News of Interest

Selected news stories of interest to the Freedom Reads community.

Take a Tour of the Beehives in My Oregon Prison
Prison Journalism Project by Phillip Luna September 3, 2024

Writer Phillip Luna, incarcerated inside Eastern Oregon Correctional Institution, shares about facilitating the selective beekeeping program at the prison.

The Strange Twist in Coping with My Father’s Death from Behind Bars
Prison Journalism Project by Jeremy Moss August 28, 2024

Jeremy Moss poignantly captures what it is like to lose a loved one during a long incarceration, a loss that is often felt and mourned even prior to a loved one’s actual death–in the sense that incarceration separates people from one another.

A Museum of Formerly Incarcerated People Opens in Germantown
WHYY by Peter Crimmins August 28, 2024

Rev. Michelle Simmons—founder of the nonprofit Why Not Prosper—recently opened the Formerly Incarcerated Renaissance Museum (F.I.R.M.) in Germantown, displaying art and artifacts from formerly incarcerated women transitioning back into society.

'Give them hope': A pickleball program inside a CT prison helps incarcerated people find self-worth
Connecticut Public Radio by Eddy Martinez August 23, 2024

Eddy Martinez writes about the Pickleball for Incarcerated Communities League (PICL), which brings the sport to American prisons. Coach Angelo Rossetti emphasizes the benefits of the sport—beyond athletics, it offers hope to people on the Inside.

What It’s Like to Watch an Airshow from Prison
Prison Journalism Project by Nathan Gray July 25, 2024

Nathan Gray writes about watching the EAA AirVenture Oshkosh from the prison yard and the excitement the airshow generates among those incarcerated at Oshkosh Correctional Institution.

At San Quentin, a Graduation Ceremony Celebrates Aspiring Journalists
Prison Journalism Project by Ali Moseley July 22, 2024

Ali Mosely writes about celebrating his graduation from the San Quentin Journalism Guild’s training program. This year’s graduating class of 39 men was the largest in the program’s history.

Squinting in the Sunlight
Inquest by William Kissinger July 16, 2024

William Kissinger writes about the unique challenges reentry poses for elderly individuals and how he made a life for himself on the outside after serving 47 years in prison.

For This Drama, Some Actors Returned to Prison by Choice
The New York Times by Rachel Sherman July 12, 2024

The cast of the upcoming film “Sing Sing” visited Sing Sing Correctional Facility in New York to share an advanced screening of the film with men on the Inside. The film tells the story of a prison theater program and features in its cast 13 men who had previously participated in the theater program while incarcerated.

My Unlikely Path From Jail to Journalism
The New York Times by Mario Koran July 2, 2024

Mario Koran writes about discovering his passion for journalism while incarcerated and his career as a professional investigative journalist after his release.

In Prison, You Need a Group. Mine are the Nerds.
Prison Journalism Project by Daniel Cohen June 24, 2024

Daniel Cohen writes about finding friendship and comfort within his prison’s Nerd Room.

On Death Row, Reading Taught Me To Fly
Prison Journalism Project by Reginald Lewis June 13, 2024

Reginald Lewis writes about how reading books and writing helped him find some freedom during 30 years on Pennsylvania's death row.

New California Prison Program Allows Inmates to Land Jobs from Behind Bars Pending Their Release
CBS News by Ashley Sharp June 13, 2024

California prisons’ new “Entry to Employment” program provides incarcerated individuals with support in finding jobs, connecting them with opportunities in the months before reentry.