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Podcast
March 8
Introducing ‘Violation,’ a Podcast From The Marshall Project and WBUR
Violence. Power. Privilege. The series explores these themes through one case — and pulls back the curtain on the secretive world of parole boards.
By
Beth Schwartzapfel
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
Beth Schwartzapfel
Q&A
March 11, 2015
Tending to Tsarnaev
A trauma surgeon on the moment the accused Boston Marathon bomber became his patient.
By
Beth Schwartzapfel
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
Feature
March 30, 2017
When Warriors Put on the Badge
Many veterans make careers in policing. Some bring war home.
By
Simone Weichselbaum
and
Beth Schwartzapfel
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
The System
November 4, 2020
The Truth About Trials
“We put together the most cumbersome and expensive trial system that the world has ever seen, and then we decided we can’t do it for all but a tiny, tiny portion of people.”
By
Beth Schwartzapfel
,
Abbie VanSickle
and
Annaliese Griffin
Crime on the Ballot
October 17, 2016
It’s Not Just Pot and the Death Penalty
Four important ballot measures you probably haven’t heard of.
By
Beth Schwartzapfel
News
January 16, 2017
When Are You Too Stoned to Drive?
The question is trickier than you’d think for police, and the courts, to answer.
By
Beth Schwartzapfel
News
August 10, 2015
What Care Do Prisons Owe Transgender Inmates?
A California case may decide.
By
Beth Schwartzapfel
News
August 2, 2017
Guess Who’s Tracking Your Prescription Drugs?
Your doctor, your pharmacist... and the police.
By
Beth Schwartzapfel
News
June 17, 2015
‘A System That Is Clearly Broken’
A Minnesota sex-offender program is under fire. How long can the state hold people for crimes they have not yet committed?
By
Beth Schwartzapfel
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
News
May 23, 2017
The New Tool That Could Revolutionize How We Measure Justice
A small nonprofit gathers criminal justice statistics, one county at a time.
By
Beth Schwartzapfel
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
Feature
January 3, 2017
Getting Away With Murder
Researching lynching cold cases, law students restore history.
By
Beth Schwartzapfel
News
July 30, 2015
Obama Is Reinstating Pell Grants for Prisoners
But will politics eventually trump cost and data?
By
Beth Schwartzapfel
Q&A
June 11, 2015
Lessons for Bratton on How to Recruit Black Officers
A conversation with Atlanta’s Chief of Police, George Turner.
By
Beth Schwartzapfel
News
March 29, 2016
DOJ Tells Prisons to Put Safety First in Housing Transgender Inmates
Rules from 2012 are too often ignored, advocates say.
By
Beth Schwartzapfel
News
October 8, 2015
Were These Transgender Prisoners Paroled — Or Just Kicked Out?
Three prisons were ordered to provide transgender health care. Three prisoners were suddenly set free.
By
Beth Schwartzapfel
News
February 16, 2015
The White and the Blue
Boston cops weather the endless snow.
By
Beth Schwartzapfel
News
May 20, 2015
Life Expectancy
How many years make a life sentence for a teenager?
By
Beth Schwartzapfel
Feature
May 22, 2018
The Billionaire's Crusade
Broadcom's Henry Nicholas is spending millions to give victims a bigger voice, but not everyone agrees.
By
Beth Schwartzapfel
News
November 8, 2017
New York Courts Say: Hand It Over
A new order reminds prosecutors to show their evidence.
By
Beth Schwartzapfel
News
November 24, 2014
Do Convicted Killers Deserve Free Speech?
In the case of Mumia Abu-Jamal, Pennsylvania says no.
By
Beth Schwartzapfel
News
April 13, 2017
Probation-for-Profit Just Got Less Profitable
Georgia squeezes “offender-funded” supervision.
By
Beth Schwartzapfel
News
October 22, 2015
The FCC Looks into the Prison Telephone Racket
Phone home, go broke.
By
Beth Schwartzapfel
Q&A
June 12, 2017
Meet the Creators of the New Podcast From Inside San Quentin Prison
The inmate-produced show will tell intimate stories of daily life behind bars.
By
Beth Schwartzapfel
Investigate Your State
July 10, 2015
How to Investigate Parole Release Rates in Your State
Help us localize our national story on parole.
By
Beth Schwartzapfel
Quiz
April 23, 2018
The Jailhouse Snitch: A Quiz
Test your knowledge on the high-stakes market in information behind bars
By
Beth Schwartzapfel
News
November 6, 2015
Is the U.S. Ready for Safe Injection Rooms?
A widespread heroin problem could open the door to a once-radical idea.
By
Beth Schwartzapfel
Life Inside
July 13, 2017
My Friend Killed Himself in an Alabama Prison
A rash of suicides in solitary confinement hits an inmate close to home.
By
Anonymous
as told to
Beth Schwartzapfel
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
Beth Schwartzapfel
News
May 26, 2015
Shorter Sentences, Shrinking Prisons
A new report could have a big impact on New York’s prison population — if anyone pays attention.
By
Beth Schwartzapfel
News
May 30, 2018
The $580 Co-pay
In prison, seeing the doctor can cost up to a month’s salary.
By
Beth Schwartzapfel
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
January 27, 2016
There Are Practically No Juveniles in Federal Prison — Here’s Why
Obama takes bold action, but for a population of fewer than 30
By
Beth Schwartzapfel
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
News
April 1, 2019
“Blindfold” Off: New York Overhauls Pretrial Evidence Rules
Prosecutors will be required to turn over information to the defense much earlier in a criminal case, among other changes.
By
Beth Schwartzapfel
Feature
July 10, 2015
Life Without Parole
Inside the secretive world of parole boards, where your freedom may depend on politics and whim.
By
Beth Schwartzapfel
News
May 1, 2016
Here’s the New Application that Former Inmates Need to Get Back the Vote in Iowa
How the state defines “simple.”
By
Beth Schwartzapfel
News
May 19, 2016
When Parole Boards Trump the Supreme Court
The high court has said most kids shouldn't be sentenced to life without parole, but some prisoners' fate are in the hands of politics.
By
Beth Schwartzapfel
News
July 23, 2015
Federal Prisons Could Release 1,000 Times More Drug Offenders Than Obama Did
New, retroactive sentencing guidelines begin to kick in.
By
Beth Schwartzapfel
News
June 29, 2015
Controlled Substances
Are U.S. drug companies against the death penalty? Sort of.
By
Beth Schwartzapfel
News
August 12, 2018
The Right Age to Die?
For some, science is outpacing the High Court on juveniles and the death penalty.
By
Beth Schwartzapfel
Life Inside
February 18, 2016
I Married a Sex Offender
Life, restricted.
By
gretchen
as told to
Beth Schwartzapfel
News
July 20, 2016
Did the Cop-Killers Have PTSD?
We may never know, because “it is so easy to fall through the cracks.”
By
Beth Schwartzapfel
News
February 22, 2016
Why Some Prisons are Spending Millions on a Pricey New Drug
Corrections facilities are ground zero for treating hepatitis C — but at a cost.
By
Beth Schwartzapfel
News
June 19, 2015
When is a Crime a Hate Crime?
Dylann Roof and the challenges of proving bias.
By
Beth Schwartzapfel
News
March 29, 2016
Why Some Prisoners With HIV Get Better Treatment Than Others
A new report says care varies widely between Louisiana’s jails and prisons.
By
Beth Schwartzapfel
News
July 10, 2015
Nine Things You Probably Didn’t Know About Parole
For example: Most states don’t require board members to have any experience with the criminal justice system.
By
Beth Schwartzapfel
News
June 8, 2015
Could a Bite Mark Catch a Killer?
Or is it junk science?
By
Beth Schwartzapfel
Crime on the Ballot
November 9, 2016
The States Where Voters Decided to Give Criminal Justice Reform a Try
From early release to bail reform, reform efforts gain some ground.
By
Beth Schwartzapfel
News
January 3, 2018
How New York Could Change the Game for Its Criminal Defendants
Soon after a Marshall Project story, the governor proposes changes to an “outdated” evidence law.
By
Beth Schwartzapfel
Case in Point
May 30, 2019
D’Angelo Burgess Fled From Police. Does That Make Him a Killer?
An Oklahoma case raises issues about both felony murder charges and high-speed police pursuits.
By
Beth Schwartzapfel
Coronavirus
April 3, 2020
Probation and Parole Officers Are Rethinking Their Rules As Coronavirus Spreads
Social distancing is pressing officials across the country to skip traditional methods such as jailing people for “technical violations” like missing check-ins.
By
Beth Schwartzapfel
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
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
News
January 5, 2017
A Parole Hearing in New York, With a Governor’s Blessing This Time
A ‘60s radical faces very different political atmosphere than her co-defendant did a decade ago.
By
Beth Schwartzapfel
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
Feature
December 10, 2015
The Marshall Project’s Holiday Gift Guide
From prison pups to personal trainers with rap sheets.
By
Beth Schwartzapfel
News
January 25, 2016
The Secret Hints for Winning Parole
Brush your teeth, sit up straight, and prepare for disappointment.
By
Beth Schwartzapfel
News
May 11, 2020
A Growing Number of State Courts Are Confronting Unconscious Racism In Jury Selection
“A judge who deals with prosecutors every day is not going to say, ‘You intentionally discriminated on the basis of race, and you lied about it with pretextual reasons.’”
By
Beth Schwartzapfel
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
February 11, 2019
Want to Shrink the Prison Population? Look at Parole.
Missouri lawsuit says that the state’s parole process puts too many people back behind bars.
By
Beth Schwartzapfel
Feature
December 6, 2016
Out of Prison, Uncovered
Medicaid for ex-prisoners saves money and lives, but millions are released without it.
By
Beth Schwartzapfel
and
Jay Hancock
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
News
January 23, 2015
‘The Garb of Innocence’
Defendants may be presumed innocent — but can judges ensure they look innocent?
By
Beth Schwartzapfel
News
March 1, 2017
A Better Way to Treat Addiction in Jail
Medications are effective, but jails are still slow to provide them.
By
Beth Schwartzapfel
News
November 24, 2015
The $33 Test in Prison That Could Save Countless Lives on the Outside
Treating Hep C isn’t cheap, but experts say it’s cost-effective.
By
Beth Schwartzapfel
News
January 29, 2019
When Going to Jail Means Giving Up The Meds That Saved Your Life
How the Americans With Disabilities Act could change the way the nation’s jails and prisons treat addiction.
By
Beth Schwartzapfel
News
November 21, 2017
43 States Suspend Licenses for Unpaid Court Debt, But That Could Change
Lawsuits say the practice severely penalizes those too poor to pay.
By
Beth Schwartzapfel
News
February 26, 2018
👀 👀 👀 the Prosecutors
Court Watch NYC is the latest local group monitoring the criminal justice system as it happens.
By
Beth Schwartzapfel
News
January 12, 2015
Beat the Feds
Alabama pitches prison reform as a states' rights issue.
By
Beth Schwartzapfel
Analysis
October 7, 2020
What Trump Really Means When He Tweets “LAW & ORDER!!!”
A brief history of a political dog whistle.
By
Beth Schwartzapfel
Justice Lab
October 28, 2020
When Does Murder Make The News? It Depends On The Victim’s Race.
Mainstream media is less likely to cover Black homicide victims and less likely to portray them as complex human beings, a new study shows.
By
Beth Schwartzapfel
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
Beth Schwartzapfel
News
May 10, 2019
Treatment for Opioid Addiction, With No Strings Attached
Some doctors are abandoning the long-held belief that treating addiction is impossible without talk therapy.
By
Beth Schwartzapfel
Feature
February 26, 2021
They’re Going Back to Prison. But They Didn’t Commit New Crimes.
A court battle over an obscure Tennessee statute freed these men from prison. Years later, they were told they must return.
By
Beth Schwartzapfel
Q&A
November 25, 2015
Will the ‘21 Foot’ Defense Work for the Chicago Cop Who Shot Laquan McDonald?
Revisiting a 30-year concept that is used to justify deadly force.
By
Beth Schwartzapfel
News
April 30, 2021
Supreme Court Conservatives Just Made It Easier to Sentence Kids to Life in Prison
The new ruling could worsen existing racial disparities in states that condemn teens to die in prison.
By
Beth Schwartzapfel
Feature
August 7, 2017
Undiscovered
Defendants say evidence laws force them to take pleas while “blindfolded.”
By
Beth Schwartzapfel
News
May 3, 2021
He Spent Six Days in a Cell Covered in Feces. The Supreme Court Says He Can Sue His Jailers.
It’s the first time in years the highest court allowed such a suit to proceed. The ruling suggests it is reconsidering protections for officers who cause harm.
By
Beth Schwartzapfel
AND
Tony Plohetski
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
News
August 10, 2021
These Meds Prevent Overdoses. Few Federal Prisoners Are Getting Them
Three years after the First Step Act required the Bureau of Prisons to treat more people with medications for opioid addiction, only a tiny fraction are receiving them.
By
Beth Schwartzapfel
News
July 15, 2021
Inside The Nation’s Overdose Crisis in Prisons and Jails
Behind bars, drug use is rampant and uniquely deadly, new data shows.
By
Beth Schwartzapfel
and
Jimmy Jenkins
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
News
September 22, 2015
Life Without Parole: For Juveniles, 5 Tough Counties
New study places a quarter of the sentences in a handful of urban areas.
By
Beth Schwartzapfel
Feature
October 6, 2016
This Machine Could Prevent Gun Violence — If Only Cops Used It
A system that can link gun crimes through shell casings is hobbled by skepticism and lack of manpower.
By
Beth Schwartzapfel
News
January 7, 2016
Gun Control is One Thing, But What About Bullets?
Prohibitions exist, but almost no enforcement.
By
Beth Schwartzapfel
News
April 28, 2022
Solitary Confinement Harms Teens. Louisiana Lawmakers Took a Step to Limit It.
An investigation by The Marshall Project, NBC News and ProPublica found that youth in a Louisiana lockup were held in isolation around the clock for weeks.
By
Beth Schwartzapfel
, The Marshall Project;
Erin Einhorn
, NBC News; and
Annie Waldman
, ProPublica
News
May 10, 2022
Their Sentences Are Unconstitutional — But They’re Still In Prison.
Louisiana’s high court considers the fate of more than 1,000 people serving sentences handed down by “Jim Crow juries.”
By
Beth Schwartzapfel
Life Inside
June 17, 2022
I Joined the Parole Board to Make a Difference. Now I Call It ‘Conveyor Belt Justice.’
Between the grueling schedule, copious paperwork, abrupt hearings and risk-averse colleagues, prison reformer Carol Shapiro realized the New York parole system was dysfunctional by design.
By
Carol Shapiro
as told to
Beth Schwartzapfel
News
June 22, 2022
Louisiana Limits Solitary Confinement for Youth
The governor signed the state’s first law restricting isolation for youth after two suicides and an investigation by The Marshall Project, ProPublica and NBC News into harsh conditions in a new juvenile facility.
By
Beth Schwartzapfel
,
Erin Einhorn
, and
Annie Waldman
The Lowdown
August 1, 2019
Beyond One-Liners: A Guide to the Democratic Debate on Criminal Justice
By
The Marshall Project
News
November 8, 2020
What Biden’s Win Means for the Future of Criminal Justice
Joe Biden ran on the most progressive criminal justice platform of any major party candidate in generations. So what can he actually do?
By
The Marshall Project Staff
Coronavirus
April 16, 2020
Infected, Incarcerated—and Coming to an ICU Near You?
Without ventilators, prisons lean on local hospitals to care for coronavirus victims.
By
Joseph Neff
and
Beth Schwartzapfel
Coronavirus
April 22, 2020
Is Domestic Violence Rising During the Coronavirus Shutdown? Here’s What the Data Shows.
Reports of domestic abuse in three cities have dropped. But police and experts say that may be a problem.
By
Weihua Li
and
Beth Schwartzapfel
Coronavirus
March 6, 2020
When Purell is Contraband, How Do You Contain Coronavirus?
Handwashing and sanitizers may make people on the outside safer. But in prison it can be impossible to follow public health advice.
By
Keri Blakinger
and
Beth Schwartzapfel
News
June 11, 2020
New Hope for People Who Claim Racism Tainted Their Death Sentence
The North Carolina state Supreme Court has upheld the controversial Racial Justice Act, which opponents repealed in 2013
By
Joseph Neff
and
Beth Schwartzapfel