Life Inside April 19

Prison Is Already Scary. It's Even Worse During a Blackout

As darkness fell, nerves got rattled and rumors spread.

By Derek R. Trumbo, Sr.

Life Inside March 8

Caring for My Sick Husband From Prison

A federal inmate feels helpless as her partner’s health deteriorates.

By Connie Farris, as told to Christie Thompson

Life Inside March 1

The Everyday Chaos of Incarceration

“Nothing about life inside prison is normal.”

By Jerry Metcalf

Life Inside February 9, 2017

When a Wedding Narrowed the ‘Emotional Distance’ of Prison

For the best man, a fleeting moment of humanity.

By James King

Life Inside January 12, 2017

My Best Friends in Prison are Frogs, Turtles, and Raccoons

Sharing space with open-minded visitors from beyond the walls.

By Joseph Dole

Case in Point January 9, 2017

The Punishing Price of Freedom

Alabama never forgave Phillip Chance for running away.

By Andrew Cohen

Life Inside December 22, 2016

‘I’ll Be Waiting’

In cell 62, another birthday turns into another day alone.

By John Francis

News December 14, 2016

Let’s Go to Prison!

A national field trip to Incarceration Nation, under the shadow of Donald Trump

By Eli Hager

Life Inside December 8, 2016

The Lure of the Prison Fight

Craving the madness.

By Deyon Neal

Life Inside November 3, 2016

In Attica, Guards Like Trump and Prisoners Like Clinton

“Yo… this dude Trump is outta line!”

By John J. Lennon

News October 23, 2016

If Prisoners Ran Prisons

Five Texas inmates say what they’d do differently.

By Maurice Chammah

Life Inside October 6, 2016

How a Phone Changed My Life on Death Row

“I felt like a virgin on my wedding night — eager to put this thing to use, not sure if it’ll hurt.”

By George T. Wilkerson

Life Inside September 29, 2016

The Best Guard at My Prison Was Murdered

“Timothy. His first name was Timothy. I hadn’t known that. They punish us for using guards’ first names.”

By Christopher Dye

News September 27, 2016

A Primer on the Nationwide Prisoners’ Strike

Prisoners can be forced to work without pay — the Constitution says so.

By Beth Schwartzapfel

News September 21, 2016

Do Prison Strikes Work?

Amid a current prison work stoppage, here are five strikes and how they turned out.

By Christie Thompson

News September 13, 2016

When an Old Law Makes It Hard to Fix a Troubled Jail

A federal statute from the Carter era favors negotiation, but that can take a long time.

By Alysia Santo

Life Inside September 1, 2016

How Having a Dog Changed My Life in Prison

“Until now, touching another living thing took place in the context of fights, pat-downs, and strip searches.”

By Jerry Metcalf

Life Inside August 25, 2016

What I've Learned Cutting Hair in Jail

“They look tired, ragged, and sick, more so than they thought they would.”

By Andre Lyons

Life Inside August 18, 2016

My Life as a Blind Man in Prison

A prisoner’s world becomes even smaller.

By Burl Washington as told to Christie Thompson

Commentary August 12, 2016

End Prisons-for-Profit

A scathing report calls for “better oversight.” That’s not enough.

By Carl Takei

Life Inside August 4, 2016

The Absurd Things I Heard Through the Vents in My Prison Cell

“The man proceeded to make car noises.”

By Dylan Jeffrey

Life Inside June 30, 2016

What You Do While You Wait for Your Husband to Go to Prison

“Drive whenever you go anywhere, get your financial house in order, finalize your will, take baths, and cry.”

By Anonymous

Life Inside March 25, 2016

How I Survived ‘Ninja Shakedown’ Cell Searches

Fear and anxiety during a three-day lockdown.

By Wayne Snitzky

Life Inside February 25, 2016

What It’s Like to Be Gay in Prison

When the people in charge are homophobic.

By Corbett J. Yost

News February 16, 2016

Watch a Video From “Mariposa and the Saint,” a New Play About Solitary Confinement

The work is based on years of letters between Julia Steele Allen and Sara Fonseca.

By Alysia Santo

Life Inside January 29, 2016

What It’s Like to Be Moved From Cell to Cell, Prison to Prison

An endless shuffle takes a toll.

By Arthur Longworth

News January 27, 2016

San Quentin Puts on a Happy Face

A field trip to California’s oldest prison.

By Bill Keller and Neil Barsky

Life Inside January 22, 2016

How I Experience Female Contact in Prison

On being pent up.

By Rahsaan Thomas

Life Inside December 23, 2015

A Rare, White Christmas in a Texas Prison

“A few flakes continued to fall, and for a moment, I forgot where I was.”

By E.J. Chappelle

News December 22, 2015

Deck the Dorm: A Christmas Contest in a Kentucky Jail

The Louisville jail holds an annual competition to bring cheer to a tough time of year

By Alysia Santo & mashable

News October 22, 2015

The FCC Looks into the Prison Telephone Racket

Phone home, go broke.

By Beth Schwartzapfel

Commentary October 5, 2015

Let the Press In

Society won’t fix a prison system it can’t see.

By Bill Keller

Quiz September 30, 2015

Do You Have What It Takes To Be a Prison Censor?

Test yourself against the pros.

By Bill Keller

News August 23, 2015

A New York Prison-Yard Search and 10 Cases of Frostbite

Barehanded, inmates are ordered to grip a metal fence in 10-degree weather.

By Alysia Santo

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 July 31, 2015

Bored in Jail? Walk to Canada.

The imagined journey of Steven Ray Epperson.

By Maurice Chammah

Life Inside July 16, 2015

Living With an Ankle Bracelet

Freedom, with conditions.

By M.M.

Commentary July 8, 2015

Why Dylann Roof’s Racism Will Only be Nurtured in Prison

An author and former prisoner reflects on the white supremacist’s potential fate.

By James Kilgore

Life Inside July 7, 2015

What’s in a Prison Meal?

The ongoing fight for more, and better, prison food.

By Alysia Santo and Lisa Iaboni

Feature June 28, 2015

This is Rikers

From the people who live and work there.

By The Marshall Project

Commentary June 26, 2015

Fact-Checking Season 3 of Orange Is the New Black

A former CO — and first-time OITNB-watcher — weighs in.

By Carl Stoffers

Life Inside June 9, 2015

Doing Whatever It Takes to Create a Prison Garden

“The staff didn't have a clue.”

By Michele Scott

Asked and Answered May 22, 2015

‘I Feel Unsafe Every Day.’

An Oklahoma corrections officer on the stress and danger of understaffing, and why each inmate should be given a joint twice a day.

By The Marshall Project

Life Inside May 19, 2015

A Lifer’s Retirement Plan

Most of us get out old and broke. Not me.

By Rahsaan Thomas

News May 12, 2015

Adding Pepper Spray to the Prison Arsenal

A new Human Rights Watch report assesses use of force behind bars.

By Alysia Santo

News May 7, 2015

Older Prisoners, Higher Costs

A tough, new report says it’s time for federal prisons to release the elderly and infirm.

By Andrew Cohen

The Frame May 1, 2015

Prison Plantations

One man’s archive of a vanished culture.

By Maurice Chammah

The Rules April 3, 2015

Prison Bling

Keep it simple, keep it religious.

By Clare Sestanovich

Commentary April 3, 2015

Inmate. Prisoner. Other. Discussed.

What to call incarcerated people: Your feedback

By Blair Hickman

The Lowdown March 26, 2015

Guerrilla Radio

How some inmates hack, rewire, and retool their radios to create walkie-talkies.

By Maurice Chammah

Asked and Answered March 17, 2015

‘If You’ve Been Waiting in Jail for Several Months, Prison is Considered the Promised Land.’

Daniel Luke, a 45-year-old former inmate from Oregon, on his time behind bars and what he struggles with now that he’s out.

By The Marshall Project

Feature February 28, 2015

Attica’s Ghosts

A savage beating, a culture “beyond repair.”

By Tom Robbins

Life Inside February 13, 2015

Love in Solitary

A relationship told through letters.

Compiled by Caroline Grueskin

The Lowdown February 12, 2015

Prison Personals

How prison pen pal services became the new OkCupid.

By Simone Weichselbaum

Q&A January 12, 2015

‘Sure, People Are Talking About Prison Reform, but They Aren’t Actually Doing Anything.’

Inmate-turned-journalist Paul Wright on what he’s learned in his 25 years covering the prison system.

By Alysia Santo

The Lowdown December 30, 2014

Prison Moonshine

How it’s made, how it smells, and why ketchup is involved.

By Clare Sestanovich

Feature December 22, 2014

16-Hour Shifts, 300 Inmates to Watch, and 1 Lonely Son

The very sleep-deprived life of a corrections officer.

By Alysia Santo

News December 9, 2014

It’s Not the Heat

Prison inmates are dying of cold. Why?

By Alysia Santo

The Rules December 3, 2014

Why are Some Inmates in South Carolina Wearing Pink Jumpsuits?

Punishing the act of self-pleasure.

By Clare Sestanovich

The Lowdown November 19, 2014

Fakeup

How women in prison remake makeup.

By Simone Weichselbaum