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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
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
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
Feature
April 7, 2015
Unfreed
The man who was accidentally released from prison 88 years early.
By
Robert Kolker
Analysis
February 22, 2017
The Case of Duane Buck
Was he sentenced to death “because he is black”?
By
Maurice Chammah
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 23, 2018
New York on ICE
How Donald Trump’s war on immigrants is playing out in his hometown.
By
The Marshall Project
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
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
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
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
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
Analysis
November 30, 2016
Who’s in Solitary Confinement?
By
Anna Flagg
,
Alex Tatusian
and
Christie Thompson
Case in Point
July 18, 2016
Letting Prosecutors Write the Law
It’s more common than you think.
By
Andrew Cohen
Life Inside
January 3, 2019
I Was a Doctor Addicted to Pills. So Were My Patients.
“I had no idea if I would get caught. It didn't matter.”
By
Lou Ortenzio
as told to
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
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
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
Analysis
June 25, 2015
What Prisons Can Learn From Schools
Lessons from education reform on transforming an expensive, ineffective system.
By
Eli Hager
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
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
Q&A
August 16, 2016
Milwaukee’s Police Chief on Open-Carry Gun Laws
“It’s lunacy in an urban environment.”
By
Simone Weichselbaum
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
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
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
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
Feature
June 24, 2015
The Surprisingly Imperfect Science of DNA Testing
How a proven tool may be anything but.
By
Katie Worth
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
November 21, 2018
Treatment Denied: The Mental Health Crisis in Federal Prisons
The Bureau of Prisons set higher standards for psychiatric care. But instead of helping more inmates, the agency dropped thousands from its caseload, data shows.
By
Christie Thompson
and
Taylor Elizabeth Eldridge
News
December 16, 2014
Was Lennon Lacy Lynched?
A brief modern history of racially motivated murder.
By
Christie Thompson
and
Andrew Cohen
Commentary
December 17, 2014
Handling, Not Manhandling, the Mentally Ill
A close look at the L.A. County Jail settlement
By
Andrew Cohen
Analysis
July 29, 2015
Meet Dylann Roof’s Defender
Representing an avowed racist, a champion of racial justice.
By
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
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
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
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
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
Looking Back
August 19, 2019
In Sickness, In Health—and In Prison
A Nebraska couple fighting to marry behind bars wouldn’t be the first: Three decades ago, two prisoners took their bid to marry all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court.
By
Mia Armstrong
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
Analysis
September 26, 2016
Who is ICE Deporting?
Obama’s promise to focus on “felons not families” has fallen short
By
Christie Thompson
and
Anna Flagg
News
December 14, 2016
Let’s Go to Prison!
A national field trip to Incarceration Nation, under the shadow of Donald Trump
By
Eli Hager
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
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
News
July 18, 2018
Can’t Afford a Lawyer?
Civil representation is too expensive for many, but Washington state has one solution
By
Christie Thompson
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
Q&A
February 21, 2016
‘I’ll Believe It When I See It.’
After 42 years in solitary, Albert Woodfox walks free.
By
Andrew Cohen
News
August 23, 2017
Can a General Conquer the Federal Prison System?
Mark Inch is about to find out.
By
Justin George
Analysis
September 29, 2016
Criminal Justice Reform: An Obituary
Obama and Newt Gingrich. Koch Industries and the ACLU. With friends like that, how could it lose?
By
Bill Keller
Coronavirus
March 28, 2020
How Is The Justice System Responding to the Coronavirus? It Depends On Where You Live.
While some cities free people from jail and stop arrests, others are much more business as usual.
By
Jamiles Lartey
Analysis
July 22, 2016
Truth-testing Trump on Law and Order
“These are the facts,” he says. Mmmm, not so fast.
By
The Marshall Project
News
March 2, 2017
Your Kid Goes to Jail, You Get the Bill
For 40 years, many parents have had to pay for their children's incarceration, but that may be changing.
By
Eli Hager
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
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
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
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
News
August 10, 2015
The Woman Who Spent Six Years Fighting a Traffic Stop
Getting caught in a speed trap in a small Louisiana town.
By
Ken Armstrong
Coronavirus
June 18, 2020
“I Begged Them To Let Me Die”: How Federal Prisons Became Coronavirus Death Traps.
The Bureau of Prisons was unprepared and slow to respond. Then officials took steps that helped spread the virus.
By
Keri Blakinger
and
Keegan Hamilton
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
Feature
February 2, 2016
What’s Justice for Kids Who Kill?
Kahton Anderson and the raging raise-the-age debate.
By
Dana Goldstein
News
April 23, 2020
New York Rolled Back Bail Reform. What Will The Rest Of The Country Do?
Bail reform advocates are adapting in light of COVID-19 releases and the lessons from New York’s no-bail flop.
By
Jamiles Lartey
Feature
March 2
The Mercy Workers
For three decades, a little-known group of “mitigation specialists” has helped save death-penalty defendants by documenting their childhood traumas. A rare look inside one case.
By
Maurice Chammah
Feature
March 14
Aggressive Policing in Memphis Goes Far Beyond the Scorpion Unit
Data shows Memphis police arrested more people – mostly Black men – than other Tennessee cities.
By
Daphne Duret
,
Weihua Li
and
Marc Perrusquia
Justice Lab
November 20, 2014
Overlooking Rape
New Orleans is not the only city where police don't get it.
By
Dana Goldstein
News
February 10, 2015
Our Body-Cams, Ourselves
Now that police are always on, who gets to watch?
By
Clare Sestanovich
News
November 3, 2020
How Do Your Political Views Compare To Those Of People Behind Bars?
Our latest survey of the incarcerated reveals sharp political differences between the incarcerated and the general public, as well as a few areas of consensus.
By
Nicole Lewis
Closing Argument
February 24
Knock, Knock! Who’s There? The Police.
What happens when a joke carries criminal charges?
By
Lakeidra Chavis
News
May 7, 2015
A (More or Less) Definitive Guide to Hillary Clinton’s Record on Law and Order
She was for reform before she was against it before she was for it.
By
Eli Hager
The Lowdown
June 16, 2021
Biden Could Have Taken the War on Drugs Down a Notch. He Didn’t.
A little-noticed law could make it easier to punish people for low-level drug crimes — and put them in prison for longer with less proof.
By
Beth Schwartzapfel
Q&A
May 26, 2015
The Attica Turkey Shoot
Malcolm Bell, former special state prosecutor and whistleblower, on getting away with murder.
By
Tom Robbins
Feature
October 31, 2021
Arizona Privatized Prison Health Care to Save Money. But at What Cost?
A landmark class-action lawsuit goes to court this week, featuring grisly testimony about botched medical care in state prisons.
By
Beth Schwartzapfel
and
Jimmy Jenkins
The System
November 13, 2020
Life Behind the Wall
Sure, prisons and jails are dangerous places. But everyday life inside isn’t as explosive as TV and movies make it look.
By
Nicole Lewis
and
Annaliese Griffin
Commentary
June 12, 2016
For 50 Years, You’ve Had “The Right to Remain Silent”
So why do so many suspects confess to crimes they didn’t commit?
By
Samuel Gross
and
Maurice Possley
News
March 14, 2019
New York City’s Bail Success Story
Judges have drastically cut back on bail and jail in criminal cases, a new study shows. And defendants are still showing up in court.
By
Eli Hager
Analysis
January 14, 2021
White Terrorism Often Leads to Harsher Punishment for People of Color
Amid calls for tougher laws after the Capitol assault, research shows that measures addressing White violence usually fall harder on Black people.
By
Eli Hager
Q&A
May 25, 2016
Four San Francisco Cops Talk About the Problems Plaguing Their Department
Five shootings, a text scandal, a hunger strike, and now a new boss.
By
John Morrison