When people think of California, they picture palm trees, beaches and perfect weather. But there is a dark reality inside the Golden State’s prisons, which are historically plagued by gangs, violence, corruption and abuse.

The post Q&A: I Sat Down With a Correctional Lieutenant To Discuss the California Model appeared first on Prison Journalism Project.

Beth Markman, who has been incarcerated for 26 years, said she’s trying to focus on the present and not set herself up for disappointment as she and others await news of what will happen with their second-degree murder convictions. “I always hold onto hope and I’m grateful for any opportunity for what I didn’t have […]

The post In Pennsylvania, Women With Life Sentences Could Have a New Shot at Freedom appeared first on Prison Journalism Project.

Kevin Meyers dreamed about the arm against his windpipe in the war in the Middle East. Everything became a blank void except the man at his back. Meyers was flailing, then stopped. His training kicked in and he grabbed the man’s head, giving him control; whoever had control would win this fight. With his right hand, he grabbed his K-Bar, a Marine-issued knife strapped to the chest of his flak jacket, and stabbed the man.

The post How One Veteran Survives PTSD in Prison appeared first on Prison Journalism Project.

Mid-November dawn filtered through the barred windows of Cell Block C, where I began my morning vigil from my bunk. The chill had already seeped into the concrete walls of Shawangunk Correctional Facility, a New York state prison 75 miles north of Manhattan. The air smelled like institutional bleach and unwashed linens from the laundry cart.

The post An Unexpected Bird Brought Gentleness to This Prison Block appeared first on Prison Journalism Project.

Next week, the United States of America will mark its 250th birthday.  No matter what you think about the state of the country, 250 years is a long time for the “land of the free” to exist.  But that term, “land of the free,” underscores one of our nation’s most enduring and painful paradoxes: The […]

The post Incarcerated Americans on the 250th Birthday of the United States — In Their Own Voices appeared first on Prison Journalism Project.

In July 2025, South Woods State Prison in New Jersey, where I used to be incarcerated, reduced our ability to leave our cells on the weekends.

The post The New Jersey Prison That Fought Lockdowns — With More Lockdowns appeared first on Prison Journalism Project.

“I think that Pride is important, especially for the prison community,” said Mattie Nicholson, a transgender resident. “It helps us be visible and shows that we are proud of who we are.” 

The post Q&A: Here’s What Pride Was Like in a California Prison appeared first on Prison Journalism Project.

“Do you want to play Pokémon with us tonight?” asked Sean Reid, my new concrete frat house brother. His question marked the first time in my adult life I had been invited to play an in-person game instead of an online one. \

The post Did Prison Cure My Brain Rot? appeared first on Prison Journalism Project.

Each time Jack W. has been released from prison, he’s been sent back. In an interview with me in 2025, where Jack asked that I only use his first name for privacy, he talked about how the reasons that sent him to prison in the first place — not-good people, places and things — were always still there when he got out. No alternatives were available.

The post For Some, It’s Easier to Stay in Prison Than Leave appeared first on Prison Journalism Project.

I spent my first years at Louisiana State Penitentiary in solitary confinement. I was detained 23 hours a day in a cell that was just slightly larger than a king-size mattress.

The post How to Meditate in Prison appeared first on Prison Journalism Project.