Frequently Asked Questions

• What is Prison Legal News?
• Can prisoners access or receive the material and information on the Prison Legal News website?
• How do I subscribe by mail or telephone to PLN?
• How much does a subscription to PLN cost?
• What other media work does PLN do?
• Who is PLN's editor?
• Who manages PLN's day-to-day operations?
• Where is PLN located?
• Who writes for PLN?
• How does PLN get the information published in the magazine?
• How is PLN produced?
• What if I don't want to subscribe but would like to make a contribution to Prison Legal News?
• How long has PLN been published?
• Does PLN sell books?
• What does an advertisement in PLN cost?
• Does PLN have prisoner-oriented advertising?
• How does PLN support its operations?
• What type of people subscribe to Prison Legal News?
• What is PLN's circulation and readership?
• What sorts of issues does PLN cover?
• If I live in the South Florida area, can I do volunteer work for PLN?

Q. What is Prison Legal News?

A.

Prison Legal News, a project of the Human Rights Defense Center, is an independent 72-page monthly magazine that provides cutting edge review and analysis of prisoners' rights, court rulings and news concerning criminal justice-related issues. PLN has a national (U.S.) focus on both state and federal prison issues, with some international coverage. PLN provides information that enables prisoners and other concerned individuals and organizations to gain a better understanding of a broad range of criminal justice topics, including issues related to the protection and enforcement of prisoners' rights. Some of the areas we cover include prison labor, the private prison industry, medical and mental health care for prisoners, misconduct and abuse by prison and jail staff, settlements and verdicts in lawsuits against detention facilities, juvenile justice, the death penalty, the Prison Litigation Reform Act (PLRA), prison censorship, HIV and hep C, solitary confinement, and racial and socio-economic disparities in our criminal justice system. Plus much more!

Q. Can prisoners access or receive the material and information on the Prison Legal News website?

A.

Prisoners normally don't have access to the internet, yet they have the greatest need for PLN's content. We encourage the distribution of PLN's web content to incarcerated persons so long as it is being provided at no cost to the prisoner. If you are volunteering your time to research a topic for someone in a prison, jail or other detention facility, please feel free to print out our articles and mail them to them. 

Q. How do I subscribe by mail or telephone to PLN?

A.

You can subscribe for yourself or someone else (a gift subscription) by sending us a check or money order for the correct amount to: Prison Legal News, P.O. Box 1151, Lake Worth, FL 33460.

If you have a credit card you can order a subscription and/or any book sold by PLN by calling our office at 561-360-2523 from 9:00 am to 5:00pm (East Coast Time), Monday through Friday.

Q. How much does a subscription to PLN cost?

A.

Subscriptions are $36/yr individuals and $90/yr for lawyers, government agencies and corporations. PLN regularly offers one or more subscription "specials" at any given time. The current subscription options are listed on the "Subscribe" tab on the menu bar.

Q. What other media work does PLN do?

A.

In addition to this website and PLN, we publish another monthly magazine, Criminal Legal News (CLN), which reports on criminal case law, policing, prosecutorial misconduct and related issues.

We have also published three anthologies, the first titled The Celling of America: An Inside Look at the U.S. Prison Industry. PLN's second book, Prison Nation, was released in January 2003. PLN's third anthology, Prison Profiteers: Who Makes Money from Mass Incarceration, was published by The New Press in January 2008. PLN's editor, Paul Wright, is regularly interviewed by journalists and media representatives on criminal justice-related topics. We also work with other media to develop and distribute prison-related stories and news reports. For a list of where PLN, CLN and the Human Rights Defense Center have been mentioned or quoted in news articles, see our In the News page.

Q. Who is PLN's editor?

A.

PLN is edited by Paul Wright. He can be contacted via the information listed on PLN's Contact Us page, or by email at: pwright@prisonlegalnews.org.

Q. Who manages PLN's day-to-day operations?

A.

PLN is managed by editor Paul Wright, who is also the executive director of the Human Rights Defense Center, PLN's non-profit parent organization.

Q. Where is PLN located?

A.

PLN's business and editorial office is located in Lake Worth, Florida. Please see our Contact Us page.

Q. Who writes for PLN?

A.

PLN has regular contributing writers, most of whom are currently or formerly incarcerated, and also solicits and publishes articles by other writers. Authors and activists who have published in PLN include: Noam Chomsky, Dan Savage, William Kunstler and Ron Kuby, Mumia Abu-Jamal, Ken Silverstein, Jennifer Vogel, Adrian Lomax, Raymond Luc Levasseur, John Perotti, Willie Wisely, Christian Parenti, William Greider, Noelle Hanrahan and many others.

Q. How does PLN get the information published in the magazine?

A.

PLN subscribes to numerous online listservs for prison and jail-related news. PLN also has a subscription exchange arrangement with scores of other publications, from well-known alternative magazines to very small, independent newsletters. Another valuable source of information is the scores of newspaper clippings about prison-related issues mailed to PLN by readers and subscribers. Imprisoned PLN readers also regularly send us first-person accounts that provide PLN with "inside scoops." Many readers also send unpublished court rulings that are a valuable source for cases that are not normally reported. PLN also investigates, develops and breaks news stories, some of which have been picked up by other media. Online research by PLN staff is also a valuable source of news reports and court rulings, plus we rely on studies, reports and audits produced by both government agencies and non-governmental organizations.

Q. How is PLN produced?

A.

Prison Legal News has 19 full-time employees at our main office in Lake Worth, Florida and our satellite office in Seattle, WA. We also have work study students, volunteers, interns, part-time employees and others who help as needed to produce our monthly publication.

Q. What if I don't want to subscribe but would like to make a contribution to Prison Legal News?

A.

As a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, donations to PLN or the Human Rights Defense Center are tax-deductible to the extent permitted by the IRS. Contributions can be made by mail or phone (see the bottom of our Contact Us page), or you can donate online via the "Donations" tab on the menu bar. In addition to accepting contributions, PLN has an annual fundraiser drive. Contributions are used to fund HRDC's special projects, including the Campaign for Prison Phone Justice, Stop Prison Profiteering, Prison Ecology Project and Private Prison News, and to ensure that low-cost subscriptions can continue to be offered to prisoners.

Q. How long has PLN been published?

A.

PLN has been published monthly since May 1990. All of our back issues are available on our website, under "Search Content."

Q. Does PLN sell books?

A.

Yes. PLN directly sells about four dozen prisoner-oriented books, including several we have published ourselves. You can either order over the internet with your credit card, you can call PLN's office and order with your credit card information, or you can print the pages on your printer and mail your order to PLN with the appropriate payment. A flat shipping and handling charge of $6 applies to all book orders under $50. Orders of $50 and more are shipped at no extra charge. All PLN book orders are mailed at the U.S. Postal Service's media mail rate with tracking; tracking provides PLN with a record of when a book purchase is delivered to a prison facility. If a book order shows that it was delivered to the facility but the prisoner didn't receive it, they should first check with the facility's mailroom. For more information, please visit PLN's Book Store.

Q. What does an advertisement in PLN cost?

A.

PLN's advertising rates can be viewed by clicking on Advertising under the "About" tab on the menu bar. Please contact us directly about website advertising.

Q. Does PLN have prisoner-oriented advertising?

A.

Yes. Each issue of PLN has numerous advertisements from businesses and organizations nationwide that provide prisoner-related personal and legal services and books. PLN only accepts advertisements from sources that provide their products or services in a manner consistent with their claims. PLN does turn down ads for products or services that are not reputable or are contrary to the editorial content of PLN. We are not a profit-driven publication; therefore, we can refuse advertising without having to worry about antagonizing shareholders who expect a satisfactory return on their investment, unlike many mainstream media publications. However, like other publishers, we do not endorse any ads and people should conduct their own review and research before purchasing products or services from advertisers in PLN.

Our website accepts online advertising for a wide variety of products and services that are of interest to our users.

Q. How does PLN support its operations?

A.

PLN is a project of the Human Rights Defense Center, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that is primarily funded by subscription and advertising revenue, foundation grants, book sales, individual donations and our litigation project. Subscription rates for prisoners are kept at a near-subsidized level by the higher rates for non-prisoners and advertising revenue, which enables PLN to cover its operating costs. PLN's financial self-sufficiency enables it to maintain complete editorial independence. PLN does not accept government funding. We gratefully accept contributions, and have received grants from several large foundations in the past.

Q. What type of people subscribe to Prison Legal News?

A.

About 65-70% of PLN's subscribers are state and federal prisoners. The balance of PLN's subscribers include civil and criminal trial and appellate attorneys, public defender agencies, journalists, academics, paralegals, university and law school libraries, prison law libraries, prisoners' rights activists, students, family members of prisoners and other concerned individuals. State-level government officials also subscribe to PLN, including attorneys general, wardens and members of other criminal justice agencies.

Q. What is PLN's circulation and readership?

A.

PLN has thousands of subscribers nationwide who receive our monthly publication. PLN also has international subscribers. About 65-70% of PLN's subscribers are incarcerated, and PLN has prisoner subscribers in all fifty states. Based on a PLN reader survey, each subscriber's magazine is read by an average of almost 10 people.

Q. What sorts of issues does PLN cover?

A.

Prison Legal News' coverage includes access to the courts, disciplinary hearings, prison conditions, excessive force, mail censorship, conditions of confinement litigation, visitation, telephones and phone rates, religious freedoms, free speech, prison rape and sexual abuse, women prisoners, the Prison Litigation Reform Act (PLRA), medical and mental health treatment, HIV and hep C, the death penalty, solitary confinement and control units, and much more. Sample copies of the most recent copies of PLN are posted on our homepage in PDF format.

Q. If I live in the South Florida area, can I do volunteer work for PLN?

A.

Sure! PLN has a regular need for people willing to volunteer a few hours of their time to do envelope stuffing and sorting, particularly during the last week of each month. Such help enables PLN's paid staff to focus on the business of producing our monthly publication. Further, as a non-profit organization, PLN is also always interested in people with specialized skills related to fundraising. Contact PLN's office at 561-360-2523 if you have any questions related to volunteering your time or if you want to contribute your specialized fundraising skills. Thanks!