Music in Prison | 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

Ear Hustle’s Antwan Banks Williams Goes Deep on ‘Like Father, Like Son’

Two years after the podcast’s co-creator’s dad died, he used hip-hop to celebrate their bond.

Redemption Songs • 06.21.2026

‘Forty-Four Hammers’ Is Part of a Rich History of Prison Work Songs

The call-and-response song was one of many that Black men sang as they toiled on Southern prison farms.

Redemption Songs • 06.14.2026

The San Quentin Prison Album That Should Have Been a Classic

Ike White’s “Changin’ Times” spans soul, rock, pop and jazz. On its 50th anniversary, it’s finally getting its due.

Redemption Songs • 06.07.2026

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