People-first language | The Marshall Project

What are records? Since 2014, The Marshall Project has been curating some of the best criminal justice reporting from around the web. In these records you will find the most recent and the most authoritative articles on the topics, people and events that are shaping the criminal justice conversation. The Marshall Project does not endorse the viewpoints or vouch for the accuracy of reports other than its own.

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Marshall Project Originals

People-First Language Matters. So Does the Rest of the Story.

While we have to be aware that any word we choose has influence, no amount of Googling will reveal the magic word that brings justice into American prisons.

The Language Project • 04.13.2021

How I Convinced My Incarcerated Peers to Make Language a Priority

Rahsaan Thomas, an imprisoned journalist, has long fought to change the way outside media describe people in prison. One of his toughest crowds? His fellow reporters.

The Language Project • 04.13.2021

Good Intentions Don’t Blunt the Impact of Dehumanizing Words

Of course not everyone means harm when they use prison labels. But that doesn’t make the language any less damaging.

The Language Project • 04.12.2021

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