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Art in Criminal Justice

Redemption Songs April 5
Police Used Mac Dre’s Music Against Him. In Jail, He Used the Phone to Get Revenge.
In his signature trickster style, the Vallejo, California, rapper recorded an album on jail phones — and even called out cops by name.
By
Redemption Songs March 29
Stevie Wonder and James Brown Put This Prison Funk Band on the Map
The Power of Attorney played shows with superstars, went to industry parties, and wore outside clothes — all under the watch of armed guards.
By
Young Thug, a Black rapper wearing a white shirt and striped pants, holds a mic as he performs in a crowd during a concert.
Closing Argument March 28
His Rap Lyrics Helped Send Him to Death Row. Travis Scott and T.I. Are Trying to Stop His Execution.
The rappers argue that James Broadnax’s case exemplifies a larger problem in American courtrooms: The use of rap lyrics as evidence.
By
Redemption Songs March 22
B. Alexis Is the First Woman to Drop an Album From Prison. But We Can’t Say Her Real Name.
She fearlessly raps about traumas like being trafficked at 13. But she’s so scared of institutional retaliation, she’s concealing her identity.
By
A black-and-white photo showing a White woman with a bouffant hairstyle singing into a microphone on the left side of the frame on the dirt grounds of a rodeo, while in the background are Black and White incarcerated men, wearing dark colored jackets, black ties and billowing white pants playing guitars and a drum. The drummer is wearing sunglasses, as a correctional officer stands guard behind him dressed in white and a cowboy hat with the brim upturned on both sides. In the distance, crowds sit in the stands.
Feature March 10
When Texas Was Fertile Ground for Prison Bands
Until the 1980s, an annual prison rodeo offered a chance for men inside to perform and sell albums. Now we’re making them available to you.
By
Three people stand on a small cliff, overlooking a water landscape.
Life Inside February 27
The Documentary ‘Exodus’ Paints a Nuanced Picture of Life After Lockup
Shot over two years, the Critics’ Choice-nominated film values quiet moments. “We’re trying to refuse a spectacle,” says director Nimco Sheikhaden.
By
A Black man wearing a green shirt and pants against a blue background sits with a notebook in his hand. Behind him, from left to right, a man in orange wears blue headphones covers his face, a woman with blonde hair sings, and a person in olive green plays the violin. There is also a gray Walkman with orange headphones on the left and an orange keyboard on the right.
Life Inside April 18, 2025
How I Became an Opera Composer in a Maximum Security Prison
I learned music theory through workshops at New York’s Sing Sing prison. I earned my stripes by singing for boisterous crowds of incarcerated critics.
By Joseph Wilson
Jon-Adrian “JJ” Velazquez, a man with medium-toned skin, sits in a theater with red seats.
Life Inside February 28, 2025
‘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 woman with brown hair and blond highlights leans against a wall, while her daughter, a White woman with glasses and long, brown-blond hair, leans into her.
Inside Story November 7, 2024
Inside Story Meets Woman Jailed for Pregnancy Loss After She’s Released
Veteran rapper Styles P talks about the criminalization of rap lyrics, and we revisit the story of a woman who was imprisoned after the stillbirth of her child.
By and
An illustration of a dark-skinned man in an orange jumpsuit carrying a painter’s palette while using a small paintbrush to create a purple comet above him.
Life Inside November 1, 2024
Life Inside, Remixed: An Incarcerated Artist Learns to Paint Through the Chaos of Prison
Rafael Rodriguez’s artistic mentor and cellmate, Memo, taught him how to pour his anger and pain into oil painting.
By The Marshall Project
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