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Public Records

An illustration shows, at the top left, a woman with medium-toned skin holding papers and sitting in front of a laptop. Five circles are situated in sequence from the bottom left of the illustration to the top right. Inside the circles, from left to right are: hands typing on a laptop with the word "FOIA" on the screen; a hand writing on a notepad as a laptop is partially visible; a woman talking on a cellphone while sitting in front of a laptop; a man receiving a phone call in front of a desktop screen; and a man redacting a document. At the bottom right of the illustration is a woman receiving documents and binders that are flying out of a laptop screen.
Analysis March 13
Public Records Shed Light on the Justice System — But it Can Be a Battle to Get Them
The government has stalled on FOIAs for years in some cases. In others, agencies have said public records will cost thousands of dollars.
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Analysis March 12
Sunshine Week in Ohio: Public Records Power Accountability — if We Can Get Them
Sunshine Week highlights the power of public records and the growing barriers that limit transparency and weaken public oversight.
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Analysis March 12
Public Records Power Accountability in Mississippi — if We Can Get Them
Sunshine Week highlights the power of public records and the growing barriers that limit transparency and weaken public oversight.
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Analysis March 12
Public Records Power Accountability in Missouri — if We Can Get Them
Sunshine Week highlights the power of public records and the growing barriers that limit transparency and weaken public oversight.
By The Marshall Project
A blue, tan, and black-and-white collage shows clippings of various internal documents from local police departments with redacted names covered with black bars.
Investigate This February 19
Missouri Journalists: 20 Examples of Records That Can Shed Light on Police Misconduct
Knowing what to request and which records are available to the public can help you seek information from local police departments.
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An illustration shows, at the top left, a woman with medium-toned skin holding papers and sitting in front of a laptop. Five circles are situated in sequence from the bottom left of the illustration to the top right. Inside the circles, from left to right are: hands typing on a laptop with the word "FOIA" on the screen; a hand writing on a notepad as a laptop is partially visible; a woman talking on a cellphone while sitting in front of a laptop; a man receiving a phone call in front of a desktop screen; and a man redacting a document. At the bottom right of the illustration is a woman receiving documents and binders that are flying out of a laptop screen.
Investigate This July 18, 2025
Journalists: How to Get Records the Criminal Justice System Doesn’t Want You to Have
Use these tips from investigative reporter Alysia Santo to map out the systems you must unlock to get the documents you need.
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Jay Jordan, the project director for Time Done, a nonprofit that works with former convicts, in Oakland, Calif., March 7, 2019. Under a proposed law in California, millions of people like Jordan, who spent more than seven years in prison for robbery and auto theft, would have their criminal records automatically sealed from public view. (Jim Wilson/The New York Times).
Closing Argument April 1, 2023
How Criminal Records Hold Back Millions of People
More than 70 million Americans with arrest records face barriers to find work or a decent place to live.
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Law enforcement officers from around the U.S. on their fifth week of K-9 training work with the dogs on apprehending a suspect without the decoy using the typical bite gear at a Vohne Liche Kennels training facility near Grissom Air Force Base on Wednesday, Sept. 23, 2020. Dogs are muzzled for the protection of the decoy.
News December 23, 2020
We Investigated How Police Use Dogs as Weapons. Here’s How You Can Do It Too.
Our top tips for journalists from the partnership that produced “Mauled.”
By The Marshall Project
West Virginia does not pay for court reporters’ laptops, steno machine, software, or any other supplies.
Commentary March 21, 2017
Public Record, Astronomical Price
Unable to afford a trial transcript, a journalist digs into the laws that govern them.
Emma Copley Eisenberg
Analysis August 1, 2016
Is the Internet Endangering Criminal Informants?
A judicial committee proposes more secrecy.
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