prison stories
We Spoke to Prisoners About Their Failed Escape Attempts
"I just wanted to go home, have a cuppa with my old man and wait for the filth to show up. Just a little holiday, really."
Former Inmates Tell Us About the Weirdest Things They Saw in Prison
"A pillowcase full of severed pigeon heads had been discovered in the inmate's cell."
Inside the Strange and Beautiful Box Economy of Women's Prison
Inside a female prison is a consumerist utopia that runs on care boxes. The demand is high, the supply is tight, and the lubricant for this glorious capitalist machine is penpal boyfriends.
A Prison Bookie Explains How Inmates Gamble on the Super Bowl
Eddie runs a betting pool, also known as a "ticket," in federal prison, and says he's made about $7,000 in less than a year.
What It’s Like to Form a Band in Prison
It's rare to find the equipment and playing partners you need to make music behind bars, but a rock trio called the Institution managed it.
What It’s Like to Form a Band in Prison
It's rare to find the equipment and playing partners you need to make music behind bars, but a rock trio called the Institution managed it.
My Memories of Christmas in Prison Are Dark and Complex
Even in a nicer prison, there are reminders everywhere that Christmas in lockup is about as real a holiday as the plastic needles on our fake trees.
We Asked Former Inmates What It's Like to Deal with a Parole Officer
"They will tell you what you want to hear so you begin to trust them or think of them as a friend. Then they use what you share with them against you. They work for the government. They're goddamn cops. I have to remember that. I can't be their friend."
Tranny in a Man’s Jail
My friend Kira is a 28-year-old transsexual who recently became a free woman after spending three years in New York’s worst men’s prison.