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Deaths in Custody

[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
An illustration shows a silhouette of a person sitting down, in a mix of colors. Outlines of sitting people with bent posture surround the silhouette against a black background.
Life Inside March 28
Anatomy of a Prison Death
It’s stressful when anyone dies on your wing, especially when no one ever tells you what happened.
By Thomas Koskovich
An illustration depicts two correctional officers dressed in gray shirts and black pants standing in front of a beige wall with barred windows high above them. At a distance in shadows lies the body of an incarcerated person wearing an orange prison jumpsuit crumpled on the floor.
Investigate This January 31
Journalists: How to Report on Deaths in Jails and Prisons
When you get a tip about a death or multiple deaths in your local jail or prison, there are concrete steps you can take to start investigating.
By , and
A photo illustration with a black and white photograph of the exterior of a prison in the background with red rectangles overlaying it. In the middle is a semi-circle with the typewritten text from several phrases, including “tortured for 18 hours with an..” and “I began to feel a sharp pain on the left side of my chest.” Below the text is a photo of an officer's hands on the wrist of a man in handcuffs.
Feature December 17, 2024
Dozens of Prisoners Allege a Culture of Violence by Guards at Federal Facility in Virginia
In lawsuits and interviews, people held at Lee penitentiary described correctional officers breaking teeth, fracturing ribs and using the N-word.
By
A White person, wearing sunglasses, a green bandana mask and black shirt, holds a poster with the black-and-white image of Elijah McClain, a Black man wearing glasses and a plaid button-up shirt. The poster also reads, "Black Lives Matter. #JusticeForElijahMcClain." There are more protesters marching in the background.
Closing Argument June 15, 2024
More States Restricting ‘Excited Delirium’ as Cause of Death in Police Custody
Authorities use the term to describe the condition of some people who die. But some medical organizations say it’s useless or racist pseudoscience.
By
A man in orange prison shorts is being restrained by three officers in a prison cell.
Feature February 15, 2024
5 Takeaways From Our Investigation Into Police Use of Spit Hoods
Reporting by The Marshall Project and WTSP in Tampa examined how police continue using the hoods, even as deaths raise troubling questions.
By
Five jail staff surround a man restrained in a wheelchair, with his head covered in a mesh hood.
Feature February 15, 2024
Spit Hoods Can Be Deadly. Police Keep Using Them Anyway.
Police cite studies saying the mesh bags are safe. But experts say the studies are flawed — and deaths in custody raise troubling questions.
By
Life Inside October 23, 2020
Shame Is Ever-Present When You’re Sitting in a Cell
Between a strained relationship with my family and the death of a good friend, I’ve struggled to feel like I’m worth something.
By Demetrius A. Buckley
Sheriff Wayne Ivey of Brevard County, Florida, left, is facing Alton Edmond, a former public defender running as a Democrat in the sheriff’s election in November.
Feature September 19, 2020
The Sheriff’s Race Pitting Trump Against Black Lives Matter
Will demands for law enforcement accountability reach popular tough-on-crime sheriffs? A Florida race offers a test.
By
News December 12, 2014
‘The Ferguson Bill’
A new law promises to track civilians killed by police. Don’t hold your breath.
By
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