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Prison Life

Jeff Östberg for The Marshall Project
News
When Temps Plunge, Dilapidated Jails and Prisons Put Lives at Risk
The Marshall Project examined reports of scarce food and water and interrupted access to medical care during a day-long power outage in Mississippi.
A photo shows a view of a person shoveling snow.
A photo shows Craig Canary, a White man with a white beard and tattoos visible on his upper body, standing in a solitary confinement cell. Visible in his cell are a bedroll, a few books and some art on his wall. In the foreground of the photo is a door with holes, through which you can see Canary.
Feature January 28
Echoes of Isolation
A 2013 prison hunger strike in California led to a dramatic decline in the use of solitary confinement. More than a decade later, people impacted by solitary reflect on the toll of separation.
Photographs by Brian L. Frank

Text by and Brian L. Frank
An illustration shows two people facing each other at a desk. A White, female prison psychologist wearing half of a correctional officer's uniform looks in the direction of an incarcerated person with his back to the viewer. A speech bubble is shown in front of the incarcerated person.
News January 26
Amid ‘Catastrophic’ Shortage, Psychologists Flee Federal Prisons in Droves
With fewer and fewer employees to run the prisons, psychologists were repeatedly forced to act as guards.
By
Six corrections officers wearing black jackets hold a man in a green prison suit on a gurney. A man, second from left, is seen kicking the man wearing the green prison suit.
Closing Argument January 10
New York Prisons Are Getting More Cameras. Will It Make Them Safer?
The state plans to install cameras in “blind spots,” following two high-profile prisoner deaths and extensive reporting about abuse by guards.
By
An illustration with blue, green, purple and pink tones shows pointed shapes and a Black man in a blue jumpsuit listening to music through headphones while lying on a bed. The calendar in front of him shows the month of December with the date of the 31st circled.
Life Inside January 1
How a Long Sentence Changed New Year’s Into a Time of Reflection, Not Celebration
This is what New Year’s looks like after 20 years in prison.
By Joseph Wilson
Get Involved December 12
It’s Hard to Grieve in Prison. This Guide Can Help
From breathing exercises to journaling prompts, we compiled steps that help with processing difficult emotions while locked up.
By
A collage shows images of clippings of a court case, a prison facility and a nurse with a stethoscope writing on a clipboard.
St. Louis December 8
Nurses Say Staff Shortage at Missouri Prison Means Skipped Medication, Long Waits for Care
Current and former employees at Jefferson City Correctional Center say the shortage is causing unrest. They blame the state’s contractor, Centurion Health.
By
A magazine called News Inside set against a grainy tan backdrop. Light refracted through prison bars shines onto the magazine.
News Inside November 26
Finding Humanity in the Cracks of Justice
News Inside Issue 21 presents stories of connection, resistance and hope amid deteriorating conditions and discriminatory policies.
By
John J. Lennon, a White man with short brown hair, wears a green uniform while holding his glasses in his right hand. He sits in front of a window that has blinds covering it.
Q&A November 4
A Leading Prison Journalist Upends Our Obsession With True Crime
John J. Lennon tells Bill Keller that he “wanted to tell a different story about the guilty” in his new book.
By
An illustration shows Ralph Marcus, a White man wearing a white baseball cap and t-shirt, and a fingerless glove in pale blue. The illustration shows his body dissipating into oblong shapes in white, orange and red into the air. In the foreground are green plants with flowers blooming among them in orange, red and yellow.
Life Inside October 31
The Last Words of a Man Who Died in Prison From a Treatable Cancer
Months before his death, Ralph Marcus explained how a COVID-era leg injury led to a rare bone cancer that didn’t have to be fatal.
By Ralph Marcus as told to
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