Menu icon
The Marshall Project
Nonprofit journalism about criminal justice
Search
About
Newsletters
Donate
A nonprofit news organization covering the U.S. criminal justice system
Search
Magnifying glass
Local Network
Cleveland
Jackson
Projects
Inside Story
News Inside
Life Inside
Mauled
The Language Project
The Record
The System
Topics
Death Penalty
Immigration
Juvenile Justice
Mental Health
Policing
Politics and Reform
Race
About
About Us
Local Network
The Marshall Project Inside
News & Awards
Impact
People
Supporters
Jobs
Newsletters
Events
Donate
Feedback?
Arrow
support@themarshallproject.org
News
March 3, 2016
There Are Still 80 ‘Youth Prisons’ in the U.S. Here Are Five Things to Know About Them
They’re harsh, dangerous and isolated — and may be around for a while.
By
Eli Hager
News
October 7, 2020
Thousands of Sick Federal Prisoners Sought Compassionate Release. 98 Percent Were Denied.
Wardens blocked bids for freedom as COVID-19 spread behind bars, data shows.
By
Joseph Neff
and
Keri Blakinger
News
December 17, 2019
The Hidden Cost of Incarceration
Prison costs taxpayers $80 billion a year. It costs some families everything they have.
By
Beatrix Lockwood
and
Nicole Lewis
Analysis
April 26, 2016
What Happens When There Aren’t Enough Judges to Go Around
84 federal vacancies, and a glacial confirmation rate, put extra stress on some districts
By
Eli Hager
Analysis
September 23, 2020
Trump’s Crime and Carnage Ad Blitz Is Going Unanswered on Facebook
The president has spent millions on misleading Facebook ads targeting undecided voters, while Joe Biden has been virtually silent.
By
Jeremy B. Merrill
and
Jamiles Lartey
The Lowdown
May 26, 2022
The 1990s Law That Keeps People in Prison on Technicalities
How the Supreme Court expanded the most important law you’ve never heard of.
By
Keri Blakinger
and
Beth Schwartzapfel
Coronavirus
March 31, 2020
Why Jails Are So Important in the Fight Against Coronavirus
With about 200,000 people flowing into and out of jails every week, there are great risks not only for the detained, but also for jail workers and surrounding communities.
By
Anna Flagg
and
Joseph Neff
Feature
April 7, 2015
Unfreed
The man who was accidentally released from prison 88 years early.
By
Robert Kolker
Feature
July 23, 2018
New York on ICE
How Donald Trump’s war on immigrants is playing out in his hometown.
By
The Marshall Project
Analysis
February 22, 2017
The Case of Duane Buck
Was he sentenced to death “because he is black”?
By
Maurice Chammah
Feature
November 22, 2022
As Police Arrest More Seniors, Those With Dementia Face Deadly Consequences
Many cities are changing how they respond to mental health calls, but less attention has been paid to the unique risks for people with Alzheimer’s and other brain diseases.
By
Christie Thompson
Feature
October 24, 2019
The Kim Foxx Effect: How Prosecutions Have Changed in Cook County
The state’s attorney promised to transform the office. Data shows she’s dismissed thousands of felonies that would have been pursued in the past.
By
Matt Daniels
News
February 7, 2018
Mississippi Moonlighting
Congressional hopeful, district attorney, debt collector.
By
Nicole Lewis
Analysis
November 2, 2018
Five Lies In Trump’s Favorite Campaign Ad
Several reasons why the Luis Bracamontes video is grossly misleading or just plain false.
By
Julia Preston
Q&A
April 29, 2015
David Simon on Baltimore’s Anguish
Freddie Gray, the drug war, and the decline of “real policing.”
By
Bill Keller
Looking Back
March 13, 2015
Broken on the Wheel
The gruesome 18th Century legal case that turned a famed philosopher into a crusader for the innocent.
By
Ken Armstrong
Commentary
February 17, 2016
Policing After Scalia
He thought the Fourth Amendment protected property, not people.
By
Jonathan M. Smith
News
June 11, 2021
31,000 Prisoners Sought Compassionate Release During COVID-19. The Bureau of Prisons Approved 36.
As the pandemic worsened inside federal prisons, officials granted fewer releases.
By
Keri Blakinger
AND
Joseph Neff
Feature
November 20, 2020
Superpredator: The Media Myth That Demonized a Generation of Black Youth
25 years ago this month, “superpredator” was coined in The Weekly Standard. Media spread the term like wildfire, creating repercussions on policy and culture we are still reckoning with today.
By
Carroll Bogert
and
Lynnell Hancock
News
February 5, 2017
Sessions May Resist Federal Oversight of Police, But There’s Another Option
A California law offers a way for states to reshape troubled departments.
By
Simone Weichselbaum
Feature
November 11, 2021
Two Strikes and You’re in Prison Forever
Why Florida leads the nation in people serving life without chance of parole.
By
Cary Aspinwall
,
Weihua Li
and
Dan Sullivan
Coronavirus
June 1, 2020
What COVID-19 Prison Outbreaks Could Teach Us About Herd Immunity
Prisons turn out to be a key place to study how coronavirus spreads and how immunity to it works.
By
Jamiles Lartey
Inside Out
September 23, 2021
Experts Say the Culture Is Often to Blame When Lock-ups Spin Out of Control
Could changes in jailers’ attitudes lead to better jail conditions and fewer deaths?
By
Keri Blakinger
Closing Argument
July 15
For Many, a Lawyer Is a Luxury Out of Reach
Sixty years after a landmark Supreme Court ruling, the promise of legal representation for everyone is largely unrealized.
By
Jamiles Lartey
News
April 22, 2015
Policing is Not a Part-Time Job
A 25-year-veteran cop says the place for reservists is behind a desk.
By
Eli Hager
News
January 17, 2018
Trump Justice, Year One: The Demolition Derby
Here are nine ways the law-and-order president has smashed Obama’s legacy.
By
Justin George
Feature
May 13, 2015
Willie Horton Revisited
We talk to the man who became our national nightmare. Thirty years later, does he still matter?
By
Beth Schwartzapfel
and
Bill Keller
Case in Point
July 18, 2016
Letting Prosecutors Write the Law
It’s more common than you think.
By
Andrew Cohen
Feature
June 28, 2016
The Day My Brother Took a Life and Changed Mine Forever
I grew up idolizing my brother. Then he killed a man.
By
Issac Bailey
Feature
September 1, 2022
She Lost Her Baby, Then Her Freedom
In its war on drugs, Alabama targets moms.
By
Amy Yurkanin
Death Sentences
April 8, 2022
The Return of the Firing Squad?
With a scarcity of lethal injection drugs, South Carolina has brought back an archaic execution method. In other states, men on death row are asking for it.
By
Maurice Chammah
News
October 11, 2017
California Ends Practice of Billing Parents for Kids in Detention
The change comes months after a Marshall Project investigation.
By
Eli Hager
News
January 30, 2020
Colin Absolam, an Immigrant Facing Deportation, Pardoned by Gov. Cuomo
His lawyer said he remained in custody in an ICE detention facility.
By
Marshall Project Staff
News and Awards
November 1, 2018
Bill Keller to retire from The Marshall Project
He built the country’s leading, award-winning destination for criminal justice news.
By
The Marshall Project
News and Awards
September 15, 2021
The Marshall Project Wins Sheehan Award for Investigative Journalism
National Press Club Award recognizes overall body of investigative reporting, citing impact of “Mauled,” coverage of Mississippi prisons and more.
By
The Marshall Project
News and Awards
October 7, 2021
The Marshall Project Founder Neil Barsky to Step Down as Board Chair
Liz Simons announced as next chair for Pulitzer Prize-winning nonprofit newsroom covering criminal justice.
By
The Marshall Project
Feature
July 13, 2018
Petty Charges, Princely Profits
But a haven for bail bondsmen is getting less friendly.
By
Joseph Neff
News
November 20, 2018
The Jerry Brown Way of Pardoning
Former inmates facing deportation place their hope in California's outgoing governor.
By
Abbie VanSickle
Commentary
November 21, 2014
Is the Criminal Justice System Defensible?
A debate between Judge Harvie Wilkinson III and Stephen Bright.
By
Andrew Cohen
Feature
June 28
The Never-Ending Murder Case: How Mental Competency Laws Can Trap People With Dementia
As more Americans are diagnosed with the chronic disease, some find themselves in legal limbo.
By
Christie Thompson
Coronavirus
May 6, 2020
A Dangerous Limbo: Probation and Parole in the Time of COVID-19
Closed courts, faulty technology and delays in post-release programs are among a range of barriers keeping a population prime for release behind bars.
By
Beth Schwartzapfel
News
April 6, 2015
A Battle for the Bench
Who is the toughest judge in all of Wisconsin?
By
Christie Thompson
Feature
March 24, 2016
The Deadly Consequences of Solitary With a Cellmate
Imagine living in a cell that’s smaller than a parking space — with a homicidal roommate.
By
Christie Thompson
and
Joe Shapiro
News
August 1, 2017
Ending Solitary for Juveniles: A Goal Grows Closer
Recent rulings in a half-dozen states signal new momentum.
By
Eli Hager
Closing Argument
August 5
Federal Judge Eyes a ‘Last Resort’ Fix for New York City’s Jails
Record deaths at Rikers Island may lead to a federal takeover as criticism mounts.
By
Beth Schwartzapfel
Feature
January 7, 2016
How to Get Out of Solitary — One Step at a Time
New programs are easing inmates out of years of solitary confinement with surprising outcomes for both prisoners and corrections officers.
By
Maurice Chammah
Analysis
June 25, 2015
What Prisons Can Learn From Schools
Lessons from education reform on transforming an expensive, ineffective system.
By
Eli Hager
News
February 12, 2017
If Kids Ran Juvie
Suggestions from the people who know juvenile detention best.
By
Eli Hager
News
December 13, 2017
What the Doug Jones Election Means for Criminal Justice Reform
The Alabama Democrat represents the flip-side of his predecessor.
By
Justin George
News
August 19, 2019
California Governor Promises More Changes to “Biased, Random” Justice System
Signing a new law on police shootings, Gavin Newsom says he’s sending a message.
By
Abbie VanSickle
Feature
December 17, 2021
‘The Only Way We Get Out of There Is in a Pine Box’
Elderly, ailing and expensive, lifetime prisoners cost Louisiana taxpayers millions a year.
By
John Simerman
Death Sentences
February 24, 2022
How Melissa Lucio Went From Abuse Survivor to Death Row
Why some trauma victims are more likely to take responsibility for crimes, even when they may be innocent.
By
Maurice Chammah
Feature
July 9, 2015
The Sex-Offender Test
Can the Abel Assessment tell if you're a potential child-molester?
By
Maurice Chammah
Case in Point
February 28, 2019
The Father, the Son and the Holy Buck
A capital case in Alabama raises the question: are you entitled to a conflict-free lawyer?
By
Andrew Cohen
News
May 14, 2015
Would You Rather …
... die a (probably) painless death or live 50 years in solitary?
By
The Marshall Project
News
July 22, 2022
Decades After Leaving Foster Care, She Learned She Was Owed Benefits. Where Did The Money Go?
After reading a Marshall Project/NPR investigation, former foster youth are asking what happened to their benefits — and the government isn’t helping.
By
Alexandra Arriaga
Election 2020
April 8, 2020
2020: The Democrats on Criminal Justice
The candidates who vied with Joe Biden to challenge President Trump in November—including Kamala Harris—staked out positions on bail reform, marijuana, immigration and more. Here’s where they stood.
By
Katie Park
and
Jamiles Lartey
Feature
December 21, 2017
The Big Business of Prisoner Care Packages
Inside the booming market for food in pouches, clear electronics, pocket-less clothing and other corrections-approved goods.
By
Taylor Elizabeth Eldridge
Graphics
December 5, 2014
A Department of Defense Gift Guide 2014
Just pay shipping and handling.
By
Tom Meagher
,
Andy Rossback
and
Lisa Iaboni
Feature
June 11, 2015
From Solitary to the Street
What happens when prisoners go from complete isolation to complete freedom in a day?
By
Christie Thompson
Feature
March 23, 2023
The War on Gun Violence Has Failed. And Black Men Are Paying the Price.
In Chicago and elsewhere, gun possession arrests are rising as shootings go unsolved.
By
Lakeidra Chavis
and
Geoff Hing
Violation
March 22, 2023
A Summer Camp Murder. Two Sons, Lost.
The premiere of “Violation,” a podcast from The Marshall Project and WBUR, examines the decades-long ripple effects of an inexplicable crime.
By
Beth Schwartzapfel
Feature
February 2, 2016
What’s Justice for Kids Who Kill?
Kahton Anderson and the raging raise-the-age debate.
By
Dana Goldstein
Q&A
August 16, 2016
Milwaukee’s Police Chief on Open-Carry Gun Laws
“It’s lunacy in an urban environment.”
By
Simone Weichselbaum
Case in Point
December 5, 2016
How America’s Most Famous Federal Prison Faced a Dirty Secret
The case that awakened us to the mental health trauma of “Supermax”
By
Andrew Cohen
Q&A
May 5, 2016
How ‘The Good Wife’ Got the Law Right
‘Don’t take the easy way out, don’t take shortcuts.’
By
Raha Naddaf
News
March 15, 2018
If You Can’t Kill It, Join It
Trump’s nominee to this panel called it “an overfed lemur.”
By
Justin George
Commentary
September 20, 2017
When Backing the Blue Backfires
The DOJ’s most recent attempt to appear pro-cop actually hurts law enforcement.
Chiraag Bains
News
April 14, 2016
Should Prisoners Be Allowed to Have Facebook Pages?
A new policy in Texas limits inmates’ access to social media, creating a First Amendment conundrum.
By
Maurice Chammah
News
December 19, 2018
Okay, What’s the Second Step?
Now that the First Step Act passed, prison reformers are already making lists.
By
Justin George
Feature
September 7, 2016
When the Money Runs out for Public Defense, What Happens Next?
Massive caseloads, long wait lists, group plea deals, and other realities of a funding crisis.
By
Oliver Laughland
Justice Lab
October 14, 2015
Politicians Still Say Longer Prison Sentences Prevent Gun Violence — But Do They?
What we know about “gun enhancements.”
By
Dana Goldstein
News and Awards
June 4, 2018
How You Can Support Our Work
By
Bill Keller
Closing Argument
October 28, 2023
They Shot at Police. Were They Standing Their Ground?
No-knock raids often end in tragedy — and some civilians face prosecution for shooting back.
By
Maurice Chammah
Feature
October 26, 2017
We are Witnesses
The American criminal justice system consists of 2.2 million people behind bars, plus tens of millions of family members, corrections and police officers, parolees, victims of crime, judges, prosecutors and defenders.
By
The Marshall Project
Coronavirus
March 21, 2020
Coronavirus Transforming Jails Across the Country
Some sheriffs, prosecutors and defenders scramble to move people from local jails, potential petri dishes for infection.
By
Cary Aspinwall
,
Keri Blakinger
,
Abbie VanSickle
and
Christie Thompson
Feature
February 15, 2018
Too Sick for Jail — But Not for Solitary
Tennessee locks ailing, mentally ill, pregnant and juvenile prisoners in isolation to help jails save money.
By
Allen Arthur
with additional reporting by
Dave Boucher
Feature
July 8, 2020
She Said Her Husband Hit Her. She Lost Custody of Their Kids
How reporting domestic violence works against women in family court.
By
Kathryn Joyce
The Frame
October 23, 2017
In California, the Prisoners Fighting the Wine Country Wildfires
Photographer Brian L. Frank captures the lives of men on the fire lines and at home in prison conservation camps.
By
Celina Fang
Feature
November 16, 2014
Death by Deadline, Part Two
When lawyers stumble, only their clients fall.
By
Ken Armstrong
Analysis
June 26, 2015
Scott Walker on Crime and Punishment: Back to the ‘90s
As his rivals ease up, one candidate hangs tough
By
Eli Hager
Commentary
December 17, 2014
Handling, Not Manhandling, the Mentally Ill
A close look at the L.A. County Jail settlement
By
Andrew Cohen
Looking Back
December 29, 2014
The Willie Bosket Case
How children became adults in the eyes of the law.
By
Eli Hager
Commentary
October 23, 2015
Radley, DeRay, and Piper on Obama’s Conversation with The Marshall Project
Other voices from the criminal justice community weigh in.
By
Andrew Cohen
News
January 27, 2020
What’s in a Name?
New lawsuits by transgender people challenge bans on name changes for those convicted of crimes.
By
Beth Schwartzapfel
Analysis
July 29, 2015
Meet Dylann Roof’s Defender
Representing an avowed racist, a champion of racial justice.
By
Andrew Cohen
News
March 8, 2018
Convicted of a Drug Crime, Registered with Sex Offenders
In Kansas, even many minor drug offenders must appear on the state’s public registry. A new bill would change that.
By
Maurice Chammah
News
June 24, 2019
First Big Scoop: Student Journalists Expose High School’s Use of Prison Labor
“Whatever would come of this, they wouldn’t expel me or anything,” said a 17-year-old reporter. “I’m just presenting the facts.”
By
Eli Hager
Coronavirus
April 24, 2020
The 470,000 Potential Voters Most Likely To Be Disenfranchised Next Election
Voting rights for people in jail is becoming another casualty of COVID-19.
By
Eli Hager
Analysis
June 14, 2016
So You Think a New Prison Will Save Your Town?
Six reasons you’re likely to be disappointed
By
Tom Meagher
&
Christie Thompson
News
December 16, 2014
Was Lennon Lacy Lynched?
A brief modern history of racially motivated murder.
By
Christie Thompson
and
Andrew Cohen
Coronavirus
December 21, 2020
Moving People—and Coronavirus—From Prison to Prison
As COVID-19 infections soar, prisoners and corrections officers worry that transferring people between facilities is causing outbreaks.
By
Cary Aspinwall
and
Ed White
News
January 19, 2021
Zoom Funerals, Outdoor Classes: Jails and Prisons Evolve Amid the Pandemic
But will high-tech programs replace “the human touch” when the virus ebbs?
By
Keri Blakinger
Q&A
January 7, 2019
The Case Against Cannabis
A journalist’s pursuit of the truth about marijuana, mental illness and violence.
error in byline
Feature
June 6, 2017
Can This Marriage Be Saved?
Left and right came together on criminal justice reform. Then Trump happened.
By
Justin George
Closing Argument
February 3
The Food on Your Table, Brought to You By Prison Labor
Incarcerated workers help produce some of America’s most popular food brands, but get few of the benefits and protections afforded to others.
By
Jamiles Lartey
Closing Argument
March 18
New Scrutiny on Murder Charges Against People Who Don’t Actually Kill
The U.S. is the only country that still uses the “felony murder” legal doctrine.
By
Jamiles Lartey
Feature
March 10, 2022
“No Light. No Nothing.” Inside Louisiana’s Harshest Juvenile Lockup
Teens at the Acadiana Center for Youth at St. Martinville were held in solitary confinement around the clock, shackled with leg irons and deprived of an education. “This is child abuse,” one expert said.
Beth Schwartzapfel
, The Marshall Project; Erin Einhorn, NBC News; and Annie Waldman, ProPublica