Loen Kelley is the founder of Prison Writers, a nonprofit she launched in2015 to give incarcerated people a platform to tell their stories. Since its inception, the organization has published over 700 uncensored personal essays and narratives from incarcerated writers across the country, shedding light on the realities of life behind bars and the inner workings of the prison system.

Alongside her work with Prison Writers, Loen has built a career as a documentary producer, creating more than 50 investigative and human interest films for CBS, NBC and CNN. Her work includes an undercover exposé that helped shut down abusive overseas “boot camps” for American teens, a frontline report from Colombia on the military’s war against coca production, and an intimate portrait of life inside Bedford Hills women’s prison—reminiscent of Orange Is the New Black. She also produced a powerful documentary chronicling the release of a juvenile lifer after 30 years behind bars, along with numerous true crime stories exploring the complexities of the U.S. justice system.

Loen brings a deep passion for justice reform, a journalist’s commitment to truth, and a storyteller’s empathy to all of her work—values that align closely with the mission of Center for Community Alternatives.