On Thursday, we launched Unlocking Lived Experience, a 12-day campaign to raise $15,000 — with every dollar you give matched 1-to-1, up to that $15,000, thanks to a commitment from generous donors! Can you help us reach our goal?
https://prisonjournalismproject.fundjournalism.org/prisonjournalism-membership/?campaign=701S600000pKjzhIAC

... Courtney faces a problem most women never have to think about. She must squeeze herself into a bra several sizes too small.

Courtney wears a size GG, but the bras offered by KY’s prison system are poorly made and only come in small or large sizes, the latter still too small for Courtney.
https://prisonjournalismproject.org/2026/06/09/why-i-cant-get-a-decent-bra-in-prison/?utm_source=Bluesky&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=PJP-Bluesky

‘Ass Slippers’ Play Pivotal Role in Prison Hygiene
https://prisonjournalismproject.org/2022/08/30/ass-slippers-prison-personal-hygiene/

Also, our weekly newsletter is free. You can subscribe by clicking the link below.

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What Seana wrote is accurate. Give what you can. It doesn't have to be a lot. We are a nonprofit organization, and we can't do this work without you. It's still early but we're only at about 5% of our goal.

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Since PJP launched in April 2020, we have published more than 2,600 stories by over 800 writers across 44 states. Their work has appeared in The New York Times, The Guardian, and The Marshall Project. Please consider making a tax-deductible donation this Saturday morning.
https://prisonjournalismproject.fundjournalism.org/prisonjournalism-membership/?campaign=701S600000pKjzhIAC

Earlier today, Kashawn, PJP's Audience Fellow, wrote an email to our subscribers. Kashawn has been working with the Audience team full-time since April. As part of our annual survey, he curated a poetry gift for readers who completed the survey. October.

Thank you, Seana!

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I Was Told My Wheelchair Meant I Couldn’t Hold a Job in Prison. So I Made My Own Job.
https://prisonjournalismproject.org/2026/07/16/i-was-told-my-wheelchair-meant-i-couldnt-hold-a-job-in-prison-so-i-made-my-own-job/

Shameka “Meek” Hayes serves as a neighborhood commissioner in Washington, D.C., representing fellow incarcerated people. It’s not easy.
https://prisonjournalismproject.org/2024/09/15/the-life-of-an-elected-official-whos-also-in-jail/?utm_source=Bluesky&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=PJP-Bluesky

"I began teaching GED classes before I had access to college myself. There wasn’t a formal curriculum, just workbooks passed hand to hand, notes in the margins and explanations shared in real time. We had no real books and no qualified teachers. If we didn’t teach each other, no one would."
https://prisonjournalismproject.org/2026/07/16/what-its-like-to-get-educated-in-prison/?utm_source=Bluesky&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=PJP-Bluesky

"I had not touched a cat in 15 yrs when an orange kitten wandered over to sit w/me in the grass one day. I was left without adequate words to describe that experience. It reminded me that I am alive. It instilled in me a raw, unbridled happiness that I had never felt before, not even as a child."
https://prisonjournalismproject.org/2024/10/23/cats-came-to-my-california-prison/?utm_source=Bluesky&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=PJP-Bluesky

Today, we're launching Unlocking Lived Experience, a 12-day campaign to raise $15,000 — with every dollar you give matched 1-to-1, up to that $15,000, thanks to a commitment from generous donors! Can you help us reach our goal?
https://prisonjournalismproject.fundjournalism.org/prisonjournalism-membership/?campaign=701S600000pKjzhIAC

Most people know prisons through stereotype, TV, or political talking points.

We believe people should also hear from the people on the inside.
https://prisonjournalismproject.fundjournalism.org/prisonjournalism-membership/?campaign=701S600000pKjzhIAC

In 2024, 42 Prison Journalism Project contributors in 27 states described extreme temperatures behind bars for a special project on heat in prison.

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"I first got interested in decluttering two years ago after reading an article about the KonMari Method, the latest organizational method, developed by Japanese influencer Marie Kondo," writes Leo. It’s not the KonMari Method. But the "Convict Method" shares a similar result.
https://prisonjournalismproject.org/2023/03/08/like-marie-kondo-try-convict-method/?utm_source=Bluesky&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=PJP-Bluesky

"I know it’s too hot in my prison when prisoners start checking into suicide-watch cells in our medical area. People employ various excuses, but most know they do it because the infirmaries have air conditioning."
https://prisonjournalismproject.org/2024/09/19/what-extreme-heat-is-like-in-u-s-prisons/?utm_source=Bluesky&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=PJP-Bluesky

Prison rules and restrictions make it difficult to menstruate with dignity.
https://prisonjournalismproject.org/2025/09/24/what-its-like-to-get-your-period-in-prison/?utm_source=Bluesky&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=PJP-Bluesky

Rain or shine, “ducats” summon us to different parts of the facility. You better hope an alarm isn’t called on your way to an appointment.
https://prisonjournalismproject.org/2026/07/14/theres-no-texting-or-email-notifications-in-prison/?utm_source=Bluesky&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=PJP-Bluesky

For incarcerated Black women, the ability to do our hair nicely on special occasions provides a crucial agency that is stripped from us in many other aspects of our lives. Story via @prismreports.org.
https://prismreports.org/2026/07/14/black-hair-women-prison/

“The longer you live as a child, the more likely somebody in your household will touch the system. It’s not some small group of families that is impacted, it is a lot of children and a lot of families.”
https://imprintnews.org/top-stories/one-in-seven-children-has-a-recently-arrested-relative-study-finds/275751?utm_source=Prison+Journalism+Project+Inside+Story+Subscribers&utm_campaign=a39b979169-June28_InsideStory_COPY_01&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_-d209fd71d2-488364920

A guard punched him on camera. It was still nearly impossible for him to sue. Story via @npr.org.
https://www.npr.org/2026/07/13/nx-s1-5825915/prison-grievance-retaliation-complaints

South Carolina has cut down approved book vendors to a handful of businesses. Even Amazon didn’t make the cut.

“My entire next semester’s texts were sent, but I received a notice telling me I couldn’t have them since it was not from an approved vendor."
https://prisonjournalismproject.org/2026/07/14/south-carolina-limits-access-to-books-in-prison/?utm_source=Bluesky&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=PJP-Bluesky

In one of the latest PJP Learning+ assignments, we asked students to write a profile using strong reporting, interviewing and narrative writing skills.
https://prisonjournalismproject.org/2026/07/09/lives-worthy-of-a-narrative/?utm_source=Bluesky&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=PJP-Bluesky

"I have been behind bars since 2009. I know from experience that prison environments can be violent for both staff and incarcerated residents. In my time, I have witnessed gang-related stabbings, race-related riots and numerous drug overdoses," writes Brian.
https://prisonjournalismproject.org/2026/07/09/qa-i-sat-down-with-a-correctional-lieutenant-to-discuss-the-california-model/?utm_source=Bluesky&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=PJP-Bluesky

The Art of Mothering Through Bars. For incarcerated mothers, sending handmade art to their children can help nurture vital connections—but often even this is hindered by prison officials. Story via @inquest.bsky.social.
https://inquest.org/the-art-of-mothering-through-bars/?utm_source=Prison+Journalism+Project+Inside+Story+Subscribers&utm_campaign=a39b979169-June28_InsideStory_COPY_01&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_-d209fd71d2-488364920

How One Veteran Survives PTSD in Prison
https://prisonjournalismproject.org/2026/07/07/a-military-veteran-navigates-ptsd-in-prison/

An Unexpected Visitor Turned Our Prison Block Into a Makeshift Aviary
https://prisonjournalismproject.org/2026/07/07/an-unexpected-visitor-turned-our-prison-block-into-a-makeshift-aviary/

A Military Veteran Navigates PTSD in Prison
https://prisonjournalismproject.org/2026/07/07/a-military-veteran-navigates-ptsd-in-prison/

Trevor spent his first years at Louisiana State Penitentiary in solitary confinement, detained 23 hours a day in a cell barely bigger than a king-size mattress, time he now considers wasted, since he could have been meditating.
https://prisonjournalismproject.org/2026/06/18/how-to-meditate-in-prison/?utm_source=Blueskt&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=PJP-Bluesky