Prison Journalism Project
Online/Digital
We are an independent non-partisan journalism organization that works with incarcerated writers and those impacted by incarceration to train them in the tools of journalism and help them reach a wide audience through our publication as well as through collaborations with mainstream media.
The genesis of our organization is based on a simple question: how can we unleash the enormous power of journalism to elevate and amplify the voices so often left out of the public conversation about justice and imprisonment in our society?
We believe that the deep reforms that are necessary to fix the U.S. criminal justice system can only happen by shifting the narrative. Intentional, responsible and well-crafted journalism from within the incarcerated community can break stereotypes, bring more transparency and drive change.
Our solution is to provide the necessary training to create the first nationwide network of prison journalists who know the system from the inside. Source
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| Scope | Local |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Country | United States of America |
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Recent Articles
Search ArticlesOne Woman’s Tormented Path to Prison
In the late 1980s, Caroline Guy held a cassette recorder to her head, trying to record the voices she was hearing. She had torn through her apartment, throwing away electronics and furniture, hoping to remove the source of the noise. Guy, a military veteran, had moved to Philadelphia in 1989. In a new city, at a new job, the voices she had heard for most of her life escalated. They encouraged her to harm herself and others.
On Working Behind Bars
For the majority of people behind bars, working a job is not optional. The 13th Amendment abolished slavery and involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for a crime. In fact, more than 75% of incarcerated workers report that they are required to work or face additional punishment, according to a report by the American Civil Liberties Union. Prison jobs vary widely, but these work assignments often come with minimal training and meager compensation.
Here’s What a Typical Day Looks Like in My Prison
Around 5 a.m. I wake up, wash my face, brush my teeth and make a cup of coffee. It’s strong and smells good. My cellmate, a 38-year-old transgender woman named Lexie, a fellow Prison Journalism Project contributor, is usually awake by then, so we talk to start the day together. I’ve known her for 7 months. We get along great. Sometimes, I watch the news to see what the weather will be like. On this day, it’s cloudy and cool outside. The air smells fresh.
What a Monthly Budget Looks Like in Prison
How do you budget on a couple hundred dollars or less a month of income? That’s a question most people in prison have to ask themselves. The vast majority of prison jobs pay an hourly wage of cents on the dollar — and several states pay nothing. Tight budgets are a fact of life in prison. Learning to stretch earnings and finding other ways to pad your income, via side hustles and family support, are an important part of surviving behind bars.
Programming at My Prison Was Overwhelmingly Religious. I Tried to Change That.
In late summer 2023, a TV bulletin appeared around Colorado’s Fremont Correctional Facility inviting people to “Starting Over,” a class about good decision-making and self-betterment. A flier for the class featured a pair of hands holding a young plant in fresh soil. Feeling duty-bound to better myself, I decided to attend. The location of the class was listed as Multipurpose Room 1. When I entered, I thought I must have made a mistake. The room was filled with rows of pews.
How I Found a Chosen Family In Prison
Editor’s Note: Since Lexie Handlang wrote this story, the Missouri state senate has banned the use of department of corrections funds for hormone replacement therapy. In early July, a routine appropriations bill included a single-line provision that triggered the abrupt discontinuation of hormone therapy in state prisons for women like Lexie. Da’Shae Breeze, another PJP contributor who writes from Missouri, reported on the effects this ban has had at her facility.
Why Every Prison Needs a Garden
I took in the earthy perfume of the garden, picked a cherry tomato and popped it in my mouth. My months tending these plants had paid off, and the result was delicious — sharp but mellow, with a soft crunch. I sampled a yellow bell pepper in the next row. It was so sweet and flavorful I could have eaten a meal of these by themselves. I looked over the dozen or so rows: lettuce, cabbage, onions, carrots, cucumbers and melons growing across not-quite an acre.
My First Foray Into Restorative Justice
In March, a flier at my new prison grabbed my attention. It outlined the prison’s upcoming biannual restorative justice program. Before I transferred to Prairie du Chien Correctional Institution, a minimum security prison in Wisconsin, I had heard of the concept but never participated in any program. A newspaper article may have a snippet about the practice’s community-wide involvement, a book might mention circle conferences.
The Case for More Conjugal and Extended-Stay Visits in Prison
Recently, I sat on a plastic chair across from Shakir, my teenage son. He had traveled with his older brother from about an hour away to visit me here in Trenton, at New Jersey State Prison. The three of us were discussing the importance of putting knowledge before wisdom when, out of nowhere, Shakir began to cry. At that moment, my son felt the weight of a cruel fact: He wasn’t able to easily access regular, on-demand guidance from his father.
A Day in My Cell: ‘The Little Things’ I Enjoy in Solitary Confinement
I wake up early at 6 a.m. It’s a habit I picked up back in my early 20s, when I was a defense contractor for a private security firm. I’ll get all the sleep I need when I’m dead. I’ve made myself a “nest” — that’s what one of my street friends calls my makeshift pile of pillows and blankets — in my solitary confinement cell. I stretch my neck as I first wake, the prison mattress doing nothing for my bullet-damaged back. Then I put on my daily clothes: pink socks, pink shorts and a pink shirt.