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Caroline Ouko, a Black woman, and Leon Ochieng, and Ben Crump, two Black men, stand before a podium. Ouko and Ochieng have their eyes closed and have emotional expressions on their faces.
Analysis March 24
What Irvo Otieno’s Killing Tells Us about Mental Healthcare in the U.S.
The system can end up prosecuting patients and relying on police — with sometimes fatal results.
By Christie Thompson
Three standing police officers surround a sitting passenger in a subway car. The passenger sits hunched over, with their hand on their head.
Closing Argument December 17, 2022
Mental Health Care is Broken. Is Police Hospitalizing More People the Answer?
In New York City and other areas across the country some leaders are pushing to forcefully commit more people.
By Christie Thompson
A Polaroid is on a black table. It shows Armando Navejas, a medium light-skinned man with a mustache, standing with his wife Josephine, a medium light-skinned woman.
Feature November 22, 2022
As Police Arrest More Seniors, Those With Dementia Face Deadly Consequences
Many cities are changing how they respond to mental health calls, but less attention has been paid to the unique risks for people with Alzheimer’s and other brain diseases.
By Christie Thompson
Testify October 26, 2022
How We Analyzed Cases of People Cycling In and Out of Cleveland’s Courts
The Marshall Project examined tens of thousands of criminal cases in Cuyahoga County.
By Ilica Mahajan and David Eads
A illustration shows the figure of a person standing in front of a police car with red and blue lights on. Two officers stand in the foreground looking on.
Testify October 26, 2022
Five Things to Know About Cleveland Courts’ Revolving Door
In most cases, people who repeatedly appear before the courts are not committing violent crimes.
By Wesley Lowery and Ilica Mahajan
An illustration shows the figure of a person standing in front of the facade of a court building with columns. There are clouds behind the building facade and the color scheme of the illustration is blue, red, and black.
Testify October 26, 2022
Who’s Really Cycling In and Out of Cleveland’s Courts?
Often miscast as violent criminals, most repeat defendants commit nonviolent crimes borne out of untreated addiction and mental illness, a Marshall Project analysis shows.
By Wesley Lowery and Ilica Mahajan
An illustration shows a man with medium-toned skin and dark curly hair on the left in the foreground, looking concerned, and a man on the right with light-toned skin and long brown hair with his hand gesturing towards his head. In the background, the two men in prison uniforms sit at a table. Barbed-wire fencing is woven through the illustration.
Life Inside July 8, 2022
‘You Shouldn’t Have Used the D-Word’
Saying “I’m depressed” to jail staff landed Nicholas Brooks in solitary. But with his peers, he has found a way to speak freely.
By Nicholas Brooks
Feature September 24, 2021
No Driving, No Working, No Dating: Inside A Government Program That Controls The Lives of People Leaving Psych Hospitals
For those found not guilty of a crime by reason of insanity and put into California’s CONREP program, strict supervision can last decades.
By Christie Thompson
Raymond Riles, right, with Ronald O'Bryan at the Ellis Unit in Huntsville, Texas, in 1979. In that era, incarcerated people on death row could go to the exercise yard for three 90-minute periods a week.
Death Sentences February 4, 2021
He’s Too Mentally Ill to Execute. Why Is He Still on Death Row After 45 Years?
Raymond Riles has been on death row longer than anyone in America. He’s one of many who have languished there for decades with severe mental illnesses.
By Keri Blakinger and Maurice Chammah
Lisa Montgomery, scheduled to be executed on Jan. 12, endured repeated abuse and trauma as a child, much like many of the people who have been executed in the United States.
Death Sentences January 8, 2021
What Lisa Montgomery Has In Common With Many On Death Row: Extensive Trauma.
Mental illness, childhood abuse and brain injuries affect a large share of those who face the death penalty.
By Maurice Chammah and Keri Blakinger
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