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Creating a national network of prison journalists

Information about the prison system is limited, and policy makers and voters are shaping the lives of incarcerated people without their input.

We’re bringing transparency to the world of mass incarceration from the inside and training incarcerated writers to be journalists, so they can participate in the dialogue about criminal legal reform.  

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Make a difference! Help incarcerated writers take the power of journalism into their own hands.

Read Our Stories

Discover how PJP writers are breaking stereotypes and shifting the narrative.

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Help shape criminal legal reform — join our community of journalists, teachers, writers and change agents.


PJP Writers Give Voice to Their Stories

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House of Milo
A look inside Jessie Milo’s California prison cell — in this case, as a diorama — is also a look inside the mindset of a man hoping for change.

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The Foster Care to Prison Pipeline
Prison Journalism Project editorial associate Arthur Longworth, who is himself a former foster child, speaks to how the system makes their wards feel like “prison is exactly where you were raised to be.”

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Jummah Prayers
After six months of suspended programming due to COVID-19, PJP contributing writer Tariq MaQbool reports that the Islamic Friday prayers had finally resumed at his New Jersey facility.


Illustration by O. Smith

Empowering Prison Journalists to Change the Narrative About Mass Incarceration

Prison Journalism Project provides incarcerated writers with the tools and training to establish themselves as credible journalists, so they can meaningfully participate in the decision making processes that impact them and their communities.

The prison industry is one of the biggest and least transparent businesses in this country and benefits from the fragmentation of information and news about those who are incarcerated. There is a critical and urgent need to connect the dots between prisons across the country and bring transparency to an opaque industry. Intentional, responsible and well-crafted journalism from within the incarcerated community can also break stereotypes and ultimately drive change.

Bring transparency to the prison idustry by supporting the work of incarcerated journalists.

Gain new insights through stories that range from thoughtful essays and commentary to features and news.

To shift the narrative, we must change the story tellers.