A Reporter’s Glossary of Prison Jargon - Prison Journalism Project
WEBBOARD: A reference to the Board of Parole Hearings, which determine parole suitability.. CALPIA (or PIA): California Prison Industry Authority, a program in California that employs incarcerated people to produce more than 1,400 goods and services including office furniture, clothing, food and other goods to sell to state agencies. CDV: Conduct Violation in …
Prison Strip Searches Are Degrading — Here’s My Story
WEBOct 4, 2022 · There were three of us in the “search tank,” two others and me. Let’s call them Bob and Billy. As Billy and I uncomfortably undressed, Sweaty started to swear, repeating again, “You take your clothes off!”. “No,” Bob refused. “This is humiliating and degrading.”. Bob looked to Billy and me for support and received none.
One Man's Guide to Prison Tattoos — Prison Journalism Project
WEBOct 7, 2022 · One very common recipe to make chain gang ink is water, alcohol and copious amounts of soot. The water should ideally come from a bottle, but it mostly comes from our sinks. The alcohol pads are a little trickier and must be obtained by a medical orderly, an inmate assigned to work the compound’s medical building.
Life Without Parole Prison Sentence Means No Second Chances
WEBSep 21, 2022 · The goal of life without parole is to make someone die in prison. But you can already argue that incarcerated people are symbolically dead to the broader public — locked away, out of sight, out of mind. Prison is a cruel purgatory. In here, the most abominable sinner can become an admirable saint only to …
Prison Journalism Project
WEB2 days ago · Meet the Writers. Prison Journalism Project has published work by more than 735 writers, poets and artists in 41 states, Canada and the United Kingdom. You can read the biographies of our writers and their stories as …
It’s Hard to Fall in Love or Stay in Love in Prison
WEBFeb 14, 2024 · It’s not easy to form romantic relationships inside prison or continue them with lovers on the outside. Prisons employ strict rules around physical touch, partnerships and other forms of closeness. But in spite of these challenges, people still seek and foster intimacy behind bars. In fact, many PJP writers have found that falling in love is ...
Why Prisons Fail to Rehabilitate People - Prison Journalism Project
WEBJun 22, 2023 · According to the U.S. Department of Justice, more than 600,000 people are released from prison each year, but studies show that about two-thirds of those folks are likely to return to prison within three years. The failure of the system’s rehabilitation programs are starker when considering that many of …
In American Prisons, K2, Suboxone and Surging Overdose Rates
WEBThe U.S. recorded 107,622 drug overdose deaths last year — an all-time high. Meanwhile, overdose deaths in state prisons continue to climb — up by more than 600% over the last two decades, according to the federal Bureau of Justice Statistics. Two particular drugs have risen to dominance in prisons: synthetic marijuana and suboxone.
Incarcerated Californian on Tablets from JPay, GTL — Prison …
WEBSep 2, 2022 · In March 2021, the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation announced a new program in which GTL tablets will be distributed to all California inmates for free to “give incarcerated people the ability to communicate with family, access rehabilitative information and learn new technology.”. CDCR has recently begun installing ...
Mental Health in Prisons: An Inside Look - Prison Journalism Project
WEBOct 26, 2023 · Nowhere is the country’s mental health crisis more severe than in U.S. jails and prisons, which have become de facto housing for those who suffer from mental illness. On any given day, the Washington State Department of Corrections segregates more than 400 prisoners of its average population of about 12,816 for “treatment” of mental illness.