Prison Time Can Be Your Superpower in Business

I’m Formerly Incarcerated, and I Help People Reentering the Job Market Understand the Value of Their Experiences Inside

This piece publishes as part of the Zócalo/The James Irvine Foundation public program and editorial series, “What Is a Good Job Now?” which investigates low-wage work across California. Register for the event “What Is a Good Job Now?” For the Formerly Incarcerated on January 24, 7PM PST.

When you’re working with men and women coming out of prison to find meaningful career trajectories, it’s important to ask them about their prison experience.

Far too often, formerly incarcerated people don’t appreciate the value of their prison journey.

They …

by Quan Huynh | January 17, 2024

People Coming Out of Prison Need Good Jobs, Too

Like Anyone Without Recent Employment Experience, They Want More Pay, More Stability, and More Upward Mobility

by David J. Harding | January 15, 2024

This piece publishes as part of the Zócalo/The James Irvine Foundation public program and editorial series, “What Is a Good Job Now?” which investigates …

What Prisons Don’t Want Us to Read

Zócalo Has Partnered With PEN America to Share the Stories of Three Incarcerated Writers for Prison Banned Books Week

October 24, 2023

An illustration of a pay phone inside an open flowery luggage. To the upper right of the illustration is a dark-skinned left hand presses against a glass. Near bottom right is a card that almost makes out the word "mom" placed inside a flowery heart.

My Mom Is Out of Prison, But I’m Still Not Free

The Trauma of Having an Incarcerated Parent Is a Life Sentence of Its Own

by Angel Gilbert | March 27, 2023

This article is a co-publication of Zócalo Public Square and State of Mind, a partnership of Slate and Arizona State University focused on covering …

Can We Reimagine Juvenile Justice for Gen Z?

Emerging Into Adulthood Is Hard for Everyone. Prison Makes It Nearly Impossible

by Lael E.H. Chester | July 22, 2021

“Emerging adult” is a new phrase for many of us, and a useful term for understanding a stage of human development that is too often overlooked. People between the ages …

Even After a Decade of Reforms, California’s Era of Mass Incarceration Is Far From Over

The State’s Progress in Reducing Prison Populations and Racial Disparities Is Real. So Are the Remaining Challenges

by Joe Mathews | February 25, 2021

Over the past decade, California has made real progress in reforming its criminal justice system and reducing its prison population, but the state’s era of mass incarceration is far from …

People Coming Out of Prison Need Good Jobs, Too

Like Anyone Without Recent Employment Experience, They Want More Pay, More Stability, and More Upward Mobility

My Mom Is Out of Prison, But I’m Still Not Free

The Trauma of Having an Incarcerated Parent Is a Life Sentence of Its Own

California Is Closing the Wrong Prison

Politics Dominated the State’s Move Toward Mass Incarceration. In Towns Like Susanville, It’s Dominating the State’s Move Away From It, Too

Can a Maximum-Security Prison Be a Place of Connection?

How the Men in Pelican Bay State Prison Impact the Community Outside, One Another, and Inmates Across California

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