How prison newspapers are helping people find their voices behind bars

(NATIONAL) For the incarcerated, prison has taken away many freedoms. But it hasn’t hasn’t taken away their voices or their ability to share their stories with the world. 

The Prison Journalism Project says they have 600 writers as of December 2022. 

Currently there are 24 existing newspapers in prisons in the United States. Four of the newspapers were formed last year, including one at the Mabel Bassett Correctional Center in McCloud, Oklahoma, featured in the Prison Journalism Project’s Prison Newspaper Directory. 

April Wilkens, a woman who has been serving a life sentence for killing her abuser and rapist since 1998, is one of the journalists for the Mabel Bassett Gazette. 

"It is such a blessing to write about the new domestic violence legislation and Prison Health Initiative ("PHI") for the Mabel Gazette,” Wilkens told VNN. “Prison can be a dark, depressing place, making it especially important to share such stories of hope every chance we get.”

We’re told the goal is to eventually have the Mabel Gazette be a monthly publication, however the approval process can be time consuming. 

Wilkens said a deputy warden approves all of the articles before they are published in the Mabel Gazette. They have published three editions since November 2022 with a fourth hoping to “hit the stands” in April 2023. 

Wilkens also recently had an opinion story published in “The Oklahoman”, which was republished across the country. 

“Having my writing in support of criminalized survivors also published by news outlets across the state and nation--from The Oklahoman to USA Today and others--blows my mind,” Wilkens said. “I never dreamed something like this would happen.  It's an honor and immensely humbling.  It feels like people all over are listening and care about us survivors in prison, and I'm beyond grateful.  It makes my heart smile.  God works in mysterious ways and never ceases to amaze me!"

The goal of the Prison Journalism Project (PJP) is to help people in prison become journalists so they can give an inside view of what prison life is like. 

Kate McQueen, an editor for PJP, told Neiman labs that interest in being a part of prison journalism is growing. 

“From what we can see, the prison press is growing,” McQueen said. “There are a lot of currently incarcerated people who are interested in doing the work. I’m sure there’s more out there. We just haven’t found them yet.”

While the PJP is relatively new, prison journalism is not. 

According to the project, incarcerated people have been running their own newsrooms behind bars since 1800. 

Other newspapers in PJP’s online directory include “The San Quentin News” and “The Mule Creek Post.”

Many of these newspapers can be found online. 

“The San Quentin News” can also be read in Spanish online. 

“Prison journalists and newspapers are able to share what life is actually like inside in a way that a journalist on the outside could never do,” McQueen told Neiman Labs. 

The PJP has also started a journalism school for people who are incarcerated, training incarcerated writers on the basics of journalistic writing and showing them how to use AP style.