Prison Journalism Project

I stood alone in my new cell nearly naked, covered only by a thin smock. I felt raw, exposed.

Mentally, I was at a new low.

It was Oct. 8, 2025, and I had just been placed on suicide watch at Jefferson City Correctional Center. I was taken from the regular housing unit due to self-harm behaviors and strip-searched by a male guard, which was demeaning for...

Prisons across the country have suffered from severe staffing shortages — including South Woods State Prison in New Jersey, where I was housed until February. That prison detains over 3,000 people, from minimum to maximum custody.

On days when the prison was understaffed, we were locked in our cells with zero access to phones, showers or recreation. Sometimes this ...

In March, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruled that life-without-parole sentences for second-degree murder are unconstitutional, a precedent-setting decision that could impact hundreds of people incarcerated in the common...

Pleasant dreams leave me feeling gloomy.

I’m fortunate to dream wonderful dreams on my prison bunk. My dreams become full of vivid, exciting, even perplexing projections, mixed with recollections and imagery.

It seems like my subconscious wants to relieve me from incarceration and provide some delight. After being surrounded by blaring alarms, razor wire...

The monotony of prison life is exhausting. The boredom forces us to look for something to find meaning in our new, unsatisfying lives. Many people find that motivation in jobs or programs.

But as a person who now uses a wheelchair, people assume I am intellectually disabled. When prison staff first talked to me, they would speak loudly and slowly. They als...