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An illustration shows the back of a person's head and shoulders. Several panels surround the head in the background, depicting police brutality, fish in a pond, a badge, paperwork, a hand holding a donut, and a boot.
Life Inside February 10
I Write About Bad Prison Conditions. That Doesn’t Mean I Hate All Cops.
As a kid in Pakistan, police treated Tariq MaQbool like a nephew. As an adult in solitary confinement, the kindness of one New Jersey corrections officer made him feel human.
By Tariq MaQbool
A woman wearing glasses and with long brown hair in a ponytail stands in front of wooden crosses and flowers.
Feature December 6, 2022
How Texas Failed To Prevent One of the Nation’s Deadliest Prison Escapes
“Staff complacency” allowed a man to break out of a prison bus — and kill a family.
By Keri Blakinger and John Tedesco
An illustration shows a correctional officer in uniform standing among four cardboard cutouts of correctional officers. A sketch of a prison is visible in the background.
News November 15, 2022
Mississippi Auditor: Prison Company Must Pay $2 Million for No-Show Workers
A 2020 investigation by The Marshall Project exposed how prison operator MTC billed the state millions for ghost workers.
By Joseph Neff and Alysia Santo
Life Inside January 21, 2021
When a Shower Counts as a Privilege, You Have to Get Creative
Doing time during a pandemic can mean fighting for your turn to wash your body or call your family. Inside one man’s battle with an inaudible loudspeaker, weary guards and a dysfunctional process.
By Demetrius Buckley
An illustration shows a correctional officer in uniform standing among four cardboard cutouts of correctional officers. A sketch of a prison is visible in the background.
Feature December 9, 2020
No-Show Prison Workers Cost Mississippi Taxpayers Millions
Prisoners, guards face danger from chronic understaffing by MTC
By Alysia Santo and Joseph Neff
Arkansas hopes to reduce the spread of COVID-19 by tracking all cases in its prisons, including the Cummins Unit in Lincoln County.
Coronavirus April 24, 2020
These Prisons Are Doing Mass Testing For COVID-19—And Finding Mass Infections
Health experts say not testing staff could be a blind spot.
By Cary Aspinwall and Joseph Neff
Feature February 20, 2020
Mississippi Prisons: No One’s Safe, Not Even the Guards
Too many prisoners, too few officers leads to violence.
By Alysia Santo and Joseph Neff
Life Inside October 13, 2016
How My Time as a Private Prison Guard Changed the Way I See Inmates
“No one wants to be accused of being ‘inmate-friendly.’”
By M. Leann Skeen
Life Inside September 29, 2016
The Best Guard at My Prison Was Murdered
“Timothy. His first name was Timothy. I hadn’t known that. They punish us for using guards’ first names.”
By Christopher Dye
Life Inside July 7, 2016
The Horrible Things I Saw Driving a Van Packed with Prisoners
Dehydrated, hungry prisoners defecating on themselves.
By Fernando Colon as told to Eli Hager
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