Blog Topic: Justice initiatives

At the beginning of 2025, we launched The Catalyst, a JSTOR Access in Prison newsletter that showcases people and projects working on prison education initiatives. We are now launching a new blog series, Inside & Connected, to build even more community connections in these liminal spaces.

In this closing post of JSTOR’s Second Chance Month series, Elizabeth Shatswell reflects on the transformative power of education, community, and creative expression in the lives of incarcerated individuals.

Incarcerated writer Shane Bell challenges assumptions about prison education and rehabilitation, arguing for access to learning as a transformative force—even for those who may never leave prison. His powerful essay, part of JSTOR's Second Chance series, calls for purpose, service, and dignity behind bars.

This moving reflection traces the enduring bonds formed in prison classrooms and the profound impact of educational journeys shared by incarcerated women. Through the story of Phiengchai Sisouvanh, we see how learning, friendship, and community transcend confinement and continue to transform lives long after graduation.

In this powerful series of personal essays, incarcerated authors reflect on how education has become a catalyst for self-discovery, healing, and community restoration. Their stories underscore the transformative potential of learning, even behind prison walls, as a lifelong commitment to growth and redemption.

In this compelling essay, Ignacio Carrillo challenges traditional definitions of rehabilitation and advocates for animal-assisted programs in prisons. The author explores the role of animals in fostering humanity, dignity, and systemic change within carceral spaces.

Incarcerated writers dave rich and Danny Thomas reveal how education becomes a radical act of resistance within the prison system. Confronting systemic injustice, they transform long sentences into opportunities for mentorship, advocacy, and self-liberation.

Poet Matthew Feeney crafts language that cuts through the noise of modern life, offering distilled expressions of humanity shaped by incarceration, identity, and introspection. His evocative work—layered with metaphor, symbolism, and emotional precision—reminds us to write as if our lives depend on it​

In this reflection on education and transformation, Elizabeth Shatswell introduces two powerful Second Chance Month essays by incarcerated scholars Juan Portieles and Brian Newman. Their stories, shared through JSTOR Access in Prison, explore education as a path to optimism, purpose, and freedom—with lasting ripple effects across their communities.

In this JSTOR's Second Chance Month essay, Michael Munro draws powerful parallels between the structure of roguelike games and his journey through trauma, incarceration, and personal reinvention.