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An inmate operates a machine in a tool shop as part of the Vocational Village program at the Richard A. Handlon Correctional Facility in Ionia, Mich.
Commentary January 17, 2017
Dear President Trump: Here’s How to get Right on Crime, Part 1
Focus on intent, tailor the punishment to the crime, prepare prisoners for life after incarceration.
Pat Nolan
An illustration shows a portrait of a woman with green eyes, wearing a blouse and earrings. Clouds and yellow sun rays are in the background.
Life Inside July 21, 2023
A New Law Gave Me 1 Year With My Babies Before Heading to Prison. How Will I Say Goodbye?
Minnesota’s Healthy Start law allowed Victoria Lopez to begin her seven-year prison sentence at home with her infant twins. Now comes the separation.
By Victoria Lopez, as told to
An inmate stands at his cell door at the maximum security facility at the Arizona State Prison in Florence, Ariz.
News February 26, 2018
How Bad is Prison Health Care? Depends on Who’s Watching
A federal judge considers $1 million in fines for one state’s “pervasive and intractable failures.”
By
Police stand near a Trump supporter, right, as protesters gathered outside the convention center where Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump held an election rally in San Jose, California, June 2.
Analysis July 13, 2016
Protesting at the Republican Convention? Here’s How to Stay Out of Jail
Tip No. 1: Don’t talk back to a cop (and a lot of them will be there).
By
Investigate Your State July 1, 2021
Checking The Success Of Your State's Efforts To Restore Voting Rights To The Formerly Incarcerated
We learned no more than 1 in 4 of the newly eligible voters had registered for the 2020 election in four key states. Here’s how to examine yours.
By
News June 23, 2021
Millions of People With Felonies Can Now Vote. Most Don’t Know It.
In a handful of key states, no more than 1 in 4 formerly incarcerated people registered in time for the 2020 election, a Marshall Project analysis found.
By AND
Q&A July 23, 2015
‘A Black Man’s Guide to Survival’
Rule Number 1: Comply now, contest later.
By
Feature December 22, 2014
16-Hour Shifts, 300 Inmates to Watch, and 1 Lonely Son
The very sleep-deprived life of a corrections officer.
By
Coronavirus December 18, 2020
1 in 5 Prisoners in the U.S. Has Had COVID-19
Even as the first Americans begin to receive vaccines, the spread of coronavirus behind bars shows no sign of slowing.
By , and Andrew Demillo
An illustration shows a Black man wearing a red jail jumpsuit and handcuffs standing next to a Black woman lawyer in a black skirt suit. Other defendants in jumpsuits sit around them, beside translucent outlines of lawyers.
Jackson February 22, 2024
This Mississippi Court Appoints Lawyers for Just 1 in 5 Defendants Before Indictment
Mississippi is known as one of the worst states for public defense. In one lower court, most defendants went without any lawyer before indictment.
By
Justice Talk May 30, 2016
Join Our Chat On Mental Health and the Criminal Justice System
We’re talking all about mental illness and justice during our next Justice Talk with Digg, on Wednesday, June 1. For context, browse our guide to key reading on the issue.
By
Feature August 30, 2021
The Black Mortality Gap, and a Century-Old Document
1 in 5 African American deaths happens earlier than if they were White. Black doctors say the Flexner Report holds clues to the health system’s role in racial health disparities.
By
Life Inside July 7, 2015
What’s in a Prison Meal?
The ongoing fight for more, and better, prison food.
By and
Feature September 24, 2019
Detained
How the United States created the largest immigrant detention system in the world.
By
News May 14, 2015
Would You Rather …
... die a (probably) painless death or live 50 years in solitary?
By The Marshall Project
News October 26, 2015
So Many Defendants, So Little Time
Inside Utah’s troubled indigent defense system.
By
Commentary February 5, 2018
Reentry: a Triptych
“What name for this thing we’ve become? For stigma, close as kin?”
By Reginald Dwayne Betts
Series September 11, 2019
We Are Witnesses
About 2.2 million people are behind bars in the United States, but the criminal justice system affects millions of others. In We Are Witnesses, our award-winning short film series, we hear their stories.
By The Marshall Project
Quiz June 30, 2016
How Much Do You Know About the Death Penalty in the U.S.?
Forty years ago, we restored capital punishment.
By
Graphics June 23, 2022
Out on Parole in Colorado? You Can Vote.
This explainer tells you how.
By , , , , and
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
Graphics December 23, 2014
Shifting Away from Solitary
More states have passed solitary confinement reforms this year than in the past 16 years.
By and
An illustration shows various scenes of life in prison, including talking on the phone about money, viewing a commissary balance on a computer, brushing teeth, taking a shower, lining up for food and eating in a cafeteria. Throughout the illustration are images of peanut butter, ramen, coffee and toothpaste. An arrow made of dollar bills points upward across the illustration.
News May 2, 2023
Why Inflation Price Hikes Are Even Worse Behind Bars
An additional “tax” on commissary goods means incarcerated people are paying far more for staple items like peanut butter and soap, a Marshall Project analysis found.
By
Series August 28, 2018
Southside
A collection of stories about criminal justice in Chicago
By The Marshall Project
A black-and-white photo shows a group of uniformed police officers, including both men and women, standing in several rows on stairs. The officers are all wearing dark uniforms and caps, and they are posing for a formal group portrait inside a building.
Cleveland June 13, 2024
Behind the Black Shield: The History of a Cleveland Institution
How one of the oldest Black policing organizations in the country shaped law enforcement in Cleveland.
By
A photo illustration shows black and white images of five TikToks of people talking about incarceration. Between each black and white image are blue and orange vertical rectangles overlaid with barbed wire.
Inside Out April 7, 2022
Out of Prison, TikTok Influencers Are Reshaping How We Think About Life Behind Bars
But a dearth of content creators of color raises questions about the app’s algorithm.
By
News August 4, 2015
Why Jails Have More Suicides than Prisons
A new report and a growing phenomenon.
By and
Illustration of a courtroom scene. Standing before a judge, with their backs to the viewer, are a man in a suit and a juvenile in an orange jumpsuit.
Cleveland January 11, 2024
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 and , The Marshall Project and Stephanie Casanova, Signal Cleveland
Español June 23, 2022
¿Está Usted En Libertad Condicional en Colorado? Puede Votar.
By , , , , and
News August 7, 2015
The Man Held on $9,999,999 Bail
How a Tennessee judge ensured that an accused cop-killer would not go free.
By
Thirty-five of Bill Cosby’s accusers were photographed and interviewed for New York Magazine’s July 26, 2015 cover story.
News December 17, 2015
The Best Reporting on Rape
A Marshall Project reading list.
By and
Analysis October 14, 2016
In Florida, Only Seven Jurors Can Put You to Death
The other quirk in the state’s death penalty system.
By and
Orange County sheriff’s deputies investigate early Saturday morning, Jan. 23, 2016, after three jail inmates charged with violent crimes escaped from Central Men’s Jail in Santa Ana, Calif. The men include 20-year-old Jonathan Tieu, who is charged with murder; 37-year-old Hossein Nayeri, charged with kidnapping and torture; and 43-year-old Bac Duong, charged with attempted murder. Sheriff’s Lt. Jeff Hallock said Saturday that the inmates were last seen at 5 a.m. Friday morning and could have escaped anytime between then and late Friday night. (AP Photo/Kevin Warn)
News January 27, 2016
Security Warnings by U.S. Preceded California Jail Break
Three inmates had a 16-hour head start after fleeing lock-up that had ‘poor supervision.'
By
News February 9, 2016
Congress Acts to Mark Passports of Sex Offenders
Target of legislation is sex-traffickers; critics call it a ‘scarlet letter.’
By
The Marshall Project Inside May 14, 2021
COVID-19 and Vaccine Mistrust Behind Bars
The second episode of The Marshall Project’s new video series, designed for audiences inside and outside of prison, reflects on how the COVID-19 vaccine has been received in lockups.
By and
Feature September 8, 2015
‘I Reviewed Jail on Yelp Because I Couldn’t Afford a Therapist.’
Why people are using sites like Yelp to vent and offer tips about prison and jail.
By
A collage shows, from left, a gun in red tones; the St. Louis skyline in black tones; a lawsuit document showing the Metropolitan Police Department of the City of St. Louis as the plaintiff and the words “sunshine law” circled in red; the back of a St. Louis police officer in uniform; a stack of clipped bundles of papers; and in the background, a list of homicide incidents and whether the case was closed or open, with “open” circled in red.
Feature June 3, 2024
How We Reported on Homicide Investigations in St. Louis
Getting and interpreting homicide clearance data involved litigation, complex analysis and patience.
By Jennifer Lu, APM Reports, and Rachel Lippmann, St. Louis Public Radio
Images of Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, former Gov. Rick Perry, people being arrested for crossing the border illegally, and sky and brush are overlaid on a timeline shown by a grid that starts from 2005 and goes just past 2020.
Analysis April 18, 2022
Texans Spend Billions on Border Operations. What Do They Get in Return?
Rick Perry and Greg Abbott have launched widely publicized and costly border initiatives for nearly two decades — often during reelection season or while eyeing higher office.
BY Lomi Kriel AND Perla Trevizo, ProPublica and The Texas Tribune AND
Police officers in Denver, Colo., in March 2021. From 2019 to 2020, the number of people working at local police departments and sheriffs’ offices decreased by less than 1%, according to monthly data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
News September 1, 2021
Police Say Demoralized Officers Are Quitting In Droves. Labor Data Says No.
While other industries were devastated by the pandemic last year, police departments felt a much smaller impact.
By and
Coronavirus December 8, 2021
How Prisons in Each State Are Restricting Visits Due to Coronavirus
As COVID-19 spread earlier this year, prison facilities across the country suspended visits from family and lawyers. Several months into the pandemic, some states are easing those restrictions. We’re rounding up the changes as they occur.
By
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
A photo still of security footage from inside the Berks Family Residential Center in 2014.
News June 22, 2018
Inside Family Detention, Trump's Big Solution
The administration is no longer separating them. Now more parents and children will be held at places like this.
By and
Police used tear gas to disperse demonstrators after the announcement of the grand jury decision in Ferguson, Mo., on Monday.
News November 26, 2014
Ferguson, Continued
What to read in the aftermath.
By
News May 15, 2015
Executing Tsarnaev? Not So Fast.
Like many states, the feds have trouble getting the killer drugs.
By
News January 25, 2016
The Supreme Court May Have Just Granted Thousands of Prisoners a Chance of Freedom
The Montgomery ruling says juveniles sentenced to life without parole must get a shot at a new sentence or parole.
By
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
Life Inside April 28, 2016
How I Break Prison Rules to Keep in Touch with My Family
“Sometimes I won’t hear from my family in years.”
By Anonymous
A logo reading "Peabody Nominee" with the silhouette of a person's head above it is on the left side of the image, and a logo reading "Inside Story" is on the right.
News and Awards April 18
The Marshall Project’s Inside Story Season 2 Nominated for 2025 Peabody Award
The award-winning video series takes viewers into the lives and experiences of people impacted by the criminal justice system.
By The Marshall Project
Liz Simons
News and Awards May 7
The Marshall Project Announces $1M Challenge Grant From Board Chair Liz Simons to Support Criminal Justice Journalism
The need for trusted, fact-based reporting has never been more urgent.
By The Marshall Project
The Frame December 3, 2015
Black Lives Matter Protesters are “Tired,” “Hopeful,” “Ready”
Minneapolis sit-in for Jamar Clark stretches through a third week.
Photographs by Angela Jimenez
Demonstrators, dressed in black clothing, hold large posters of women and signs that read "OK Survivor Justice Coalition" while standing outside the Oklahoma State Capitol.
Closing Argument April 27, 2024
They Killed Their Abusive Partners. Now Their Sentences Could Be Reconsidered.
Oklahoma could re-examine how it punishes people whose crimes came after years of domestic abuse. Other states may follow.
By and
Baltimore Police Commissioner Anthony Batts during a press conference on April 25 on the death of Freddie Gray.
News April 28, 2015
Meet Anthony Batts
A brief, aggregated history of the Baltimore police commissioner at the eye of the storm.
By
Justice Lab December 5, 2014
When Rape Allegations Are in Doubt
What research tells us in the wake of the Rolling Stone controversy.
By
Commentary August 12, 2016
End Prisons-for-Profit
A scathing report calls for “better oversight.” That’s not enough.
By Carl Takei
News and Awards September 20, 2016
Coming Soon: We are Witnesses
A video exploration of our criminal justice system.
By The Marshall Project
Attorney General Jeff Sessions speaks to federal, state and local law enforcement on Long Island, N.Y., in April, 2017.
Commentary May 30, 2017
The Problem with the Justice Department
It’s a building full of prosecutors.
Mark Osler
On Tuesday, Florida voters approved Amendment 4, which restored the voting rights of people with past felony convictions.
Commentary November 7, 2018
Florida’s Election Shows the True Promise of Restoring Voting Rights
With the passage of Amendment 4, more than a million people intimately affected by the criminal justice system have become more empowered to shape it.
Jennifer Rae Taylor
Inmates in the visitation area of Washington D.C.’s Central Detention Facility.
Commentary January 18, 2017
Dear President Trump: Here’s How to get Right on Crime, Part 2
End overcriminalization, reward success, pay attention to the heroin crisis.
Vikrant P. Reddy
President-elect Donald Trump and Vice President-elect Mike Pence in a Iowa rally with supporters in December 2016.
Commentary January 19, 2017
Dear President Trump: Here’s How to get Right on Crime, Part 3
Listen to Pence, Carson, Priebus, Kushner — and look out your window.
Marc Levin
Illustration of a colorful paper airplane flying in the sky with a faint cornflower blue city skyline in the background.
Jackson Newsletter November 7, 2024
State Supreme Court: A Runoff and an Incumbent Defeat
Two upsets, two runoffs in state judicial elections as votes continue to be counted.
By The Marshall Project - Jackson
Q&A November 17, 2014
Eric Holder on His Legacy, His Regrets, and His Feelings About the Death Penalty
An interview with the outgoing attorney general.
By and
A photo collage in black and white and blue tones shows, from left, an excerpt of a transcript that reads: “I hereby submit the following report into the matter of Sandra Birchmore, and into the possible violations…procedure, rules and regulations of the Stoughton Pol…”; a sign reading “Stoughton”, the silhouette of a police officer; the words “Sandra Birchmore”; an excerpt of a transcript that reads “The relationship continue…many years and included…and communications while…was on duty for the Stoug…Police Department.”; and a photo of Sandra Birchmore.
Feature May 1, 2024
In This Police Youth Program, a Trail of Sexual Abuse Across the U.S.
Explorer posts, overseen by the Boy Scouts, are supposed to foster an interest in policing. They have faced nearly 200 allegations of misconduct.
By , and
Feature June 3, 2015
Nigerians are Flocking to Work in Texas Prisons
An immigration trend changes the face of corrections.
By
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
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
Feature November 2, 2021
Police Hurt Thousands of Teens Every Year. A Striking Number Are Black Girls.
By and
Feature August 19, 2021
Where Lots of Police Shootings Draw Little Scrutiny
The Kentucky State Police fatally shot 41 people from 2015 through 2020, more than any other law enforcement agency in the state.
By and R.G. Dunlop
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
News June 5, 2015
Job Opening: No Training, Low Pay, High Turnover
In Mississippi prisons last year, half the officers quit.
By
The Rio Cosumnes Correctional Center in Elk Grove, Calif., where Cody Garland tried to commit suicide.
The California Experiment April 23, 2019
Who Begs To Go To Prison? California Jail Inmates
Effort to cut prison overcrowding puts some jails in crisis.
By and
A crisis response team of three people, wearing cargo pants, turquoise shirts and fanny packs, talk to a medium-dark-skinned man sitting on a concrete wall. The man, wearing gray sweatpants, holds a water bottle in one hand.
Analysis July 25, 2024
Sending Unarmed Responders Instead of Police: What We’ve Learned
There are more than 100 response teams nationwide, but experts say more research on their impact is needed.
By
News August 10, 2015
What We’ve Learned About Racial Disparity in Policing Since Ferguson
A brief overview of the numbers.
By
Q&A December 1, 2014
Will Millennials Embrace Prison Reform?
A couple of Harvard guys aim to find out.
By
News February 11, 2015
Anyone in Favor of Child Sex Slavery?
Not in Congress. But what do all those anti-trafficking bills actually do?
By
Los Angeles County District Attorney Jackie Lacey, center, and San Bernardino County District Attorney Mike Ramos, right, announce a 2016 ballot initiative to speed up executions for murderers sentenced to death on Oct. 30. in Los Angeles.
News November 19, 2015
The Unfolding Campaign to Save the Death Penalty
Supporters rally around a more efficient system of execution.
By
Case in Point October 24, 2016
Which Sinners Get to Vote in Alabama?
Ex-prisoners challenge a law that lets local bureaucrats judge “moral turpitude.”
By
These current and former foster youth in Alaska say the state took Social Security benefits that belonged to them.
Feature April 22, 2021
Were You Ever in Foster Care? Here’s How to Find Out if the Government Took Your Money
State foster care agencies have been taking benefits that belong to some of the most vulnerable kids. Here’s what to ask to see if it’s happened to you — and how to ask for your money back.
By
A man with light-toned skin and a woman with light-toned skin carried orange signs reading "We can end gun violence" as people behind them follow during a protest.
Closing Argument August 27, 2022
How Gun Policy Is Scrambling to Keep Up With Gun Culture
Legislators are cracking down on gun advertisements, “ghost guns” and more. Can these efforts spur real change on gun violence?
By
Illustration of a colorful paper airplane flying in the sky with a faint cornflower blue city skyline in the background.
Jackson Newsletter August 8, 2024
Sweltering Heat Endangers Incarcerated in Mississippi Prison
Also, trial starts before a federal judge to determine if Mississippi’s judicial districts should be redrawn to include more Black voters.
By The Marshall Project - Jackson
Colette Peters, a White woman in a red suit jacket and short brown hair, speaks, as Michael Horowitz, a White man in a navy suit jacket and white hair, looks on.
Closing Argument March 2, 2024
How Federal Prisons Are Getting Worse
Government watchdog agencies found hundreds of preventable deaths and excessive use of solitary confinement.
By and
An illustration with a dark purple background shows a person with dark hair and purple skin tone standing on top of a large representation of an HIV test. A spotlight focusing on the person and the test beams from the state of Ohio, in red.
Cleveland March 13, 2024
Ohio Is Among 34 States That Criminalize People Living With HIV. Who Gets Prosecuted?
Cuyahoga County prosecutes the most people under laws with heightened penalties.
By , The Marshall Project, and Ken Schneck, The Buckeye Flame
Graphics February 12, 2015
The Cost of Crime Fighting
Reading between the line items of Department of Justice budgets, past and present.
By
News June 3, 2015
The 17-Year-Old Adults
States are raising the age of who counts as an adult, but it’s no simple task.
By
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
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
News October 9, 2015
Meet the Federal Prisoners About to be Released
A profile of the 6,000.
By The Marshall Project
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
Arthur Longworth leads a basic Spanish class for other inmates in Washington’s Monroe Correctional Complex in 2012.
News October 25, 2016
Does the First Amendment End at the Prison Gate?
An inmate’s novel is the latest test.
By
A condemned inmate is led out of his cell on death row at San Quentin State Prison in San Quentin, California in 2016.
Crime on the Ballot November 9, 2016
The Death Penalty is Alive and Well
Voters in three states approve measures to strengthen capital punishment.
By
A podcast logo set atop a tan and black background. In the logo, a tan cowboy hat with a Texas Ranger badge floats in front of prison bars. Above, in all caps: "Smoke Screen" and "Just say you're sorry." Below, branding for Sony Music and The Marshall Project.
Just Say You’re Sorry April 26, 2023
‘Just Say You’re Sorry’: Podcast Dissects Famed Texas Ranger’s Controversial Tactics
Our six-part podcast asks if Texas’ “serial killer whisperer” ensnared an innocent man through tactics like lying and hypnosis.
By
A White woman with wavy blonde hair stands on her porch at dusk.
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
Images of people at the Moriah Shock Incarceration Facility and Lakeview Shock Correctional Facility are layered in an orange, blue and black photo collage.
Inside Out February 24, 2022
‘A Humiliating Experience’: Prisoners Allege Abuse at Discipline-focused ‘Shock’ Camps
New York is closing one of its last ‘shock’ camps, a move some experts and former prisoners say is a long time coming.
By
A Black man in a blue T-shirt covers his eyes with one hand as he stands in his front yard. A police officer, wearing protective gear with the words "FDLE Police" on it, stands left of him in the background.
News November 4, 2022
Florida’s Voter Fraud Arrests Are Scaring Away Formerly Incarcerated Voters
DeSantis made a spectacle of arresting voters with felony convictions. Now, some eligible voters are opting out of midterms even beyond Florida.
By and
News and Awards June 4, 2018
How You Can Support Our Work
By
Life Inside May 25, 2023
Life Inside, Animated
An animated series featuring the stories of those whose lives have intersected with the criminal justice system.
By The Marshall Project
Feature June 24, 2015
The Surprisingly Imperfect Science of DNA Testing
How a proven tool may be anything but.
By Katie Worth
Lesley McSpadden, center, and Michael Brown Sr., left, the parents of Michael Brown, listen as attorney Benjamin Crump speaks during a news conference Monday, Aug. 11, 2014, in Jennings, Mo. Michael Brown, 18, was shot and killed in a confrontation with police in the St. Louis suburb of Ferguson, Mo, on Saturday, Aug. 9, 2014. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)
News November 24, 2014
Now Comes the Civil Suit
It’s not over for Ferguson.
By
Anthony Batts speaking last September at the Brennan Center for Justice in New York.
News April 23, 2015
‘There is a Visceral Hatred for the People Who Wear This Uniform.’
Baltimore’s chief on policing in black communities.
By
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