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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
Life Inside
April 8, 2022
Surviving Prison is 90% Mental. That’s Why I Teach Workouts That Strengthen the Mind
The sessions I lead are intense enough to match the mental strain that we endure daily: the rejected phone calls, denied visits, humiliating random pat-downs and other microaggressions.
By
Aaron M. Kinzer
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
November 23, 2020
Biden Will Try to Unmake Trump’s Immigration Agenda. It Won’t Be Easy.
Restoring asylum claims and judges’ independence will be uphill work.
By
Julia Preston
Coronavirus
June 3, 2020
Jails Are Coronavirus Hotbeds. How Many People Should Be Released To Slow The Spread?
As officials cut jail populations, researchers and advocates explore what more can be done.
By
Anna Flagg
Life Inside
July 1, 2021
“Daddy, if I Come See You, Will I Have to Be Locked up, Too?”
Recently reunited with his 10-year-old daughter, Demetrius Buckley struggles to push past the barriers of a maximum security prison to be present for his curious, whip-smart little girl.
By
Demetrius Buckley
Justice Lab
February 12, 2015
Can Violence Be Virtuous?
A new book examines the morality of crime.
By
Dana Goldstein
Life Inside
December 22, 2016
‘I’ll Be Waiting’
In cell 62, another birthday turns into another day alone.
By
John Francis
News
January 13, 2015
Fit to be Killed?
The impending execution of a decorated soldier shows the limits of the PTSD defense.
By
Eli Hager
Analysis
May 23, 2016
Can Courtroom Prejudice Be Proved?
The Supreme Court considers what it takes to show that prosecutors, when they pick juries, are discriminating against minorities.
By
Maurice Chammah
Feature
June 6, 2017
Can This Marriage Be Saved?
Left and right came together on criminal justice reform. Then Trump happened.
By
Justin George
News
July 1, 2019
Can Racist Algorithms Be Fixed?
A new study adds to the debate over racial bias in risk assessment tools widely used in courtrooms.
By
Beth Schwartzapfel
Just Say You’re Sorry
May 29
As a Texas Ranger Gains National Fame, His Interrogations Draw Skepticism
James Holland’s star rises after he coaxes killer Samuel Little to confess to 90 murders. But his work in Larry Driskill’s case comes into question.
By
Maurice Chammah
Commentary
July 11, 2018
This Call May be Monopolized and Recorded
Advocates say prison phone companies’ merger diminishes competition
By
Bianca Tylek
and
Connor Mccleskey
News
March 16, 2016
Should Hard-line Prosecutors Be Nervous?
After voters oust two prosecutors for failing to hold police accountable, maybe.
By
Christie Thompson
Feature
June 24, 2015
The Surprisingly Imperfect Science of DNA Testing
How a proven tool may be anything but.
By
Katie Worth
News
September 10, 2015
‘I’m Just Happy to Be Alive’
An Alabama man, wrongfully convicted, overcomes a judicial override to gain his freedom.
By
Andrew Cohen
Closing Argument
September 10, 2022
Why Record Heat Can Be Deadlier in Prisons
Corrections officials across most of the nation have not prepared for warmer summers and record heat waves.
By
Jamiles Lartey
News
October 9, 2015
Meet the Federal Prisoners About to be Released
A profile of the 6,000.
By
The Marshall Project
News
August 7, 2019
Racism Tainted Their Trials. Should They Still Be Executed?
North Carolina Supreme Court hearings raise broad questions of systemic bias in the state judicial system.
By
Jack Brook
Life Inside
April 8, 2021
“Nobody Wants to Be Identified as a Victim”
Oakland activist Carl Chan reveals how fear of retaliation, mistrust of police, language barriers and technology gaps fuel underreporting of anti-Asian violence.
By
Carl Chan
as told to
Michelle Pitcher
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
Life Inside
February 25, 2016
What It’s Like to Be Gay in Prison
When the people in charge are homophobic.
By
Corbett J. Yost
Death Sentences
April 15, 2021
Can The Death Penalty Be Fixed? These Republicans Think So
A growing number of conservative lawmakers want to overhaul capital punishment, or end it.
By
Maurice Chammah
and
Keri Blakinger
News
August 16, 2016
Chicago’s Civilian Review Board: Will the New One Be Better?
Advocates seek more independence from police involvement.
By
Deonna Anderson
News
August 27, 2015
When Prisons Need to Be More Like Nursing Homes
Finding new ways to treat the growing pool of older, ailing inmates.
By
Maura Ewing
Commentary
July 8, 2015
Why Dylann Roof’s Racism Will Only be Nurtured in Prison
An author and former prisoner reflects on the white supremacist’s potential fate.
By
James Kilgore
The California Experiment
June 27, 2018
Can It Be Murder If You Didn’t Kill Anyone?
A distinctly American legal doctrine holds getaway drivers and lookouts as responsible for a death as the actual killer. California is having second thoughts.
By
Abbie VanSickle
Life Inside
February 2, 2017
Working With Prisoners Makes It Hard To Be a Mom
Discipline at work, leniency at home—with doubts.
By
Cary Johnson
, as told to
Maurice Chammah
News
June 9, 2016
The Scandal-Singed DAs Who Want to Be Judges
For decades, California prosecutors covered up unethical deals with jailhouse informers.
By
Beth Schwartzapfel
Life Inside
February 12, 2016
What It’s Like to Be a Hacker in Prison
Finding refuge in old media.
By
Stephen Watt
Feature
July 29, 2020
Your Local Jail May Be A House of Horrors
But you probably wouldn’t know it, because sheriffs rule them with little accountability. After one man's death in a notorious lockup, residents of a Missouri town fought back.
By
Maurice Chammah
Feature
February 15
Spit Hoods Can Be Deadly. Police Keep Using Them Anyway.
Police cite studies saying the mesh bags are safe. But experts say the studies are flawed — and deaths in custody raise troubling questions.
By
Daphne Duret
Life Inside
August 16, 2018
What It’s Like to be a Cutter in Prison
"This isn’t a place that provides treatment, help, or even empathy to those who suffer from stress, depression, and mental illness."
By
Deidre Mcdonald
News
April 28, 2016
A Death Sentence in Louisiana Rarely Means You’ll be Executed
Over the last 40 years, reversals have become commonplace.
By
Maurice Chammah
Feature
December 7, 2016
In Alabama, You Can Be Sentenced to Death Even if Jurors Don’t Agree
Judges have uniquely uncommon power in the state.
By
Kent Faulk
Looking Back
March 16, 2015
Cecil Clayton, a Man Missing Part of His Brain, is About to Be Executed
And he is not the first.
By
Maurice Chammah
Asked and Answered
May 6, 2015
‘It Takes a Certain Kind of Magic to be able to Survive This Kind of Separation.’
A 32-year-old woman on what it’s like being engaged to someone serving a life sentence, long-distance romantic gestures, and the cost of each visit.
By
The Marshall Project
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
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
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
What You're Saying
August 10, 2015
‘...No One Thinks About How [New Research] Will Actually Be Implemented.’
A selection of recent letters from our readers.
By
Jasmine Lee
News
October 15, 2018
Scott Dozier Still Wants to be Executed. And He's Still Waiting.
After forcing Nevada into a legal battle over its lethal injection drugs, an execution “volunteer” says the state is punishing him.
By
Maurice Chammah
Closing Argument
January 14
Virginia School Shooting Tests How Young Is Too Young to be Prosecuted
Nearly half of U.S. states have no minimum age for prosecution, unlike most nations.
By
Jamiles Lartey
Feature
October 30, 2015
6,000 People Are About to be Freed From Federal Custody — Here’s What They’ll Face
Six men who spent years behind bars offer advice.
By
Simone Weichselbaum
News
June 7, 2016
How Easy Would It Be to Recall the Judge in the Brock Turner Case?
A high-profile sexual-assault case provokes demands for pulling the judge off the bench, but such a remedy is rare.
By
Eli Hager
News
January 28, 2016
Why Getting Sued Could Be the Best Thing to Happen to New Orleans’ Public Defenders
The ACLU takes the cash-poor agency to court to force the cash-poor legislature to pay.
By
Eli Hager
Life Inside
December 4, 2015
Why it’s Hard to be a Lifer Who’s Getting Out of Prison
After 34 years inside, sometimes you never feel free.
By
Gregory Diatchenko
, as told to
Beth Schwartzapfel
Quiz
September 30, 2015
Do You Have What It Takes To Be a Prison Censor?
Test yourself against the pros.
By
Bill Keller
Commentary
February 11, 2016
“Look at O.J. ... If He Had a Public Defender, He’d be in Jail.”
Why African-Americans don’t trust the courts, and why it matters.
By
Sara Sternberg Greene
News
December 8, 2014
What it’s Like to be Black In the NYPD Right Now
“Morale is already dead.”
By
Simone Weichselbaum
and
Christie Thompson
Closing Argument
October 29, 2022
Why Millions of Americans Will Be Left Out of the Midterms
Even in states where some people with felony convictions — and those awaiting trial in jail — have the right to vote, actually casting a ballot remains difficult.
By
Jamiles Lartey
Cleveland
July 24
Cuyahoga Judge May Be the Only One Using Receivers, Costing Divorcing Couples Thousands
More ethics questions circle Leslie Celebrezze, as fellow judges say they never use receivers. Meanwhile, she gave her friend nearly $500,000 in work.
By
Mark Puente
Justice Lab
November 3, 2015
Why It’s Hard to Be a Poor Boy With Richer Neighbors
And why it can lead to criminal behavior.
By
Dana Goldstein
News
December 4, 2015
What it’s Like to be a Cop Involved in a Mass Shooting
“It keeps replaying on a loop: you smell it and see it and hear it.”
By
Christie Thompson
Commentary
July 10, 2017
To Be Good Employees, the Formerly Incarcerated Must First Become Bosses
For the incarcerated, personal agency is a deciding factor in success after release.
Marlon Peterson
News
June 26
Help Wanted (in Prison): Texas Recruits High School Kids To Be Corrections Officers
Short on guards, the state hopes to attract students enrolled in career training programs once they turn 18.
By
Anya Slepyan
The Rules
March 27, 2015
Can Weaves Be Dangerous?
The problem of race and hair behind bars.
By
Simone Weichselbaum
Feature
August 4, 2015
The New Science of Sentencing
Should prison sentences be based on crimes that haven’t been committed yet?
By
Anna Maria Barry-Jester
,
Ben Casselman
and
Dana Goldstein
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
Feature
February 12
If You Can’t Afford an Attorney, One Will Be Appointed. And You May Get a Huge Bill
In Iowa, people too poor to pay for a lawyer are on the hook for big fees they can’t afford.
By
Lauren Gill
and
Weihua Li
Feature
June 23, 2021
‘A Dog Can Be Trained To Be Anti-Black’
A new film highlights historical use of canines against Black people
error in byline
News
December 10, 2014
What Can You Do With a Drunken Lawyer?
Not much. Which may be why Robert Holsey is dead.
By
Ken Armstrong
Commentary
November 3, 2017
What About the ‘Lost Children’ (and Mothers) of America?
It’s time for their voices to be heard.
By
Rheann Kelly
,
Christina Kovats
, and
Natalie Medley
Life Inside
November 10, 2017
The Singular Sorrow of Grieving Behind Bars
“I had no idea how much pain I would be forced to carry alone.”
By
Dwayne Hurd
News
June 25, 2015
New Jersey Moves to Keep Kids Under 15 From Adult Court
Age restriction would be toughest in the nation.
By
Dana Goldstein
News
July 25, 2018
Prison Rape Allegations Are on the Rise
But the accusations are still rarely found to be true.
By
Alysia Santo
Life Inside
October 13, 2016
How My Time as a Private Prison Guard Changed the Way I See Inmates
“No one wants to be accused of being ‘inmate-friendly.’”
By
M. Leann Skeen
News
November 16, 2018
What’s Really in the First Step Act?
Too much? Too little? You be the judge.
By
Justin George
Life Inside
July 19, 2018
It’s Surprisingly Tough to Avoid Snitching in Prison
How hard could it be not to betray your friends?
By
George T. Wilkerson
Feature
February 23, 2015
When Freedom Isn’t Free
The bail industry wants to be your jailer.
By
Alysia Santo
The Lowdown
August 13, 2015
‘For $12 of Commissary, He Got 10 Years Off His Sentence.’
What it takes to be a jailhouse lawyer.
By
Beth Schwartzapfel
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
Cleveland
January 11
How Cuyahoga County Picks Attorneys to Represent Children
Ohio sets rules for fairly appointing attorneys and the qualifications they must meet to be paid.
By
Rachel Dissell
and
Doug Livingston
, The Marshall Project and
Stephanie Casanova
, Signal Cleveland
Commentary
June 15, 2016
Ban the Other Box
Getting suspended or expelled should not be the end of hope.
By
Kate Weisburd
Q&A
February 14, 2017
The Man Who Ran Obama's Clemency Machine
“He felt strongly that this was a gift, and the gift had to be earned.”
By
Maurice Chammah
News
September 27, 2016
In Some States, Raising the Age for Adult Court Is the Easy Part
But in South Carolina, making the juvenile system more humane will be much harder.
By
Eli Hager
Closing Argument
July 1, 2023
Why DeSantis Wants to Kill Trump’s Prison Reform Law
The Florida governor aims to be tougher on crime than any other presidential hopeful.
By
Jamiles Lartey
News
September 27, 2016
A Primer on the Nationwide Prisoners’ Strike
Prisoners can be forced to work without pay — the Constitution says so.
By
Beth Schwartzapfel
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
Justice Lab
January 29, 2015
The Life-or-Death Test
Why are IQ scores still being used to determine who is fit to be executed?
By
Dana Goldstein
and
Maurice Chammah
Analysis
August 9, 2019
Money-Making Schemes That Ensnare Prisoners and Their Families
If it sounds too good to be true, legal experts say, it probably is.
By
Christie Thompson
Case in Point
May 6, 2018
A Murder Case Unravels
Prosecutors stacked the deck. Forty-one years later, that may be enough to free Johnny Gates.
By
Andrew Cohen
Life Inside
June 14, 2018
My Road to Acceptance as a Trans Man Began in Prison
“I won’t be swept under the rug anymore. This is me.”
By
Ethan Ybabes
as told to
Page Dukes
Commentary
October 13, 2015
What Can Reforming Solitary Confinement Teach Us About Reducing Mass Incarceration?
It’s not about non-violent offenders. And it won’t be cheap.
By
Taylor Pendergrass
Justice Talk
February 21, 2016
Join Us For Justice Talk: A New Conversation Series With The Marshall Project and Digg
Our first discussion will be Wednesday, Feb. 24, on how the police predict crime.
By
Blair Hickman
Commentary
June 22, 2015
Kalief Browder was a Good Kid. Should That Matter?
The not-so-nice kids don’t deserve to be brutalized, either.
By
Nell Bernstein
News
October 18, 2018
Nearly a Decade Awaiting Trial, Now Freed
Neko Wilson to be released in the first test of California’s felony murder law.
By
Abbie VanSickle
News
June 18, 2017
He Walked Out of Prison After 11 Years — Now the State Wants Him Back
After 18 months of freedom, Robert Woodall may be headed back behind bars.
By
Marella Gayla
Life Inside
January 17, 2019
I'm in Prison During the Shutdown. I Didn't Get "Holiday Steak."
There will be beans (there's always beans). And half of a chicken.
By
Seth Piccolo
News
April 5, 2016
Can the Troubled Cleveland Police Handle a Volatile Republican Convention?
Operating under federal oversight, officers will be scrutinized for how they use force.
By
Simone Weichselbaum
News
March 12, 2017
Was Evan Miller ‘The Rare Juvenile’ Who Deserved Life Without Parole?
Now 28, he’ll be re-sentenced, unless the court finds him ‘irreparably corrupt.’
By
Beth Schwartzapfel
Analysis
May 25, 2016
The Anomaly of Dylann Roof
White-on-black murders rarely result in a death sentence. Roof might be an exception.
By
Maurice Chammah
News
January 23, 2015
‘The Garb of Innocence’
Defendants may be presumed innocent — but can judges ensure they look innocent?
By
Beth Schwartzapfel
The Frame
December 8, 2014
Tracked
Photographer Zora Murff reveals what it’s like to be a kid in the system.
Photographs by
Zora Murff
News Inside
March 28, 2019
Introducing News Inside
The Marshall Project launches a print publication that will be distributed in prisons and jails.
By
Lawrence Bartley
Life Inside
June 10, 2019
My First Father-Daughter Dance Was in the Prison Gym
“She saw a glimpse of me and what our life could be if I was free.”
By
Efrén Paredes Jr.
as told to
Elyse Blennerhassett
News
July 31, 2020
As More Federal Agents Enter American Cities, Local Leaders Can’t Keep Them In Line
Critics say mayors should be wary as the Justice Department expands law-enforcement task forces.
By
Simone Weichselbaum
Coronavirus
March 18, 2020
D.C. Cops Balance Bravado and Caution During COVID-19 Pandemic
Police across the country “have to be realistic about what we can and can’t do.”
By
Simone Weichselbaum
Life Inside
February 4, 2022
How I Went From Gangster to Geek
Prison forced me to be still and start my mental metamorphosis.
By
Jy'Aire Smith-Pennick