I stood alone in my new cell nearly naked, covered only by a thin smock. I felt raw, exposed.
Mentally, I was at a new low.

The post Surviving Suicide Watch in a Missouri Prison appeared first on Prison Journalism Project.

Prisons across the country have suffered from severe staffing shortages — including South Woods State Prison in New Jersey, where I was housed until February. That prison detains over 3,000 people, from minimum to maximum custody.

The post In New Jersey, Prison Staff Shortages Hurt All of Us appeared first on Prison Journalism Project.

In March, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruled that life-without-parole sentences for second-degree murder are unconstitutional, a precedent-setting decision that could impact hundreds of people incarcerated in the commonwealth.

The post Q&A: Landmark Ruling in Pennsylvania Could Lead to Hundreds Being Resentenced appeared first on Prison Journalism Project.

Pleasant dreams leave me feeling gloomy.

The post Is Dreaming in Prison Good For Me? appeared first on Prison Journalism Project.

The monotony of prison life is exhausting. The boredom forces us to look for something to find meaning in our new, unsatisfying lives. Many people find that motivation in jobs or programs.

The post People in Prison Saw My Wheelchair Before They Saw Me appeared first on Prison Journalism Project.

The most focused classroom I’ve ever been in didn’t have desks, a whiteboard or even quiet. It was a prison dorm holding 85 women, with rows of metal bunks pressed shoulder to shoulder. The atmosphere was frenetic and loud — feet shuffling along the concrete, plastic bags crackling, the sharp, staccato shouts from officers. We didn’t wait for calm because it wasn’t coming. We carved out space where we could: a corner of a table, the edge of a bunk, sometimes just a strip of floor between beds.

The post In Prison, If We Didn’t Teach Each Other, No One Would appeared first on Prison Journalism Project.

In October, the South Carolina Department of Corrections began restricting the number of places from which prisoners can receive books, which has caused major disruptions for people in my facility.

The post How South Carolina Prisons Are Limiting Access to Books appeared first on Prison Journalism Project.

In prison, we don’t have text and email reminders about medical, dental and counseling appointments. Instead, we have a unique notification system that relies on small red paper slips that are passed out by an officer. These slips are called “ducats.” \

The post In California Prisons, Push Notifications Are Small Red Paper Slips appeared first on Prison Journalism Project.

In one of the latest PJP Learning+ assignments, we asked students to write a profile using strong reporting, interviewing and narrative writing skills.

The post Lives ‘Worthy of a Narrative’ appeared first on Prison Journalism Project.

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.