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 ...

Don't miss our latest stories, delivered to your inbox once a week. Sign up This story is a Kite, a special category dedicated to first-person reports that rely heavily on a writer’s first-hand ...

Republish our articles for free, online or in print, under a Creative Commons license. The gargantuan, set-dressed Big Mac in an ad is not the same as the downsized, barely-dressed Big Mac we actually ...

Republish our articles for free, online or in print, under a Creative Commons license. 6:15 a.m.: I wake up to the shrill sound of the count bell. Crawling out of bed, the first thing I do is feed ...

Republish our articles for free, online or in print, under a Creative Commons license. From the moment I walked into the classroom, there was a buzz of conversation and energy. Although I enjoy all of ...

Republish our articles for free, online or in print, under a Creative Commons license. It is difficult to describe the overwhelming excitement of getting mail while incarcerated. When I started this ...

Republish our articles for free, online or in print, under a Creative Commons license. It was the morning of April 5, 2024. I had just gotten off work and was wiping down the walls of my cell when the ...

Republish our articles for free, online or in print, under a Creative Commons license. When I entered the Sacramento County Main Jail on Dec. 9, 2009, I marveled at the magnitude of the building and ...

Republish our articles for free, online or in print, under a Creative Commons license. A mated pair of swallows recently built a nest outside the door of the housing unit in my Tennessee prison. The ...

Republish our articles for free, online or in print, under a Creative Commons license. When mail call is announced, I feel hopeful, excited and nervous. Standing at my cell door, I watch the guard get ...

Writers and artists interested in doing journalism, who are incarcerated or formerly incarcerated. We also welcome submissions by family members and others affected by the criminal legal system. First ...

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 ...