We train incarcerated writers to be journalists and publish their stories
To shift the narrative, we must change the storytellers.
Creating a national network of prison journalists
Information about the prison system is limited, and policy makers and voters are shaping the lives of incarcerated people without their input.
We’re bringing transparency to the world of mass incarceration from the inside and training writers to be journalists, so they can participate in the dialogue about criminal legal reform. Our approach also provides workforce readiness training, so they can be better prepared to re-enter society even as they’re shifting the narrative.
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Make a difference! Help incarcerated writers take the power of journalism into their own hands.
Read Our Stories
Discover how PJP writers are breaking stereotypes and shifting the narrative.
Collaborate with Us
Help shape criminal legal reform — join our community of journalists, teachers, writers and change agents.
PJP Writers Give Voice to Their Stories
‘PJP Amplifies My Voice’
Tariq MaQbool, a writer who is currently incarcerated in New Jersey, discusses how journalism can deliver humanity into the deepest confines of incarceration.
What PJP Means to Me
Prison Journalism Project contributing writer Chanell Burnette, who is currently incarcerated in Virginia, describes the profound impact that writing, and more specifically PJP, has had on her personal life and transformation while in prison.
House of Milo
A look inside Jessie Milo’s California prison cell — in this case, as a diorama — is also a look inside the mindset of a man hoping for change.
We Train Prison Journalists to Change the Narrative About Mass Incarceration
Prison Journalism Project is an independent, national nonprofit organization that trains incarcerated writers to be journalists and publishes their stories so they can serve as influential voices in the broader conversation about the prison legal system across the U.S. and in their local communities.
The prison industry is one of the biggest and least transparent businesses in this country and benefits from the fragmentation of information and news about those who are incarcerated. There is a critical and urgent need to connect the dots between prisons across the country and bring transparency to an opaque industry.
We offer a five-stage journalism training program grounded in workforce readiness skills, including literacy, so they can leave prison with the workforce readiness skills needed to land good jobs.
Our training is designed to help our writers shift the narrative, return to society successfully and contribute to creating a more inclusive, equitable and resilient democracy.
Bring transparency to the prison industry by supporting the work of incarcerated journalists.
Gain new insights through stories that range from thoughtful essays and commentary to features and news.
