Dear Reader
Black Sheep Mom is a little secret world. Kinda.
Dear Reader,
If you have landed here, you have, no doubt, traveled some distance in life. You have come from places that others can hardly imagine. My guess— you think and feel deeply, and you see the world around you in ways others simply cannot. Black Sheep Mom doesn’t just appear in any feed, it arrives to the passionate souls.
We are so lucky to have you here.
My name is Bridget, and I have a son in prison.
When you have an incarcerated child and you dare to mention it, the looks are humbling. A record scratches somewhere and the music stops. People try to be gentle, but nonverbals betray them. Feet shuffle, hands fidget, eye contact gets weird.
In that moment, a question hangs between us: What did he do? The question itself is common, and maybe justified, but I often make it about me. I carry a heavy feeling that I, his mom, somehow contributed to a bad-ness out in the world. What kind of parent were you? Have you no shame?
The hard truth is there are three versions of every story: yours, mine, and the truth.
There are nearly two million people incarcerated in the United States, and every one of them was born to a mother. Until we are in it, we can remain blissfully unaware that 50% of Americans have a relative living inside of an American jail or prison.
And in spite of these facts— the stigma is enough to keep a suffering, perplexed mom silent. I have, in fact, been quiet for a long while. Not because I am ashamed of my son, but because I have been keenly aware that the outing of these truths could be a liability to my professional reputation and/or make other people uncomfortable. You see, I’m not just a prison mom.
I am a licensed psychologist. I have three other children. I have a spouse and seemingly shiny life that you would never know is linked to prison matters.
And I am over it.
This is bigger than me.
Black Sheep Mom isn’t just a personal tale — it’s a call to understand how incarceration affects all American people. It is a reckoning. It is about what we can do to make this system work better for all of us.
My posts include real-time stories from prison visits and calls, emotional honesty, policy insights, and links to facts and figures which impact not only our family, but yours too.
Because what my son and two million other inmates are exposed to, exposes you.
We collectively spend over $2 billion a year as taxpayers only to see over two-thirds of our prisoners re-arrested within three years of their release. Over 95% of State prisoners are slated to come back to the community at some point in the future, and a full 46% of them will be reincarcerated within five years.1
All of us are getting completely ripped off.
Please Know
Please know that I am not here to push an agenda.
I am Team Us.
Black Sheep Mom is not a platform to convince you of anything, but to open a discussion because frankly all of the red people, the blue people, those who have stars or those who have none upon thars— everyone is welcome here.
Please jump into the discussions in these popular posts:
Behind the Wall
Your presence here matters more than your subscription tier.
Most of my posts are open to the public, some are not. Sometimes the information that I have to share is personal. Given that my son is housed in a maximum security prison at Level Four, it is not safe to allow the general public, the D.O.C., and casual trolls access to these posts. Details about our lives are reserved for our community, for those who are invested in the discussion and change for the better in this world.
Paid subscriptions 100% fund my son’s commissary, book purchases, phone calls, and JPay messages. Our paid subscribers are life to us, literally. You are sustaining a real man in a real prison in real-time, and there are no words that will ever convey our gratitude.
I send out an email newsletter every other Friday. On alternate weeks, I throw in extra content, chats, throwbacks, and other gifts for paid subscribers.
Lastly, all are welcome to join our Misfit Lit Book Club! We read one justice-adjacent book per quarter and meet on Zoom to chat about them. I would love to see you there.
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🖤 Love, Bridget
Thank you for educating us. I admire your work and telling your journey.