The Marshall Project – By Lawrence Bartley – “As I was trying to win parole last year, a friend suggested that I submit an essay to The Marshall Project for a series called “Life Inside.” I was in the midst of five parole hearings, a verbal and emotional ordeal with years of my life on the line. I was stressed. I had no desire to share. But after a little nudging and a lot of struggle, I managed to spill my feelings about the prospect of freedom after 27 years in the system. It was the publication of that essay that led to me walking through the office doors of The Marshall Project two months later—having finally won parole—to talk with their staff about my experiences. That conversation led to me joining their team and to the creation of News Inside—a collection of TMP’s award-winning journalism that relates directly to incarcerated lives. In the past month, we began distributing the pilot edition of this print publication to prisons and jails; to date it is circulating in 30 facilities in 19 states. I wanted to share our rich articles with my information-poor former community, particularly those who believe study is a chance for redemption, who sacrifice sleep and risk a misbehavior report to pore over textbooks under shaded lamps after lights-out, who struggle to find resources to expand their minds…”