Germany | 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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What if Prison Was Not Designed to Punish?

In Germany, incarcerated people wear their own clothes, live in apartment-style cells and get family day passes — all to preserve human dignity.

Inside Story • 07.31.2026

The Future of Prisons?

Inspired by Germany, South Carolina let prisoners design their own units, write house rules and settle their own disputes. Then came politics.

Feature • 09.26.2024

Prison Without Punishment

Germany allows inmates to wear their own clothes, cook their own meals, and have romantic visits. Could that work in the United States?

Feature • 09.25.2015

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