Caroline Guy was diagnosed with severe paranoid schizophrenia while awaiting trial for murder. Her story, marked by mental illness and abuse, is the story of so many women who land in prison.
https://prisonjournalismproject.org/2026/09/03/one-womans-tormented-path-to-prison/

👋 IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: Our Journalism as Literacy initiative has been named a 2026 Emerging Strategies Honoree by the Library of Congress.

How One Lifer Went From Being ‘Absolutely Ruthless’ to Nice as Hell.
https://prisonjournalismproject.org/2026/09/08/transformation-in-prison/

Nine in 10 PJP Learning writers who finish two courses gain two reading grade levels. There are 24 hours left to help us match the Library of Congress' $5,000 ⤵️
https://givebutter.com/pjpgifts

The Library of Congress named PJP’s Journalism as Literacy initiative a 2026 Emerging Strategies Honoree. It comes with a $5,000 prize. We're challenging our readers to celebrate by matching it. Help us turn $5,000 into $10,000 for PJP Learning in the next 48 hours.
https://prisonjournalismproject.fundjournalism.org/prisonjournalism-membership/?campaign=701S600000sFYDZIA4

We’re aiming to add 250 new subscribers to The Inside Story between now and September 18. If you read our newsletter, please repost and share your favorite story by a PJP writer.

[contains quote post or other embedded content]

For Labor Day, we asked three PJP contributors to write about their jobs in an overlooked sector of the U.S. workforce. Here is what they said.
https://prisonjournalismproject.org/2026/09/03/jobs-in-prison/?utm_source=Bluesky&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=PJP-Bluesky

✉️ We’re on a mission to help PJP writers reach more people.

This year, we set a goal to add 250 new readers to The Inside Story.

Why? Because these writers deserve an audience, and their stories deserve to reach people far beyond the prison walls where many of them are written.
https://mailchi.mp/prisonjournalismproject/ykc7aq8bxo

Learning the language and culture of his ancestors helped Thomas regain his sense of self. He believes it can help others too.
https://prisonjournalismproject.org/2023/08/08/saved-my-life-learning-welsh/?utm_source=Bluesky&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=PJP-Bluesky

To get a better sense of what the finances of incarcerated people look like, Prison Journalism Project asked three writers to record a typical month’s budget . Here's what they had to say ⤵️
https://prisonjournalismproject.org/2026/09/01/what-a-monthly-budget-looks-like-in-prison/?utm_source=Bluesky&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=PJP-Bluesky

"Feeling duty-bound to better myself, I decided to attend [Starting Over]. 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. Bibles and Bible guides lined the shelves."
https://prisonjournalismproject.org/2026/08/27/how-one-man-sought-protection-for-his-religious-freedom-at-a-colorado-prison/?utm_source=Bluesky&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=PJP-Bluesky

Just a brief re-introduction for our new followers: PJP trains incarcerated writers to become journalists and publishes their work. If you appreciate what we do, please consider signing up for our newsletter.
https://prisonjournalismproject.org/newsletter/

When I began my gender transition, my biological family rejected me. I found another family in the incarcerated people around me.
https://prisonjournalismproject.org/2026/08/27/how-one-trans-woman-in-prison-built-her-own-support-system/?utm_source=Bluesky&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=PJP-Bluesky

"The day I took my students on a prison visit, I thought I was giving them an educational experience. I didn’t expect to relive parts of my own life I had carefully learned how to carry." Story via AfroLA.
https://afrolanews.org/2026/08/impact-of-incarceration-on-families/

My Prison Hosted a Restorative Justice Program
https://prisonjournalismproject.org/2026/08/25/my-prison-hosted-a-restorative-justice-program/

Word Wall Helps Students Expand Vocabulary
https://prisonjournalismproject.org/2022/03/04/word-wall-helps-students-expand-vocabulary/

I learned to cultivate plants behind bars. Sharing the fruits of my labor with the local community was one of the proudest moments of my life.
https://prisonjournalismproject.org/2026/08/25/why-prisons-should-have-more-gardens/?utm_source=Bluesky&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=PJP-Bluesky

Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library introduced into WA state prisons. Story from 2024 via Harbor News.
https://www.kxro.com/dolly-partons-imagination-library-introduced-into-wa-state-prisons/

"In the summer, I constantly sweat, which makes me dehydrated. Then I feel dizzy. I wet my clothing, including my underwear, to stay cool. But my clothes dry in a matter of minutes."
https://prisonjournalismproject.org/2025/09/18/air-conditioning-is-finally-coming-to-all-texas-prisons/?utm_source=Bluesky&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=PJP-Bluesky

On Oct. 8, 2025, Lexie was placed on suicide watch after self-harm behaviors, strip-searched by a male guard, handed an itchy padded smock, and put in a small padded cell with the lights on 24 hours a day and nothing to read. Every meal was a peanut butter sandwich.
https://prisonjournalismproject.org/2026/07/23/suicide-watch-in-prison-is-terrible/?utm_source=Bluesky&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=PJP-Bluesky

"The New Jersey Department of Corrections inmate handbook claims the department is dedicated to promoting bonds with loved ones. But enforcing a policy that forbids me from comforting my son while tears stream down his face contradicts that claim."
https://prisonjournalismproject.org/2026/08/20/the-sorry-state-of-conjugal-and-extended-stay-visits-in-american-prisons/?utm_source=Bluesky&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=PJP-Bluesky

At our June virtual event, “Reimagining Justice Through Lived Experience,” we shared a video featuring audio from Jamie, an incarcerated writer in Pennsylvania. We asked Jamie to imagine what she would change if she could redesign the legal system for the next 250 years.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nQtVI0HMXU8&lc=Ugysjwi8H9etC-3c4194AaABAg

"It’s long overdue for Post-Incarceration Syndrome to be classified as a distinct psychiatric disorder, deserving of compassion and treatment." Story via Inquest.
https://inquest.org/diagnosing-the-trauma-of-incarceration/?utm_source=Prison+Journalism+Project+Inside+Story+Subscribers&utm_campaign=7b8fe4b92b-June28_InsideStory_COPY_01&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_-d209fd71d2-516999366

"I write, listening to one of my fantasy shows in the background, and smile. It’s in this moment, this little thing, as my pen creates a new realm, that my world grows."
https://prisonjournalismproject.org/2026/08/20/how-i-spend-each-day-in-solitary-confinement/?utm_source=Bluesky&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=PJP-Bluesky

Ubaldo T. used to be fluent in violence. Now he writes verse and makes sure no one dies alone.
https://prisonjournalismproject.org/2026/08/18/how-one-man-overcame-gang-life-to-become-a-poet/?utm_source=Bluesky&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=PJP-Bluesky

A Special Spider Is the Top Pet in This Florida Prison
https://prisonjournalismproject.org/2026/08/11/a-special-spider-is-the-top-pet-in-this-florida-prison/?utm_source=Bluesky&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=PJP-Bluesky

In prison, we might not learn of a loved one’s illness until after they’ve died. Even when we are kept updated, we can feel powerless to help.
https://prisonjournalismproject.org/2026/08/13/coping-with-family-illness-and-medical-crises-in-prison/?utm_source=Bluesky&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=PJP-Bluesky

Our writer Vaughn Wright tells the story of what it was like when Luigi Mangione showed up at his Pennsylvania prison.
https://prisonjournalismproject.org/2025/01/23/luigi-mangione-prison/?utm_source=Bluesky&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=PJP-Bluesky

"Do you want to play Pokémon with us tonight?" That question from a fellow resident at Eastern Oregon Correctional Institution gave Alex, who calls himself an "iPad baby," his first invitation to play an in-person game that he could remember as an adult.
https://prisonjournalismproject.org/2026/06/23/prison-has-helped-me-be-less-online/?utm_source=Bluesky&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=PJP-Bluesky

What It’s Like to Get Your Period in Prison
https://prisonjournalismproject.org/2025/09/24/what-its-like-to-get-your-period-in-prison/