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Solitary Confinement

An illustration shows an orange figure sitting on a prison cot in a solitary confinement cell with teal walls and tally marks on the wall.
Jackson June 9
They Spent Years in Solitary Confinement in Mississippi Despite Suicide Risk
For decades, MDOC has regularly held incarcerated people in solitary confinement for weeks, months — and in some cases — years at a time.
By , Mina Corpuz, and Grant McLaughlin
An illustration with teal and orange colors shows a figure with moving fabric draped over them in a solitary prison cell, seen through a small window.
Jackson June 8
They Asked for Help. Instead, They Died in Solitary.
An investigation found there were at least 47 suicides in solitary confinement in Mississippi, where cries for mental health care were met with isolation and punishment.
By and Mina Corpuz
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 photo shows a brick wall with barbed wire and a sign that reads, "Barry J. Nidorf Facility, 16350 Filbert Street."
Closing Argument February 21
‘Alarmed’: What Happens When Juvenile Detention Centers Don’t Have Enough Staff
From California to New York, juvenile detention systems struggle to protect the youth they house.
By
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.
The Frame 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
A side profile of a woman sitting on a bed, in a dark room with a black-blue slate background. She is singing, as tears flow down her left cheek and as the flow descends down her left shoulder, it begins to widen into a wider flow. In the flow are pictured memories of her hugging her children.
Feature September 16, 2025
‘Unbearable’: How ICE Is Locking More Immigrants in Solitary Under Trump
A mother of three said she hallucinated after weeks in an ICE segregation cell in Louisiana. She’s one of thousands now facing the psychological toll of isolation.
By , The Marshall Project, and Patricia Clarembaux, Univision Noticias
An illustration shows a shirtless person sweating as they sit on top of their bed. The person is inside a cell, with a sink on the right.
St. Louis September 8, 2025
What It’s Like Enduring a Heat Wave in a Missouri Prison
Lawyers requested swift cooling measures in a prison with no A/C. One man shares the dangerous conditions inside while people await a judge’s ruling.
By , The Marshall Project, and Jeremy Hann
A collage shows a map of St. Louis, text from a lawsuit, a picture of a Black transgender woman with red braids, a portrait of three Black women standing next to a transgender flag and a picture of a prison.
St. Louis August 21, 2025
A Woman With HIV Spent Six Years in Solitary. She Sued and Missouri Will Change Its Policy.
Honesty Bishop was attacked by her cellmate. Prison officials deemed her sexually active and kept her in isolation for more than 2,000 days.
By Kavahn Mansouri, The Midwest Newsroom, and , The Marshall Project
An illustration with blue and yellow tones shows the shadow of a woman with long hair over a prison door with a narrow window. A man in distress is partially visible through the window.
Life Inside June 27, 2025
Why I Blew the Whistle on Extreme Confinement on Rikers Island
Social worker Justyna Rzewinski saw people with mental illness “deadlocked” in their cells for months without sunlight, human contact — or medication.
By Justyna Rzewinski
A photo illustration with a black and white photograph of the exterior of a prison in the background with red rectangles overlaying it. In the middle is a semi-circle with the typewritten text from several phrases, including “tortured for 18 hours with an..” and “I began to feel a sharp pain on the left side of my chest.” Below the text is a photo of an officer's hands on the wrist of a man in handcuffs.
Feature December 17, 2024
Dozens of Prisoners Allege a Culture of Violence by Guards at Federal Facility in Virginia
In lawsuits and interviews, people held at Lee penitentiary described correctional officers breaking teeth, fracturing ribs and using the N-word.
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