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Since joining The Marshall Project, I’ve produced our “Reader to Reader” column — where incarcerated people share advice with one another — published in our “News Inside” magazine. I’ve worked with the Prison Journalism Project to document the impact of extreme heat on people behind bars. I’ve also covered how arts and culture intersect with the criminal justice system, including interviews with a filmmaker who shot a documentary while incarcerated and a cast member of the Oscar-nominated film, “Sing Sing.” And I helped analyze one of the largest political surveys of incarcerated people ahead of the 2024 U.S. election.

I’m also the first point of contact for the mail we receive at our office, mostly from people behind bars and their advocates.

Phone (212) 803-5247
Email aabdullahi@themarshallproject.org
[Use this form](https://airtable.com/appR7SW9BhPZGdXp9/pagoMplkqm6bNwKLQ/form) to tell us about your experience when someone died in custody.
Get Involved April 10
Did Your Family Member Die in Prison or Jail? What Happened Next?
Your insights help inform The Marshall Project’s reporting on what families go through when someone dies in custody.
By The Marshall Project
Jon-Adrian “JJ” Velazquez, a man with medium-toned skin, sits in a theater with red seats.
Life Inside February 28
‘Sing Sing’ Actor Jon-Adrian ‘JJ’ Velazquez Reflects on the Power of Prison Theater
JJ Velazquez served nearly 24 years for a murder he didn’t commit. A unique prison arts program transformed him into an actor and activist.
By Jon-Adrian Velazquez, as told to
A White man with a goatee and tattoos, wearing a white tank top and silver chained necklace, signs to a medium-skinned man wearing a blue shirt, gray vest and white long-sleeved shirt.
Life Inside February 7
‘Friendly Signs’ Documentary Follows One Man’s Quest to Create Community for Deaf Prisoners
Director Rahsaan “New York” Thomas explores the impact of Tommy Wickerd’s sign language class at San Quentin and the challenges of prison filmmaking.
By
President Donald Trump, a White man wearing a dark suit and red striped tie, and his attorney Todd Blanche, a man with light-toned skin wearing a dark suit with a dark tie, appear on a monitor in a courtroom.
Analysis January 10
‘Was This Fair?’ People Behind Bars React to Trump’s Sentencing
The president-elect avoided punishment for his 34 felony convictions, highlighting how the legal system often treats the wealthy and powerful.
By The Marshall Project
An illustration shows a person wearing a black head cover and an orange, long-sleeved shirt. The person is reading a letter at a desk with stacks of envelopes on it. A collage of letters showing different styles of penmanship are in the background.
Feature December 16, 2024
What I Learned From a Year of Reading Letters From Prisoners
The Marshall Project receives nearly 3,000 letters a year from people behind bars. Each one tells a different story about the system’s harms.
By
A Black man wearing glasses, dark green prison pants and a tan sweater is holding a microphone as he asks a question to a woman in the foreground, who is sitting on a chair with her back turned to the camera. Alongside the man sit four other men in the same green prison pants and a variety of shirts. Members of the audience look on from their blue-colored seats.
Feature October 29, 2024
Incarcerated Men at Sing Sing’s First Film Festival Reflect on Movies, Justice, and Change
The diverse group of jurors shared how their favorite films have shaped their perspectives on community and life behind bars.
By and
An illustration shows, from left, a person speaking with a raised fist in a speech bubble; an elephant symbolizing Republicans; a person speaking with an exclamation point in a speech bubble; a hint of barbed wire and a person’s head with a check mark; a person speaking with handcuffs in a speech bubble; a person’s head with “VOTE” in a speech bubble; a donkey symbolizing Democrats; a person with a thumbs-up in a speech bubble; a simplified image of a flag; and a person with medium-length hair speaking with a gavel in a speech bubble. The color scheme of the drawing is in marigold yellow, coral, blue, black, white and light gray.
Election 2024 October 17, 2024
What People Behind Bars Really Think About the ‘Cop vs. Felon’ Election
People in prisons and jails weigh in on Harris’ qualifications for president, Trump’s potential sentence and more.
By
An illustration shows a yellow and orange illustration of a person, wearing a tank top, pants and shoes, laying down in a fetal position within a box.
Life Inside September 19, 2024
How We Survived Extreme Heat in Prison
Incarcerated journalists detail the first signs of a heat wave in prison — and how they’ve coped with record-breaking temperatures.
By Prison Journalism Project Contributors and
A White woman, wearing a white tank top and a label that reads "Forced motherhood is female enslavement," yells while holding a sign that reads, "Stop the war on bodily autonomy." People are protesting in the background.
Closing Argument June 1, 2024
How Abortion’s Legal Landscape Post-Roe is Causing Fear and Confusion
We spoke with seven reproductive rights organizations — here’s what we found.
By and
A portrait of a Black man with a gray beard in a blue prison uniform is on the left panel. On the top right panel, the Black man mops the floor of a hallway. The bottom right panel shows a bucket and mop next to a table with a copy of the Quran and a copy of "The Autobiography of Malcolm X," a document of 136 working hours, a donation envelope of $17.74, and yellow gloves.
Life Inside April 5, 2024
I Made 13 Cents an Hour as a Prison Janitor. Here’s Why I Donated My Wages to Gaza Relief
It’s a common misconception that once someone enters jail or prison, they lose their interest in the outside world.
By Hamzah Jihad Furqaani as told to
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