Life Inside May 31

Getting Out of Prison Meant Leaving Dear Friends Behind

“We leaned on each other. We found reasons to laugh while in agony.”

By Robert Wright

Analysis May 20

Sending Even More Immigrants to Prison

Despite Jeff Sessions’ new zero-tolerance mandate along the border, the Justice Department has prioritized immigration offenses for years.

By Yolanda Martinez

Life Inside April 26

How I’m Preparing for Parole After 27 Years in Prison

“With my new lease on life, I still remember the one I took.”

By Lawrence Bartley

Life Inside April 12

Why This Judge Dreads Execution Day

“I wondered whether the system I have been a part of for so long was, simply, barbaric.”

By Mike Lynch

News March 20

The DAs Who Want to Set the Guilty Free

‘Sentence review units’ would revisit harsh punishments from the past.

By Eli Hager

News March 15

If You Can’t Kill It, Join It

Trump’s nominee to this panel called it “an overfed lemur.”

By Justin George

Commentary February 7

Waiting for Justice

One man’s seven-year wait for a trial reveals the ways mandatory minimums distort our courts.

Jeffrey Bellin

News August 9, 2017

What’s the Punishment for Theft? Depends On What State You’re In

You can go to prison in Florida for a $300 crime, but it’s $2,500 in Wisconsin.

By Marella Gayla

News July 18, 2017

How to Count the Hidden Prisoners

A new study examines the lingering impact of war-on-crime policies.

By Manuel Villa

News June 18, 2017

He Walked Out of Prison After 11 Years — Now the State Wants Him Back

After 18 months of freedom, Robert Woodall may be headed back behind bars.

By Marella Gayla

Case in Point June 12, 2017

The Man Who Spent 35 Years in Prison Without a Trial

The Jerry Hartfield case is an extraordinary tale of justice delayed and denied.

By Andrew Cohen

Commentary May 30, 2017

The Problem with the Justice Department

It’s a building full of prosecutors.

Mark Osler

News May 16, 2017

How Prosecutors Are Fighting Trump’s Deportation Plans

Some D.A.’s urge new discretion on pleas, sentences.

By Christie Thompson

Life Inside May 4, 2017

When Justice Gets Personal

A judge examines the impact on those he sentences.

By Judge Mark W. Bennett

News March 12, 2017

Was Evan Miller ‘The Rare Juvenile’ Who Deserved Life Without Parole?

Now 28, he’ll be re-sentenced, unless the court finds him ‘irreparably corrupt.’

By Beth Schwartzapfel

Commentary January 26, 2017

Inside the Clemency Lottery

The difference between the freed and the left-behind was often luck.

Sean Nuttall

Commentary January 24, 2017

What We Can Learn from the Amazing Drop in Juvenile Incarceration

Lesson One: Don’t make policies when emotions are running high.

Ashley Nellis and Marc Mauer

News January 18, 2017

How Obama Disappointed on the Death Penalty

Two commutations this week was less than many had hoped for.

By Maurice Chammah

Q&A January 2, 2017

John Grisham on the State of Criminal Justice

“There are thousands of innocent people in prison serving long sentences for crimes committed by others.”

By Bill Keller

Case in Point December 19, 2016

Unchecked and Unbalanced

The case of Clifton Harvin pits judges against judges.

By Andrew Cohen

Feature December 7, 2016

In Alabama, You Can Be Sentenced to Death Even if Jurors Don’t Agree

Judges have uniquely uncommon power in the state.

By Kent Faulk

Crime on the Ballot October 23, 2016

Death by Another Name

California Prop 62 would repeal the death penalty. A lifer says it doesn’t go far enough.

By Kenneth E. Hartman

Commentary June 6, 2016

Why Prince’s Death Shouldn’t Lead to Bad Drug Policy

Lessons learned from the crack epidemic.

By Jeremy Haile and Michael Collins

Feature May 4, 2016

American Sheriff

David Clarke, the Trump-loving, pro-mass-incarceration Fox News favorite, is challenging criminal-justice reform—and stereotypes.

By Maurice Chammah

Feature January 27, 2016

Why Some Young Sex Offenders Are Held Indefinitely

Jhon Sanchez already served his time for a series of sex offenses he committed when he was 13. But he’s not free yet. Inside the world of civil commitment.

By George Steptoe and Antoine Goldet

Commentary November 18, 2015

Five Things Wrong With Georgia’s Death Penalty

On the eve of the next execution, a look at the state’s history of bad lawyering and faulty evidence.

By Sara J. Totonchi

Analysis October 29, 2015

What You Need to Know About the New Federal Prisoner Release

Five reasons it is (and is not) a big deal.

By The Marshall Project

News October 19, 2015

13 Words That Could Mean Freedom for Many

The debate over the federal ‘residual clause.’

By Caroline Grueskin

News October 9, 2015

Meet the Federal Prisoners About to be Released

A profile of the 6,000.

By The Marshall Project

Commentary October 7, 2015

The Clintons Aren’t the Only Ones to Blame for the Crime Bill

Black leaders also embraced it.

By Michael Fortner

The Lowdown August 28, 2015

Weekends in Jail for Rape?

Why people get sentenced to “weekend jail.”

By Corey G. Johnson

Analysis August 12, 2015

When Heroin Hits the White Suburbs

Suddenly it’s not a crime problem, it’s a health problem.

By Andrew Cohen

What You're Saying August 10, 2015

‘...No One Thinks About How [New Research] Will Actually Be Implemented.’

A selection of recent letters from our readers.

By Jasmine Lee

Feature August 4, 2015

The New Science of Sentencing

Should prison sentences be based on crimes that haven’t been committed yet?

By Anna Maria Barry-Jester, Ben Casselman and Dana Goldstein

News July 23, 2015

Federal Prisons Could Release 1,000 Times More Drug Offenders Than Obama Did

New, retroactive sentencing guidelines begin to kick in.

By Beth Schwartzapfel

Justice Lab May 15, 2015

The Teenage Brain of the Boston Bomber

Is being 19 years old a defense?

By Dana Goldstein

News April 14, 2015

Cheaters Never Prosper

But they hardly ever get punished this severely.

By Dana Goldstein

News March 13, 2015

When Juries Help Judge

Giving jurors a say in sentencing.

By Eli Hager

Justice Lab January 21, 2015

Yes, Mr. President, Incarceration Rates have Dropped ...

… But just a tiny bit, and it took a long time.

By Dana Goldstein

News November 18, 2014

Is Mass Incarceration Going Away?

New numbers from 28 states suggest otherwise.

By Andrew Cohen

News November 17, 2014

Right and Left Unite on Drug Sentencing. What Could Possibly Go Wrong?

Will Senator Grassley kill the Smarter Sentencing Act?

By Christie Thompson

Q&A November 17, 2014

Eric Holder on His Legacy, His Regrets, and His Feelings About the Death Penalty

An interview with the outgoing attorney general.

By Bill Keller and Tim Golden