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Closing Argument
August 19, 2023
Battles Over ‘Progressive’ Prosecutors’ Decisions Heating Up
Conservatives target local elected officials in fights over marijuana, abortion and sentencing
By
Jamiles Lartey
News and Awards
July 15, 2022
Rachel Kincaid Joins The Marshall Project
The newsroom adds a Newsletter Manager.
By
The Marshall Project
News and Awards
October 31, 2022
Ana Graciela Méndez Joins The Marshall Project
The newsroom adds a Product Manager.
By
The Marshall Project
Feature
May 22, 2018
The Billionaire's Crusade
Broadcom's Henry Nicholas is spending millions to give victims a bigger voice, but not everyone agrees.
By
Beth Schwartzapfel
News and Awards
June 28, 2022
Data Reporter Geoff Hing Joins The Marshall Project
Hing will expand investigative data journalism and reporting to expose abuses in criminal justice.
By
The Marshall Project
Commentary
October 4, 2017
Healing for Vegas
Helping survivors of the violence in Vegas means also addressing their inevitable trauma.
Shari Silberstein
The Rules
August 18, 2015
Why You Can’t Use Dictionaries in Court
The many shifting definitions of “malice” and “rape.”
By
Christie Thompson
News and Awards
August 17
The Marshall Project Wins National Murrow Award for Investigation of Cleveland Court System
The Marshall Project won the Excellence in Innovation Award for its “Testify” series, produced with WOVU radio and Cleveland Documenters.
By
The Marshall Project
News
May 7, 2015
Older Prisoners, Higher Costs
A tough, new report says it’s time for federal prisons to release the elderly and infirm.
By
Andrew Cohen
Inside Out
September 2, 2021
Some prison labor programs lose money — even when prisoners work for pennies
Officials claim programs provide skills, but critics say there’s little evidence.
By
Keri Blakinger
Closing Argument
May 27
How Tech Like ShotSpotter Thrives Despite Public Pushback
Police around the country have invested in the gunshot-detection system using Covid relief dollars.
By
Geoff Hing
The Frame
November 25, 2019
How This Prison Collaborated on a Larger-Than-Life Work of Art
French artist JR worked with California prisoners to create his latest installation.
By
Celina Fang
Life Inside
April 28, 2022
People Often Say My Son ‘Passed Away.’ Darien Was Murdered.
If I see a car that looks like Darien’s or the sunlight hits just right, all of the sadness comes flooding back.
By
Patricia Griffin
, as told by
Lakeidra Chavis
Commentary
October 5, 2015
Let the Press In
Society won’t fix a prison system it can’t see.
By
Bill Keller
Life Inside
January 15, 2016
Getting a Hustle: How to Live Like a King Behind Bars
From moonshine to tattoos to balloons of drugs.
By
Patrick Larmour
News
May 31, 2016
Want to Clear Your Record? It’ll Cost You $450
In Tennessee and other states, former felons can’t always afford it.
By
Maura Ewing
Commentary
February 22, 2018
A Responsible Gun Owner Despite My Mental Illness
No, it’s not mental illness. It’s guns.
D.J. Schuette
News
March 17, 2015
Forgiving vs. Forgetting
For offenders seeking a new life, a new redemption tool.
By
Eli Hager
Closing Argument
July 23, 2022
How Criminalizing Abortion Is Causing a “Bewildering Patchwork” of Enforcement
In our revamped “Closing Argument” newsletter, this week we unpack the confusing legal landscape following the reversal of Roe v. Wade.
By
Jamiles Lartey
Life Inside
January 20
How an Illicit Cell Phone Helped Me Take College Courses from Prison
“I didn’t want to give any type of indication that I am in prison, because I didn’t want to be kicked out.”
By
Anonymous
as told to
Charlotte West
Coronavirus
March 17, 2020
As COVID-19 Measures Grow, Prison Oversight Falls
“We now have no idea what’s going on inside.”
By
Keri Blakinger
Coronavirus
March 27, 2020
As Coronavirus Surges, Crime Declines in Some Cities
Early data suggests criminal incidents are down in several cities under stay-at-home orders.
By
Simone Weichselbaum
and
Weihua Li
Commentary
May 21, 2015
The ‘South Texas Family Residential Center’ Is No Haven
It’s an internment camp.
By
Carl Takei
Analysis
August 12, 2015
When Heroin Hits the White Suburbs
Suddenly it’s not a crime problem, it’s a health problem.
By
Andrew Cohen
News
January 27, 2016
San Quentin Puts on a Happy Face
A field trip to California’s oldest prison.
By
Bill Keller
and
Neil Barsky
Life Inside
February 12, 2016
What It’s Like to Be a Hacker in Prison
Finding refuge in old media.
By
Stephen Watt
News
October 23, 2016
If Prisoners Ran Prisons
Five Texas inmates say what they’d do differently.
By
Maurice Chammah
News
December 12, 2016
Was the Robber 6-foot-3 or 5-foot-6?
Testing the reliability of video analysis.
By
Maurice Chammah
Cleveland
June 15
New Bias Complaints Continue to Target Top Cuyahoga County Judge
Already temporarily removed from a divorce case, Judge Leslie Ann Celebrezze is slated to answer new allegations by June 22.
By
Mark Puente
News and Awards
October 19, 2016
The Marshall Project Releases Its CMS
EndRun is now available to developers.
By
The Marshall Project
Commentary
October 7, 2015
The Clintons Aren’t the Only Ones to Blame for the Crime Bill
Black leaders also embraced it.
By
Michael Fortner
Case in Point
July 18, 2016
Letting Prosecutors Write the Law
It’s more common than you think.
By
Andrew Cohen
News
October 22, 2015
The FCC Looks into the Prison Telephone Racket
Phone home, go broke.
By
Beth Schwartzapfel
News
October 21, 2020
Prisoners Won The Right To Stimulus Checks. Some Prisons Are Standing In The Way.
A federal judge ruled prisoners can get the $1,200 checks many Americans received in the spring. Some prison systems are putting up roadblocks, lawyers and prisoners say.
By
Joseph Neff
and
Keri Blakinger
News
January 19, 2021
Zoom Funerals, Outdoor Classes: Jails and Prisons Evolve Amid the Pandemic
But will high-tech programs replace “the human touch” when the virus ebbs?
By
Keri Blakinger
Inside Out
May 20, 2021
Does Banning People With Felonies From Dating Apps Actually Make Anyone Safer?
“It’s using the justice system as a barometer of someone’s worth.”
By
Keri Blakinger
Life Inside
November 25, 2019
I Got To Leave Prison For A Few Hours—It Broke My Heart
“When the van pulls back up to the rear gates of the prison... it's almost a relief.”
By
Byron Case
News
December 18, 2019
The Long Journey to Visit a Family Member in Prison
Remote prison towns and strict visitation policies make it hard to stay in touch.
By
Beatrix Lockwood
and
Nicole Lewis
Analysis
December 8, 2023
Computer Book Bans and Other Insights From a Year Investigating Prison Censorship
Incomplete data. Inconsistent policies. How banned books in prison can strip away an incarcerated person’s vision of the outside world.
By
David Eads
Feature
January 21
It’s Not Just a Police Problem, Americans Are Opting Out of Government Jobs
Data shows declines in public-sector employment, even as the private job market has rebounded.
By
Daphne Duret
and
Weihua Li
Feature
March 14
Aggressive Policing in Memphis Goes Far Beyond the Scorpion Unit
Data shows Memphis police arrested more people – mostly Black men – than other Tennessee cities.
By
Daphne Duret
,
Weihua Li
and
Marc Perrusquia
News
August 8, 2020
Why It’s Not So Simple To Arrest The Cops Who Shot Breonna Taylor
Memes and billboards are calling for arresting the three officers. But what does Kentucky law say?
By
Jamiles Lartey
News
April 5, 2016
Can the Troubled Cleveland Police Handle a Volatile Republican Convention?
Operating under federal oversight, officers will be scrutinized for how they use force.
By
Simone Weichselbaum
Crime on the Ballot
October 19, 2016
Three States to Watch if You Care About the Death Penalty
Nebraska, Oklahoma, and California will test the prospects of abolition.
By
Andrew Cohen
The Lowdown
March 31, 2015
Public Shamings
Why judges sometimes opt for sandwich boards, chicken suits, and other embarrassing punishments.
By
Christie Thompson
Commentary
February 8, 2016
Black and Unarmed: Behind the Numbers
What the Black Lives Matter movement misses about those police shootings.
By
Heather Mac Donald
News
August 14, 2017
Crowdsourcing the Charlottesville Investigation
The mixed blessing of an internet posse.
By
Maurice Chammah
and
Simone Weichselbaum
Commentary
July 26, 2017
Our Long, Troubling History of Sterilizing the Incarcerated
State-sanctioned efforts to keep the incarcerated from reproducing began in the early 20th century and continue today.
By
David M. Perry
Feature
June 7, 2022
A Tupperware of Heroin, Or How I Ended Up in Prison
In an excerpt from her new memoir, ‘Corrections in Ink,’ Keri Blakinger puts us at the scene of her drug arrest — and her path to becoming The Marshall Project’s first formerly incarcerated staff writer.
By
Keri Blakinger
Cleveland
September 28, 2022
Cleveland Has Spent Millions on Police Cameras. Why Are the Locations a Secret?
The city cites citizen safety as a reason for shielding information, but has no policies on use of surveillance technology.
By
Rachel Dissell
and
Mark Puente
News
December 12, 2022
Federal Prisons Were Told to Provide Addiction Medications. Instead, They Punish People Who Use Them.
Congress directed the Bureau of Prisons to make Suboxone and other medications widely available, but only a small fraction of those who need the help have received it.
By
Beth Schwartzapfel
and
Keri Blakinger
News
April 16, 2015
Can You Go to Jail for Not Paying Rent?
Only in Arkansas. And a stealthy campaign is changing that.
By
Eli Hager
News
January 29, 2019
When Going to Jail Means Giving Up The Meds That Saved Your Life
How the Americans With Disabilities Act could change the way the nation’s jails and prisons treat addiction.
By
Beth Schwartzapfel
Feature
December 14, 2020
Police Use Painful Dog Bites To Make People Obey
Police are allowed to use “pain compliance.” But experts say dog bites are too unpredictable and severe.
By
Abbie VanSickle
and
Challen Stephens
News
November 4, 2022
Why So Many Jails Are in a ‘State of Complete Meltdown’
Overcrowding, violence and abuse proliferate at jails across the country, as staffing problems make long-simmering problems worse.
By
Keri Blakinger
Crime on the Ballot
October 17, 2016
It’s Not Just Pot and the Death Penalty
Four important ballot measures you probably haven’t heard of.
By
Beth Schwartzapfel
News
January 10
New Data Shows How Dire the Prison Staffing Shortage Really Is
The stubborn staffing crisis affects almost every aspect of life in prison, for employees and the incarcerated alike.
By
Shannon Heffernan
and
Weihua Li
Feature
June 3
Why 1,000 Homicides in St. Louis Remain Unsolved
In one of America’s deadliest cities, police have struggled to solve killings due to staffing shortages, shoddy detective work and lack of community trust.
By
Alysia Santo
, The Marshall Project;
Tom Scheck
and
Jennifer Lu
, APM Reports;
Rachel Lippmann
, St. Louis Public Radio
News
November 21, 2014
The Corrections
Tales from a week of overturned convictions.
By
Andrew Cohen
News
January 6, 2015
A Short History of Police Protest
From Calvin Coolidge to Bill de Blasio.
By
Clare Sestanovich
Closing Argument
August 20, 2022
How Conservatives Are Trying to Shut Down the Progressive Prosecutor Movement
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis removed an elected prosecutor from office. Will this become the right’s new tactic?
By
Jamiles Lartey
Closing Argument
February 25
Fighting the High Cost of Prison Phone Calls
Tired of exorbitant phone bills, prisoners and their families are pushing to lower costs.
By
Christie Thompson
Coronavirus
March 23, 2020
How Coronavirus is Disrupting the Death Penalty
Colorado abolished capital punishment. But COVID-19 is pausing it everywhere else.
By
Maurice Chammah
and
Keri Blakinger
News
May 16, 2019
California Law Says This Man Isn’t a Murderer. Prosecutors Disagree
When lawmakers said accomplices aren't the same as killers, Neko Wilson was the first person freed. Now he may go back to jail.
By
Abbie VanSickle
News
October 6, 2015
A Rural Sheriff Stares Down the Justice Department
In North Carolina case on racial profiling, U.S. suffers its first loss.
By
Simone Weichselbaum
News
April 14, 2016
Should Prisoners Be Allowed to Have Facebook Pages?
A new policy in Texas limits inmates’ access to social media, creating a First Amendment conundrum.
By
Maurice Chammah
Justice Talk
April 25, 2016
Join Today's Discussion on Juvenile Justice
Today from 11 AM to 5 PM EST, we'll be talking juvenile justice with Digg. Brush up by reading some of the best reporting we could find on the topic, and then bring your questions for the experts.
By
Eli Hager
and
Blair Hickman
Crime on the Ballot
November 1, 2016
A Look at this Year’s Soft-on-Crime Attack Ads
Campaign ads in the age of criminal justice reform.
By
Maurice Chammah
News
January 25, 2017
Against the Trump Tide
Away from Washington, a new breed of prosecutors takes first steps.
By
Eli Hager
News
August 25, 2017
The Great Escape? Par for the Course.
“These guys were absolutely jaw-dropping in their incompetence.”
By
Alysia Santo
and
Eli Hager
News
August 2, 2017
Guess Who’s Tracking Your Prescription Drugs?
Your doctor, your pharmacist... and the police.
By
Beth Schwartzapfel
News
May 22
We Spent Two Years Investigating Abuse by Prison Guards in New York. Here Are Five Takeaways.
The state fails to fire most corrections officers it accuses of violence against prisoners or covering up abuse.
By
Alysia Santo
and
Joseph Neff
Closing Argument
August 26
Cruel Summer: When Basic Survival Can Become Illegal
Extreme heat heightens the tensions between homeless communities and the police.
By
Geoff Hing
Closing Argument
September 23
Juvenile Detention Centers Face One Scandal After Another
Despite repeated efforts at reform, allegations of mistreatment mount at youth facilities across the country.
By
Lakeidra Chavis
Closing Argument
November 18
Four Suicides in L.A. and the Mental Health Problem in Law Enforcement
Four suspected suicides in the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department highlight a problem affecting agencies across the country.
By
Daphne Duret
Closing Argument
January 20
Texas vs. the USA: Inside the Immigration Showdown
The Southern border is now an open battle between Gov. Greg Abbott and the Biden Administration.
By
Jamiles Lartey
Closing Argument
February 17
What Crime Data Says About the Effects of Texas Busing Migrants
The influx has sparked fears of rising crime in some cities. The Marshall Project looked at policing data to see if the anxiety reflects reality.
By
Geoff Hing
,
Weihua Li
and
Ilica Mahajan
Closing Argument
April 6
What an Eclipse Lockdown Reveals about Dignity in Prisons and Jails
Recent lawsuits regarding the rights of incarcerated people and guards include gender, religious discrimination, and the right to watch the eclipse
By
Jamiles Lartey
Closing Argument
April 13
The Parents Paying for Their Children’s Crimes
Experts warn about a wave of legal consequences for parents like the Crumbleys, while some states consider prosecutions for kids as young as 10.
By
Jamiles Lartey
Closing Argument
April 20
The Enduring Use of Solitary, and New Proposed Limits That Will Likely Fail (Again)
Isolation’s damaging effects are widely known. But many facilities confine people — even youth — virtually all day, sometimes in shower stalls.
By
Jamiles Lartey
News
May 14, 2015
Would You Rather …
... die a (probably) painless death or live 50 years in solitary?
By
The Marshall Project
Commentary
December 17, 2014
Handling, Not Manhandling, the Mentally Ill
A close look at the L.A. County Jail settlement
By
Andrew Cohen
News
August 11, 2020
Breaking Out With A Bar of Soap
In Texas, prisoners are opening their cells to chat—and to riot.
By
Keri Blakinger
Death Sentences
April 5, 2021
Death Penalty for Mass Shooters? Depends On Where They Strike.
The men arrested in recent killings in Atlanta, Boulder, Colorado, and Orange, California, could face very different sentences if convicted.
By
Maurice Chammah
and
Keri Blakinger
News
June 11, 2021
31,000 Prisoners Sought Compassionate Release During COVID-19. The Bureau of Prisons Approved 36.
As the pandemic worsened inside federal prisons, officials granted fewer releases.
By
Keri Blakinger
AND
Joseph Neff
Inside Out
November 11, 2021
Mugshots Stay Online Forever. Some Say the Police Should Stop Making Them Public.
As many news outlets cut back on publishing mugshots, some states and cities are grappling with a more fundamental question: Why do police release the images — and should they be allowed to?
By
Keri Blakinger
Closing Argument
October 15, 2022
Don’t Expect Mass Prison Releases From Biden’s Marijuana Clemency
The president’s mass pardon may signal a shift in the federal approach to cannabis, but it won’t let anyone out of prison.
By
Jamiles Lartey
Closing Argument
October 29, 2022
Why Millions of Americans Will Be Left Out of the Midterms
Even in states where some people with felony convictions — and those awaiting trial in jail — have the right to vote, actually casting a ballot remains difficult.
By
Jamiles Lartey
Death Sentences
October 31, 2022
Would a Death Sentence Help The Parkland Families Heal?
Outrage around the school shooter’s sentence reveals tensions between what some victims’ families want and the justice system’s limits.
By
Maurice Chammah
Closing Argument
February 4, 2023
Biden Promised a Police Misconduct Database. He’s Yet to Deliver.
In the aftermath of Tyre Nichols’ killing, some are questioning the administration’s urgency on police reform.
By
Jamiles Lartey
Analysis
March 24
What Irvo Otieno’s Killing Tells Us about Mental Healthcare in the U.S.
The system can end up prosecuting patients and relying on police — with sometimes fatal results.
By
Christie Thompson
Closing Argument
April 1
How Criminal Records Hold Back Millions of People
More than 70 million Americans with arrest records face barriers to find work or a decent place to live.
By
Jamiles Lartey
Coronavirus
May 4, 2020
Prisons Are Coronavirus Hotspots. This Town’s Got Five of Them.
“I have a bad feeling about this,” says the former mayor of Palestine, Texas.
By
Keri Blakinger
Coronavirus
May 13, 2020
Jails Turn to UVC Robots To Fight Coronavirus
Some sheriffs are buying ultraviolet light machines traditionally used by hospitals.
By
Alysia Santo
News
June 9, 2020
Support For Defunding The Police Department Is Growing. Here’s Why It’s Not A Silver Bullet.
Past budget cuts have had unintended consequences. Now, proponents say it’s time to fundamentally reimagine the role of the police.
By
Simone Weichselbaum
and
Nicole Lewis
Analysis
June 10, 2020
A Major Obstacle to Police Reform: The Whiteness of Their Union Bosses
Even in the 15 largest departments where the majority of officers are people of color, only one union leader is black, our analysis shows.
By
Eli Hager
and
Weihua Li
News
November 3, 2015
Will Pennsylvania Do Away With Elections for Supreme Court?
An expensive, tough-on-crime race tests the current system.
By
Christie Thompson
News
February 4, 2015
When Police Go Rogue on Facebook
And you thought it was only teenagers...
By
Ken Armstrong
News
June 9, 2016
The Scandal-Singed DAs Who Want to Be Judges
For decades, California prosecutors covered up unethical deals with jailhouse informers.
By
Beth Schwartzapfel