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Prison Life

Jeff Östberg for The Marshall Project
News
Where Journalism Meets Music: ‘Redemption Songs’ Concert Amplifies Voices From Prison
The live event, produced by The Marshall Project and Musicambia, was introduced by New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani.
By The Marshall Project
Three men stand on a stage behind microphones, in front of a row of seated people playing musical instruments, including a guitar, an electric bass, trombone, saxophone and trumpet. At left is a Black man with a short beard, wearing tan pants and a quarter-zip sweater that is white, cream and green. In the center, a Black man wearing red shoes, black pants, a red velvet jacket and a wide-brimmed black hat. At right stands a Black man with a goatee wearing jeans, black shoes and a gray sport jacket.
Sending Kites October 28
How Politics Affect Prison Life
What incarcerated readers would like to tell politicians.
By and
A photo shows a man in a wheelchair, out on a prison yard at dawn, with his arm curved as if to throw a basketball. There is a ballet-like feel to the gesture. There are a few other wheelchair basketball players on the court and one man standing with a basketball in his hand.
The Frame October 26
In Prison, Wheelchair Basketball Offers a Chance at Reinvention
At California Medical Facility, playing a sport helps men practice new ways of thinking and form bonds that remain outside of prison walls.
Photographs and Reporting by Brian L Frank for Catchlight and The Marshall Project
Text and Reporting by
A collage shows images of waves, a woman's chest, a person wearing sterile gloves while holding a syringe, a stethoscope, pink ribbons for breast cancer awareness. A microscopic image of breast cancer cells is shown on the right of the collage.
Life Inside October 16
In Prison, Pink Ribbons Are Rare
October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, but comprehensive breast cancer care is sorely lacking in Texas prisons.
By Kwaneta Harris
A photo of a quilt shows, at center, two arms with raised fists in handcuffs reaching out from behind prison bars. There is a phoenix rising from the center of the handcuffs, where there is a starburst. Multi-colored pieces surround the center, and the edges of the quilt are lined with a pattern of musical notes on a staff.
Life Inside October 9
Despite the Machismo of Prison, These Men Collaborated on a Quilt
A quilting workshop united men at Vermont’s Southern State Correctional Facility. The result? A museum-quality piece of art.
By Marie-Pierre Py as told to
An illustration shows a person in black and blue colors, standing in front of a backdrop of prison bars, a bird, and figures that could be construed as the friends of the main figure. There are some spikes along the edge of parts of the illustration.
Life Inside October 2
Here’s What Happens When You Become Institutionalized
“Everyday changes frighten me,” writes Lexie Handlang. “I am way more comfortable in places where everything is structured.”
By Lexie Handlang
An illustration with a periwinkle blue background shows, at center, an incarcerated person in a coral uniform curled up holding his stomach. Surrounding him are giant examples of different kinds of food in shades of orange, coral and peach, including boxes of cereal, a carrot, ham, a taco shell, a slice of cheese, and ketchup. A fork, knife and cafeteria tray also float nearby.
Life Inside September 18
Taking GLP-1 Shots in Prison? Yes, But It’s Complicated.
Muscle loss is a side effect of the GLP-1 my doctor prescribed. But many of the protein-rich foods that rebuild it are banned in New York prisons.
By Devin A Giordano
A diamond with a transparent slide held up by a hand against the sky depicting a hand opening a doorknob with a key.
Sending Kites September 15
How to Prepare for a Release Date From Prison
Leaving prison can be logistically, financially and emotionally complicated. Incarcerated readers share ways they’re preparing themselves.
By and
A collage shows photographs of a stack of white papers; a White man in a blue prison uniform hugging his mother; a necklace with an orange guitar pick; and two men playing their guitars. Other digital images in the collage include clouds, a chain-link fence, and cardboard texture.
Life Inside September 11
The Mourning After
From concealing causes of death to delaying memorials, prisons treat people passing away like business as usual.
by Phillip Luna
Redemption Songs September 6
He Wrote a Song Called ‘Freedom.’ Now He’s Free.
After playing bass in a Philadelphia-area prison music program, Bernard Lee, 73, earned parole.
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