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Sexual Assault

Illustration by Leonardo Santamaria
Feature
How a Massachusetts Cop Allegedly Groomed, Controlled and Killed Sandra Birchmore
Matthew Farwell met her in a police Explorer program. Prosecutors say he abused her for years before she became pregnant and he killed her.
Signs lie on the ground as a person hovers over one on the left side of the photo, and another person holds one with a gloved hand. A sign in the center reads: "Justice for Sandra Birchmore", and shows a picture of Sandra, a White young woman with brown hair and red-rimmed glasses.
A White man, wearing a navy blue suit, is handcuffed to a chair as he sits next to his attorney in a courtroom. Two court officers stand behind them.
Closing Argument May 4
Weinstein Ruling Poses Quandary: Can #MeToo Coexist With Protections for Defendants?
Proving sex crimes often requires evidence that is generally excluded to protect the rights of the accused.
By
A group of protesters hold signs, some showing photos of Sandra Birchmore, at a street corner. A person in the foreground is holding a pink sign and a small American flag.
Feature May 1
The Marshall Project Is Investigating Police Explorer Programs. We Want to Hear From You.
Help us report on police sexual abuse of young people in these law enforcement programs.
By The Marshall Project
A photo collage in black and white and blue tones shows, from left, an excerpt of a transcript that reads: “I hereby submit the following report into the matter of Sandra Birchmore, and into the possible violations…procedure, rules and regulations of the Stoughton Pol…”; a sign reading “Stoughton”, the silhouette of a police officer; the words “Sandra Birchmore”; an excerpt of a transcript that reads “The relationship continue…many years and included…and communications while…was on duty for the Stoug…Police Department.”; and a photo of Sandra Birchmore.
Feature May 1
In This Police Youth Program, a Trail of Sexual Abuse Across the U.S.
Explorer posts, overseen by the Boy Scouts, are supposed to foster an interest in policing. They have faced nearly 200 allegations of misconduct.
By , and
Life Inside April 26
What Being Trans in Prison Is Really Like
Amid a wave of anti-trans legislation, and the violence that often follows, four people share their experiences in the criminal justice system.
By
A white bus drives in front of a sign that says "Department of Correction: Rikers Island."
News November 28, 2022
A Rikers Officer Had Sex With a Detainee. It Took 7 Years to Fire Him.
The officer also asked the woman to cover up that another Rikers guard sexually assaulted her.
By Reuven Blau and
Images of people at the Moriah Shock Incarceration Facility and Lakeview Shock Correctional Facility are layered in an orange, blue and black photo collage.
Inside Out February 24, 2022
‘A Humiliating Experience’: Prisoners Allege Abuse at Discipline-focused ‘Shock’ Camps
New York is closing one of its last ‘shock’ camps, a move some experts and former prisoners say is a long time coming.
By
Life Inside January 14, 2022
People in the Scandal-Plagued Federal Prison System Reveal What They Need in a New Director
“This is kind of like AA: To move forward, first you have to admit there’s a problem.”
By
Angela Bapp testified before the House Armed Services Committee, which was examining the role of the commander of prosecutions for sexual assaults in the military.
News July 30, 2019
A Unique Military Program Helps Sexual Assault Survivors. But Not All of Them.
The military gives lawyers to victims. But civilians—who make up hundreds of cases a year—are left to fend for themselves.
By
Life Inside April 4, 2019
The Day I Didn’t Serve on a Jury in a Sex Assault Case
“As I left the courthouse it dawned on me that the judge had assumed the role of therapist.”
By
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