The Trouble With Reporting On Prisons

The seeds of the September 9th prison protests were laid by criminal justice activists using Facebook groups and online newsletters. But despite the potential of new technology, restrictive access and interview policies continue to bar journalists and activists from actually communicating with inmates.

Paul Wright has dealt firsthand with the challenges of reporting on prisons for decades, first as an inmate -- he served 17 years for murder -- and now as a free man. In 1990, while incarcerated, he launched Prison Legal News, a newsletter about criminal justice issues that has grown into a monthly magazine for readers on both sides of the fence. Bob talks with Wright about the urgent need for transparency in prisons.