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A group of people, including formerly incarcerated people, pose for a selfie with one of them holding out their phone, on a deck that overlooks a small pond nestled among some green trees.
Inside Story March 9
Glimpses of Prison Life, Through TikTok and TV
We see how glimpses of life behind bars go viral online, and talk with Piper Kerman about creating “Orange is the New Black.”
By Lawrence Bartley and Donald Washington, Jr.
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.
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
Inside Out June 10, 2021
Small Towns Used To See Prisons as a Boon. Now, Many Don’t Want Them.
In its search for a new prison’s home, Nebraska finds few places willing to host.
By Keri Blakinger
Cynthia Stubbs, who was formerly incarcerated, now works at a Braille plant in a North Carolina prison.
News January 16, 2018
When Your Prison Becomes Your Paycheck
Some states are welcoming back ex-offenders to work behind bars.
By Maurice Chammah and Joseph Neff
Life Inside October 27, 2016
After Nearly 20 Years in Prison, a Parking Lot Was Heaven
The terror and joy of stepping outside.
By Carlos Flores
The dorms at Western Kentucky Correctional, in Fredonia, Ky., in June 2010.
Analysis June 14, 2016
So You Think a New Prison Will Save Your Town?
Six reasons you’re likely to be disappointed
By Tom Meagher & Christie Thompson
Feature February 28, 2016
What Prison Guards Really Think About Their Jobs
Listening in on watercooler chatter online.
By Alysia Santo
An inmate fire crew walk along Highway 120 as firefighters continue to battle the Rim Fire near Yosemite National Park in California in 2013.
Q&A August 20, 2015
Prisoners Who Fight Wildfires in California: An Insider’s Look
For $2 a day, “It’s a hairy adventure, let me tell you.”
By Eli Hager
Life Inside May 19, 2015
A Lifer’s Retirement Plan
Most of us get out old and broke. Not me.
By Rahsaan Thomas
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