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Left, a man wearing an olive green Nike-branded hooded sweatshirt and an olive green Yankees hat; right, a Black woman with braided hair is wearing earrings and a plum-colored shirt.
Inside Story February 9
Prison Labor, Low Wages and the Side Hustle
Incarcerated workers turn to side hustles to survive. On the outside, comedian Luenell reflects on her time behind bars — and in show business.
By Lawrence Bartley and Donald Washington, Jr.
An illustration shows a man in prison with an upset expression on his face on the left, calling his family outside of prison, who are on the right side of the image, and also have upset expressions. In the background is an image of a prison on the left, and a home on the right. Dollars float in the foreground of the image, and two arrows pointing upwards indicate the rising cost of calls.
Cleveland February 1
The High Cost of a Conversation From Cuyahoga County Jail
Phone calls from this Ohio county jail cost eight times as much as calls from any Ohio state prison.
By Cid Standifer
The cover of News Inside Issue 12.
News Inside December 6, 2022
Let Them Tell It
Issue 12 of News Inside brings you news and views straight from people living and working in the system.
By Lawrence Bartley
Life Inside August 4, 2022
Prison Money Diaries: What People Really Make (and Spend) Behind Bars
We asked people in prison to track their earning and spending — and bartering and side hustles — for 30 days. Their accounts reveal a thriving underground economy behind bars.
By Beth Schwartzapfel
Peter Borenstein, an attorney in Los Angeles, specializes in suing on behalf of prisoners who are victims of theft while incarcerated.
News January 28, 2018
Defrauded in Prison? Call This Guy
A young California lawyer helps long-term inmates with their white-collar problems.
By Eli Hager
News January 28, 2016
Why Getting Sued Could Be the Best Thing to Happen to New Orleans’ Public Defenders
The ACLU takes the cash-poor agency to court to force the cash-poor legislature to pay.
By Eli Hager
Life Inside January 15, 2016
Getting a Hustle: How to Live Like a King Behind Bars
From moonshine to tattoos to balloons of drugs.
By Patrick Larmour
Life Inside May 19, 2015
A Lifer’s Retirement Plan
Most of us get out old and broke. Not me.
By Rahsaan Thomas
Robert Durst, center, in a scene from the HBO series “The Jinx.”
News March 17, 2015
Five Lessons from “The Jinx”
What the HBO documentary series shows us about real-world law enforcement.
By Dana Goldstein and Eli Hager
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