Personal Essay | 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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The Magic of Having a Glass Mirror in Prison

The metal mirrors that Alabama prisons use distort our faces. When a glass one suddenly appeared, I truly saw myself for the first time in 26 years.

Life Inside • 04.24.2026

How a Long Sentence Changed New Year’s Into a Time of Reflection, Not Celebration

This is what New Year’s looks like after 20 years in prison.

Life Inside • 01.01.2026

What I Learned From a Year of ‘Life Inside’

Publishing personal essays about the criminal justice system can be as complex as the system itself, writes engagement journalist Carla Canning.

Life Inside • 04.07.2023

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