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

07/09/2026

We will have some very news to share about Resilient Families United soon! This is a nonprofit currently in Spokane. Resilient Families United is a community-based organization in Spokane, WA. Their mission is to support families with children with complex needs, empower caregivers, and strengthen communities by connecting people to essential resources, educational workshops, and supportive peer networks.

Please consider donating. Resources are limited, and the Founder/Executive Director, a friend of mine, is exceeding her vision for what Resilient Families United would be…..It’s bigger, and so many families will benefit!

We will have an announcement and more information in the upcoming weeks regarding Resilient Families United that we are very excited about! We ask for your support and donations if you have the means. And if you are unable to donate, PLEASE please please share this post 🙏 There is a great need, so let’s help to allow more families to be supported!

Hi, my name is Breanna Erdman, and I am launching Resilient Families United, a nonp… Breanna Erdman needs your support for Launching Resilient Families United

06/16/2026

And theeeen there’s this one….

06/15/2026

Daniel wanted me to post a photo. I used chat gpt to fix the background. I’ll post the edited and the original versions.

04/25/2026

I got an update from Ronnie Smith, the gentleman I had to advocate for regarding his neglected medical care. I was informed that he was saying all day yesterday that he NEEDED to talk to me, and finally got to speak with me this morning. This gentleman was placed on extended op**te use prior to arriving at Airway Heights Correctional Center. Once he arrived at AHCC, they discontinued his op**tes. He was on them due to severe pain. And inability to move. Because of being taken off of them, he was spending up to 23 hours a day in his bed. This morning, he was wanting to speak with me the moment I woke up. He saw medical yesterday (has seen medical numerous times in the past couple months since I sent the advocacy email). The doctor has been unusually kind to him since my email. She asked him about adding a different pain med and told him to quickly tell her why he wants to be on a different med. He stated it was because he was in pain and couldn’t breathe. She pulled up his X-ray and showed him that where his spine is…..it should be white on the X-ray, but his is see through. She told him that he’s dying a slow death because of his back, and all other health conditions. She placed him on 15mg Morphine ER twice a day. He got his first dose last night. When he spoke with me this morning, he said that he didn’t sleep at all last night. He worked out instead. He hasn’t been able to work out for a very long time. He also sounded like a completely different person. I could hear the happiness and excitement in his voice. He thanked me profusely and told me that my email saved him. He said that another inmate that has been struggling to get into medical asked how he managed to get in. He said “have you heard of Defund DOC?”. He told me that I worded the email like an attorney, and demanded his care, everything is being taken care of now. He said, “your name must be Linda fn Boss Woman Simms!” I am beyond happy and excited for this man, and his new outlook on life. I never did get a response to the advocacy email by the prison, but that doesn’t matter, because he is being taken care of now. I am positive that the prison saw that they would have a huge lawsuit on their hands due to the medical neglect.

We all need to continue to fight for those who need the help. Our voices ARE powerful. If Ronnie hadn’t crossed my path, he may not have had much time left. Someone told me that they thought he would end up dying in the near future. At least now, he is able to see life differently and has hope.

03/23/2026

I made a post earlier saying that I had recently advocated for an incarcerated man in Washington, Ronnie Smith, who was facing medical neglect and ADA violations. I am posting more to the story here. I am going to first list the ADA violation and medical concerns that have been neglected. Then, I will give the update I received from Ronnie.

• Recurrent staph infections left untreated after going over a month without prescribed antibiotics (Clindamycin)
• Additional prescribed medications (Mupirocin & Fexofenadine) not refilled despite repeated requests
• Long-term medications just being discontinued without being seen by a provider
• Wheelchair-dependent but housed in a non-ADA compliant cell where his wheelchair cannot fit through the doorway, forcing him to walk from the cell door to his bed.
• Forced to walk in severe pain and confined to bed up to 23 hours per day
• Development of open, leaking bed sores without proper wound care or treatment plan
• Lack of consistent medical oversight, despite complex and worsening conditions
• Chronic pain untreated after prior pain management was discontinued, with no clear plan in place
• Barriers to accessing Medication-Assisted Treatment (MAT) services
• Unclear status of medically necessary transfer to MCC-TRU for appropriate care and ADA housing

These conditions put him at risk for serious infection, sepsis, and further medical deterioration. Ronnie also suffers from Emphysema due to his type of work before incarceration, causing him to be on oxygen.

RONNIE’S UPDATE: I got on the phone with Ronnie on Friday and he said that he had to go have blood drawn. He said that he crossed paths with the doctor who he didn’t know. The doctor said “Hello Mr. Smith! I got a call about you and will be meeting with you next week to discuss all your medical concerns.” Ronnie asked if I had called in addition to my demand email. I didn’t call, BUT, I had sent the email to the superintendent at his facility AND the Chief Medical Director (Headquarters). So, the person that called the facility to tell them to meet with Ronnie, was the Chief Medical Director.

So, as of right now, it appears that Ronnie may start getting the care he needs, BUT, he needs continuous appointments. Not just one and then a follow up months from now. So, I will be sharing Ronnie’s updates and hopefully successes here as I receive them.

03/22/2026

I recently had to advocate for a man who is incarcerated in Washington. He was dealing with medical neglect, and the prisons ADA violations. This man was basically being left in his cell to die. He is disabled and is in severe pain when having to walk, but the prison he is at put him in a cell that he cannot get his wheelchair through the door. There were may serious health concerns that could have led to death if untreated. It had been some time since he had seen the provider and all his requests had been ignored. I sent a demand email for this gentleman. In the email, I listed each of his conditions and concerns, what proper treatment would be for them, and what would happen if left untreated. After not hearing back about a week later, I assumed it had been ignored and I was preparing my follow-up. I thought, maybe that email was a little too strongly worded and too demanding. But, I received an update from him a couple days ago. I am going to make a separate post for this update, and I will be regularly posting updated on this.

02/14/2026

I have refrained from this post for some time now. We even did a podcast episode that we put on hold to see if things changed.

I’m genuinely curious…

Do any of you attend visits where the COs treat you like you’re an inmate yourself? Have you experienced CO’s targeting you or other individuals?

And when you make complaints about staff attitudes or behavior, does it feel like it goes in one ear and out the other?

Has anyone else experienced a toxic environment during visitation?

And I want to know — what’s the worst thing you’ve ever heard a CO say, or what have you seen them do during a visit?

In Washington State Department of Corrections facilities, visitation is supposed to be moving toward something better. Under the Family & Offender Connections (FOC) initiative and the “Reimagining Visitation” effort, leadership — including Tim Lang — has spoken about creating a more family-centered, respectful, and rehabilitative visitation experience.

Reimagining Visitation is meant to focus on dignity, humanity, and strengthening family bonds — because research consistently shows that strong family connections reduce recidivism and support successful reentry.

So how does it align with that vision when:

• Families are treated with hostility or suspicion
• Complaints are ignored
• Multiple families raise the same concerns, yet nothing changes
• And staff make condescending comments like, “Since they’re complaining, maybe they’ll stop coming to visit.”

That is not reimagining visitation.
That is retaliation.
That is intimidation.
And that directly undermines the stated goals of FOC and the reform work being discussed.

When multiple families file complaints, DOC has to recognize there may be truth to what’s being reported. Turning a blind eye only deepens distrust. And when COs know families are speaking up and their behavior worsens in response — that’s the opposite of accountability.

How would you handle that situation?

If the system claims to value family connection, then families must be treated as partners in rehabilitation — not as nuisances to be discouraged.

If this is happening, it deserves to be documented, discussed, and addressed. Families shouldn’t be made to feel like they don’t want to visit out of fear of the staff monitoring visitation.

What are your thoughts, and/or opinions on visitation issues? What kinds of things have you dealt with, or are dealing with?

02/12/2026

HELLO Defund DOC community! 📚

A lovely couple we’ve known for a while, and have also had on past podcast episodes, has written a powerful book together titled The Prison Wives Bible, and we wanted to share it with you all.

When asked for a quote, Jessica said:

“There are moments in life that divide time into before and after. Watching someone you love enter the carceral system is one of those moments. Before the sentence, there was normalcy, however imperfect. After the sentence, there is a new language to learn, a new system to navigate, and a new version of yourself you did not ask to become.

This book was written for that after.”

So many in our community know exactly what that “after” feels like…the confusion, the isolation, and the strength it takes to keep going. Resources created by and for impacted families matter.

You can grab your copy by clicking the link below.

Go get the book, support their work, and let us know what you think! ✊🏽💜

The Prison Wives Bible

01/12/2026

The first live stream is done, and we are about to get back on. We will be live im 3 minutes (6:30pm PST)