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Correctional officers beat and stomped more than 30 prisoners following an injury to an officer at Mid-State Correctional Facility in Marcy, N.Y., according to inmates.

Dangerous Conditions in Prisons/Jails

Nathaniel Brooks for The New York Times
News
Warden Who Ran Federal Prisons With Abusive Practices Now Directs National Training Center
A Bureau of Prisons investigation found that Andrew Ciolli failed to stop violations of the use of force policy at one prison. Now he’s running an agency training center.
A collage shows a black-and-white image of Federal Correctional Complex, Florence, Colo.; a clipping of a letter to the president from the U.S. Office of Special Counsel; a black-and-white head shot of a White man wearing a blazer and tie; a ripped page detailing work experience; and a black-and-white image of U.S. Penitentiary, Thomson, Ill.
A White man can be seen through the back of a wooden dining-table chair.
Inside Story October 10
Toll of Prison Staff Shortages on Guards, Prisoners and Their Families
Prison staff shortages impact guards, prisoners and their families, and comedian Donnell Rawlings talks about his connection to the system.
By and
An illustration shows a yellow and orange illustration of a person, wearing a tank top, pants and shoes, laying down in a fetal position within a box.
Life Inside September 19
How We Survived Extreme Heat in Prison
Incarcerated journalists detail the first signs of a heat wave in prison — and how they’ve coped with record-breaking temperatures.
By Prison Journalism Project Contributors and
A photo shows the sun beaming above silhouettes of two people holding a board while another person constructs a wall of a makeshift prison cell.
Closing Argument August 10
‘Deliberate Indifference’: Court Rulings Challenge Extreme Heat Conditions in Prisons
“If it’s 103 outside, it may be 107 to -8 inside of your cell,” said a man who worked in the fields while imprisoned in Texas.
By
An illustration featuring a series of prisoners, dressed in orange uniforms, in varying poses of illness, such as hands cupping a face, coughing into a closed fist, bending over with hands on their knees for support.
Investigate This July 25
How to Investigate COVID’s Deadly Toll in Your State Prisons
Our toolkit helps you report on deadly systemic failures and analyze the pandemic as a case study of how facilities can prepare for the next crisis.
By The Marshall Project
A lone correctional officer walking in a prison cell block while incarcerated people are confined in their cells.
Investigate This July 25
How to Investigate the Trend of Declining Prison Staff and Deteriorating Conditions Behind Bars
Our toolkit helps you report on how this employment crisis impacts safety and local budgets in your state.
By The Marshall Project
News and Awards May 21
The Marshall Project Wins Prestigious Robert F. Kennedy Journalism Award for Criminal Justice
The award recognizes our 2023 investigation exposing lax prison discipline for abusive guards in New York state prisons.
By The Marshall Project
An illustration shows a silhouette of person, with a tear on their cheek, facing to the right. In the background, a Black man in a white T-shirt and black pants leans out of an orange silhouette, reaching forward and offering his hand.
Life Inside April 12
I Had a Tough Job at My Brooklyn Jail: Keeping Men From Taking Their Own Lives
As a suicide prevention aide, I had to make sure my fellow detainees didn’t harm themselves. It was surprisingly easy to get such a complex job.
By Rashon Venable
Colette Peters, a White woman in a red suit jacket and short brown hair, speaks, as Michael Horowitz, a White man in a navy suit jacket and white hair, looks on.
Closing Argument March 2
How Federal Prisons Are Getting Worse
Government watchdog agencies found hundreds of preventable deaths and excessive use of solitary confinement.
By and
A scene outside the Corcoran prison complex with a razor-wire topped fence and white observation towers behind it. A water-filled canal runs alongside the facility.
Feature October 24, 2023
In Harm’s Way
How decades-old decisions to build two California prisons in a dry lakebed and a chaotic climate left 8,000 incarcerated people at risk.
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