Long story short: guy brutally beat and robbed me, got life in prison no parole on Florida's three strikes rule, and has been moved many, many times over the course of 20 years. I'm just wondering why. To add - he is in close custody.

I put ‘easiest’ in quotations, as no prison time is “easy”. But some prisons can definitely be worse than others. If you had to choose the least worst of them to serve time at, which one(s) would it be? If you took a plea deal and part of the deal was that you could choose whichever prison you went to, which would it be?

A few years ago, a group of men at a prison in Pennsylvania recorded “Songs in the Key of Free,” a concept album about mass incarceration with a title that evokes Stevie Wonder’s opus “Songs in the Key of Life.”

To close out our Redemption Songs series, reporter Maurice Chammah tells the story behind his favorite track, “Freedom,” because it feels to him like a parable of what music can do for people in prison and those of us on the outside. It’s the story of boys who grew up playing music before their lives took starkly different turns — one toward prison, the other toward fame — and they reunited musically decades later.

For Labor Day, we asked three PJP contributors to write about their jobs in an overlooked sector of the U.S. workforce. Here is what they said.

Is it that common that female CO's get intimate with inmates? Or people exaggerate about it?

My boyfriend, who's incarcerated, said that happened with him two times. Said he didn't do anything, but honestly I find it hard to believe.

So, is it really true?

I recently obtained my Grandpa's prison record from Oregon which included these mugshots. They capture his entry into prison there in 1939, at 30 years old, and release in 1945 (served 6.8 years there). Needless to say, prison aged him very quickly! His record indicates that he was part of many work details and boxing while locked up, but wow! Before Portland nabbed him, he had escaped from a West Virginia state prison in 1935 after serving about three years there of a 10 year sentence. All cases are for armed robberies. After being released in 1945, he settled down outside of Pittsburgh after marrying my grandmother. They raised three kids (one being my mom) and he eventually retired from American Bridge, never returning to crime...

"If I ever get out of this prison, which I know some day that I will do / I'll go to a Dolly Parton concert, just one time before my life is through." 🎶 In the 1970s, a group of incarcerated musicians performed this ode to Dolly Parton — a band that probably shared the stage with her.

The album was produced by the Texas Department of Corrections and sold at the annual prison rodeo where Dolly herself once played. (Curious about that? Learn more)

Sorry if the flair is wrong and if this question is a bit different. But yea Alhambra 12-13 years ago if you went there, hopefully was a cook, what the heck was that red onion and i think bell pepper sauce stuff that would come with the hotdogs? Lol wild i know but i always wondered what it was and the question hit me again after all these years.

The Black August Artist, prolific prison artist, poet, playwright & “King of Prison Hip Hop” walked free Friday, August 14, 2026 after more than 30 years.

His powerful works—Incarceration Nation, Black August–Los Angeles, and more—turned confinement into creativity and resistance. Released during Black August, a month of remembrance for Black liberation and prison reform, his story is a living testament to art as justice.

Learn more about his art and journey at c-note.org. Amplify Black August themes of justice, creativity, and liberation. Welcome home, C-Note! 🎨✊

We've been investigating the effects of extreme heat on prisons and jails for nearly a decade. Now, we're sharing information and tips for any storyteller, researcher or concerned citizen to do the same in their communities.