Joe Loya

Joe Loya Jr. (born 1961) is an American writer and former convicted bank robber. He grew up in Los Angeles, and from 1985 was robbing banks in Southern California until he began a seven-year prison sentence in Lompoc Federal Penitentiary. While in prison he was placed in solitary confinement for violent behavior. During this time he developed a friendship with the author Richard Rodriguez. After his release in 1996 he wrote about prison life for the Pacific News Service. He published his biography, The Man Who Outgrew His Prison Cell, in 2005.

Due to his close relationship with Rodriguez, Loya was able to attain employment as a stringer for the Pacific News Service. In that position, Loya wrote about prison life as well as asking for compassion for prisoners. Loya's career was bolstered when he wrote an article about adjusting to life outside of prison for LA Weekly. Loya was promoted to associate editor at Pacific News Service, and his articles appeared in The Los Angeles Times and The Washington Post. Loya's biography, The Man Who Outgrew His Prison Cell: Confessions of a Bank Robber, was published by Harper Collins in 2005. He was profiled in the movie Protagonist (film), and his story was the basis for an episode of I Almost Got Away With It. Loya is also close friends with Piper Kerman, the writer of Orange Is the New Black. Loya currently resides in the Bay Area, where he continues to perform and create