American Prison by Shane Bauer

With the work of reporters under fire worldwide, this year’s anthology of National Magazine Award finalists and winners is a timely reminder of the power of journalism. The pieces included here explore the fault lines in American society.

With the work of journalists under fire around the world, this year’s anthology of National Magazine Awards finalists and winners is a timely reminder of the power of journalism. These pieces from writers driven to explore America’s fault lines include Shane Bauer’s harrowing “My Four Months as a Private Prison Guard” (Mother Jones), a visceral portrait of the abuses of the carceral system, and Sarah Stillman’s account of the havoc wreaked on young people’s lives when they are put on sex-offender registries (The New Yorker).