Incarceration 2011–2021

Featured Stories

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  The Short-Timer On Medical Negligence, Sexual Assault, and Cover Ups

  Jun 5, 2018

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  One Team, One Mission Corporate Culture in America's Prison System

  Jun 30, 2014

Curated Collections

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  Living Conditions Stories on the dehumanizing living conditions inside federal prison.

  14 stories

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  Social and Racial Dynamics Stories on the hierarchies, complex relationships, and unspoken rules of prison life.

  10 stories

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  Violence and Conflict Stories on physical altercations, intimidation, sexual predation, and collective resistance.

  11 stories

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  Institutional Abuse Stories of medical neglect, sexual assault, and bureaucratic incompetence.

  9 stories

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  COVID Behind Bars Stories on the impact of COVID-19 inside federal prison walls.

  9 stories

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  Doing Time and Making Do Stories of quiet rebellion, inventive hustle, and bitter humor from behind the fences.

  15 stories

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  Lessons From the Inside Stories from prison classrooms, where survival and learning go hand in hand.

  12 stories

• 

  Suicide Watch Stories of watching, being watched, and the intimacies shared as an inmate companion.

  4 stories

All Stories

• Limbo : Freedom Posponed Due to COVID

  Mar 9, 2021

• Mr. Winky : Porn Addiction and the Fear of Re-offense

  Jan 1, 2021

• Send-Off : Farewell Rituals and Impending Release

  Dec 7, 2020

• First Death : COVID Outbreak at Big Spring Federal Prison Reveals Pattern of Medical Neglect

  Nov 13, 2020

• Compassionate Release : COVID and the Pursuit of Freedom

  Oct 16, 2020

• Game Night : Pizza and Pandemic Pastimes

  Sep 1, 2020

• Pandemic : Life Inside Prison During COVID

  Aug 5, 2020

• Cell to Society : Two Brothers Face the Complex Reality of Post-Incarceration Life

  May 22, 2020

• COVID : Pandemic Protocols in a Federal Prison

  Apr 1, 2020

• Strip Searched : On Prison Sexual Abuse and Retaliation

  Sep 1, 2019

• The Hole : A Month in Solitary Confinement

  Aug 1, 2019

• Estate Sale : Saying Goodbye

  May 8, 2019

• The Visitor : Reconnecting Behind Bars

  Feb 12, 2019

• The Strike : Seven Days of Hunger and Protest

  Oct 9, 2018

• The Short-Timer : On Medical Negligence, Sexual Assault, and Cover Ups

  Jun 5, 2018

• The Weight Pile : Prison Life Through the Lens of Weight Training and Personal Transformation

  Dec 1, 2017

• Tripping : On Addiction and Substance Abuse in Prison

  Sep 26, 2017

• Eclipse : A Solar Event Witnessed from Behind Fences

  Aug 21, 2017

• Love, Paul : A Brother's Letter from Behind Bars

  May 28, 2017

• Fog : Meditations on Family and Isolation

  Apr 22, 2017

• The Officers' Mess : Feeding the Captors

  Dec 18, 2016

• The Hygienist : An Inmate's Illicit Affair with Prison Staff

  May 20, 2016

• Mascots : On Roadrunners, Skunks, and Captivity

  Feb 29, 2016

• The Pageant : When Inmates Perform Christmas

  Jan 1, 2016

• Remediation : An Inside Look at Suicide Prevention in Prison

  Dec 13, 2015

• Comrades : Finding Brotherhood in an Unlikely Exercise Class

  Nov 12, 2015

• Seasonal Doldrums : An Inmate's Perspective on Seasonal Changes

  Oct 5, 2015

• Artifacts : Unearthing Memories in a Prison Food Service Class

  Sep 20, 2015

• Commutations : When Some Go Free

  Sep 7, 2015

• The Meeting : On Inmate Law and Order

  Aug 23, 2015

• Pressure Cooker : Heat and Housing Changes Ignite Prison Tensions

  Aug 9, 2015

• Prison Reform : Hope vs Skepticism

  Jul 26, 2015

• Routines : Finding Humanity Through Daily Rituals

  Jul 12, 2015

• Brothers in Crime : Two Siblings, Two Sentences

  Jun 22, 2015

• On the Lookout : Observations from a Prison Suicide Watch Unit

  May 24, 2015

• Candy Man : On Inmate Ingenuity and Ostracism

  May 10, 2015

• A Place At the Table : A Prison Cooking Class Reveals Social Hierarchy

  Apr 25, 2015

• Always Prepared : On Survival and Safekeeping

  Apr 12, 2015

• Patricide : How Two Incarcerated Brothers Break Their Father

  Mar 18, 2015

• Going Straight : The Employment Crisis for Ex-Offenders

  Mar 14, 2015

• Sunrise : A Night on Prison Suicide Watch

  Feb 16, 2015

• Turbine Cowboy : On Prison Vocational Programs

  Jan 31, 2015

• The Ball Drops : New Year's Eve in a Federal Prison

  Jan 1, 2015

• Christmas Bags : Measuring Time in Christmas Care Packages

  Dec 25, 2014

• Newcomer : Navigating The Social Hierarchy As A New Inmate

  Dec 18, 2014

• Econo Lodge : Arriving at Big Spring FCI

  Nov 1, 2014

• The Chain Gang : A Night Journey from Mississippi to West Texas in Chains

  Oct 9, 2014

• Transfer : On Prison Relocations and Goodbyes

  Oct 6, 2014

• Mail Call : Letters from Prison and the Pain of Separation

  Aug 29, 2014

• One Team, One Mission : Corporate Culture in America's Prison System

  Jun 30, 2014

• Static : Prison Tensions Rise as Rival Groups Face Off in Near-Riot

  Apr 10, 2014

• Weakness vs Meekness : Prison Extortion and the Cost of Survival

  Mar 18, 2014

• Faith vs Flu : A Prison Prayer Circle Confronts Illness

  Dec 18, 2013

• The Exchange : On Contraband and Kindness

  Dec 9, 2013

• Disconnected : An Inmate Father's Attempts to Reach His Children

  Nov 16, 2013

• Elijah : A Gay, Black, Jewish Inmate's Search for Belonging

  Oct 18, 2013

• Grits : Breakfast Debates and Social Dynamics

  Sep 23, 2013

• Prayer Circle : Seeking Safety and Acceptance in a Prison Faith Group

  Sep 20, 2013

• Miss Dominique : An Open Letter in a Prison Bathroom

  Aug 31, 2013

• Smashed : An Assault on a Sex Offender

  Jul 19, 2013

• The Forbidden Garden : Hope Growing Behind Prison Razor Wire

  Jul 5, 2013

• Macaroni Salad : A Mess Hall Conversation on Death and Salvation

  Jun 18, 2013

• Blue Shoes : On Adaptation and Prison Economies

  May 7, 2013

• Teaching Behind Bars : Hope and Disappointment in Prison Education

  Apr 22, 2013

• Cotton Swabs : Prison Life and the Psychology of Control

  Mar 28, 2013

• Anecdote : Becoming Someone's Prison Story

  Mar 9, 2013

• Piss Test : How to Cheat a Drug Urinary Analysis

  Feb 7, 2013

• MLK : Notes On Food, Race, and Education

  Jan 21, 2013

• The Law of Seriality : Coincidences and Patterns in the Chow Hall

  Jan 15, 2013

• Watching : Inside the Inmate Suicide Watch Program

  Jan 8, 2013

• Christmas Letter : Finding Joy Amid Confinement

  Dec 25, 2012

• Christmas Cards : A Bittersweet Holiday Ritual

  Dec 15, 2012

• Locks : Violence and Racial Tensions at Thanksgiving

  Nov 24, 2012

• El Burro : Laughter in Unexpected Places

  Nov 19, 2012

• Another November : Reflections on Time and Aging

  Nov 3, 2012

• The Bottom Rung : Reflections on Fear and the Struggle to Maintain Connection

  Oct 23, 2012

• Essays : Inmate Student Stories on Loss

  Oct 15, 2012

• Visitation : Conversations and Vending Machine Meals with My Father

  Sep 29, 2012

• No Sleep : A Night of Dreams, Memories, and Indignities

  Sep 17, 2012

• Bitch : Sexual Politics and Survival Behind Bars

  Sep 7, 2012

• Game Nights : Football, Food, and Racial Territories

  Sep 2, 2012

• Pulled and Bagged : How Incarceration Kills Relationships

  Aug 23, 2012

• Lockdown : On Cellmates, Riots, and Unexpected Peace

  Jul 28, 2012

• Love Letter : Passion and Confinement

  Jul 17, 2012

• South : A Grammar Lesson Leads to Intimacy

  Jul 13, 2012

• Magic Shave : Inside the Prison Commissary

  Jul 6, 2012

• Circling : A Walk Around the Prison Track

  Jun 23, 2012

• Essays : Inmate Student Stories on the First Day of Release

  Jun 20, 2012

• Fugitive : From Teenage Thrills to Adulthood Incarceration

  Jun 8, 2012

• Shakedown Shorty : Inside a Prison Cell Search

  May 25, 2012

• Harper's Index : One Year in Prison by the Numbers

  May 19, 2012

• Love the Sinner : Confronting Homophobia in Prison Ministry

  May 6, 2012

• Math Problems : Frustrations in Prison Education

  Apr 20, 2012

• Bug : Adjusting to an Institutionalized Cellmate

  Apr 1, 2012

• Dirty Business : How to Make Tattoo Ink From Hemorrhoid Cream

  Mar 24, 2012

• Silent Killer : The Hidden Dangers of Pornography Addiction

  Mar 21, 2012

• Bring the Hot Sauce : How Condiments Create Community

  Mar 16, 2012

• Men Left to Themselves : Sexual Fluidity in an All-Male Prison Environment

  Feb 19, 2012

• Waiting : A Punishment and Meditation

  Feb 11, 2012

• Desire : The Desperation for Intimacy Behind Bars

  Feb 2, 2012

• Pillow Talk : Late Night Confessions Between Cellmates

  Jan 25, 2012

• Bubba : Sexual Tensions Between Cellmates

  Jan 20, 2012

• Chicken and Waffles : On Race and Introversion

  Jan 16, 2012

• Essays : Inmate Student Stories on Decisions

  Jan 1, 2012

• A Merry Little Christmas : On Search Warrants, Shakedowns, and Goodie Bags

  Dec 30, 2011

• Dreaming : Psychological Escapes and Waking Disappointments

  Dec 18, 2011

• Opposites : On Mismatched Cellmates

  Dec 11, 2011

• Toilet Paper Wars : Power Struggles and Rebellion

  Dec 4, 2011

• Rain : On Freedom and Normalcy

  Nov 26, 2011

• Gratitude : Thanksgiving Behind Bars

  Nov 24, 2011

• Essays : Inmate Student Stories on Hands

  Oct 14, 2011

• Fractions and Friction : Tensions in a Prison Classroom

  Oct 6, 2011

• Bo : Another Confrontation Between Cellmates

  Oct 5, 2011

• The Typewriter's Secret : A Love Letter Discovered

  Sep 30, 2011

• Essays : Inmate Student Stories on Childhood Homes

  Sep 14, 2011

• Down on All Fours : How to Clean a Prison Cell

  Sep 13, 2011

• Duke : A White Supremacist Goes Gay

  Sep 7, 2011

• Seeds Behind Bars : Fighting Cynicism in Prison Education

  Aug 29, 2011

• Getting to Know You : Confession and Proposition

  Aug 10, 2011

• Praying Mantis : Unlikely Pets Behind Bars

  Aug 2, 2011

• Voodoo : The Aryan Cellmate

  Jul 30, 2011

• Human Zoo : The Dehumanizing Experience of Prison Tours

  Jul 27, 2011

• The Suicide : An Inmate's Choice in His Final Year of Incarceration

  Jul 22, 2011

• The Weasel and the Rooster : Navigating Predatory Advances Behind Bars

  Jul 11, 2011

• Brawl : Hollywood vs Reality

  Jul 7, 2011

• The Act : Hiding Sexual Identity in Prison

  Jun 30, 2011

• Hooch in the Ceiling : On Prison Ingenuity

  Jun 20, 2011

• Cold Ramen : A Confrontation Between Cellmates

  Jun 13, 2011

• The Divide : Race Relations and the Prison Racial Hierarchy

  Jun 8, 2011

• Clerk : Inside Prison Education

  Jun 3, 2011

• Escape : Finding Sanctuary in Books

  May 31, 2011

• Law Library : How Prison Inmates Investigate Each Other's Crimes

  May 25, 2011

• Macaroons : My First Birthday in Federal Prison

  May 20, 2011

• Stamps : Prison's Underground Economy

  May 16, 2011

• Rash : On Prison Psychological and Medical Care

  May 13, 2011

• Fifteen Minutes : The First Call Home

  May 5, 2011

• The Conversion : How I Became a 'Straight Christian' in Federal Prison

  Apr 30, 2011

• The Solicitor : A White Supremacist's Advances

  Apr 29, 2011

• Self-Surrender : My First Day in Federal Prison

  Apr 28, 2011