The Prison Public Memory Project has engaged people from all walks of life in conversation, reflection and learning about the complex role of prisons in communities and society.
The Project has worked with formerly incarcerated people, prison employees and with individuals and organizations in selected communities with prisons to recover, preserve, interpret, present, and honor the memories of what took place in those institutions. Using public history, social practice art and new media technologies, we integrate community knowledge with more traditional forms of historic preservation.
All prisons close at some point and the reasons for closure vary — buildings that are too old or outdated; changes in thinking about crime and punishment; a recession; a scandal. The United States is currently experiencing an unprecedented number of prison closures with several states closing multiple prisons. Through a variety of educational, creative and participatory activities, we build safe spaces where people from diverse backgrounds can connect with their pasts in imagining and planning for new futures.
Too often, when the gates are locked, workers retired or reassigned, and the prisoners transferred elsewhere, the stories, photos, and artifacts — the prison memories of people obscure, famous and infamous — are scattered and forever lost. We think this is a wasted opportunity.
To learn from and engage with others about our work, we invite you to join us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. To listen to short clips from our oral history interviews, visit us on SoundCloud. We also have a YouTube channel where you can watch selections from our programming.
We welcome your comments and other contributions to the Project. There is a comment section below all of our stories. We review all comments and try not to compromise the privacy preferences and rights of individuals. We reserve the right to change the names of people to protect such preferences and rights. We are mindful of copyright issues so if you believe you are the rightful owner of an image used on this website, and wish us to take it down, please contact us with proof of ownership and we will remove the image.