Founder and Director of Unbound Authors
The C-CHEP Team
JoyBelle Phelan is the Co-Founder and Executive Director of Unbound Authors, a Colorado-based writing center supporting incarcerated writers across 13 correctional facilities. A formerly incarcerated leader, she works to build the foundational communication skills that make higher education in prison possible. She also serves as Executive Editor of Mercury Mountain Media and contributes to national media initiatives through the Penal Press Awards and Colorado Radio for Justice. JoyBelle’s work sits at the intersection of higher education in prison, reentry, and media, advancing communication as a critical pathway to learning, participation, and opportunity.