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Federal Prisons

A white man wearing a gray suit and a blue shirt speaks against an orange backdrop.
Analysis June 20
He Spent Years in Federal Prisons. Now He’s Helping to Lead Them.
The Bureau of Prisons’ new deputy director’s past incarceration has drawn outrage from some officers — and support from people still inside.
By
Marshall, a man with light-toned skin, wears a blue suit jacket and glasses as he stands behind a podium. On person stands behind him and three are sitting.
News April 12
Who Is Billy Marshall? What to Know About Trump’s New Bureau of Prisons Director
West Virginia’s top corrections official led a troubled state agency, and will now head a federal bureaucracy plagued with problems of its own.
By , and
Metal fencing can be seen in front of two structures, one on the right with a short wooden staircase, and one on the left with beige siding. A sign in front of the building on the right reads: Federal Medical Center Carswell.
News February 25
‘Fear for Their Lives’: Trans Women Federal Prisoners Told They Will Be Housed With Men
After a minor change in a judge’s order, the Trump administration arranged to move over a dozen transgender women to men’s facilities.
By
A group of men wearing white uniforms, seen from the back, walk toward a fenced area. A guard stands by the entrance.
Analysis January 22
What Will Trump’s Executive Order on Private Prisons Really Do?
The order reverses Biden’s ban on private prison contracts with the Justice Department. Private immigrant detention never stopped and is expected to grow.
By
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
An illustration in black-and-white shows a trans person, lying on the ground in a fetal position, with one hand over their face. A figure looms in the foreground with a closed fist.
Analysis November 13, 2024
3 Things to Know About Prison Violence Against Transgender People
Key takeaways from our story about one trans woman’s legal battle for accountability.
By
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
A collage shows a black-and-white image of Federal Correctional Complex, Florence, Colo.; a clipping of a letter to the president from the U.S. Office of Special Counsel; a black-and-white head shot of a White man wearing a blazer and tie; a ripped page detailing work experience; and a black-and-white image of U.S. Penitentiary, Thomson, Ill.
News October 16, 2024
Warden Who Ran Federal Prisons With Abusive Practices Now Directs National Training Center
A Bureau of Prisons investigation found that Andrew Ciolli failed to stop violations of the use of force policy at one prison. Now he’s running an agency training center.
By , , The Marshall Project, and Joseph Shapiro, NPR
A dark brown high-rise federal prison.
Closing Argument January 6, 2024
Federal Prisons Are Over Capacity — Yet Efforts to Ease Overcrowding Are Ending
The Bureau of Prisons’ system is in trouble and needs serious upgrades on several fronts.
By
Left, a Black woman holds a photo of herself in a red dress sitting alongside her husband, a Black man with a beard wearing a blue T-shirt and a gold crucifix chain; right, the Black woman with short hair, earrings and a white shirt, looks into the distance.
Inside Story March 23, 2023
Violence on the Inside, Mentorship From the Outside
We investigate violence at one of the newest federal prisons and talk with La La Anthony about preparing incarcerated youth for life on the outside.
By and
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