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Regional reporting

Stories from the high-incarceration states of the South.

An illustration shows an aerial view of a couple getting married inside a room. The couple stands in front of an officiant at a podium. Guests are seated behind the couple. Four panels at the edge of the illustration suggest a person in a blue prison uniform being body scanned, a couple holding hands, a hand getting stamped and wedding rings on a table.
Life Inside February 14
Prison Wedding Rules: No Cake, No Lace, But Lots of Love
St. Louis activist Khanika Harper found the perfect way to marry her passion for justice with the power of love: She became a prison wedding officiant.
By Khanika Harper as told to
A light-skinned Hispanic man with close-cropped hair and tattoos on his arms uses the phone at the Polunsky Unit prison facility.
Death Sentences June 27, 2024
This Doctor Helped Send Ramiro Gonzales to Death Row. Now He’s Changed His Mind.
Texas plans to execute Gonzales this week even though the expert witness says he isn’t a ‘threat to society.’
By and
A rectangular illustration divided into five vertical panels shows a person in a prison cell looking out a dark window, crossing numbers of years off on the wall as time passes. In the middle of the illustration, there is an image of a gavel in a small rectangle. In the third panel, a beam of light appears on the floor, and in the following panel, that beam of light gets larger, indicating an opening door. The last panel shows the person being led out of the prison cell by a prosecutor in a suit and with a briefcase.
Feature October 31, 2023
Prosecutors in These States Can Review Sentences They Deem Extreme. Few Do.
Five states now allow prosecutors to seek shorter sentences in old cases. Louisiana shows why many DAs haven’t.
By Matt Nadel and Charlie Lee
Eight cropped book covers with shadows behind them appear in a grid against a cream-colored background: “The Egyptian Book of the Dead,” “The Hellbound Heart,” “Captive Nation,” “Black on Black Violence,” “Violence: Reflections on a National Epidemic” and “Effective Java.” The center of the grid shows a pointer cursor hovering above an image of a tool displaying which books are banned in Ohio prisons.
Investigate This October 3, 2023
How to Report on Banned Books in Prisons in Your State
Prisons are among the most restrictive reading environments in the United States.
By The Marshall Project
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 September 18, 2023
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 and
Just Say You’re Sorry June 5, 2023
When a Conviction is Challenged, What Do We Owe the Victim’s Family?
In the final episode of “Just Say You’re Sorry,” we consider what cases like Larry Driskill’s mean for families like Bobbie Sue Hill’s.
By
Just Say You’re Sorry May 29, 2023
As a Texas Ranger Gains National Fame, His Interrogations Draw Skepticism
James Holland’s star rises after he coaxes killer Samuel Little to confess to 90 murders. But his work in Larry Driskill’s case comes into question.
By
Just Say You’re Sorry May 22, 2023
An All-Night, Pizza-Fueled Interrogation. A Dubious Confession. A DNA Surprise.
Hear Texas Ranger James Holland use familiar tactics to convince another man to confess to a murder he vehemently denies. But this time, there’s DNA.
By
Just Say You’re Sorry May 15, 2023
Listen as a Texas Ranger Uses Lies to Extract a Questionable Murder Confession
Hear how James Holland gradually convinces Larry Driskill to question his own memory — and narrate a murder he still insists he didn’t commit.
By
A police sketch of a face on a cream background layered on top of court documents
Just Say You’re Sorry May 8, 2023
To Solve a Young Mother’s Death, a Celebrated Texas Ranger Turns to Hypnosis
In Episode 2 of “Just Say You’re Sorry,” we dig into Ranger James Holland’s past and follow the twists and turns that lead him to Larry Driskill.
By
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