Blog

In this closing post of JSTOR’s Second Chance Month series, Elizabeth Shatswell reflects on the transformative power of education, community, and creative expression in the lives of incarcerated individuals.

Incarcerated writer Shane Bell challenges assumptions about prison education and rehabilitation, arguing for access to learning as a transformative force—even for those who may never leave prison. His powerful essay, part of JSTOR's Second Chance series, calls for purpose, service, and dignity behind bars.

At ACRL 2025, JSTOR marked its 30th anniversary while unveiling JSTOR Digital Stewardship Services—built to support libraries in managing and preserving digital collections using AI-assisted metadata creation and community-driven collaboration.

This moving reflection traces the enduring bonds formed in prison classrooms and the profound impact of educational journeys shared by incarcerated women. Through the story of Phiengchai Sisouvanh, we see how learning, friendship, and community transcend confinement and continue to transform lives long after graduation.

April’s collections on JSTOR highlight labor solidarity, poetic vulnerability, and historic landscapes through new books, rare archives, and open access multimedia.

In this powerful series of personal essays, incarcerated authors reflect on how education has become a catalyst for self-discovery, healing, and community restoration. Their stories underscore the transformative potential of learning, even behind prison walls, as a lifelong commitment to growth and redemption.

JSTOR has partnered with Pluto Journals and the African Books Collective to launch six open access African journals as part of a new pilot program supporting diamond open access publishing.

In this compelling essay, Ignacio Carrillo challenges traditional definitions of rehabilitation and advocates for animal-assisted programs in prisons. The author explores the role of animals in fostering humanity, dignity, and systemic change within carceral spaces.

Incarcerated writers dave rich and Danny Thomas reveal how education becomes a radical act of resistance within the prison system. Confronting systemic injustice, they transform long sentences into opportunities for mentorship, advocacy, and self-liberation.

Poet Matthew Feeney crafts language that cuts through the noise of modern life, offering distilled expressions of humanity shaped by incarceration, identity, and introspection. His evocative work—layered with metaphor, symbolism, and emotional precision—reminds us to write as if our lives depend on it​