Incarcerated Journalism is a much needed tool inside correctional facilities, to rewrite the narrative, and served the uninformed communities.
The first Amendment says Journalist shall have the freedom of press, safeguarding the rights of incarcerated reporters within a carceral system, according to the Nation.
If news reporting behind the walls is not protected, the voice of the incarcerated may become lost, allowing “dangerous and misleading” narratives to go unchecked.
“Without prison journalism incarcerated people are practically invisible,” stated Steve Brooks the former Editor-in-Chief of San Quentin News. “These [prison] communities are an extension of the outside, and should have local reporters.”
He stated that correctional facilities have overcrowded populations, where different cultures and backgrounds exist. Prison is a place where life is often “dangerous and deadly.”
There are stories inside prison that outside media cannot access, such as the death of a man who did not have access to insulin or accounts were incarcerated women faced persuasive sexual abuse without any recourse.
Prison Journalism can highlight unfair practices on the inside, something that is shared with public media and local communities. People who share the same struggles, collectively they can impact their audiences, noted the Nation.
“By connecting through our common struggles, we can impact the larger world, Brooks stated. “Everybody has an important story and every community matters, including prison communities.”
Articles that are written by incarcerated people are more valuable to both the incarcerated and the community, as long as they report the objective facts, according to Brooks.
Communities have a hunger for knowing what type of humanity is practiced in prison; journalism exposes those conditions.
In a Texas Correctional Facility incarcerated Journalist made reports about the excessive heat in solitary confinement cells, those accounts led to air-conditioning being installed, according to the Nation.
Some prison journalist finds it difficult to be transparent when it comes to reporting the news from the inside.
“There is a lot of pressure from prison authorities not to be transparent [about] what’s going on in prison, Brooks stated.
“It’s difficult to talk candidly about living conditions, quality of food, and health care without ruffling a few feathers.”
Incarcerated journalist have a desire to help the media world, an aspiration that requires editors and their publications to develop long-lasting partnerships with incarcerated reporters, stated the article.
However, there are obstacles that stand in the way of prison journalism, making it hard to report the facts.
The Federal Bureau of Prisons are the only carceral system that prohibits prison journalism; the BOP has more than 150,000 people incarcerated, this is equivalent to preventing all the citizens in Kansas City, Missouri from reporting on their society, according to the Nation
The New York Department of Corrections passed a directive with stipulations, saying that the incarcerated can practice journalism. The directive stated that the administration must review and approve all the news content, soon after the policy was rescinded.
There are other correctional officials who are willing to adhere to the first amendment rights, by extending this freedom to incarcerated people.
Arkansas, Georgia, Michigan, and Texas protect the communication between the incarcerated and civilian media. Correctional staffs are not allowed to open and or read prisoner mail addressed to outside news outlets, according to the Nation.
This privacy policy is equivalent to the confidential interactions between Attorneys and Clients, concerning incoming and outgoing legal correspondence.
Incarcerated journalism is not just work it is educational, positive, and empowering to everyone involved.
Prison residents return to society and continue to report, engaging in public speaking, working in advocacy, and contributing positively to their communities, stated the Nation.
A Prison Publication that is written, produced, and managed by the incarcerated, demonstrates that the formerly incarcerated can live a productive and responsible life after prison, according to Brooks.
