On March 24, 1800, Forlorn Hope was published within a prison in New York state, edited by an incarcerated person. In the intervening 200+ years, over 700 prison newspapers have been published from U.S. prisons in all fifty states.
The NYS Library has provided JSTOR with access to rare prison newspapers from their holdings. JSTOR has digitized those newspapers and made them freely available to the public as part of their collection, American Prison Newspapers, 1800s-present: Voices from the Inside.
With the United States incarcerating more individuals than any other nation – near 2 million as of 2025 – these publications depicted and reported on all manner of life within the walls of prisons, from the quotidian to the upsetting.
Incarcerated journalists walk a tightrope between oversight by administration – even censorship – and seeking to report accurately on their experiences inside.
Some publications were produced with the sanction of institutional authorities; others were produced underground.
Some of the many New York State prison titles now available online, thanks to a grant from the Mellon Foundation, including:
Star of Hope
Published by incarcerated individuals since 1899, this official monthly newspaper circulated throughout several New York State Prisons. Read Star of Hope on JSTOR.
The Prison Observer
Now known as Roosevelt Island, Blackwell’s Island was once the site of the New York County Jail. Incarcerated individuals housed there published their own official monthly newspaper. Read The Prison Observer on JSTOR.
The Star-Bulletin
Published at Sing Sing Prison in Ossining, this monthly newspaper features color print, poetry, sports, and the arts. It’s on par with other newspapers of the day. Read The Star-Bulletin on JSTOR.
The Summary
Published weekly at the New York State Reformatory in Elmira, this prison newspaper dates back to the 19th century. It includes railroad schedules, local news, and aggregate data on incarcerated individuals. Read The Summary on JSTOR.
Find more titles from across New York State and around the United States in the collection, which has a focus on the periodicals of incarcerated women, here.
Read more about crime and justice in New York State.
Illustration, from above: Vol. 1, No. 1 of The Auburn Collective, published in Auburn Correctional Facility in February, 1975.
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