Maya Schenwar facts for kids

Maya Schenwar (born November 10, 1982) is a writer and editor who focuses on how the justice system works and how it can be improved. She is the editor-at-large and former editor-in-chief of Truthout, an independent news organization. Maya has written several books, including Prison by Any Other Name: The Harmful Consequences of Popular Reforms and Locked Down, Locked Out: Why Prison Doesn't Work and How We Can Do Better. She has also written articles for well-known publications like The New York Times and The Guardian.

Maya's Work and Career

Maya Schenwar is the editor-in-chief of Truthout, a news organization that shares important stories and ideas. She has written for many major newspapers and magazines, including The New York Times, The Guardian, and The Nation. Her work has also been featured on many TV and radio shows, like C-SPAN and Democracy Now.

Maya often gives talks to groups of people, both in the United States and in other countries. She speaks at universities, community centers, and even inside prisons. In 2016, she gave a TEDx talk in Baltimore about how we can change the justice system to be more fair and helpful.

Maya is also involved with organizations that help people. She is on the board of Love & Protect, which supports people of color who have been harmed by violence or the justice system. She is also on the board of the Chicago Community Bond Fund, which helps people pay bond so they can be released from jail while they wait for their court dates. Before working at Truthout, Maya was an editor at Punk Planet magazine.

Books by Maya Schenwar

Maya Schenwar has written and co-written several important books:

• Prison by Any Other Name: The Harmful Consequences of Popular Reforms (2020): Maya co-wrote this book with Victoria Law. It talks about how some changes meant to improve the justice system, like electronic monitoring or certain drug treatment programs, can sometimes cause more problems. The book also looks at how racism has affected parts of the justice system, like child protective services and school policing.
• Locked Down, Locked Out: Why Prison Doesn't Work and How We Can Do Better: This book explores how prisons can separate families and communities. Maya shares stories from her own family and many others to show how breaking these connections can make it harder for everyone to be safe. The book also highlights groups working to reduce the number of people in prison and promote restorative justice, which focuses on repairing harm and building stronger communities.
• Who Do You Serve, Who Do You Protect?: Police Violence and Resistance in the United States: Maya co-edited this collection of essays. The book discusses the history and effects of police violence and shares stories of people working to resist unfair policing.

Selected Articles

Maya Schenwar has written many articles for various publications. Here are a few examples:

• A Virtual Visit to a Relative in Jail. The New York Times, September 2016.
• To Make Health Care for All a Reality, Stop Killing People Truthout, February 2016.
• Too Many People in Jail? Abolish Bail. New York Times, May 2015.
• Mandatory Rehab Is Just the Newest Front in the Flawed War on Drugs. The Guardian, October 2014.
• Reduce Gun Penalties. The New York Times, March 2014.
• The Prison System Welcomes My Newborn Niece to This World. Truthout, September 2013.

Awards and Recognition

Maya Schenwar has received several awards for her writing and work. These include a Society of Professional Journalists Sigma Delta Chi Award, an Independent Publisher Book Award, and the Women's Prison Association's Sarah Powell Huntington Leadership Award. She also received a Lannan Foundation Residency Fellowship.

About Maya's Life

Maya Schenwar had a sister named Keeley Schenwar. Keeley was also an activist who cared deeply about prison issues. She wrote about her own experiences as a mother who was in prison. Sadly, Keeley Schenwar passed away on February 4, 2020.

To honor Keeley, Truthout, where Maya is an editor, created the Keeley Schenwar Memorial Essay Prize. This award celebrates the writing of people who have been in prison or are currently in prison. It also helps to keep attention on the challenges within the justice system that Keeley worked to change.

Maya was interviewed about her life and her sister's life on the Metropolis Rising podcast.

See also

• Prison abolition movement