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11 June, 2019

"In Newspeak there is no word for 'Science.'" -- G. Orwell https://t.co/lyV2wgUlYk

15 May, 2019

RT @joseph_purtell: As the Tibetan community disperses across the globe, it's becoming increasingly difficult to keep the language and cult…

15 May, 2019

A key point about Silverstein, often overlooked in the lame tabloid coverage of his crimes, is that he then went de… https://t.co/dlzFXaxUje

14 May, 2019

We never met in person. The government wouldn't let any reporter interview him face-to-face for the last 30 years.… https://t.co/gd6Be7UsSv

2 May, 2019

RT @ColoradoSun: With climbing comes death. And survivors guilt. Now it’s time to talk about it: https://t.co/Ft5nCDvohS via @joseph_purt…

Alan Prendergast

Alan Prendergast has been writing for Westword for over thirty years. He teaches journalism at Colorado College; his stories about the justice system, historic crimes, high-security prisons and death by misadventure have won numerous awards and appeared in a wide range of magazines and anthologies.

Latest Stories

Thomas Silverstein, America's Most Isolated Prisoner, Dead at 67

1 month ago | Crime

He spent more than thirty years in solitary confinement.
Solitary Man: A Convict's Journey From Lockdown to Standup

2 months ago | Crime

Richard Boccardi spent half his adult life behind bars, but he might have the last laugh.
Columbine Survivors Talk About the Wounds That Won't Heal

3 months ago | Colorado History

Twenty years after the day that changed everything, Columbine has also become a case study for the long-range trauma inflicted by a mass shooting.
How a Career Criminal Broke the Convict Code and Saved Himself

6 months ago | Crime

In the federal prison where snitches where often targeted for death, a master criminal became King Rat — and turned his life around.
The Shocking Story of Vet Matt Poer's Taser Death in Elbert County

7 months ago | Longform

The questions surrounding Matt Poer's death reflect a national debate over whether law enforcement has become too reliant on Tasers as a “less-than-lethal” use of force.
Jeff Johnson's Release: Life After Life Without Parole

7 months ago | Crime

Sentenced to life in prison for a crime that occurred when he was seventeen, Jeff Johnson is one of the first of Colorado's juvie lifers to be released.