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A purple-toned collage features a police badge, surveillance footage, a close-up of an eye, a police officer wearing a body camera and excerpts from Colorado law.
News August 27
Women Learned Their Jail Strip Searches Were Recorded. Their Outrage Changed the Law.
Women who organized to push for a new Colorado law hope it will become a model for other states.
By Candice Norwood, The 19th
A collage shows images of clippings of legal documents, officers holding a shield in front of a cell door, a silhouette of a person, a logo of the Clay County Sheriff’s Office, a mural and two officers holding a person who is handcuffed.
St. Louis August 24
Nowhere Else to Go: One Man’s Perilous Journey in Jail to Understand Charges Against Him
A man’s time in a Missouri jail is a cautionary tale about the dangers of an overwhelmed system where vulnerable defendants and jailers await help.
By
Were you, or someone you know, waiting in jail for months without an indictment? [Tell us about your experience in this form](https://airtable.com/appbsDMWyBG50OykC/pagmLkjCDCY5aG3Fc/form).
Get Involved July 21
Did You Wait Months for an Indictment in a Mississippi Jail?
The Marshall Project - Jackson wants to hear from you.
By and
An illustration with dark teal, red, orange and yellow tones shows a complex of multistory jail buildings. From left to right, three boxes show a jail employee with medium skin tone with a phone up to his ear, two incarcerated men with medium and medium-light skin tones fighting, and the legs of an incarcerated person on a bed in the foreground and a correctional officer with his back turned in the background.
Analysis June 25
Hundreds of Calls for Help: What 911 Logs Reveal About the Local Jail
From assaults to suicide attempts, emergency calls can be a sign of problems that jails can’t handle on their own.
By , and
A grid of surveillance footage images from the Cuyahoga County jail.
Cleveland June 3
Cuyahoga County Jail Leaders Knew Their Cameras Were Broken and Took 4 Years to Fix Them
A glitch in the surveillance system discovered in 2022 has finally been fixed. Families and inspectors could have used that evidence.
By
A still from a bodycam shows corrections officers outside Jennifer Wade's cell. Her body is not visible. In the foreground is a person putting on rubber gloves.
Cleveland April 14
New Videos Show ‘Absolutely Egregious Care’ in 2025 Cuyahoga County Jail Death
Ohio reopens review of Jennifer Wade’s death after county officials failed to provide body cam footage.
By , and
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
St. Louis December 17, 2025
The St. Louis Jails Are Running Out of Officers
Too many detainees and too few staff have pushed the City Justice Center and County Jail to a breaking point.
By
A collage of photos and illustrations. Clockwise from top left: A photo of a Black woman holding a framed picture, of her embracing and looking toward her son, while posing for a portrait in front of her home; a photo of a man in a suit, seen from behind, standing in front of one of two doors; a photo of a beige building with narrow horizontal windows, and is partly in shadow; an illustration of a opaque hand interfacing fingers with a transparent hand and both hands being wrapped by a beaded necklace; a photo of protesters standing on the side of a road; ; an illustration of a spreadsheet, where the cells contain small drawn figures of people in teal-colored jumpsuits in different poses (sitting, standing, leaning). On the right is a menu of options: Cut, Copy, Paste and Delete Cell. Delete Cell is highlighted; and a photo of barbed wire.
Analysis December 17, 2025
We Spent a Year Covering Deaths Behind Bars. Here’s What We Learned.
Every year, thousands of people die in prisons, jails and law enforcement custody.
By
A collage illustration with muted green and orange tones shows details of black mold on a bathroom floor, a closeup of a cockroach, a broken toilet bowl, trash, a closeup of a person covering their nose and mouth, a closeup of a person clenching their fist, and the obscured figure of a man.
Analysis October 9, 2025
No Showers, Black Mold and Clogged Toilets: America’s Jails Are Disgusting
Understaffing, outdated facilities and poor management have led to filthy conditions in jails in St. Louis, Cleveland and Hinds County, Mississippi.
By , and
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