Stories

First-person accounts from the federal system.

People who've lived through pretrial, incarceration, and reentry — telling it in their own words. Published with consent.

Contribute Your Story

We publish stories from formerly-incarcerated people and their families. You keep copyright; you approve the final text before it runs.

Guidelines

What We Look For

Honest, specific, useful to someone newly in the same situation. We avoid vilifying staff or other inmates. We verify facts. We pay a small honorarium ($200) for accepted pieces.

Submit

How To Pitch

Email help@drprison.org with a 3–5 sentence pitch. No need for a finished draft. Tell us what happened and why it matters. We'll respond within 10 business days.