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An illustration shows a Black woman in a cream-colored prison uniform looking at a silhouette of a guard.
Life Inside March 10, 2025
At My Texas Prison, Solitary Confinement All But Guarantees Sexual Exploitation by Guards
Prison journalist Kwaneta Harris on “the hole” at Lane Murray Unit: “It is not uncommon for guards to withhold food unless we take our shirts off.”
By Kwaneta Harris, with Deborah Zalesne
An illustration shows the head and shoulders of Kwaneta Harris, a Black woman with long hair. She is wearing a white shirt, and several images surround her. Clockwise from the bottom left are: a child on the phone, some pink flowers, a flower with petals made of newspaper articles and letters, another young person on the phone, and a window with a white lace curtain. Birds are visible through the window. The background of the illustration is peach-colored.
Life Inside May 8
For This Mom in Prison, Mother’s Day Is a Blessing and a Curse
Kwaneta Harris has missed every single Mother’s Day with her 19-year-old. That means walking on eggshells, icy politeness and the occasional mom joke.
By Kwaneta Harris
An illustration shows, clockwise: a hand with medium skin tone and a hand with light skin tone, each holding wedding photos; a Crocs clog with cloth around an improvised heel; a light-skinned woman wearing a floral-print dress while holding someone’s hands; cutouts of people in suits and dresses; and toilet paper, sunflower seeds and rings floating in the background.
Life Inside August 28
At a Texas Prison Where Intimacy Is Banned, Wedding Bells Are Ringing Anyway
Kwaneta Harris takes us inside surprising rituals where couples get hitched, and guests shed tears for the weddings on the outside that they’ve missed.
By Kwaneta Harris
A photo shows the silhouette of a prison tower, trees and lamp posts against an orange sunset.
Closing Argument July 22, 2023
‘Concrete Coffins’: Surviving Extreme Heat Behind Bars
Record temperatures in much of the U.S. threatening more people in prisons.
By
A man wearing blue pants and a white T-shirt dangles from and holds onto the threads of an American flag against a city skyline.
Life Inside July 4, 2025
What, to the American Incarcerated Person, Is Your Fourth of July?
In the spirit of Frederick Douglass’ historic speech, 20 currently and formerly incarcerated Americans explain what Independence Day means to them.
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John J. Lennon, a White man with short brown hair, wears a green uniform while holding his glasses in his right hand. He sits in front of a window that has blinds covering it.
Q&A November 4, 2025
A Leading Prison Journalist Upends Our Obsession With True Crime
John J. Lennon tells Bill Keller that he “wanted to tell a different story about the guilty” in his new book.
By
A collage of photos and illustrations. Clockwise from top left: A collage illustration with images of the city of St. Louis, a river, two silhouetted heads and barbed wire; a black-and-white photo of a Black woman in a blouse facing away toward a gravestone; a Black woman holding a photo of a Black man while standing in a line of protesters; an illustration of a Black woman in a cream-colored prison uniform looking at the silhouette of a guard; an illustration of a cockroach; a photo of a gray-haired Black man kissing a Black woman's cheek; an illustration of a white sheet covering the outline of a body, in front of a teal background, with a death certificate printed on the lower part of the sheet and a person in a long orange skirt pushing it open like curtains and walking away into darkness inside; a photo of a line of police officers standing on a corner wearing riot gear and holding batons.
Analysis December 17, 2025
Some of Our Best Work of 2025
Online, in print, and on radio and TV — we examined Trump administration orders, immigration detention, deaths behind bars and more this year.
By
A photo collage shows, from left: a hand holding strands of hair; a person sweating; a prison door with a hand-drawn scribble over the bottom of the photo; a hand in shades of red over fencing; anonymous women in blue prison uniforms sitting on chairs in a row; a woman holding her head, with a paint scribble over the top of the image.
Feature April 14
What It’s Like to Go Through Perimenopause and Menopause in Prison
Limited information and a lack of informed health care providers make this life transition even more difficult for incarcerated people.
By
An illustration with a purple background shows a woman rubbing her neck because of aches and pains. To her right is a setting sun in orange that blends into her right arm.
News July 22
Guide: How to Navigate Perimenopause and Menopause in Prison
Experiencing perimenopause and menopause in prison can be difficult. Here is some practical advice from medical experts and from incarcerated women who have done it.
By Kwaneta Harris and
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