The Marshall Project is buzzing with activity as we approach our 10th anniversary this November. We're planning a major initiative involving a prison, but details remain under wraps for now. With the upcoming election, we're carefully considering the timing of our celebrations.
Our growth has been remarkable — from 37 staff members when I joined six years ago to 79 at press time. Our latest cross-organization collaboration, “A Jury of Trump's Peers Weighs In,” features insights from current and formerly incarcerated people on how the criminal justice system treated the former president, who was convicted of 34 felony counts of falsifying business records in May.
This issue also features “The Mercy Workers, Illustrated,” a nonfiction comic highlighting the work of a mitigation specialist, Sara Baldwin. Mitigation specialists research their clients’ past traumas to inform arguments against execution. The comic focuses on Baldwin’s investigation into James Bernard Belcher, a New York native sentenced to death for the rape and murder of a Florida woman named Jennifer Embry.
There will also be a Q&A with Donovan X. Ramsey, our former commentary editor, about his book “When Crack Was King: A People's History of a Misunderstood Era.” Ramsey explores misconceptions about crack cocaine, its socioeconomic context, and the political motivations behind ineffective policies.
As always, this issue includes other hard-hitting pieces and reader favorites: the “Peeps” comic, “Reader to Reader” advice, a crossword puzzle, “In the Spotlight,” “Ohio Focus,” and our “Thinking Inside the Box” quiz.
If you think this is interesting, sign your incarcerated friend up for our free subscription. They’ll adore you for it.
NATIONAL
- Page 4: A Rare Bright Spot for a Canine Lover Doing Time: Raising Puppies to Become Service Dogs
- Page 5: Prison Is a Dangerous Place for LGBTQ+ People. I Made a Safe Space in the Library.
- Page 7: The Untold Story of How Crack Shaped the Justice System
- Page 10: The Prisoner-Run Radio Station That’s Reaching Men on Death Row
- Page 13: Trump Verdict: How the Hush Money Trial Hit Home for People With Criminal Records
- Page 17: Mercy Workers, Illustrated (PDF Form)
- Page 28: Reader to Reader
- Page 32: Peeps
- Page 34: Crossword
- Page 35: In The Spotlight
CLEVELAND
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