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Cleveland
State Reverses Course, Finds Cuyahoga Jail Staff Failed to Start CPR in Wade’s Death
Feature
Grievances in Federal Prison Rarely Succeed. Here’s How Prisoners Would Change That.
Sending Kites
The Prison Rules You Won’t Find in Any Handbook

The Marshall Project

An illustration with a pale yellow background shows, at center, a man in an orange prison uniform pulling on a string that is connected to a postage stamp, which is then connected to the bottom of a prison cell door, and then connected to a letter on the floor, which is connected to another prison cell door. From left to right, there is a calendar with most of the days of the month crossed off; a document envelope and some documents behind it; a prison official shredding a document; and an incarcerated person with his hands shackled to a slab while a correctional officer holds his left hand down. Scattered around the illustration are gray and blue blocks, and over the entire illustration, there is a grid made up of thin light blue lines.
Feature July 13
In Federal Prisons, Some Guards Use Fear and Violence to Stifle Complaints
Prisoners in federal facilities must file most grievances with the guards — a system they say exposes them to retaliation, including physical abuse.
By and Joseph Shapiro
Redemption Songs July 12
An Opera Explores the Strain of Prison on a Marriage
In “9131,” incarcerated composer Joseph Wilson depicts a wife’s infidelity while her husband is up for parole.
By
A photo shows a car with the label "Palm Beach County Sheriff" parked in front of a gray building.
Closing Argument July 11
How Helping Detectives Led a Florida Woman to ICE Detention
Non-traditional state agencies, from college police to wildlife protection, have been pulled into immigration enforcement.
By
A photo shows two chairs facing a glass panel, through which part of a white gurney with black straps is visible in a mostly empty room.
Cleveland July 9
We Asked Ohio’s Death Row What They Think of Governor’s Death Penalty Reversal
Like Gov. Mike DeWine, most agreed the death penalty is broken and does not deter crime, but not always with the same reasoning.
By , and
The Frame July 9
Made in America: The Products of U.S. Prison Labor Are All Around Us
A project by photographer Daniella Zalcman shows the casual prevalence of goods made by prison labor in public and private spaces.
Photographs and text by Daniella Zalcman
Redemption Songs July 5
A Timely Remix of ‘Lift Every Voice and Sing’ Out of a New York Prison
The Capitol riots angered Sing Sing’s Alfred Roberts. He responded with his version of what is widely known as the Black national anthem.
By
A photo illustration shows thirteen book covers in rows against a light blue-colored background: “Locking Up Our Own,” “The New Jim Crow," “Slavery by Another Name,” “In Defense of Flogging,” “Let The Lord Sort Them,” “Blood In The Water,” "Until We Reckon,” “An Enquiry into the Effects of Public Punishments,” “Solitary,” “Crime and Punishment in American History,” “Locked In,” “The Rise of Big Data Policing” and “Rise of the Warrior Cop.”
Closing Argument July 4
From Public Flogging to Flock Cameras: How the U.S. Justice System Evolved Over 250 Years
As the nation celebrates two and a half centuries of independence, we put together a syllabus of some essential criminal justice reading.
By
An illustration shows the side profile silhouettes of two men and two women, with an image of the American flag inside their silhouettes.
Life Inside July 3
What, to the Immigrant, Is Your Fourth of July?
In the spirit of Frederick Douglass’ landmark speech — and America at 250 — immigrants explain what Independence Day means to them.
By , , , , and
A photo shows a crowd of demonstrators. One person is holding signs that read, "It's a human right" and "Rise for DACA."
News July 1
A Dying Dream: How Trump Targets Immigrants Who Arrived as Children
Polls say Americans support protecting DACA recipients from deportation. Now some are being detained.
By
Redemption Songs June 28
With ‘Live on Death Row,’ Rapper Rrome Alone Condemns the Death Penalty
“Every life hinges on poverty, gender and race,” he declares in the 2024 song, “and the pay of the attorney defending your case.”
By
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