CHRISTOPHER ZOUKIS’ PROFESSIONAL RESUME
Christopher Zoukis is an active prisoner advocate and the foremost incarcerated writer in the United States. He regularly contributes to the Huffington Post, Prison Legal News, New York Daily News, Criminal Legal News, New York Journal of Books and many other national and international news outlets, and has been used as a trusted source in publications such as USA Today, the Detroit Free Press and the Tallahassee Democrat. He is also the holder of two prestigious PEN American Center Prison Writing Awards, an IndieReader Nonfiction Discovery Award, a Readers’ Favorite Nonfiction Book Award and The Montaigne Medal from the Eric Hoffer Book Awards.
This webpage profiles his various academic, legal, religious, professional and literary accomplishments.
Academic
Adams State University
- Master of Business Administration (in process)
- Bachelor of Arts in Interdisciplinary Studies (Business Administration and Legal Studies), summa cum laude
- Advanced Certificate in Paralegal Studies
- Certificate in Paralegal Studies
- Certificate in Employment Law
Blackstone Career Institute
- Advanced Certificate in Civil Litigation
- Advanced Certificate in Business and Corporate Law
- Advanced Certificate in Criminal Law and Procedure
- Diploma in Paralegal Studies
Penn Foster High School
- High School Diploma
National Writing Commitments
Huffington Post Contributing Writer
- 2014-2018, HuffingtonPost.com
Prison Legal News Contributing Writer
- 2013-Present, PrisonLegalNews.org
New York Daily News Contributing Writer
- 2017-Present, NYDailyNews.com
Criminal Legal News, Contributing Writer
- 2017-Present, CriminalLegalNews.org
New York Journal of Books Book Reviewer
- 2011-Present, nyjournalofbooks.com
Blog Critics Contributing Writer
- 2011-Present, BlogCritics.org
Books
Published Books
- Federal Prison Handbook: The Definitive Guide to Surviving the Federal Bureau of Prisons (Middle Street Publishing, 2017)
- Prison Education Guidebook (Prison Legal News Publishing, 2015)
- College for Convicts: The Case for Higher Education in American Prisons (McFarland and Company, 2014)
- Education Behind Bars: A Win-Win Strategy for Maximum Security (Sunbury Press, 2012)
Writing Awards
- IndieReader Discovery Award (2017): Nonfiction award, for Federal Prison Handbook
- Readers’ Favorite Book Awards (2017): Gold medal awarded in general nonfiction, for Federal Prison Handbook
- American Bar Association’s Top 100 Law Blawgs (2016): for Prison Law Blog (now at PrisonerResource.com)
- Eric Hoffer Book Awards (2015): Montaigne Medal, for College for Convicts
- Pen America Center Prison Writing Awards (2012): Fiction (short story “Jesusland”) and Drama (screenplay “Healing Bin Laden”)
- Feathered Quill Book Awards (2018): Nonfiction award, for Federal Prison Handbook
Select Magazine Cover Articles
- “Prosecutorial Misconduct: Taking the Justice out of Criminal Justice” (PLN, November, 2014)
- “Aramark’s Correctional Food Services: Meals, Maggots and Misconduct” (PLN, December, 2015)
- “Absurd, Abusive, and Outrageous: The Creation of Crime and Criminals in America” (CLN, December, 2017)
- “Civil Asset Forfeiture: Unfair, Unjust and Un-American” (CLN, March, 2018)
- “Indigent Defense in America” (PLN, forthcoming)
- “From the Cage to the Community: Prison Profiteers Mine for Gold in the Treatment Industrial Complex” (PLN, forthcoming)
Media Appearances
- Christopher has been interviewed by dozens of media outlets concerning criminal justice topics. See our In The Media page for a comprehensive listing of such appearances.