Incarcerated Prison Journalist Faces Retaliation Campaign

Texas prison officials are keeping incarcerated journalist Jeremy Busby in solitary confinement conditions. They also seized his prison tablet, a lifeline for him at the Jim Ferguson Unit facility that is around 90 miles north of Houston. Busby maintains that this treatment is in retaliation for his writing, including articles that have addressed systemic problems in Texas prisons. Guards took Busby’s prison tablet after he was accused of a sexual assault-related disciplinary case that his supporters insist is part of a wider effort to censor him. To further the perception that the facility was not singling out Busby, guards reportedly went to each cell in the segregation unit and seized every prison tablet. 

He had shoulder surgery at the end of July after Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) officials allegedly denied him medical attention for several weeks. Dr. Jeremy Somerson reportedly ordered busby pain medication and 24-hour medical observation. However, officials at Ferguson Unit have declined to provide necessary medicine to Busby and a nurse practitioner allegedly canceled a follow-up appointment. His recovery is not going well, as he reports the level of pain is at a 9. He has limited mobility because of the lack of rehab and denial of medical attention.

Busby communicated to a reporter at The Dissenter, journalism that covers and documents the stories of whistleblowers in corporations and government, that he is in 24-hour confinement in his cell. He is strip searched and handcuffed and shackled every time that he exits. He is not allowed to possess any personal property other than basic hygiene items. He may not have food or “legal work.” He is prohibited from making phone calls or commissary purchases for food.

Before this campaign of retaliation, Busby said he could freely leave his cell, possess personal property, and add up to $105 to his commissary every two weeks. He had visits on the weekends, access to his prison tablet and phone call and e-messaging privileges.

To appeal the disciplinary case against him, Busby must go through a grievance process. A 2017 report from the Prison Justice League indicates that this process is filled with delays, “a lack of transparency,” “concerns about oversight, and the failure to resolve legitimate grievances.” 

Theodore Amey, a friend and supporter of Busby, also spoke to The Dissenter.  “Jeremy is in danger because of his journalism and activism. [TDCJ officials] don’t want any bad publicity, and there is no other inmate more popular than Jeremy because of his journalism. This puts Jeremy at a high risk.”

Amey wrote an editorial,"Dissenting Against Rogue Texas Prison Officials" to raise awareness about the retaliation campaign against Busby.

An excerpt:

It was Jeremy Busby's commitment to ensuring incarcerated people in Texas were treated with respect, dignity, and afforded every opportunity possible to reach their full potential that connected us. It inspired me to do the advocacy work I am committed to in my community and served as the foundation to my volunteer work for his JoinJeremy.org platform. 

Since the COVID-19 pandemic, I have watched Jeremy commit himself even more to prisoners’ rights advocacy. In addition to partnering with ABC News on an award-winning documentary, Jeremy has written countless articles—including for the Houston Chronicle—about the deteriorating living conditions within Texas prisons.

Those partnerships and writings have plummeted Jeremy’s status with Texas prison officials. Instead of being a role model prisoner, Jeremy is now a despised dissenter that must be “taught a lesson.” 

Busby has served more than 20 years of a 75-year sentence, and he is seeking exoneration for what he maintains is a wrongful conviction at the age of 21. He has earned a graduate degree from the University of Houston-Clear Lake and is a former staff writer for TDCJ’s prison newspaper.

To learn more about Jeremy Busby, you can visit Join Jeremy, an organization formed to promote the national social justice movement dedicated to freeing Jeremy Busby and correcting injustices throughout the country. You can also view his writing on his pages with Prison Writers and Freedom of the Press Foundation.