Posts by Daniel Throop
T.R.U.E. Unit Hosts Prison Labor Debate On the Cellblock
On Monday April 27th, 2026 NPDL.org proudly staged a historic cellblock debate in Connecticut between two powerhouse teams. The Fulton Debating Society of Boston College traveled to Cheshire Correctional Institution to face the undefeated T.R.U.E. Unit debate team. Academic analysis versus lived experience clashed brilliantly on the subject of prison labor policy as both teams…
Read MoreMonmouth University Joins the Prison Debate League!
On Wednesday April 8th, 2026 the Monmouth University Debate Hawks officially joined the League! NPDL.org welcomes another great university partner to our amazing network of debate coaches and teams. Monmouth Coach Joe Patten and his squad generously traveled from New Jersey to York Correctional Institution (CI) in Niantic, Connecticut to debate the undefeated women of…
Read MoreNPDL Stages Historic Officer-Integrated Prison Debate Team in Maine
NPDL.org staff put on our lab coats to organize another historic event in Maine! On Wednesday April 8th, 2026, the Convictionists of Maine State Prison hosted the vaunted Harvard Debate Council for a debate on US nuclear policy in Asia with a side of reimagined power dynamics. The Convictionists feature an integrated NPDL cohort of…
Read MoreNPDL’s 1st Community Team Wins Big at NCA
NPDL recently worked in partnership with the American Debate Association, the American Forensic Association, and Boston College’s Fulton Debating Society to stage our first public debate event at the National Communication Association’s 109th Annual Convention. We proudly forwarded a co-ed team of formerly incarcerated students from 3 different states to make the case for prison voting rights…
Read MoreThe Origins of NPDL.org
At the beginning of my incarceration within the Massachusetts state prison system access to postsecondary educational opportunities were mostly nonexistent. Educational attainment was capped at the high school diploma/GED level, so possession of such credentials meant the doors to advanced learning were solidly closed. My peers and I creatively used an existing program platform (Toastmasters)…
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