What is black and white and re(a)d all over? PRISON JOURNALISM.
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Several months ago, a group of women gathered in the common room of our maximum security prison. They were loud and rowdy. A young officer trainee instructed the women to quiet down, according to women who witnessed the incident. But the women responded with derisive laughter and snide remarks. In response, the trainee lost his temper and yelled: “This is my common room: I own these tables, I own these chairs, and I own all of you!”
Some women who observed the incident said a more senior officer who was present did not intervene.
The explosive scene was indicative of a larger shift underway at the State Correctional Institution at Muncy, in Pennsylvania.
In an effort to fill staff vacancies, the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections has joined other state systems in recruiting younger officers. But the influx of young hires — some as young as 18 — has led to some growing pains for both officers and incarcerated women at SCI Muncy, a medium and maximum security facility for women in central Pennsylvania. Changes in institutional dynamics have some women concerned about how these dynamics impact safety and morale.
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Story by Jamie
Photo Illustration by Sarah Rogers. Photos from Adobe Stock
A mother surviving the loss of two sons.
In just five months, Barbara Maxwell’s world was shattered twice. First, her son Justin overdosed in an Alabama prison. Then, before she could even process that loss, her youngest son, Jordan, was killed by gun violence.
The pain of losing one child is unbearable, but Barbara is carrying the weight of two. She never got to say goodbye to either child. Now, she navigates a grief so deep it feels like it happened just yesterday, while helping her six grandchildren navigate life without their dads.
This Mother’s Day, we honor Barbara and the countless mothers speaking out through their heartbreak.
Photos by Owen Stayner and courtesy of Barbara Maxwell
On camera: Wyatt Stayner
Video editing: Steven Davis
Production: Lyneka Little
The share of incarcerated people aged 55 and older has quintupled in the last three decades, and is continuing to rise dramatically, according to the Prison Policy Initiative. This aging population is especially vulnerable, suffering from chronic health conditions and disabilities at a higher rate than their counterparts on the outside. The facilities where they are detained often cannot support their basic needs.
As a result, prison residents like myself are finding themselves in the impossible position of caring for the aging and infirm without adequate training or support — and sometimes, as in my case, without so much as a heads up.
After Kelly arrived in my cell, the extent of his struggles with mobility and function became clear. I opened his milk cartons and condiment packets during meal times, emptied the plastic jug he was given to urinate in, and helped him put on his coat when he was cold. I refixed his oxygen tube at 2 a.m. after he woke me up in a panic because it had disconnected from the machine. I coaxed him into the shower, alerted staff when he was bleeding from a bad scrape, and relayed his calls for help from the dayroom toilet, which lacked safety bars and was difficult for him to access.
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Earlier this year, a man called Coach asked me to referee a soccer match between two prisons: Louisiana State Penitentiary, where I’m incarcerated, and Dixon Correctional Institute, about 45 minutes southeast of us.
Coach is employed by the prison to facilitate athletic competitions. I found his request ironic: Prisons are for rule breakers, but now I was being asked to be a rule enforcer.
On the field, right before the game, the DCI warden lightly interrogated me about my past experience, the final step before I was officially chosen to referee the match. I told him I had earned a referee certification from the U.S. Soccer Federation, qualifying me to oversee recreational games for youths and adults, when I was 14. He joked that because I was so young when I “caught my charge” (a phrase I’ve never cared for; it was a homicide, not a Frisbee), I probably had only called little kids’ games.
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Photo illustration by Sarah Rogers. Photos from Adobe Stock
Story by Trevor
Journalism can be a dangerous job, especially the last two years. A record-breaking 129 journalists were killed in 2025, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists, which has been tracking journalist deaths over the last 30 years.
But intense violence is not the only threat that journalists face. Every May 3, World Press Freedom Day is a reminder to honor journalists who work under repressive conditions, including censorship, surveillance and the threat of retaliation.
Prison journalists, like those who contribute to Prison Journalism Project, also face these dangers.
To mark the day, we’re highlighting seven stories from our archive that show how prison journalism works and how their stories reach outside readers. These pieces include reflections on the craft, evidence of what inside reporting produces, and proof that this work has impact. Click the link in bio to read.
For the third year, the Society of Professional Journalists and Prison Journalism Project have hosted the Stillwater Awards, an annual contest dedicated to honoring journalists behind bars whose lived-experience reporting sheds light on the U.S. prison system.
This year, PJP celebrates several standout contributors, including Phillip Luna, who earned the third-place spot for Prison Journalist of the Year, while also securing first place for Best Reported Essay.
He is joined by Derek Carter, who took home second place in the reported category for his story on mental health crises in prison; Kelsey Dodson, who earned third place for her poignant essay on menstruation behind bars; and Patrick Irving, whose story on caring for the elderly in prison earned him the third place spot for Best Op-ed. (PJP does not participate in judging the Stillwater Awards submissions.)
We asked this year’s winners to discuss the inspiration behind their stories and the determination required to practice journalism in prison. Click on the link in bio to read what they had to say about their road to the Stillwater Awards.
The Stillwater Awards celebrate journalism that chronicles the full complexity of people in prison.
Last night, winners were unveiled at a virtual ceremony honoring outstanding work across 10 categories, including Best Reported Essay, Best Feature and Prison Journalist of the Year. The event featured remarks from the winners and a celebration alongside their loved ones.
This year’s awards were the most competitive yet with over 300 entries.
Here's a look at last night's winners. #StillwaterAwards
Over the past several years, the heat in New York state has grown more and more severe. In prison, heat is more than just an inconvenience; it’s a test of endurance and a battle against the confines of our environment.
In the summer, we sweat it out in our cells, drenching our sheets. With windows that open no more than an inch or two for “safety and security,” there is no hope for a refreshing breeze.
Heat makes people irritable and angry, leading to conflict. Arguably, the result constitutes a safety and security issue in its own right. Yet the administration turns a blind eye to that possibility.
In conversations with fellow prisoners, I learned more about the toll heat takes.
“It makes me feel frustrated and causes tension, which raises tension with other people,” Joshua Carbajal told me last summer. “Anything could set you off when you’re too hot. There’s nowhere to escape the heat in here.”
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Photo illustration by Sarah Rogers. Photos from Adobe Stock
Story by Gregory
Join us to honor the best stories and courageous journalists behind prison walls from at the Stillwater Awards!
RSVP for an inspiring virtual ceremony where we’ll announce the winners, share their messages, and celebrate alongside many of their family members and friends.
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In the free world, people are entitled to medical privacy by law. But inside prisons, as myself and others have come to know, medical privacy can be sacrificed in the name of safety.
At New Jersey State Prison, I have witnessed guards and incarcerated people snoop on conversations with a medical professional, and seen guards turn a person away from treatment because they believed the person was lying about their ailment.
The consequence of this culture is that incarcerated people are less likely to seek needed medical care, instead choosing to suffer in silence.
A PJP editor asked the New Jersey Department of Corrections about these claims in an emailed request for comment. Christopher Greeder, a department spokesperson, declined to comment on specific security procedures or staffing configurations. But he did say that NJDOC medical policies are designed to promote a balance between confidentiality and a safe setting for incarcerated patients, medical staff and facility operations. He added that in 2025, there were more than 70,000 medical provider visits for sick calls, chronic care, physicals and other medical care inside New Jersey prisons.
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Story by Kory
Photo illustration by Sarah Rogers. Photos from Adobe Stock
Every morning, I wake up to two lemon-colored eyes peering at me. They belong to Lady, a delicate and regal Persian-domestic mix, with short, feathery ebony fur. She is my only friend in this dismal mansion of dejection known as prison.
Indiana State Prison in Michigan City is the only prison in this state to allow select residents to care for a feline companion in their cells.
The cat program started nearly 20 years ago when a group of trusted prisoners working maintenance in the sewage tunnels beneath this facility happened upon a deceased female cat and her litter of squalling hungry kittens, who were so young they had yet to open their eyes.
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✍️ David McQuaid
Photo Illustration by Sarah Rogers. Photos from Adobe Stock
