When you ask the average consumer of news or journalism what publications they are familiar with, they will surely know, The New York Times, The Washington Post and The Wall Street Journal. But let’s get away from these mainstream, mega corporations, and delve into their polar opposite. Did you know that hundreds of newspapers and magazines have been published by inmates over the past couple centuries? Yes that is correct, the printing press, a symbol of freedom and right to free thinking has been utilized by those who cannot even walk free. Nearly every state in the union has at least one prison with it’s own publication, though few people know about them, they gained a following from inmates and free citizens alike.

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I chose the publications with the highest circulation of a prison newspaper in each state but this only scratches the surface. There are thousands of pages of works published by inmates in libraries and museums nationwide and yet people pay very little mind to them today. I don’t know if it’s because people in the United States are quick to judge and brush off those who are incarcerated or because they simply do not care. However, these works have captured the essence of prison life and gave us a glimpse into the lives of those imprisoned in the freest country on earth.