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Life Without Parole

Two men wearing black uniforms clasp their hands behind their backs as they walk through a fenced pathway.
Closing Argument February 1
How the U.S. Turned Away From the Death Penalty and Toward ‘Death by Incarceration’
The number of people imprisoned for life continues to climb, even as the overall prison population declines.
By
Left: Mark Jones, serving life without parole in a Florida prison. Right: Incarcerated women at Julia Tutwiler Prison for Women in Wetumpka, Alabama.
Feature September 5, 2023
The Marshall Project and FRONTLINE Present ‘Two Strikes’ and ‘Tutwiler’
A special broadcast of two short documentaries gives a rare insight into life behind bars.
Two Strikes by Ursula Liang, Tessa Travis and
Tutwiler by Elaine McMillion Sheldon and
Left: Mark Jones, serving life without parole in a Florida prison. Right: Incarcerated women at Julia Tutwiler Prison for Women in Wetumpka, Alabama.
News and Awards August 29, 2023
Watch the Trailer for ‘Two Strikes’ and ‘Tutwiler’
The Marshall Project and Frontline’s short prison documentaries will air on PBS and can be streamed online.
By The Marshall Project
A Black man with square-framed glasses and a thin, slightly graying beard, sits in a Florida prison wearing a blue uniform and looking down.
Inside Story March 16, 2023
The Rise of Life-Without-Parole Sentences
We explore sentences that imprison people for life without parole, and comedian Ali Siddiq unpacks his behind-bars beginning in comedy.
By and
Analysis December 22, 2022
Some of Our Best Work of 2022
From coverage of prison violence and abuses in a juvenile lockup to investigations by our new Cleveland team, our reporters told stories that made a difference.
By
An illustration of a man balancing on a tightrope, high above a building surrounded with barbed wire.
Feature October 25, 2022
Fetterman and Oz Battle Over Pennsylvania’s Felony Murder Law
Does opposing mandatory life without parole make a U.S. Senate candidate “pro-murderer”?
By and
A prisoner sits inside a dark cell, reading a book. Light from a small window shines through the room.
Life Inside September 30, 2022
How I Survived a Year in ‘the Hole’ Without Losing My Mind
In prison, going to “the hole” can mean spending 23 hours a day alone in a tiny cell. Here, incarcerated author Michael J. Nichols shares his top 10 tips for enduring long stretches of “administrative segregation.”
By Michael J. Nichols
An illustration shows a side-profile silhouette of a long-haired man against a yellow and green gradient background. The man looks toward a window that displays nature and has prairie animals coming out of it.
Life Inside March 18, 2022
California’s Longest Serving Death-Row Prisoner On Pain, Survival and Native Identity
As the Monache and Cherokee 63-year-old awaits a new hearing for a 1978 murder he denies committing, Douglas Ray Stankewitz shares the cultural tools and memories he depends on to stay alive.
By Douglas Ray Stankewitz as told to Richard Arlin Walker
Analysis December 21, 2021
Some of Our Best Work of 2021
From police use of force to life without parole to troubling prison conditions, our reporters told groundbreaking stories this year.
By
Feature December 17, 2021
‘The Only Way We Get Out of There Is in a Pine Box’
Elderly, ailing and expensive, lifetime prisoners cost Louisiana taxpayers millions a year.
By John Simerman
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