Prison Journalism Project

In the prison library at the State Correctional Institution at Huntingdon, Pennsylvania, Ira Johnson is in his element. Johnson uses the library for both legal efforts and creative writing. He does so with a singular focus on getting out of prison.

What makes Johnson unique is that he is both a legal eagle — someone well-versed in the criminal justice system — and ...

It’s Saturday morning and the prison yard is bustling. There’s no school or classes and some work assignments are on break.

I smell toasty tamales and grilled burritos. I bet the fragrances waft as high as the guard towers. A radio plays charming music. Sparkling and colorful drawings created by prisoners are on display in the yard.

People play chess, sp...

On the morning of Feb. 3, I walked into the second-floor atrium of Farmington Correctional Center’s Reentry Center. The large, sunlit space has become a catchall for FCC’s innovative rehabilitation efforts here in Missouri. A plant nursery adorned the back of the room. Bags of yarn and knitting gear sat in the corners. A workstation, topped with two computer monitors, was ad...

In the early morning of Oct. 17, close to 60 incarcerated residents and free-world volunteers prepared for the first Restorative Justice Retreat in an Alabama prison.

After breakfast, at Donaldson Correctional Facility in Bessemer, just outside Birmingham, men and women formed a large circle to introduce themselves for the three-day weekend of instruction, activiti...

Four volunteers from nearby Princeton University and 55 incarcerated members of Toastmasters International, a public speaking and leadership organization, gathered in the visitor hall of New Jersey State Prison. They came to see Clarence Artis III.

Standing just 5-foot-7, with a medium build, Artis isn’t physically intimidating. But once he starts speaking, he’s a ...