Our work is journalism. Our hands-on training and publishing opportunities teach people behind bars how to tell their stories in compelling ways while building their fundamental workforce readiness skills.
Our work is generative, not extractive. We want our writers to gain as much from their work as our readers. Whether writers are in a correspondence course or editing a story with one of our professional journalists, they will learn transferable skills every step of the way.
Our work meets the diverse needs of our writers. We have developed a rigorous curriculum and editorial process with entry points for beginner, intermediate, and advanced writers to learn through our work, regardless of their background or educational journey.
Our work is grounded in a duty of care. We are committed to the physical, legal and emotional safety of our writers. We are also committed to the long-term sustainability of our organization so we can continue to support prison journalists across the country.
Our work is focused on growth. We have developed a five-stage progression for our writers and have customized publishing and opportunities for learning at each stage. We use this progression to offer appropriate challenges to writers throughout our work together so they can continue to learn.
Our work begins inside and continues outside. Re-entry initiatives are most effective when they begin at the start of incarceration. The skills necessary to break the cycle of incarceration and poverty take time and practice — that’s why people need to start learning while they’re inside so they can be successful outside.
Our work is impactful. We collaborate with our writers on stories only they can tell that can change policy and public opinion. We also support our writers as they drive change through their storytelling and develop the tools for a thriving democracy.
Our work changes the storytellers. By bringing more voices of impacted people into media coverage and through conversations about the criminal legal system, we are changing who speaks with authority about life in prison.