s stubborn, feisty, and will always speak her mind. BUT, she sees good in absolutely everyone.

I know that people here who follow us are empathetic, and compassionate, and want all people to be treated like human beings regardless of their past. Please never stop seeing the GOOD in others. YOU are changing lives that you don’t even know by showing compassion to those the world judges. We have all made mistakes in life……I have made many. But no matter what, I have had the support of my mom, and she is the reason that I am who I am today. After all of the times I’ve screwed up in life….a few years back, she told me that she is proud of me, and that hit me to the core like nothing I’ve felt before. Life is short. Make sure your loved ones know that you are PROUD of them, because that is one POWERFUL word.

Thank you to all of this community that has kept her in your thoughts and prayers. Please say a little prayer, send positive thoughts, and vibes her way as she prepares to move on from this life. If you read through all of this, thank you. Defund DOC is a family to us, and we appreciate you all. ❤️

10/27/2025

Please read snd sign the petition below.

Urge Coffee County, Alabama, to Send Kenneth Paul McLendon to Dual Diagnosis Rehab Instead of Prison

We, the concerned citizens and supporters, respectfully urge the leadership of Coffee County, Alabama—including the District Attorney, presiding judges, and local officials—to consider rehabilitation instead of incarceration for Kenneth Paul McLendon , who is currently being held in the Coffee County Jail.

Kenneth has cycled in and out of the justice system for years, but during that time, he has never received a proper mental health evaluation or been offered access to a dual diagnosis treatment program that addresses both addiction and underlying mental health issues.

Sending him back to prison, into a system already under federal investigation for inhumane conditions, drug trafficking, and systemic failure, is not only ineffective—it is harmful.

We, the undersigned, ask the leaders of Coffee County to grant Kenneth this one chance—to break the cycle and begin to heal. Let him enter a dual diagnosis rehabilitation center instead of returning to a system that has failed him time and again.

Justice does not always mean punishment. Sometimes it means doing what is right, not just what is routine.

Why is this important?
Why This Matters:

* The Alabama prison system is engulfed in drugs, violence, and trauma—often brought in by staff themselves—and lacks even basic mental health services.

* Kenneth has never been afforded the opportunity to recover, only to be punished.

* A dual diagnosis rehab program would treat both his mental health and substance use challenges, giving him a real chance at stability and success.

* Rehabilitation is more cost-effective and results in lower rates of reoffending than incarceration.

Why This Matters: • The Alabama prison system is engulfed in drugs, violence, and trauma—often brought in by staff themselves—and lacks even basic mental health services. • Kenneth has never been afforded the opportunity to recover, only to be punished. • A dual diagnosis rehab program wou...