For the American Prison Writing Archive, a 'Shadow Canon' Sheds Light

To help eligible voters behind bars participate in elections, civic and volunteer groups visit jails such as the Vernon C. Bain Center with registration packets and absentee ballot request forms. The volunteers also answer questions about issues, candidates, and the voting process, and about 300 people in New York jails have registered to vote since January.

The Victim-Offender Mediation/Dialogue program in Texas connects victims with those who harmed them to initiate a healing process founded on the premise of restorative justice. This state-run mediation program helps victims talk to "the criminal who brought pain to them," and requires that the victim request the meeting. Although it has been slow to gain both notoriety in Texas and popularity across the U.S., positive effects have been documented for those who have accessed and participated in the service.

In Los Angeles County Jail, a peer-to-peer mental health program called Forensic Inpatient (FIP) Stepdown has incarcerated individuals trained as mental health assistants supporting fellow inmates struggling with severe mental illnesses. Started by inmates themselves, the program has significantly reduced self-harm incidents, improved hygiene and social functioning, and restored dignity to inmates who participate.

Twenty-eight death row inmates have gone through the Texas Department of Criminal Justice’s Rehabilitation Programs Division’s Faith-Based Program. Over a year and a half, they take classes, participate in community discussions, and attend religious services that encourage a sense of purpose, help them find inner peace with God, and inspire them to make a difference in the prison.

The Realness Project works with incarcerated people in Colorado to build skills in effective communication, "authentic relating," and conflict management. Roughly 90 percent of participants in the organization's workshops say it helped them grow their emotional ability to handle conflict, and about 78 percent said the experience gave them more confidence during job interviews.

Jails in Illinois and Texas have improved voting access for people who are incarcerated by coordinating with voting rights advocacy groups and bringing the polls on-site. In June, voter turnout at the Cook County Jail in Illinois exceeded that of the city of Chicago as a whole, and the Harris County Jail in Texas saw 96 people vote in-person in November 2021 and about 200 cast ballots in the March primary.

Little Scandinavia is a pilot project at a Pennsylvania correctional institution that adopts Norway and Sweden's humane and rehabilitative approach to incarceration. The unit emphasizes dignity, normalized living conditions — like the ability to cook and call family members — and dynamic relationships between staff and incarcerated individuals. Early outcomes show improvements in inmate and staff well-being and reduced violence.

The national initiative Restoring Promise works with states to create criminal justice reform initiatives that draw inspiration from rehabilitation-focused German prisons. The program at Lee Correctional Institution in South Carolina allows participants to customize their individual cells and focuses on mentorships, educational classes, and self-governance.

The American Prison Writing Archive hosts almost 4,000 pieces of writing by people who are incarcerated. It offers a glimpse into the system that is not usually available to the public, a critical outlet for writers, and a social connection to the rest of the world.

California is taking a new approach to reducing recidivism, known as The California Model, by providing people who are incarcerated with rehabilitative and educational programming.