Prison Journalism Project

We are an independent and non-partisan journalism organization dedicated to empowering incarcerated writers and individuals affected by incarceration. Our mission is to equip them with journalism skills and help them share their stories with a broader audience through our publication and partnerships with mainstream media outlets. Our organization was founded on a vital question: How can we harness the power of journalism to highlight and amplify the voices that are frequently overlooked in discussions about justice and incarceration in our country? We believe that meaningful reforms in the U.S. criminal justice system can only be achieved by changing the prevailing narrative. Thoughtful and responsible journalism from those within the incarcerated community can challenge stereotypes, foster transparency, and inspire change. To achieve this, we focus on providing the essential training needed to establish the first nationwide network of prison journalists who possess firsthand experience of the system.

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What I Lost When I Left the Best Prison in Texas

2 weeks ago | prisonjournalismproject.org | Cesar Hernandez |César Hernández

Home sweet home is no longer my home. I thought I fit in well at Huntsville Unit, the prison just outside of Houston where I had lived for 18 months. Sure, I wasn’t happy, but I was more or less content. If there’s a decent prison in Texas, Huntsville is it. Having served time in 11 other state facilities, I felt lucky to be there. So when I heard news that I was going to be transferred, I was devastated. Life as I knew it, where I had expected to be for the remainder of my sentence, was gone.
My Prison Is Going Up in Smoke With Synthetic Marijuana

1 month ago | prisonjournalismproject.org | Jeremy Phillips

East Hall of Arkansas Department of Corrections’ Cummins Unit has always been rowdy. But since the COVID-19 pandemic started in 2020, it has felt like a war zone. From what I can see, assaults, robberies, thefts and extortion have increased significantly. Arguably, the culprit is an easily smuggled substance that doesn’t show up in urine analysis: deuce. Deuce goes by many names — K2 or Spice are common ones — and is a synthetic marijuana product.
In North Carolina Prisons, a Missed Opportunity in the Battle Against Opioids

1 month ago | prisonjournalismproject.org | K.C. Johnson

In my many years inside, I have seen jails and prisons in North Carolina become de facto rehab and mental health institutions. Here, and across the country, people are too often locked up while still in active addiction, and the effects of narcotic withdrawal can last long after any physical sickness has worn off. Inside, I have frequently encountered women who are jumpy, unfocused and erratic, even six months after their last hit.
What Execution Day Is Like at a Texas Prison

Jan 23, 2025 | prisonjournalismproject.org | Cesar Hernandez |César Hernández

June 26, 2024, was an execution day here at the Huntsville Unit in east Texas. One of the few people at my facility who seemed to appreciate the significance of the day was my laundry co-worker Larry. That’s because Larry also tends the death house garden in his role as assistant death house caretaker. He mows the lush lawn and maintains the flowers. Larry loves the large garden, where he says it doesn’t feel like prison.
Prison Yard Politics at California’s Fire Camps

Jan 21, 2025 | prisonjournalismproject.org | Frank Blake

A man walked slowly toward the group of guards outside the dorm building. He was wearing a red paper jumpsuit, the standard uniform for transfers. Inside the dorm, a bunch of us were gathered on our bunks, observing the parade of new arrivals and placing bets on who would stay on at Sierra Conservation Camp, and who was instead preparing to fight their way out.
Should Incarceration Deprive Me From Having Another Child?

Jan 16, 2025 | prisonjournalismproject.org | Erica Harris

Upon leaving prison, some people choose to enrich their lives through parenthood. But those reentering society who are lucky enough to bring new children into the world are almost exclusively men. For women, particularly those facing long-term sentences, the odds of bearing children after prison are much lower. I was a 25-year-old mother of one child when I was sentenced to 20 to 45 years in prison. It was always a dream of mine to have a larger family, and to give my daughter a sibling.
Why Prison Alarms Are So Traumatic

Jan 14, 2025 | prisonjournalismproject.org | Daniel Cohen

One afternoon in May 2023, I was sorting laundry at Richard J. Donovan Correctional Facility, a medium security prison in San Diego, when the tower officer ran an alarm test. The old alarms had just been replaced and, because of where I was standing, I caught a direct blast of the newer, louder alarm. At once, I jumped and broke into a run, searching for cover. A friend of mine was nearby. He burst into laughter. “You broke!” he said. I hadn’t even thought about what I was doing.
My Long, Painful Prison Transfer From Arizona to Idaho

Dec 27, 2024 | prisonjournalismproject.org | James D. Mancuso

In February, I was transported from Saguaro Correctional Center in Eloy, Arizona, to the Idaho State Correctional Institution in Boise, Idaho, my home state. Under normal circumstances, that drive is nearly 1,000 miles and close to 15 hours long. But for a prison transport, it takes 26 hours. And you’re handcuffed the entire time. I had arrived at SCC three and a half years earlier. As a solution to prison overcrowding, Idaho sent hundreds of prisoners to out-of-state prisons.
What It Was Like When Hurricane Helene Hit Our Prison

Dec 4, 2024 | prisonjournalismproject.org | K.C. Johnson

We were on high alert once the rain started coming down thick and heavy. It was a Thursday morning in late September, and the people here inside the Western Correctional Center for Women in North Carolina wandered restlessly. Hurricane Helene was headed our way. “I hope it blows the fences down and they have to let us go,” one woman said. I figured we’d be trapped here, and guards seemed to think they’d be stuck, too.
Watching College Football’s Most Intense Rivalry From an Alabama Prison

Nov 26, 2024 | prisonjournalismproject.org | Richard Fox

Everyone loves a good rivalry, some probably a little too much. Down here in Alabama, the state’s two largest universities, the University of Alabama and Auburn University, clash in the Iron Bowl every year after Thanksgiving. It’s a contest that contends with some of the great rivalries in sports: Packers and Bears, Lakers and Celtics, Red Sox and Yankees. Imagine those legendary encounters but with all the animosity concentrated in one state.