Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

LightNews

Prison Journalism Project

@prisonjournalism.bsky.social

27K followers 320 following 1.9K posts

An independent national nonprofit initiative that trains incarcerated writers in the tools of journalism and publishes their stories. Subscribe: https://prisonjournalismproject.org/newsletter/?utm_campaign=Bluesky_Profile

prisonjournalismproject.org

Posts Media Videos Starter Packs

Pinned

Prison Journalism Project @prisonjournalism.bsky.social · 5d

"After about two weeks it hit me like a sword strike to the throat: we are all gonna die and that is a simple fact of physical existence. As for me, I’m already on Death Row which puts my death right there in my face."

Dying in the Samurai Way

I came across a passage in a book called "Hagakure, The Book of the Samurai," that states, “Meditation on inevitable death should be...

prisonjournalismproject.org

Reposted by Prison Journalism Project

Empowerment Avenue @empowermentave.bsky.social · Sep 12

For The Media Co-op, Demetrius Buckley writes about experiencing wildfires from Canada at his Michigan prison.

"June 3, 2025. I can’t breathe. I wake up in an eight-man cube at JCS Correctional Facility in Jackson, Michigan. I pull the air inside my lungs and heave."

mediacoop.ca/node/119308

Experiencing Canadian Wildfire Smoke in a Michigan Prison

June 3, 2025. I can’t breathe. I wake up in an eight-man cube at JCS Correctional Facility in Jackson, Michigan. I pull the air inside my lungs and heave. “You OK?” An inmate says in the cube, holding...

Reposted by Prison Journalism Project

Prison Journalism Project @prisonjournalism.bsky.social · 28d

We’ve added an archive of past editions of The Inside Story, our weekly newsletter that features impactful stories by incarcerated writers. Check it out and sign up for our newsletter.

Get The Inside Story

The Inside Story is Prison Journalism Project’s weekly newsletter, which highlights our writers’ best work. Get it right in your inbox.

prisonjournalismproject.org

Reposted by Prison Journalism Project

Anodyne @anodynesix.bsky.social · 7d

"As a society, we are responsible for the development of our youth. If we provided them the care they deserve ... we wouldn't even have to think about putting kids in cages."

Prison Journalism Project @prisonjournalism.bsky.social · 15d

Each year in the U.S., thousands of kids under the age of 18 are charged as adults and sentenced to adult jails and prisons.

In Pennsylvania, We Can Do Better Than Caging Kids

Each year in the U.S., thousands of kids under the age of 18 are charged as adults and sentenced to adult jails and prisons.

prisonjournalismproject.org

Reposted by Prison Journalism Project

Books to Prisoners (Seattle) @bookstoprisoners.bsky.social · 5d

Without proper oversight, unregulated inmate management funds become guard and admin salary funds, and library resources are already one of the first budget lines cut in prisons and jails.

"The library used to have around 20 newspaper and magazine subscriptions. Those have dwindled to only six."

Prison Journalism Project @prisonjournalism.bsky.social · 5d

"In Idaho state prisons, a certain percentage of the cost of every commissary purchase and phone call goes into the inmate management fund," writes Dennis. "...These kinds of funds, common in prisons and jails across the country, are typically used to benefit the welfare of incarcerated people."

A Prison Fund Is Supposed to Benefit Incarcerated People in Idaho. Has That Changed?

In the past few years, residents at an Idaho prison have wondered how their basic needs are being met after cuts to educational and religious supplies, gym equipment and movie time.

prisonjournalismproject.org

Reposted by Prison Journalism Project

Prison Journalism Project @prisonjournalism.bsky.social · 5d

"After about two weeks it hit me like a sword strike to the throat: we are all gonna die and that is a simple fact of physical existence. As for me, I’m already on Death Row which puts my death right there in my face."

Dying in the Samurai Way

I came across a passage in a book called "Hagakure, The Book of the Samurai," that states, “Meditation on inevitable death should be...

prisonjournalismproject.org

Reposted by Prison Journalism Project

Prison Journalism Project @prisonjournalism.bsky.social · 5d

"We are only allowed to own seven pairs [of underwear] in total. In order to exchange your state-allotted pairs for new ones, you must submit to a bunk search and an officer must verify to the property officer that you do not own more than seven pairs."

What It's Like to Have Your Period in Prison

Even at a women’s prison, your menstruation care needs may not be met.

prisonjournalismproject.org

Reposted by Prison Journalism Project

Prison Journalism Project @prisonjournalism.bsky.social · 3d

Lockdowns Occur Far Too Often in This Federal Prison

Lockdowns Occur Far Too Often in This Federal Prison

In a compound with almost 1,300 women, we are sometimes locked down for the smallest reasons.

prisonjournalismproject.org

Reposted by Prison Journalism Project

Prison Journalism Project @prisonjournalism.bsky.social · 5d

"In Idaho state prisons, a certain percentage of the cost of every commissary purchase and phone call goes into the inmate management fund," writes Dennis. "...These kinds of funds, common in prisons and jails across the country, are typically used to benefit the welfare of incarcerated people."

A Prison Fund Is Supposed to Benefit Incarcerated People in Idaho. Has That Changed?

In the past few years, residents at an Idaho prison have wondered how their basic needs are being met after cuts to educational and religious supplies, gym equipment and movie time.

prisonjournalismproject.org

Prison Journalism Project @prisonjournalism.bsky.social · 1d

This is how I learned the news that she passed away. 😢

Reposted by Prison Journalism Project

Prison Journalism Project @prisonjournalism.bsky.social · 4d

A Missed Chance to End the Damage of Unconstitutional Jury Verdicts

Louisiana Lets a Relic of Jim Crow Stand

A proposed Louisiana law almost allowed people convicted by split juries before 2019 to challenge those convictions. Then the legislation died.

prisonjournalismproject.org

Reposted by Prison Journalism Project

Prison Journalism Project @prisonjournalism.bsky.social · 3d

"In 2010, my eldest daughter, Danielle Thomas, died in a fatal automobile accident at the age of 25. As a loving dad, I never contemplated my child dying before me. Nor had I imagined the devastation I would feel not being permitted to attend her funeral services."

In One Alabama Prison, the Dead Are Honored Through an ‘Outmate’ Memorial Service

Memorial services are held for the dead at William E. Donaldson Correctional Facility in Alabama. It’s called the Outmate Memorial Service.

prisonjournalismproject.org

Reposted by Prison Journalism Project

Miriam Grace @miriamgrace.bsky.social · 2d

“For my full-time job, I make 40 cents an hour, the highest pay available in the Michigan prison system. That pay only goes so far. To eat healthy on my days off, and to avoid asking my loved ones for money, I’ve had to adopt side-hustle skills to support myself.”

$.4*9/day=$3.6/day=🫤

Prison Journalism Project @prisonjournalism.bsky.social · 2d

The Best Prison Job Is Teaching Residents How to Cook

The Most Coveted Job in the Michigan Prison System

As a chef tutor in prison, I teach people how to handle food safely, and how to cook and bake. It has lots of perks, but the pay is still abysmal.

prisonjournalismproject.org

Reposted by Prison Journalism Project

Prison Journalism Project @prisonjournalism.bsky.social · 2d

The Best Prison Job Is Teaching Residents How to Cook

The Most Coveted Job in the Michigan Prison System

As a chef tutor in prison, I teach people how to handle food safely, and how to cook and bake. It has lots of perks, but the pay is still abysmal.

prisonjournalismproject.org

Reposted by Prison Journalism Project

Prison Journalism Project @prisonjournalism.bsky.social · 6d

Health Care Challenges in Oregon Prisons

Oregon Promises Better Prison Health Care. Here’s Why Some Are Skeptical.

The prison population in Idaho often has to rely on deficient and delayed medical care.

prisonjournalismproject.org

Reposted by Prison Journalism Project

Prison Journalism Project @prisonjournalism.bsky.social · Apr 4

"Perhaps prison would have persisted this way forever. Perhaps our granite hearts and iron wills would have never crumbled. Perhaps the prison mentality, that we be cold and heartless, would have endured.

Perhaps. But then there were kittens."

When Kittens Came to My Prison, I Had Not Petted One in 15 Years

I had not touched a cat in 15 years when an orange kitten wandered over to sit with me in the grass.

prisonjournalismproject.org

Prison Journalism Project @prisonjournalism.bsky.social · 2d

The Best Prison Job Is Teaching Residents How to Cook

The Most Coveted Job in the Michigan Prison System

As a chef tutor in prison, I teach people how to handle food safely, and how to cook and bake. It has lots of perks, but the pay is still abysmal.

prisonjournalismproject.org

Reposted by Prison Journalism Project

Mother Jones @motherjones.com · 3d

Chain-link cages. Flooded tents. Clouds of mosquitoes. Malfunctioning AC. Scarce food. Zero recreational time: Inside the hell of Alligator Alcatraz.

Inside the hell of Alligator Alcatraz

Despite shocking conditions and rampant “psychological warfare,” copycats are popping up around the country.

Prison Journalism Project @prisonjournalism.bsky.social · 3d

Lockdowns Occur Far Too Often in This Federal Prison

Lockdowns Occur Far Too Often in This Federal Prison

In a compound with almost 1,300 women, we are sometimes locked down for the smallest reasons.

prisonjournalismproject.org

Reposted by Prison Journalism Project

Prison Journalism Project @prisonjournalism.bsky.social · 5d

Why are incarcerated people dying from lack of food or water, even as private companies are paid millions for their care? Story via @newyorker.com

Starved in Jail

Why are incarcerated people dying from lack of food or water, even as private companies are paid millions for their care?

www.newyorker.com

Prison Journalism Project @prisonjournalism.bsky.social · 3d

"In 2010, my eldest daughter, Danielle Thomas, died in a fatal automobile accident at the age of 25. As a loving dad, I never contemplated my child dying before me. Nor had I imagined the devastation I would feel not being permitted to attend her funeral services."

In One Alabama Prison, the Dead Are Honored Through an ‘Outmate’ Memorial Service

Memorial services are held for the dead at William E. Donaldson Correctional Facility in Alabama. It’s called the Outmate Memorial Service.

prisonjournalismproject.org

Reposted by Prison Journalism Project

Prison Journalism Project @prisonjournalism.bsky.social · 4d

An Idaho prison fund, which receives millions of dollars each year, used to provide things like gym equipment and religious materials. Those days are long gone.

A Prison Fund Is Supposed to Benefit Incarcerated People in Idaho. Has That Changed?

In the past few years, residents at an Idaho prison have wondered how their basic needs are being met after cuts to educational and religious supplies, gym equipment and movie time.

prisonjournalismproject.org

Reposted by Prison Journalism Project

Paula Carlson 🇨🇦 @thepaulacarlson.bsky.social · 4d

“It was like I had been reborn to the world or the world reborn to me. In death, I found life, peace, happiness and contentment.”

Amazing piece by Bob R. Williams Jr.

The power of writing transcends prison walls ✍️

Prison Journalism Project @prisonjournalism.bsky.social · 5d

"After about two weeks it hit me like a sword strike to the throat: we are all gonna die and that is a simple fact of physical existence. As for me, I’m already on Death Row which puts my death right there in my face."

Dying in the Samurai Way

I came across a passage in a book called "Hagakure, The Book of the Samurai," that states, “Meditation on inevitable death should be...

prisonjournalismproject.org

Prison Journalism Project @prisonjournalism.bsky.social · 4d

A Missed Chance to End the Damage of Unconstitutional Jury Verdicts

Louisiana Lets a Relic of Jim Crow Stand

A proposed Louisiana law almost allowed people convicted by split juries before 2019 to challenge those convictions. Then the legislation died.

prisonjournalismproject.org

Prison Journalism Project @prisonjournalism.bsky.social · 4d

I'm re-visiting the piece and had to stop because tearing up.

Prison Journalism Project @prisonjournalism.bsky.social · 4d

"In jail footage that I reviewed, obtained by Budge & Heipt, she realized that she’d knocked over a precious cup of water with her foot, tried to drink from it, and curled up in a fetal position when she found that it was empty. Another day, she screamed & waved her arms, seeking help from a nurse."