One of the most under-appreciated yet exciting corners of the Fourth Estate is the prison press. Prison journalists work against enormous odds to build information-rich ecosystems inside their facilities and to bring outside readers a better understanding of the carceral system. They are uniquely positioned to show us how our justice system is broken. And help us imagine a safer and more humane way forward.
I currently serve as the editorial director of Pollen Initiative, a nonprofit organization dedicated to cultivating media centers inside prisons. We offer training, logistical support, and project management to publications like the historicSan Quentin News, and well as emerging newsrooms and media projects across the country.
Our newest project is the CCWF Paper Trail, a prisoner-run newspaper launched in California’s largest women’s prison. I was honored to teach their inaugural journalism guild class and serve as an editorial advisor to their publication.
Before coming to Pollen Initiative, I was the founding managing editor of Prison Journalism Project’s instructional newspaper,PJP Inside. I also developed PJP’sPrison Newspaper Project, a resource created to amplify the work of prison newspapers nationwide. Here you’ll find adirectory of operating prison newspapers as well as a “Quick Guide to Starting a Prison Newspaper.“