Stylized text "Prison Writes" over a brick background with a paper airplane illustration.

Prison Writes

Prison Writes is an innovative, trauma-informed writing program that brings therapeutic, skill-building workshops to detained, incarcerated, and formerly incarcerated individuals. Through writing, we support literacy development, self-expression, and successful re-entry into community life. Our mission is to create real opportunities for healing, advocacy, and transformation—one story at a time.

  • Prison Writes supports participants in developing their writing skills and literacy to promote rehabilitation, re-entry, and personal growth. Our trauma-informed approach blends creative writing with therapeutic practice. Workshops are co-facilitated by licensed social workers and professional writing instructors—many of whom are published authors—ensuring both emotional safety and creative rigor.

  • Through Prison Writes, NYWW instructors have led workshops for:

    • Formerly incarcerated community members at the New York Public Library

    • Youth in alternative-to-incarceration programs

    • Participants in NYC’s Close to Home initiative (Administration for Children’s Services)

    • Re-entry programs at the Brooklyn District Attorney’s Office

    • Adolescents in BronxConnect’s Alternative to Incarceration program

    These partnerships allow us to meet participants where they are—both literally and emotionally.

  • Each workshop is tailored to the needs of the group:

    • Re-entry Support for Women: Includes writing resumes, bios, and lifemaps

    • Youth Workshops: Emphasize literacy through contemporary books, comics, music, and poetry

    • All Programs: Center personal storytelling as a means of self-advocacy, empowerment, and connection

    Our facilitators aim to build confidence and help participants communicate their lived experiences, with an eye toward future goals in education, employment, and personal development.

  • Incarcerated youth and adults often face systemic barriers to education and opportunity:

    • Over half of incarcerated youth have reading and math skills below grade level

    • 1 in 3 require special education services

    • Marginalized communities are disproportionately impacted by school suspensions and incarceration

    Literacy is the foundation for education—and education is key to successful re-entry. Multiple studies show that correctional education reduces recidivism and increases post-release employment.

    Sources:

    • Girlhood Interrupted, Georgetown Law (2017)

    • Locked Out, Council of State Governments Justice Center (2015)

    • Evaluating the Effectiveness of Correctional Education, RAND Corporation (2013)

Two smiling women, one wearing glasses and a beret, and the other with short gray hair, posing closely together indoors.

Meet Our Director: Jessica Hall

Jessica Hall, Executive Director of Prison Writes, has worked with at-risk youth in NYC for over 20 years. Her experience includes memoir writing for court-involved youth and intergenerational oral history projects in public schools. Jessica holds a BA in Political Science from Brooklyn College (Cum Laude) and an MSW with honors from the Silberman School of Social Work. She is a licensed social worker with a focus on community organizing.

Group of five people posing in a room with a screen displaying "NYU Campus." Two are seated, three are standing. They are wearing casual attire, including printed t-shirts. The floor is carpeted and chairs are visible.

Building Bridges Through Writing and Dialogue

Prison Writes visits NYU’s Global Liberal Studies program for an inspiring exchange of stories, experiences, and ideas. Pictured left to right: Tim Tomlinson (President, New York Writers Workshop and Professor, NYU GLS), Nina d'Alessandro (Professor, NYU GLS), PW writers and invited speakers Justin Corney and Rafael Carrera, and PW Executive Director Jessica Hall. Together, they share the transformative power of writing and its role in fostering connection across communities.

Get Involved

Interested in getting involved? Contact us or email us directly at [your email address] to learn more about how you can support this important work.

Together, we can change lives—one story at a time.