Journalism Behind Bars: The Louisiana State Penitentiary's Angolite Magazine

Abstract

This article examines the importance of inmate-produced journalism through a critical/cultural lens and challenges readers to question the current agendas of U.S. journalism. With the Louisiana State Penitentiary at Angola as a point of reference, I illustrate that inmate-produced journalism has the potential to educate inmate and free-world communities while filling a void of attention to life behind bars in mainstream media. Using James W. Carey's transmission and ritual models of communication, I argue that The Angolite, Angola's award-winning news magazine, in addition to its traditional information-transmitting role, serves a ritualistic function that not only fosters a sense of community among prisoners, but can unite captive and free audiences in a common goal of education and reform.