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Prison Journalism Project

Prison Journalism Project

Independent Journalism by the Incarcerated

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Jobs & Employment

Many jobs inside prison are performed by the incarcerated people themselves. According to the Prison Policy Initiative, the national average for their compensation is 14 cents per hour. People incarcerated in eight states — Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, Oklahoma, South Carolina and Texas — are not paid at all. Jobs run the gamut from janitorial or food services to office work to agricultural jobs like field work and manufacturing jobs making signs, license plates or furniture. Once released from prison, many formerly incarcerated people find it difficult to find employment opportunities. These are stories that shed light on prison jobs and employment after prison.

Subscribe to Inside Story to receive exclusive behind-the-scene looks at our best stories, as well as author profiles and other insights.

Ants crawl around bread crumbs on a white kitchen countertop
Posted inPerspective

Inside an Unsanitary California Prison Food Service Job

by Tue Kha July 12, 2023June 29, 2023
Working man's hands with dirt and grease under fingernails
Posted inPerspective

How Driving a Tractor Made Me Feel Human Again

by Lexie Handlang May 25, 2023May 18, 2023
Man lost in a complex maze, surreal concept
Posted inPerspective

I’m a Code-Breaker (But Not the Kind You Think)

by Louis C. Harper May 21, 2023May 18, 2023
Secretary of Corrections George Little
Posted inNews

News: Pennsylvania Institutes Prison Pay Increase, A First in 30 Years

by Jeffery Shockley April 9, 2023April 7, 2023
Prison hoe squad, with field workers being supervised by correctional officers on horseback.
Posted inArt & Illustrations

A ‘New Chain Gang’ at an Arkansas Prison

by Kathy Jane Hart March 28, 2023March 24, 2023
A wall of vintage televisions sets stacked on top of each other.
Posted inFeature

Meet the Media Giant Housed Inside a Missouri Prison

by Byron Case March 26, 2023March 24, 2023
KC Johnson rides a lawn mower at her North Carolina prison camp.
Posted inEssays & Memoirs

Meet Lucy, the Riding Mower That Gives Me Purpose

by K.C. Johnson November 8, 2022November 21, 2022
Job training for incarcerated people can help fill labor shortages upon release.
Posted inFeature

A Ready Workforce Waits Just Behind These Walls

by Bojan Jesic October 4, 2022September 30, 2022
Posted inKites

Prison’s Construction Training Program is Rehabilitation at Its Best

by Manuel Gilbert Campos April 25, 2022August 11, 2022
Posted inPerspective

Prison Helped Me Discover a Labor of Love

by Sakina Shakur April 19, 2022August 30, 2022

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