The Marshall Project is proud to announce the relaunch of “Inside Story,” our groundbreaking video series that explores the people, policies and systems shaping life inside and outside America’s prisons, jails and immigrant detention facilities.
Created and led by journalists and storytellers with lived experience in the justice system, “Inside Story” continues The Marshall Project’s commitment to producing journalism that connects with audiences on both sides of the prison wall.
This new version of “Inside Story” has been updated to better reflect the ways that people access news today: through short-form video storytelling on social media platforms and YouTube. At the same time, our commitment to ensure broad distribution within prisons and jails throughout the United States and Canada continues.
While “Inside Story” focuses on systems that directly affect justice-impacted individuals and families, this series is truly for everyone. Every person, every community and every state is touched by decisions made within the criminal justice and immigration systems.
Hosted by Lawrence Bartley, publisher of “The Marshall Project Inside,” and co-creator/director Donald Washington Jr., “Inside Story” continues a legacy of innovative storytelling. Earlier seasons reached incarcerated audiences in more than 1,400 facilities and a general audience through Scripps and VICE. The program was a Peabody finalist.
The first segment follows Eddie McLoughlin, who spent 25 years in prison — including time on death row — for a murder committed as a young man. Today, he leads Fellowship House at the North Dakota State Penitentiary, a year-long, faith-based community where incarcerated men live in an environment built on trust, responsibility and positive influence. Through Eddie, “Inside Story” offers a rare look inside a prison unit unlike most in America, one built on the power of redemption, mentorship and second chances. “When the news moves fast on criminal justice, ‘Inside Story’ is where you slow down and get it right — context, history, and nuance from people who’ve lived it, backed by a Pulitzer Prize-winning newsroom,” said Bartley.
This segment is sponsored by Union Theological Seminary.
What You’ll See This Season
At the heart of the new “Inside Story” are the Explainers. These videos break down complex, often misunderstood criminal justice issues and make them accessible and engaging, even for audiences coming to the topic for the first time.
Alongside the Explainers, the show will occasionally feature a few other formats that round out the season, including an intimate look inside the workplaces and daily lives of formerly incarcerated people thriving in unexpected careers; interview segments with host Lawrence Bartley sitting down with influential figures connected to the criminal justice system for candid conversations about their work and impact; and first-person reflections from incarcerated and formerly incarcerated people about their experiences and the realities shaping their lives.
Watch the Trailer
About The Marshall Project
The Marshall Project is a nonpartisan, independent nonprofit news organization that seeks to create and sustain a sense of national urgency about the U.S. justice system. We drive impact through journalism, helping to make the system more fair, effective, transparent and humane. Our work has driven a meaningful impact on the criminal justice system both nationally and locally, prompting federal investigations; the installation of cameras inside prisons to prevent abuse; and the cancellation of contracts with corrupt, for-profit prison companies. We also reach an incarcerated audience through tablets that serve more than 1,800 prisons and jails across the United States. Since our founding in 2014, we have won more than 100 top journalism honors, including two Pulitzer Prizes.
Support This Work
“Inside Story” is produced by The Marshall Project with support from donors, foundations, and sponsors who believe in the power of independent journalism to inform the public and strengthen communities.
If you would like to support “Inside Story,” sponsor a segment, or explore sponsorship opportunities connected to The Marshall Project’s newsletters and other audience initiatives, please contact:
Ebony Reed
Chief Strategy Officer, The Marshall Project
ereed@themarshallproject.org
Together, we can ensure that more people have access to trusted journalism about one of the most important systems affecting American life.