The California Experiment June 6

California Voters Reject Prosecutor 'Reformers'

Candidates backed by Soros, others are still pressing ahead in other parts of the country.

By Abbie VanSickle and Maurice Chammah

The California Experiment May 10

Whose Fault is Michael Christopher Mejia?

A cop killing in California fuels a reform backlash.

By Abbie VanSickle and Richard Winton

The California Experiment April 23

The Catalyst

Thelton Henderson transformed California’s criminal justice system. Now comes the backlash.

By Abbie VanSickle

News January 7

The Check is in The Mail (For Real)

A California county will issue refunds to parents wrongly billed for their kids’ incarceration.

By Eli Hager

News November 30, 2017

Adolescence with an Ankle Bracelet

What it’s like to spend your teenage years tethered to Big Brother.

Christopher, as told to Eli Hager

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

The Frame October 23, 2017

The California Inmates Fighting The Wine Country Wildfires

Photographer Brian L. Frank captures the lives of men on the fire lines and at home in prison conservation camps.

By Celina Fang

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

Feature May 22, 2017

The Accusation

Katie's father went to prison for raping her and her brothers. It was an unthinkable crime that broke her family apart. So why couldn't she remember it?

By Maurice Chammah

Life Inside May 11, 2017

Marathon Man

A lifer takes up running to “earn back” his life.

By Jonathan Chiu

Analysis March 9, 2017

How We Crunched California’s Pay-to-Stay Data

A guide to our methodology.

By Anna Flagg

Feature March 9, 2017

Afraid of Jail? Buy an Upgrade

How California's pay-to-stay jails create a two-tiered justice system.

By Alysia Santo, Victoria Kim
and Anna Flagg

News February 5, 2017

Sessions May Resist Federal Oversight of Police, But There’s Another Option

A California law offers a way for states to reshape troubled departments.

By Simone Weichselbaum

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 Andrew Cohen

Crime on the Ballot October 23, 2016

Death by Another Name

California Prop 62 would repeal the death penalty. A lifer says it doesn’t go far enough.

By Kenneth E. Hartman

Crime on the Ballot October 19, 2016

Three States to Watch if You Care About the Death Penalty

Nebraska, Oklahoma, and California will test the prospects of abolition.

By Andrew Cohen

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

Commentary May 22, 2016

Pretty in Pink Handcuffs

We’re going to shackle you while you give birth, but you’ll look great.

By Bill Keller

Life Inside April 14, 2016

The War on Drugs Isn't Even Working in Prison

Frequent urine tests, controversial scanners, and false positives.

By Kenneth E. Hartman

Feature April 12, 2016

The Prison Visit That Cost My Family $2,370

How loved ones bear the hidden cost of shipping inmates out of state.

by Eli Hager and Rui Kaneya

Q&A February 23, 2016

One Man’s Haunting Look at PTSD and His Brother’s Execution

The Oscar-nominated short ‘Last Day of Freedom’ traces the troubled life of a black veteran.

By Maurice Chammah

The Frame February 10, 2016

Rarely Seen Images of the Real San Quentin

Thousands of photos, unearthed after decades, form an archive of daily life.

By Pete Brook

News January 27, 2016

San Quentin Puts on a Happy Face

A field trip to California’s oldest prison.

By Bill Keller and Neil Barsky

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 Alysia Santo

Life Inside January 15, 2016

Getting a Hustle: How to Live Like a King Behind Bars

From moonshine to tattoos to balloons of drugs.

By Patrick Larmour

News January 7, 2016

Gun Control is One Thing, But What About Bullets?

Prohibitions exist, but almost no enforcement.

By Beth Schwartzapfel

News November 19, 2015

The Unfolding Campaign to Save the Death Penalty

Supporters rally around a more efficient system of execution.

By Maurice Chammah

News November 11, 2015

What’s In a Date?

For registered sex offenders in California, quite a lot.

By Anat Rubin

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

Analysis September 25, 2015

The Disappearing Precedent

When courts “de-publish” rulings to limit their impact.

By Andrew Cohen

News August 27, 2015

When Prisons Need to Be More Like Nursing Homes

Finding new ways to treat the growing pool of older, ailing inmates.

By Maura Ewing

Justice Lab August 24, 2015

Do You Age Faster in Prison?

Science tries to catch up with the problem of ‘accelerated aging.’

By Maurice Chammah

Q&A August 20, 2015

Prisoners Who Fight Wildfires in California: An Insider’s Look

For $2 a day, “It’s a hairy adventure, let me tell you.”

By Eli Hager

What You're Saying July 24, 2015

‘Children Do Not Have the Same Capacity as Adults to Control Their Reactions.’

A selection of recent letters from our readers.

By Jasmine Lee

Feature July 2, 2015

California’s Jail-building Boom

What comes after mass incarceration? Local incarceration.

By Anat Rubin

Life Inside May 19, 2015

A Lifer’s Retirement Plan

Most of us get out old and broke. Not me.

By Rahsaan Thomas

Feature April 11, 2015

A Record of Trouble

California looks to halfway houses, finds a company cited for violence and escapes.

By Anat Rubin

News February 11, 2015

‘Heaven’

Happiness is a family sleepover.

By Sheila Anne Feeney

News February 10, 2015

Our Body-Cams, Ourselves

Now that police are always on, who gets to watch?

By Clare Sestanovich

Life Inside February 5, 2015

Call Me Mandi

The life of a transgender corrections officer.

By Richard Ross

Commentary December 17, 2014

Handling, Not Manhandling, the Mentally Ill

A close look at the L.A. County Jail settlement

By Andrew Cohen

News December 13, 2014

Kids Are Different

The sweet spot in criminal justice reform.

By Andrew Cohen

Commentary November 30, 2014

What Death Penalty Opponents Don’t Get

There are fates worse than death.

By James Ridgeway and Jean Casella