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Breaking down the rituals and routines of the criminal justice system.
The Lowdown September 25
What Trump and Others Get Wrong About ‘Sanctuary Cities’
Ahead of the presidential debate, setting the record straight on a hot-button immigration issue.
By Christie Thompson
The Lowdown September 24
Charged With Murder Without Killing Anyone
The paradox of “felony murder” laws.
By Christie Thompson
The Lowdown August 28
Weekends in Jail for Rape?
Why people get sentenced to “weekend jail.”
By Corey G. Johnson
The Lowdown August 13
‘For $12 of Commissary, He Got 10 Years Off His Sentence.’
What it takes to be a jailhouse lawyer.
By Beth Schwartzapfel
The Lowdown June 25
What Will You Look Like 20 Years From Now?
For forensic artists, a sketch is more than just gray hair and wrinkles.
By Simone Seiver
The Lowdown March 31
Public Shamings
Why judges sometimes opt for sandwich boards, chicken suits, and other embarrassing punishments.
By Christie Thompson
The Lowdown March 26
Guerrilla Radio
How some inmates hack, rewire, and retool their radios to create walkie-talkies.
By Maurice Chammah
The Lowdown February 12
Prison Personals
How prison pen pal services became the new OkCupid.
By Simone Weichselbaum
The Lowdown February 11
Conjugal Visits
Why they’re disappearing, which states still use them, and what really happens during those overnight visits.
By Dana Goldstein
The Lowdown January 29
Converted Cellblocks
The many ways we recycle vacant prisons.
By Alysia Santo
The Lowdown December 30
Prison Moonshine
How it’s made, how it smells, and why ketchup is involved.
By Clare Sestanovich
The Lowdown November 19
Fakeup
How women in prison remake makeup.
By Simone Weichselbaum

The Marshall Project is a nonprofit news organization covering the U.S. criminal justice system.

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