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Women in Prison

An illustration shows two people, wearing green uniforms, with their medium-skin toned hands touching each other. They sit on a brown bench against a gray wired fence.
Life Inside February 16
I Never Thought I Could Fall In Love With a Woman. Then Came Prison.
We call straight women who couple up with fellow prisoners “gay for the stay.” That slang masks the complexity — and often beauty — of these bonds.
By Samantha Vantassell
Life Inside November 17
Being a Corrections Officer Is Hard Enough. Doing the Job While Pregnant Is a Nightmare.
Lia McKeown says a California prison refused to adjust her job duties to accommodate her pregnancies. Now she’s suing for discrimination.
By Lia McKeown as told to
Left: Mark Jones, serving life without parole in a Florida prison. Right: Incarcerated women at Julia Tutwiler Prison for Women in Wetumpka, Alabama.
News and Awards August 29
Watch the Trailer for ‘Two Strikes’ and ‘Tutwiler’
The Marshall Project and Frontline’s short prison documentaries will air on PBS and can be streamed online.
By The Marshall Project
An illustration shows a portrait of a woman with green eyes, wearing a blouse and earrings. Clouds and yellow sun rays are in the background.
Life Inside July 21
A New Law Gave Me 1 Year With My Babies Before Heading to Prison. How Will I Say Goodbye?
Minnesota’s Healthy Start law allowed Victoria Lopez to begin her seven-year prison sentence at home with her infant twins. Now comes the separation.
By Victoria Lopez, as told to
An illustration shows a portrait of an older Indigenous woman, wearing a red and white tribal headband, beaded necklaces and shirt. Clouds and a purple moon are in the background.
Life Inside July 14
While Doing Time in a California Prison, I Was Given a Hysterectomy Without My Consent
Moonlight Pulido believed she was having surgery to remove growths from her uterus. In a brutal bait-and-switch, she was sterilized.
By Moonlight Pulido as told to
An illustration in purple tones shows a portrait of a woman with blue eyes, with her hair down and wearing a tank top.
Life Inside July 7
A Texas Jail Delayed My Prenatal Care to Keep Costs Down. Then I Had a Miscarriage.
Collin County Jail failed to send a bleeding, cramping Lauren Kent to an outside OB-GYN. In a lawsuit, she blames their “cost-containment” strategy.
By Lauren Kent as told to
Life Inside June 30
I Survived Pregnancy and Postpartum Depression in Jail. Now I Guide Others Like Me.
As a doula in Georgia prisons and jails, Tabatha Trammell supports incarcerated clients through pregnancy, childbirth — and giving up their newborns.
By Tabatha Trammell, as told to
Silhouettes of staff members looking through window blinds to view a parking lot.
Life Inside June 30, 2023
Reproductive Healthcare Behind Bars Was Dismal Even Before Roe Ended
Abortion is just one part of a greater story about how indifferent — and even cruel — reproductive healthcare can be in prisons and jails.
By and
An illustration shows a baby in fetal position within a broken face of a Black woman, surrounded by shattered pieces. A white teardrop is shown under an eye of the broken face. In the background, pink and white sparkles are positioned throughout the illustration.
Life Inside April 28
I Raised My Kids From Prison. Soon, I’m Coming Home to a Grandson.
Chanell Burnette’s two sons were very young when she was incarcerated 18 years ago. “It’s funny how things come full circle,” writes the first-time grandmother. “This is two generations of me.”
By Chanell Burnette
Melissa Lucio, who has long brown hair and is wearing a white prison uniform, sits behind glass at a prison.
Death Sentences February 24, 2022
How Melissa Lucio Went From Abuse Survivor to Death Row
Why some trauma victims are more likely to take responsibility for crimes, even when they may be innocent.
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