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News
July 2, 2015
Is Google More Accurate Than the FBI?
In tracking deaths by police, the tech world might beat Uncle Sam.
By
Mark Hansen
News Inside
October 24, 2019
News Inside Issue Two
The second edition of The Marshall Project’s print publication explores the concept of freedom: mental, physical and spiritual.
By
Lawrence Bartley
Commentary
August 13, 2015
Should Cops Get to Review the Video Before They Report?
Sorry, Mr. Bratton. Science says no.
By
Kathy Pezdek
The Lowdown
June 25, 2015
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
News and Awards
February 8, 2017
Our New Tool Helps Journalists Find News Tips on the Web
Free, open-source software aids reporting by watching government websites for you.
By
The Marshall Project
Analysis
March 24, 2022
Paroled People Can Vote in Colorado. Why Did Forms Say They Couldn’t?
More than two years after a reform bill, outdated government messaging still causes confusion.
By
Ilica Mahajan
,
Andrew Rodriguez Calderón
,
Alexandra Arriaga
and
Weihua Li
Commentary
April 1, 2015
Inmate. Parolee. Felon. Discuss.
An invitation to our audience.
By
Bill Keller
News
March 5, 2015
Missed by a Mile
How hard is it to count deaths by police?
By
Eli Hager
Commentary
February 13, 2018
About the ‘Anglo-American Heritage of Law Enforcement’
Jeff Sessions is right about the ‘heritage' of U.S. sheriffs, in more ways than one.
Robin Washington
News Inside
December 7
Cleveland Focus
News and information from our Cleveland newsroom.
By
Louis Fields
News
December 18, 2015
Rape is Rape, Isn’t It?
It depends on who is counting, and what they count.
By
T. Christian Miller
and
Tom Meagher
Justice Lab
August 14, 2018
A Dangerous Brain
Can neuroscience predict how likely someone is to commit another crime?
By
Andrew Rodriguez Calderón
News
July 1, 2019
Can Racist Algorithms Be Fixed?
A new study adds to the debate over racial bias in risk assessment tools widely used in courtrooms.
By
Beth Schwartzapfel
News
January 27, 2020
What’s in a Name?
New lawsuits by transgender people challenge bans on name changes for those convicted of crimes.
By
Beth Schwartzapfel
Life Inside
March 15, 2018
The Conspiracy Theories You Hear in Prison
The Obamas are part of the Illuminati. Former inmates get lifetime benefits. “Franking.” And other myths that spread behind bars.
By
Mary Rayme
News
June 14, 2022
Lawmakers Call for Probe Into Deadly Federal Prison
Following a Marshall Project/NPR report detailing violence and abuse at the newest federal penitentiary, three members of Congress asked the Justice Department’s inspector general to investigate.
By
Christie Thompson
, The Marshall Project and
Joseph Shapiro
, NPR
News and Awards
February 2
The Marshall Project Partners with VICE World News to Launch New Criminal Justice TV Series
Inside Story brings news, interviews and profiles into U.S. prisons and jails.
By
The Marshall Project
News and Awards
July 19, 2022
The Marshall Project and Ohio Local News Initiative Join Forces to Hire Local Journalist Rachel Dissell
Dissell will contribute to the reporting and community engagement efforts of the Cleveland newsroom.
By
The Marshall Project
News
February 2, 2015
Khaled Who?
An accused terrorist goes on trial. Manhattan yawns.
By
Clare Sestanovich
Commentary
April 27, 2016
The Other F-word
What we call the imprisoned matters.
By
Bill Keller
Commentary
February 22, 2018
A Responsible Gun Owner Despite My Mental Illness
No, it’s not mental illness. It’s guns.
D.J. Schuette
Analysis
March 9, 2017
How We Crunched California’s Pay-to-Stay Data
A guide to our methodology.
By
Anna Flagg
News
May 23, 2017
The New Tool That Could Revolutionize How We Measure Justice
A small nonprofit gathers criminal justice statistics, one county at a time.
By
Beth Schwartzapfel
Life Inside
July 25, 2019
It Was My Job to Tell the Truth About Jails
“Anyone not touched by the system was unlikely to understand: Going to jail actually marks a story’s beginning.”
By
Robin Campbell
News and Awards
March 22
WBUR and The Marshall Project Release New Podcast “Violation” on the Case of Jacob Wideman
A new podcast from WBUR, Boston’s NPR, and The Marshall Project explores America’s opaque parole system through a 1986 murder.
By
The Marshall Project
News
February 11, 2020
Newsrooms Rethink a Crime Reporting Staple: The Mugshot
Confronted with the photos’ lasting impact, some news websites no longer use them as click-bait.
By
Keri Blakinger
Coronavirus
March 23, 2020
“I Want to See my Child.” Juvenile Lockups Cut Visits Over COVID-19 Fears
Families fret about isolated youth behind bars.
By
Eli Hager
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
Commentary
October 15, 2015
New York City’s Big Idea on Bail
Step one: let’s find out if it works.
By
Elizabeth Glazer
News
May 1, 2018
How Prosecutor Reform Is Shaking Up Small DA Races
The goals of the effort are trickling down, even if the money isn’t.
By
Joseph Neff
Justice Lab
February 14, 2019
In Court, Where Are Siri and Alexa?
When it comes to setting the record straight, court reporting technology is still not up to speed.
By
Joseph Darius Jaafari
and
Nicole Lewis
Case in Point
March 18, 2019
A DNA Test Might Help Exonerate This Man. A Judge Won’t Allow It.
North Carolina judge denies testing in a 1992 murder case, but lawyers want shell casings examined.
By
Joseph Neff
Commentary
October 22, 2017
In Defense of Risk-Assessment Tools
Algorithms can help the criminal justice system, but only alongside thoughtful humans.
Adam Neufeld
News
September 24, 2017
What To Do With Violent Sex Offenders
The Supreme Court considers whether “civil commitment” is just prison by another name.
By
Maurice Chammah
News and Awards
August 18
The Marshall Project and FRONTLINE Present Documentary Special About U.S. Prisons
FRONTLINE will screen “Two Strikes” and “Tutwiler” on September 5.
By
The Marshall Project
Commentary
April 3, 2015
Inmate. Prisoner. Other. Discussed.
What to call incarcerated people: Your feedback
By
Blair Hickman
Inside Out
October 14, 2021
They Put Me in Solitary for Drugs I Didn’t Have
Lockups use unreliable tests to claim that lawyers are sending drugs to their clients behind bars.
By
Keri Blakinger
Life Inside
September 12, 2019
A Thirst for Justice
“They booked me into a cell where there was a paper sign over the toilet saying DON’T DRINK THE WATER.”
By
Samuel Campbell
Analysis
July 6, 2022
What You Need to Know About the Rise in U.S. Mass Shootings
A high-profile mass shooting at a Chicago suburb’s July 4 parade was the nation’s fourth in recent weeks.
By
Anastasia Valeeva
and
Wendy Ruderman
News
June 8, 2015
The Possibly Coerced Confession at the Heart of the Bite Mark Case
Re-assessing a videotaped interrogation.
By
Carl Stoffers
Commentary
December 21, 2015
Next Year in Criminal Justice
Three themes that will trend, three that won’t
By
Andrew Cohen
Commentary
June 9, 2016
Poster Child
How Terrance Williams became the face of the death penalty debate in Pennsylvania.
By
Andrew Cohen
Case in Point
February 13, 2018
Doesn’t Anyone Want to Know Who Killed Louise Cicelsky?
New York prosecutors object to new DNA testing that might answer questions left unanswered at a murder trial.
By
Andrew Cohen
Life Inside
June 6, 2019
Coulda Been a Contender
I had a shot at being the heavyweight boxing champion of the world. Then I was convicted of murder.
By
Kassan Messiah
as told to
Eli Hager
Q&A
November 6, 2023
The Untold Story of How Crack Shaped the Justice System
In a new book, a journalist wrestles with how lessons from America’s response to crack resonate in the opioid era.
By
Beth Schwartzapfel
Feature
August 4, 2015
The New Science of Sentencing
Should prison sentences be based on crimes that haven’t been committed yet?
By
Anna Maria Barry-Jester
,
Ben Casselman
and
Dana Goldstein
One Year Later: The Pandemic Behind Bars
March 1, 2021
We Asked People Behind Bars How They Feel About Getting Vaccinated
A Marshall Project survey of the incarcerated showed widespread interest in the coronavirus vaccine as well as pervasive distrust of the prison medical system.
By
Nicole Lewis
Investigate Your State
July 1, 2021
Checking The Success Of Your State's Efforts To Restore Voting Rights To The Formerly Incarcerated
We learned no more than 1 in 4 of the newly eligible voters had registered for the 2020 election in four key states. Here’s how to examine yours.
By
Andrew R. Calderon
Coronavirus
April 25, 2020
Few Federal Prisoners Released Under COVID-19 Emergency Policies
A federal judge called the Bureau of Prisons release process “Kafkaesque.”
By
Joseph Neff
and
Keri Blakinger
Coronavirus
June 24, 2021
A State-By-State Look at 15 Months of Coronavirus in Prisons
The Marshall Project and The Associated Press collected data on COVID-19 infections in state and federal prisons every week. See how the virus affected correctional facilities near you.
By
The Marshall Project
Coronavirus
June 15, 2020
Is Child Abuse Really Rising During The Pandemic?
Amid speculation of a spike in abuse, advocates worry that families of color will be policed even more.
By
Eli Hager
News
April 14, 2015
Two Confessions
One by a nervous kid. One by a self-styled hit man. A Detroit whodunnit.
By
Andrew Cohen
Life Inside
April 22, 2015
Blood, Sex and Contraband
One inmate’s unexpurgated version of life in a Mississippi prison
By
Andrew Cohen
News
January 5, 2016
Why Do Obama’s Gun Initiatives Sound Kind of Familiar?
Perhaps because he’s been here before.
By
Eli Hager
Feature
September 23, 2015
Alternatives to Bullets
From liquids that smell like dead animals to high-temperature heat rays, the present and future of non-lethal weapons.
By
Eli Hager
Q&A
May 5, 2016
How ‘The Good Wife’ Got the Law Right
‘Don’t take the easy way out, don’t take shortcuts.’
By
Raha Naddaf
Feature
June 26, 2019
Corporate Confession: Gangs Ran This Private Prison
What happened in Mississippi when no one wanted dangerous, low-paying guard jobs.
By
Joseph Neff
and
Alysia Santo
Feature
July 13, 2016
How to Fix American Policing
At a painful time, a roundup of proposed remedies
By
Ken Armstrong
Analysis
July 22, 2016
Truth-testing Trump on Law and Order
“These are the facts,” he says. Mmmm, not so fast.
By
The Marshall Project
Analysis
July 19, 2017
Nine Lessons About Criminal Justice Reform
What Washington can learn from the states.
By
Bill Keller
News
December 14, 2016
Let’s Go to Prison!
A national field trip to Incarceration Nation, under the shadow of Donald Trump
By
Eli Hager
Feature
September 12
What Federal Judges’ Rulings Reveal About the Memphis Police Tactics
Five judges in recent years have found that officers violated residents’ constitutional rights during traffic and pedestrian stops.
By
Daphne Duret
and
Marc Perrusquia
Violation
December 11, 2023
The Court Ruling Jacob Wideman Was Waiting For
A “Violation” podcast update brings listeners the latest news in Wideman’s case, including his reaction to a ruling that leaves him few paths to freedom.
By
Beth Schwartzapfel
Feature
June 24, 2015
The Surprisingly Imperfect Science of DNA Testing
How a proven tool may be anything but.
By
Katie Worth
Feature
May 24, 2016
Nothing But The Truth
A radical new interrogation technique is transforming the art of detective work: Shut up and let the suspect do the talking.
By
Robert Kolker
Feature
April 19, 2018
Framed for Murder By His Own DNA
We leave traces of our genetic material everywhere, even on things we’ve never touched. That got Lukis Anderson charged with a brutal crime he didn’t commit.
By
Katie Worth
Feature
May 22, 2021
Life Without Parole Is Replacing the Death Penalty — But the Legal Defense System Hasn’t Kept Up
Just ask a Dallas woman who spent a year in jail without talking to a lawyer.
By
Cary Aspinwall
News
April 23, 2020
New York Rolled Back Bail Reform. What Will The Rest Of The Country Do?
Bail reform advocates are adapting in light of COVID-19 releases and the lessons from New York’s no-bail flop.
By
Jamiles Lartey
Analysis
December 22, 2022
Some of Our Best Work of 2022
From coverage of prison violence and abuses in a juvenile lockup to investigations by our new Cleveland team, our reporters told stories that made a difference.
By
Terri Troncale
Feature
October 18, 2022
We Surveyed U.S. Sheriffs. See Their Views on Power, Race and Immigration
In an exclusive new survey, The Marshall Project found that sheriffs are key to our debates on policing, immigration and much more.
By
Maurice Chammah
Feature
February 3, 2016
Policing the Future
In the aftermath of Michael Brown's death, St. Louis cops embrace crime-predicting software.
By
Maurice Chammah
, with additional reporting by
Mark Hansen
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
Feature
October 6, 2016
This Machine Could Prevent Gun Violence — If Only Cops Used It
A system that can link gun crimes through shell casings is hobbled by skepticism and lack of manpower.
By
Beth Schwartzapfel
News and Awards
January 11
The Marshall Project: Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, 2023
Reinvesting in our goals at a time when diversity initiatives are under attack
error in byline
Analysis
June 27
Crime Rates and the 2024 Election: What You Need to Know
As crime data again becomes a flashpoint in the presidential campaign, experts push for better national statistics.
By
Weihua Li
and
Jamiles Lartey
Just Say You’re Sorry
May 15, 2023
Listen as a Texas Ranger Uses Lies to Extract a Questionable Murder Confession
Hear how James Holland gradually convinces Larry Driskill to question his own memory — and narrate a murder he still insists he didn’t commit.
By
Maurice Chammah
Looking Back
May 28, 2018
Defending Al Capone
How the most notorious gangster of all got railroaded in Philadelphia.
By
Marc Bookman
Feature
April 9, 2018
Spying on Attica
How nearly 2,000 cameras tamed America’s most notorious prison
By
John J. Lennon
Q&A
January 14, 2019
How Dangerous is Marijuana, Really?
A Marshall Project virtual roundtable.
By The Marshall Project
Life Inside
September 22, 2022
The Art of Bidding, or How I Survived Federal Prison
When Eric Borsuk went to prison with his two best friends, they found their ‘bid’ — their purpose — together. Then one day, everything changed.
By
Eric Borsuk
Violation
April 12, 2023
‘Heart Tests’: Finding Life (and Love) Behind Bars
Part Four of the “Violation” podcast follows Jacob Wideman as he confronts his mental health, navigates romance, and faces a skeptical parole board.
By
Beth Schwartzapfel
Just Say You’re Sorry
May 29, 2023
As a Texas Ranger Gains National Fame, His Interrogations Draw Skepticism
James Holland’s star rises after he coaxes killer Samuel Little to confess to 90 murders. But his work in Larry Driskill’s case comes into question.
By
Maurice Chammah
Just Say You’re Sorry
May 22, 2023
An All-Night, Pizza-Fueled Interrogation. A Dubious Confession. A DNA Surprise.
Hear Texas Ranger James Holland use familiar tactics to convince another man to confess to a murder he vehemently denies. But this time, there’s DNA.
By
Maurice Chammah