Lived Experiences
Part I: Conditions of Confinement
Daily Life & Conditions
- The Alabama Solution [Documentary], HBO (2025)
- Ain’t No Bitch [on shared spaces and routines], Francis, Liberation Live Zine Vol. 1 Issue 1 (2025)
- Locked Out: Dowell’s Targeted Abuse at FCI Petersburg, John Stuart Dowell & Farha Fawaz, Remedy Project (Apr. 11, 2025)
- After Exposing a Lack of Addiction Treatment, I Was Transferred to One of the Country’s Deadliest Prisons, Askia Afrika-Ber, Prison Journalism Project (Mar. 6, 2025)
- What Extreme Cold Feels Like in Prison, Prison Journalism Project (Feb. 25, 2025)
- For a Prison Transfer 45 Minutes Away, I Spent 12 Days in Hell, LaMarr W. Knox, The Marshall Project (Dec. 13, 2024)
- What It Was Like When Hurricane Helene Hit Our Prison, K.C. Johnson, Prison Journalism Project (Dec. 4, 2024)
- Treated Like Animals: A System That Denies Humanity, David Annarelli, Prison Journalism Project (Nov. 21, 2024)
- Life Inside, Remixed: Inside the Underground Economy of Solitary Confinement, Matthew Azzano, Akiba Solomon & Raghuram Vadarevu, The Marshall Project (Oct. 25, 2024)
- Summer Heat in Prison: Just How Hot Are Our Nation’s Prisons?, Prison Journalism Project (Sept. 19, 2024)
- “Sick and Tired”: The Case of the Continuous Silencing of Lawrence James Espree, Indy Goldberg, Remedy Project (Sept. 16, 2024)
- What a Day in Prison is Really Like, David Sell, Vera (Mar. 14, 2024)
- My Biggest Daily Challenge in Prison Isn’t Violence. It’s the Monotony, Jy’Aire Smith-Pennick, The Marshall Project (Feb. 9, 2024)
- My Daily Prison Routine, Chad Weinstein, Prison Journalism Project (Dec. 10, 2023)
- The Daily Schedule That Helps Me Survive Prison, Jared Kirby, Prison Journalism Project (Sept. 5, 2023)
- This is What It’s Like to Spend Your Life In Prison [Video], The New York Times (Aug. 1, 2023)
- The Patterns, Routines, and Pervasive Fear of Daily Life in Prison, Keith Corbin, California Soul (Penguin Random House, 2022)
- The Art of Bidding, or How I Survived Federal Prison, Eric Borsuk, The Marshall Project (Sept. 22, 2022)
- One of the Most Precious Commodities in Prison [on kites], Leo Cardez, Prison Journalism Project (Sept. 1, 2022)
- Episode 45: The Gray Goose (Vans & Buses for Transfers), Ear Hustle (Sept. 9, 2020)
- Episode 39: Us and Them [on guard dynamics], Ear Hustle (Apr. 1, 2020)
- A Day in the Life of a Prisoner, Jerry Metcalf, The Marshall Project (Jul. 12, 2018)
- A Modernized Dungeon, Jesse “Kingsta” Moody Jr., American Prison Writing Archive (Dec. 28, 2017)
- My Prison Cell: A Place Kept Compulsively Clean, Ramon Delgado, The New Yorker (Dec. 30, 2016)
Food
- The Big Business of Bad Prison Food, Beth Schwartzapfel, The Marshall Project (Mar. 8, 2025)
- I Lost 50 Pounds Due to Menu Changes at My Prison, Scott Smith, Prison Journalism Project (Jul. 29, 2024)
- A Prison Medical Company Faced Lawsuits From Incarcerated People. Then It Went ‘Bankrupt.’, Beth Schwartzapfel, The Marshall Project (Sept. 19, 2023)
- Meet the Company Getting Rich Off My Prison’s Awful Food, Justin Slavinski, Prison Journalism Project (Sept. 10, 2023)
- What’s in a Prison Meal?, Alysia Santo et al., The Marshall Project (Jul. 7, 2015)
Family
- Discontinued Families (On Visitation), Justin, Liberation Live Zine Vol. 1 Issue 1 (2025)
- Episode 84: Karen [on pregnancy and birth in custody], Ear Hustle (Dec. 14, 2025)
- Should Incarceration Deprive Me of Having Another Child?, Erica Harris, Prison Journalism Project (Jan. 16, 2025)
- Motherhood Made Me Even More of a Prison and Police Abolitionist, Maya Schenwar, The Marshall Project (Jan. 10, 2025)
- The Effects of Parental Incarceration on Families [Video], Erik Cabrera-Zamora, TEDxAustinCollege (Nov. 22, 2024)
- The Power of a Prison Visit, Ryan Douglas, Prison Journalism Project (Sept. 18, 2024)
- Episode 105: Moms, Ear Hustle (May 1, 2024)
Intimacy/Friendship
- I Went to Prison and Found Support and Community, P.G. Sittenfeld, N.Y. Times (Feb. 22, 2026)
- Why Conjugal Visits Matter, David Hugh, Liberation Live Zine Vol. 1 Issue 1 (2025)
- 6 Stories on Love and Intimacy in Prison, Prison Journalism Project (Feb. 14, 2024)
- Episode 6: The Boom Boom Room, Maverick & Greg Eskridge, Ear Hustle (Aug. 30, 2017)
Work
- Alabama Voters Banned Prison Slavery — But Prisoners Say It Hasn’t Stopped, Shaun Traywick, truthout (Jun. 19, 2025)
- Incarcerated Firefighters Do Risky, Low-Pay Work. Many Say It’s The Best Job Behind Bars., Jamiles Lartey and Shannon Heffernan, The Marshall Project, and Keri Blakinger, The Los Angeles Times (Jan. 11, 2025)
- I Had a Tough Job at My Brooklyn Jail: Keeping Men From Taking Their Own Lives, Rashon Venable, The Marshall Project (Apr. 12, 2024)
- The Daily Schedule That Helps Me Survive Prison, Jared Kirby, Prison Journalism Project (Sept. 5, 2023)
- In California Prisons, Forced Labor Lives On, Steve Brooks, Prison Journalism Project (Aug. 5, 2022)
- Jail Inmates Worked for a $16 Billion Company Without Pay. Now They Want Their Wages., Madison Pauly, Mother Jones: Criminal Justice (Jan. 6, 2020)
- Fields of Blood: My Life As a Prison Laborer, Timothy D.V. Bazrowx, The Marshall Project (Jan. 24, 2019)
- Confessions of an Inmate Firefighter, Joshua Daniel Bligh, International Association of Wildland Fire (Feb. 2016)
Recreation
- 6 Stories on Sports in Prison, Prison Journalism Project (Apr. 24, 2024)
- This Game Captured Minds in Prison. Then It Disappeared., Daniel K. Talburt, Prison Journalism Project (Mar. 31, 2024)
Education & Rehabilitation
- Rehabilitation Through the Arts [Video]
- How I Became a Scholar Behind Bars, Ramelle Kamack, Prison Journalism Project (Mar. 5, 2024)
- ‘The Sky’s the Limit’ for Mule Creek Students Celebrating Graduation, Earl Breckenridge, Prison Journalism Project (Mar. 5, 2024)
- In My Prison, We Pay for College on 70 Cents a Day, Caddell Kivett, Prison Journalism Project (Mar. 5, 2024)
- Ashland University Is Good for Some — and Frustrating for Others, James Hone, Prison Journalism Project (Mar. 5, 2024)
- Ohio Prison System Bans Java Computer Manual, But Allows Hitler’s Mein Kampf, The Marshall Project (Jun. 20, 2023)
- Abuse survivor becomes rehabilitation activist, transforms lives through HEART program, Cherie McNaulty & Edwin Chavez, San Quentin News (Oct. 5, 2022)
- I Hate to Admit It, but Prison Is a Blessing in Disguise, Jy’Aire Smith-Pennick, The Marshall Project (Jun. 10, 2021)
- Literature Locked Up: How Prison Book Restriction Policies Constitute the Nation’s Largest Book Ban, Pen America (Sept. 2019)
- I Taught Myself How to Read in Prison. Then I Sued the System and Won, Andre Jacobs, The Marshall Project (May 24, 2019)
- Benny Rios, Reflection on Prison Law Classes (2019)
Solitary Confinement
- Living in the SHU [Video], C.F. Villa(Oct. 2, 2025)
- “Designed to Break You:” Two Incarcerated Writers on the Heavy Toll of Solitary Confinement, Christopher Blackwell & Kwaneta Harris, Bolts: Ending Isolation (Sept. 19, 2025)
- Twelve Months of Solitude: The Story of Gabrial Lobato, Gabrial Lobato & Henry Knies, Remedy Project (Apr. 8, 2025)
- The Strike That Broke a Supermax Prison, Reveal News (Mar. 29, 2025)
- Life Inside, Remixed: Inside the Underground Economy of Solitary Confinement, Matthew Azzano, Akiba Solomon & Raghuram Vadarevu, The Marshall Project (Oct. 25, 2024)
- Justice for Kelvin Mejia, Amari Rasin, Remedy Project (Oct. 23, 2024)
- Denied Humanity: The BOP’s Violent Abuse of Richard Cunningham, Richard Cunningham & Zara Williamson, Remedy Project (Oct. 10, 2023)
- Amy’s Story: Covid Quarantine or Extra Punishment?, Amy Campbell & Leah Robins, Remedy Project (Feb. 1, 2023)
- Jailhouse Lawyers Are Often Punished With Solitary Confinement, Roxanne Barnes, Solitary Watch (Dec. 22, 2021)
- America has a Dark Little Secret – ADX, Salvador Solorio, San Quentin News (Nov. 14, 2019)
- I Spent 16 Months in Solitary Confinement and Now I’m Fighting to End It, Kiana Calloway, ACLU (Jul. 3, 2019)
- Episode 4: The SHU, Ear Hustle (Jul. 26, 2017)
- “I Never Will Abandon This Hope”: Testimony of a Pelican Bay Hunger Striker on Solitary Confinement, Bryan & Sal Rodriguez, Solitary Watch (Sept. 9, 2011)
- Solitary Confinement: My Typical Day as a Teenager in the Box on Riker’s Island, John Katehis, American Prison Writing Archive
- Silenced: Voices from Inside, Compilation
- Unlock the Box: Experience
- Voices From Solitary, Solitary Watch
Emotional Abuse
- Neglect and Narcotics: Elain’s Struggle for Safety, Nicole Li, Remedy Project (Dec. 20, 2024)
- Treated Like Animals: A System That Denies Humanity, David Annarelli, Prison Journalism Project (Nov. 21, 2024)
- The Patterns, Routines, and Pervasive Fear of Daily Life in Prison, Keith Corbin, California Soul (Penguin Random House, 2022)
Sexual Abuse
- Institutionalized Sexual Abuse and the Fight for Dignity at FCI Texarkana, Evie, Remedy Project (Apr. 15, 2025)
- A Prison Rape Survivor Demands Smart, Safe and Humane Transfers, Johanna Mills, The Marshall Project (Nov. 24, 2024)
- Where Rape Goes Unnoticed, Maurice Chammah, The Marshall Project (Apr. 3, 2015)
- Pulling the Teeth from the Prison Rape Elimination Act, Alysia Santo, The Marshall Project (Dec. 2, 2014)
- Panel on Prison Rape Hears Victims’ Chilling Accounts, Carolyn Marshall, The New York Times (Aug. 20, 2005)
- No Escape: Male Rape in U.S. Prisons, Human Rights Watch (2001)
- All Too Familiar: Sexual Abuse of Women in U.S. State Prisons, Human Rights Watch (1996)
Physical Abuse & Use of Force
- The Alabama Solution [Documentary], HBO (2025)
- Neglect and Narcotics: Elain’s Struggle for Safety, Nicole Li, Remedy Project (Dec. 20, 2024)
- Echoes of Retaliation: The Price of Speaking Out, Michael Campbell et al., Remedy Project (Dec. 13, 2024)
- Justice for Kelvin Mejia, Amari Rasin, Remedy Project (Oct. 23, 2024)
- Fueling A Fire They Started: USP Coleman’s Assault on Oswaldo Bonilla, Nathan Dinoia & Shayna Silberzweig, Remedy Project (Jul. 8, 2024)
- Denied Humanity: The BOP’s Violent Abuse of Richard Cunningham, Richard Cunningham & Zara Williamson, Remedy Project (Oct. 10, 2023)
- Uncovering Brutality Behind Bars: The Ian Resnick Crisis, Remedy Project (Jun. 2, 2023
- Judge Orders CA Prison Guards to Wear Cameras, Kevin Sawyer, San Quentin News (Dec. 31, 2020)
- America has a Dark Little Secret – ADX, Salvador Solorio, San Quentin News (Nov. 14, 2019)
- Attica’s Ghosts, The Marshall Project (Feb. 28, 2019)
Medical Care
- Episode 84: Karen [on pregnancy and birth in custody], Ear Hustle (Dec. 14, 2025)
- He Can’t Chew, Sleep, or Heal. The Prison Doesn’t Care., Quincy McGraw, Remedy Project (Apr. 9, 2025)
- After Exposing a Lack of Addiction Treatment, I Was Transferred to One of the Country’s Deadliest Prisons, Askia Afrika-Ber, Prison Journalism Project (Mar. 6, 2025)
- Denied Care, Denied Dignity: A Story at FCI Aliceville, Nicole Li, Remedy Project (Feb. 19, 2025)
- Neglect and Narcotics: Elain’s Struggle for Safety, Nicole Li, Remedy Project (Dec. 20, 2024)
- Why Did My Old Prison Have 18 Drug Overdoses in Two Months?, David Annarelli, Prison Journalism Project (Nov. 21, 2024)
- A Man in My Prison Said He Killed Himself to End His Chronic Pain, Tuan Tran & L.E.T. Jr., Prison Journalism Project (Oct. 28, 2024)
- The Nine Lives of Walter Deckert, David “Razor” Babb, Prison Journalism Project (Sept. 5, 2024)
- Fueling A Fire They Started: USP Coleman’s Assault on Oswaldo Bonilla, Nathan Dinoia & Shayna Silberzweig, Remedy Project (Jul. 8, 2024)
- In This Missouri Prison, Profit Means More Than a Person’s Life, Antwann Lamont Johnson, Prison Journalism Project (Feb. 20, 2024)
- Prison Healthcare Means Not Knowing What’s Slowly Destroying My Body, James Keown, The Marshall Project (Aug. 18, 2023)
- I Survived Pregnancy and Postpartum Depression in Jail. Now I Guide Others Like Me., Tabatha Trammell & Nicole Lewis, The Marshall Project (Jun. 30, 2023)
- “I Fear That I Will Die in my Sleep”: The BOP’s Failure to Provide Basic Healthcare, Robert Roseberry & Benjy Sachs, Remedy Project (Jun. 7, 2023)
- Corita, Sentenced to Years of Sleep Deprivation and Medical Neglect, Corita Burnett & Benjy Sachs, Remedy Project (Mar. 30, 2023)
- Episode 55: Marcel and Angie [on gender-affirming healthcare], Ear Hustle (Mar. 31, 2021)
- Prisons Often Shackle Pregnant Inmates in Labor, Shawanna Nelson & Adam Liptak, The New York Times (Mar. 2, 2006)
Profit & Private Corporations
- The Big Business of Bad Prison Food, Beth Schwartzapfel, The Marshall Project (Mar. 8, 2025)
- In This Missouri Prison, Profit Means More Than a Person’s Life, Antwann Lamont Johnson, Prison Journalism Project (Feb. 20, 2024)
- Meet the Company Getting Rich Off My Prison’s Awful Food, Justin Slavinski, Prison Journalism Project (Sept. 10, 2023)
- In California Prisons, Forced Labor Lives On, Steve Brooks, Prison Journalism Project (Aug. 5, 2022)
- Jail Inmates Worked for a $16 Billion Company Without Pay. Now They Want Their Wages., Madison Pauly, Mother Jones: Criminal Justice (Jan. 6, 2020)
- The Big Business of Prisoner Care Packages, Taylor Elizabeth Eldridge, The Marshall Project (Dec. 21, 2017)
Mental Health
- A Man in My Prison Said He Killed Himself to End His Chronic Pain, Tuan Tran & L.E.T. Jr., Prison Journalism Project (Oct. 28, 2024)
- I Had a Tough Job at My Brooklyn Jail: Keeping Men From Taking Their Own Lives, Rashon Venable, The Marshall Project (Apr. 12, 2024)
- Denied Humanity: The BOP’s Violent Abuse of Richard Cunningham, Richard Cunningham & Zara Williamson, Remedy Project (Oct. 10, 2023)
Aging
- A Matter of Life: The Scope and Impact of Life and Long Term Imprisonment in the United States, Ashley Nellis & Celeste Barry, The Sentencing Project (Jan. 8, 2025)
- The Nine Lives of Walter Deckert, David “Razor” Babb, Prison Journalism Project (Sept. 5, 2024)
- The Graying of America’s Prisons, Prison Journalism Project (Jan. 10, 2023)
- Behind Bars for 66 Years, John Phillips & Joseph Neff, The Marshall Project (May 23, 2019)
- Episode 9: Gold Coats and OGs [on aging in custody], Lonnie Morris, Richard Lathan & Andres Eric Watson, Ear Hustle (Oct. 11, 2017)
COVID
- Amy’s Story: Covid Quarantine or Extra Punishment?, Amy Campbell & Leah Robins, Remedy Project (Feb. 1, 2023)
- Prison Pandemic, Digital Archive of Covid-19 Experiences, University of California, Irvine