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Prisoners from the Ferguson Unit picking cotton outside of Huntsville, Texas, in 1968. The unit was named after James E. Ferguson, a governor in the 1910s with a troubled record of condoning anti-Mexican violence.
News July 29, 2020
Will The Reckoning Over Racist Names Include These Prisons?
Many prisons, especially in the South, are named after racist officials and former plantations.
By
The Florence Federal Correctional Complex in southern Colorado, in 2015.
Commentary October 17, 2017
Federal Prisons Don’t Even Try to Rehabilitate the Undocumented
The Bureau of Prisons fails to provide basic resources to undocumented prisoners.
Jacob Schuman
Michael Bennett reads a book at the Cheshire Correctional Institution in Connecticut, in 2010.
Feature December 21, 2022
Why Would Prisons Ban My Book? Absurdities Rule the System
Censorship kept me from finishing a college essay behind bars. Now, prisons might keep readers from my memoir.
By
Detainees make phone calls at a federal immigration detention center in California that is run by the private GEO Group.
The Lowdown September 12, 2019
Here's Why Abolishing Private Prisons Isn't a Silver Bullet
The vast majority of prisoners are held in publicly run prisons. But the private sector affects their incarceration in different ways.
By
Feature November 21, 2018
Treatment Denied: The Mental Health Crisis in Federal Prisons
The Bureau of Prisons set higher standards for psychiatric care. But instead of helping more inmates, the agency dropped thousands from its caseload, data shows.
By and Taylor Elizabeth Eldridge
News March 29, 2021
Texas Prisons Stopped In-Person Visits and Limited Mail. Drugs Got in Anyway.
Guards smuggle in most contraband, people who live in or work at prisons say.
By and Jolie Mccullough
Inside Out July 1, 2021
Prisons Have a Health Care Issue — And It Starts at the Top, Critics Say
When coronavirus hit federal prisons, the top officials had no health care experience.
By
A dark brown high-rise federal prison.
Closing Argument January 6, 2024
Federal Prisons Are Over Capacity — Yet Efforts to Ease Overcrowding Are Ending
The Bureau of Prisons’ system is in trouble and needs serious upgrades on several fronts.
By
Sean McQuiddy contracted COVID-19 while at a federal prison in Forrest City, Arkansas.
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 AND
Eight cropped book covers with shadows behind them appear in a grid against a cream-colored background: “The Egyptian Book of the Dead,” “The Hellbound Heart,” “Captive Nation,” “Black on Black Violence,” “Violence: Reflections on a National Epidemic” and “Effective Java.” The center of the grid shows a pointer cursor hovering above an image of a tool displaying which books are banned in Ohio prisons.
Investigate This October 3, 2023
How to Report on Banned Books in Prisons in Your State
Prisons are among the most restrictive reading environments in the United States.
By The Marshall Project
The Great Plains Correctional Institution, run by the Geo Group in Hinton, Okla., has 27 prisoners with confirmed cases of COVID-19.
Coronavirus May 8, 2020
Why Did It Take the Feds Weeks to Report COVID-19 Cases In Privately Run Prisons?
The Bureau of Prisons reports 110 confirmed cases among 17,000 prisoners—and that may be an undercount.
By
Jackson June 20, 2024
Mississippi Wants to Allow Some Votes From Jails and Prisons. Red Tape May Stop It.
A new state law will allow more people in jails and prisons to cast absentee ballots, but many obstacles remain.
By
Sonia Rodriguez and her fiancé Johnny Joe “JJ” Desilva Jr, the federal prison in Elkton, Ohio, and a letter sent from another prisoner describing conditions during the COVID-19 outbreak.
Coronavirus June 18, 2020
“I Begged Them To Let Me Die”: How Federal Prisons Became Coronavirus Death Traps.
The Bureau of Prisons was unprepared and slow to respond. Then officials took steps that helped spread the virus.
By and Keegan Hamilton
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 and
A package of books that was rejected by the Southern Desert Correctional Center in Indian Springs, Nevada, surrounded by printouts of prison policies about receiving reading material and publications from different states. The package has "Too much tape" written in marker on the side.
News October 18, 2023
Many Prisons Restrict Books to Stop Drug Smuggling. Critics Say It Doesn’t Work.
Battling an overdose crisis, more prisons are blocking books based on the sender or packaging. Free speech advocates call it a de facto book ban.
By and
In a black and white photograph, Grace Pinson, a trans Latina with short dark hair, stands outside in the sun with three men. The person to her left wears a tank top and has tattoos on his face, neck and arms. Behind her stand two men. The one on the right wears a white T-shirt and is bald. The one on the left has tattoos on his chest and arms and has close-cropped, dark hair.
News January 24
The Trans Woman Who Sued the Federal Prisons (and Won) Settles Her Remaining Cases
Days before Trump’s inauguration, the Bureau of Prisons agreed to pay Grace Pinson $95,000 to drop more than a dozen pending lawsuits.
By
A White woman in a gray suit delivers a speech at a podium with the federal Bureau of Prisons logo on it. In the background, an American flag can be seen on the left and the U.S. Department of Justice flag on the right.
News August 4, 2022
She Tried to ‘Humanize’ Prisons in Oregon. Can She Fix the Federal System?
Inspired by European models, the new Bureau of Prisons director built a Japanese garden in one penitentiary and made official language less demeaning. But some are skeptical of lasting reform.
By
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
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.
News October 16, 2024
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.
By , , The Marshall Project and Joseph Shapiro, NPR
Commentary August 12, 2016
End Prisons-for-Profit
A scathing report calls for “better oversight.” That’s not enough.
By Carl Takei
Puerto Rico’s second-largest prison complex in Bayamón had 13 inmates escape during Hurricane Maria. Corrections officials blamed a power outage for the escape.
News October 20, 2017
Prisons and the Deluge
For prisoners in a hurricane, there’s nowhere to run.
By , and Andrés Caballero
Feature September 26, 2024
The Future of Prisons?
Inspired by Germany, South Carolina let prisoners design their own units, write house rules and settle their own disputes. Then came politics.
By
WALLKILL, NY - NOVEMBER 24: An image of the Manhattan Bridge with the Twin Towers in the background, stands inside the Wallkill Correctional Facility in Ulster County on November 24, 2014 in Wallkill, New York. Cardinal Timothy Dolan held a pre-Thanksging Mass in the prison chapel, and the service was attended by some 30 inmates as well as staff of the medium-security facility. The facility houses a total of almost 600 prisoners, most of them from New York City. (Photo by John Moore/Getty Images)
News May 26, 2015
Shorter Sentences, Shrinking Prisons
A new report could have a big impact on New York’s prison population — if anyone pays attention.
By
News October 23, 2016
If Prisoners Ran Prisons
Five Texas inmates say what they’d do differently.
By
News June 17, 2015
Germany’s Kinder, Gentler, Safer Prisons
Blank stares and culture shock. How Germany does prison, day two.
By
A visitor takes a photograph of a cellblock at Eastern State Penitentiary in Philadelphia, Pa. in April.
Feature July 4, 2016
Turning Prisons into Haunted Houses
Giving strange new life to old penitentiaries.
By
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, 2024
How Federal Prisons Are Getting Worse
Government watchdog agencies found hundreds of preventable deaths and excessive use of solitary confinement.
By and
A grid of 9 book covers set on top of a blue background with sharp shadows: Hand Lettering & Calligraphy, Soledad Brother, Mein Kampf, 50 Shades of Grey, 48 Laws of Power, Prison Ramen, The Color Prple, Egyptian Hieroglyphic Dictionary, Forgotten Realms On top, there are a few blocks of handwriting pointing to some of the books that read: "Threat to the order and security of the institution," "sexually explicit," "methods of poison"
Graphics February 23, 2023
The Books Banned in Your State’s Prisons
We asked all state systems for book policies and ban lists, then created a database for you.
By The Marshall Project
Coronavirus April 24, 2020
Tracking the Spread of Coronavirus in Prisons
A new Marshall Project effort has collected data on the prevalence of COVID-19 among prisoners and prison staff. Here’s what we know after one month of reporting.
By , and
News August 4, 2015
Why Jails Have More Suicides than Prisons
A new report and a growing phenomenon.
By and
The visitation room of the Kinross Correctional Facility in Michigan.
Looking Back April 9, 2019
When Prisons Cut Off Visits—Indefinitely
It’s been nearly 25 years since Michigan adopted a controversial visitation policy. Families have been fighting it ever since.
By
News February 24, 2015
Debtors’ Prisons, Then and Now: FAQ
Congress outlawed them. The Supreme Court ruled them unconstitutional. Yet they live on.
By
Analysis June 25, 2015
What Prisons Can Learn From Schools
Lessons from education reform on transforming an expensive, ineffective system.
By
Michelle-Lael Norsworthy in a still from video of her deposition in December 2014.
News August 10, 2015
What Care Do Prisons Owe Transgender Inmates?
A California case may decide.
By
Youth offenders at the Lucas County Juvenile Justice Center in Toledo, Oh., in January.
Justice Lab November 18, 2015
Our Prisons in Black and White
The race gap for adults is shrinking. Why is it widening for juveniles?
By
Prisoners wait for a morning head count at the Sumter Correctional Institution in Bushnell, Fla.
Justice Lab April 14, 2019
Can Better Data Fix Florida’s Prisons?
A landmark law lets the state track people through the justice system. But that’s tougher than it sounds.
By
News December 18, 2014
Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Private Prisons...
...is none of your damn business.
By
The entrance to a Texas prison facility, a gray rectangular building with a detached teal shaded structure in front of it. A black car is parked to the right. There are wired fences and buildings in the background.
Closing Argument September 10, 2022
Why Record Heat Can Be Deadlier in Prisons
Corrections officials across most of the nation have not prepared for warmer summers and record heat waves.
By
Graphics September 21, 2017
Puerto Rico Puts Its Prisons Near Flood Zones
After Hurricane Maria, thousands of families await news.
By and
A group of men wearing white uniforms, seen from the back, walk toward a fenced area. A guard stands by the entrance.
Analysis January 22
What Will Trump’s Executive Order on Private Prisons Really Do?
The order reverses Biden’s ban on private prison contracts with the Justice Department. Private immigrant detention never stopped and is expected to grow.
By
News July 15, 2021
Inside The Nation’s Overdose Crisis in Prisons and Jails
Behind bars, drug use is rampant and uniquely deadly, new data shows.
By and Jimmy Jenkins
The Metropolitan Correctional Center in Lower Manhattan, where Jeffrey Epstein was held before he was found dead of an apparent suicide.
News August 14, 2019
Epstein’s Death Highlights A Staffing Crisis in Federal Prisons
A hiring freeze by the Trump administration shrank the federal prison workforce at twice the rate of the declining prison population.
By and
Feature February 20, 2020
Mississippi Prisons: No One’s Safe, Not Even the Guards
Too many prisoners, too few officers leads to violence.
By and
The Rev. Ronald Apollo at the flag folding ceremony for his retirement ceremony from the U.S. Air Force in 2017.
News January 26, 2018
The Bureau of Prisons Yields to a Chaplain’s Conscience
The bureau relents in a stalemate over pepper spray.
By
An incarcerated person received a COVID-19 vaccination at the Bolivar County Regional Correctional Facility in Cleveland, Miss., in April.
News December 22, 2021
Omicron Has Arrived. Many Prisons and Jails Are Not Ready.
Experts fear “another potential tinderbox scenario” akin to the early days of the pandemic.
By and
Detail of the uniform of a correctional officer at the Waldeck Prison in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Germany.
News June 22, 2015
The Stiff Competition to Work in German Prisons
How Germany does prison, day five.
By
Returned from Archive --- 30202809A. --- NYT AGGREGATORS OK --- --- 30202809A --- Orig. Caption: Springville, AL - Feb 15, 2017 - H-Dorm is currently used as the location of St. Clair’s "therapeutic community", housing inmates with needs including substance abuse and mental health counseling...St. Clair Correctional Facility is an Alabama state men’s prison located in St. Clair County, Alabama. The prison was originally built in 1983, and has an operating capacity of 1514 inmates. Within a two and a half year period ending September 2014, six inmates had been killed in the facility. The Alabama non-profit Equal Justice Initiative had already called for a change in leadership three months prior, after inmate Jodey Waldrop was killed in the early morning hours of June 3, for what they described as a pattern of serious neglect and violence, including an incident when the then-warden punched a handcuffed prisoner. As of June 2014 the prison was at 130 percent capacity...In March 2016 a correctional officer was wounded by a knife, trying to break up a fight. On May 13, 2016, another inmate was found dead of unknown causes. In June 2016 the Equal Justice Initiative filed a motion in federal court arguing that "severe overcrowding, understaffing and dangerous conditions violate the prisoners’ constitutional rights," and that the prison’s severe understaffing poses a safety risk to guards and correctional officers. The facility runs at 59.5% of full staffing levels, giving it a staff-to-inmate ratio among the highest in U.S. prisons. NYTCREDIT: William Widmer for The New York Times
Commentary December 17, 2019
How to Fix Our Prisons? Let The Public Inside.
We need a broad national effort to recruit and place volunteers to educate and counsel incarcerated people.
By
At FCI Oakdale, a federal prison in Oakdale, La., five prisoners have died of coronavirus.
Coronavirus April 3, 2020
Federal Prisons Agency “Put Staff in Harm’s Way” of Coronavirus
Orders at Oakdale in Louisiana help explain COVID-19 spread.
By and
At the Polunsky Unit in Livingston, Texas, prisoners have told their families that they have gathered snow into buckets so that they can flush dorm toilets.
News February 19, 2021
Inside Frigid Texas Prisons: Broken Toilets, Disgusting Food, Few Blankets
The deep freeze has been terrible for many Texans, but prisoners have little way to get warm.
By
Feature June 3, 2015
Nigerians are Flocking to Work in Texas Prisons
An immigration trend changes the face of corrections.
By
The George Beto Unit, near Palestine, Texas, in 2018.
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
Feature October 11, 2017
“Cooking Them to Death”: The Lethal Toll of Hot Prisons
As the climate changes, inmates without air-conditioning have no escape from extreme heat.
WITH VIDEO BY THE MARSHALL PROJECT, THE WEATHER CHANNEL AND DIVIDED FILMS
Eliza McSwain works the cash register at a McDonald’s restaurant in Brandon, Miss. She was one of several people hired by the local fast food franchise from the Mississippi Department of Corrections’ restitution center program.
Analysis January 9, 2020
How We Investigated Mississippi’s Modern-Day Debtors Prisons
A tip led us to a little-known program that affected hundreds of poor workers.
By Anna Wolfe and Michelle Liu
Nacola McNeil in front of the Leading Into New Communities (LINC) transitional housing in Wilmington, NC, in January.
News January 19, 2021
Prisons Are Releasing People Without COVID-19 Tests Or Quarantines
People getting out of prison are bringing the virus outside because lockups aren’t taking basic precautions. Overtaxed halfway houses and other reentry programs are left to pick up the slack.
By 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, 2024
‘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, 2024
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
Chaplain Ronald Apollo, left, standing next to his mentor, Dr. Bishop M. Bullock, during his August 2017 retirement ceremony. Apollo served in the military for over 27 years.
News September 25, 2017
A Chaplain’s Conscience vs. the Bureau of Prisons
Stalemate over a can of pepper spray.
By
A guard drives past the entrance of the Federal Correctional Institution, Terminal Island in California.
News January 7, 2019
What the Government Shutdown Looks Like Inside Federal Prisons
Family visits canceled, guards driving for Uber, rising tensions and more.
By
SAN LUIS OBISPO, CA - DECEMBER 19: (Editorial Use Only) Frank Fuller, age 66, walks back to his prison cell after taking medication at California Men’s Colony prison on December 19, 2013 in San Luis Obispo, California. Fuller is helped through his daily life by the Gold Coats program, a volunteer care program where healthy prisoners care for elderly prisoners who either need general assistance with mobility and every day life or who also struggle with Alzheimer’s and dementia. The program, the first of it’s kind in the country, has existed for approximately 25 years. Fuller is serving a 35-years-to-life sentence; he has been incarcerated since 1990. He has been in the Gold Coats program for over six years. He says he is serving time for the murder of his third wife, who he says he shot with a rifle in a drunken rage after learning she had been having an affair with another man. He has been diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder from serving five years in the Navy in the Vietnam War; he also has Hepatitis C. Fuller, who took shrapnel in his legs from a mortar round, says he held many different positions while fighting in Vietnam, including being a machine gunner; he says he still suffers occasional flash backs. He says has served one other sentence for murdering a man with a .45 caliber gun in a fight. Between Vietnam and prison, he says he worked in the oil fields and in manufacturing. (Photo by Andrew Burton/Getty Images)
News August 27, 2015
When Prisons Need to Be More Like Nursing Homes
Finding new ways to treat the growing pool of older, ailing inmates.
By
Three Black men sit in a chapel, next to a statue of Our Lady of Guadalupe. The man sitting in the middle wears glasses and a lime green polo over his dark green prison uniform. The two men sitting on either side of him hold a trombone and a saxophone, wearing jackets and slacks.
Closing Argument June 10, 2023
A Battle Over First Amendment Rights in Prisons
New York state tried to limit writings and artistic works from prisoners — illustrating a growing issue across the country.
By and
An illustration depicts two correctional officers dressed in gray shirts and black pants standing in front of a beige wall with barred windows high above them. At a distance in shadows lies the body of an incarcerated person wearing an orange prison jumpsuit crumpled on the floor.
Investigate This January 31
Journalists: How to Report on Deaths in Jails and Prisons
When you get a tip about a death or multiple deaths in your local jail or prison, there are concrete steps you can take to start investigating.
By , and
News October 1, 2015
How to Fight Modern-Day Debtors’ Prisons? Sue the Courts.
Alec Karakatsanis’s quest to stop courts from punishing poor people who can’t pay their fees.
By
The Arthur Kill Correctional Facility on Staten Island, above, will soon open as a movie studio.
The Lowdown January 29, 2015
Converted Cellblocks
The many ways we recycle vacant prisons.
By
The U.S. penitentiary in Thomson, Illinois.
Analysis May 31, 2022
Five Things to Know About One of the Deadliest Federal Prisons
Key takeaways from our investigation into deaths and abuse at a U.S. penitentiary.
By
Arkansas hopes to reduce the spread of COVID-19 by tracking all cases in its prisons, including the Cummins Unit in Lincoln County.
Coronavirus April 24, 2020
These Prisons Are Doing Mass Testing For COVID-19—And Finding Mass Infections
Health experts say not testing staff could be a blind spot.
By and
Lance Lowry, who recently retired after 20 years as a corrections officer, outside the Huntsville Unit in Texas.
News November 1, 2021
As Corrections Officers Quit in Droves, Prisons Get Even More Dangerous
Fewer guards lead to more lockdowns, rising tensions and scant access to healthcare.
By , , , Mike Sisak and
News February 22, 2016
Why Some Prisons are Spending Millions on a Pricey New Drug
Corrections facilities are ground zero for treating hepatitis C — but at a cost.
By
Coronavirus December 8, 2021
How Prisons in Each State Are Restricting Visits Due to Coronavirus
As COVID-19 spread earlier this year, prison facilities across the country suspended visits from family and lawyers. Several months into the pandemic, some states are easing those restrictions. We’re rounding up the changes as they occur.
By
News March 29, 2016
DOJ Tells Prisons to Put Safety First in Housing Transgender Inmates
Rules from 2012 are too often ignored, advocates say.
By
Inside Out June 10, 2021
Small Towns Used To See Prisons as a Boon. Now, Many Don’t Want Them.
In its search for a new prison’s home, Nebraska finds few places willing to host.
By
Inside Out August 12, 2021
‘They Should Have Been Watching’: Suicides Rise in Texas Prisons During Pandemic
Prison suicides have been rising for years. Experts fear the pandemic has made it worse.
By
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, a White man, points a finger while giving a speech.
News January 25, 2024
Trans People in Florida Prisons Say Gender-Affirming Care Ban Upended Their Health Care
Nearly two dozen transgender women in prison said their access to treatment suddenly changed following the “anti-woke” law championed by Gov. DeSantis.
By
In the foreground, four people wearing winter coats hold up signs reading "Enough is Enough, Strike!" as it snows. A group of people stand behind them.
Closing Argument February 22
How a Guards’ Strike Plunged New York Prisons Into Turmoil and Why the Timing Is Curious
Correctional officers complain of unsafe conditions, but critics say the protests were meant to deflect attention from ‘a moment of reckoning.’
By
A red brick correctional facility behind a barbed wire fence.
Closing Argument April 6, 2024
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
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 and
An illustration shows a correctional officer's light blue shirt and dark blue pants neatly folded in a pile. Loose sheets of paper fly above the shirt.
News May 19, 2023
What Do People Not Understand About Working in Prisons and Jails?
Fill out a short form to let us know what issues matter most in your workplace.
By The Marshall Project
Analysis April 18, 2024
Officials Failed to Act When COVID Hit Prisons. A New Study Shows the Deadly Cost.
People in prison died at 3.4 times the rate of the free population, with the oldest hit hardest. New data holds lessons for preventing future deaths.
By , and
A hotdog with a tortilla, a cup of mush and a raw potato.
News January 20, 2023
‘Pig Slop’ No More? Texas Prisons Detail Plan To Improve Food
The move follows our investigation revealing meals of raw potatoes, moldy bread.
By
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
An illustration mostly in muted green, brown and blue shades shows Grace Pinson, a trans Latina with long dark hair wearing a white T-shirt, standing in a courtroom while wearing handcuffs linked to a chain at her waist. An American flag is on the left of the illustration, and three people in suits look at Grace with their backs to the viewer.
Feature October 9, 2024
Assaulted by Her Cellmate, a Trans Woman Took the Federal Prisons to Court
When you are harmed in a place whose purpose is punishment, why is it so hard to get justice?
By
Feature May 19, 2023
In New York Prisons, Guards Who Brutalize Prisoners Rarely Get Fired
Records obtained by The Marshall Project reveal a state discipline system that fails to hold many guards accountable.
By , and
The view outside Tegel-Prison from the bus carrying the delegation.
News June 18, 2015
Can German Prisons Teach America how to Handle Its Most Violent Criminals?
How Germany does prison, day three.
By
News July 23, 2015
Federal Prisons Could Release 1,000 Times More Drug Offenders Than Obama Did
New, retroactive sentencing guidelines begin to kick in.
By
A juvenile at the Orleans Justice Center in New Orleans in 2018.
Coronavirus May 12, 2020
Solitary, Brawls, No Teachers: Coronavirus Makes Juvenile Jails Look Like Adult Prisons
Youth lockups are supposed to rehabilitate kids, not punish them. The pandemic is making that harder than ever.
By
Illustration of a white paper airplane flying in the sky with a faint city skyline with a blue and purple gradient in the background.
Cleveland Newsletter October 24, 2024
For Many in Ohio Prisons and Jails, Trump Gets Their Votes
Marshall Project survey of incarcerated people focuses on the ‘prosecutor vs. felon’ presidential race.
By The Marshall Project - Cleveland
Feature January 9, 2020
Think Debtors Prisons Are a Thing of the Past? Not in Mississippi.
How the state’s “restitution program” forces poor people to work off small debts.
By Anna Wolfe and Michelle Liu
Correctional officers are being blocked from a door of a prison on the left side of an illustration. They walk around the corner, removing their uniforms, only to be welcomed back to a door on the right side of the prison. Their uniforms are returned to them in the process.
Feature December 14, 2023
‘A Crazy System’: How Arbitration Returns Abusive Guards to New York Prisons
Over a 12-year span, three out of every four state correctional officers fired for abuse or covering it up got their jobs back.
By and
An illustration shows a line of correctional officers with their arms linked, in shades of gray, There's an opening in the line, which shows a correctional officer being protected and escorted away by two other officers, in shades of blue and purple.
Feature May 22, 2023
How a ‘Blue Wall’ Inside New York State Prisons Protects Abusive Guards
Records and interviews reveal a culture of cover-ups among corrections officers who falsify reports and send beating victims to solitary confinement.
By , and
News and Awards February 12, 2020
Anna Wolfe and Michelle Liu win February Sidney Award
Their investigation exposed modern-day debtors prisons in Mississippi.
By The Marshall Project
Inmates watch television at the Missouri River Correctional Center, a minimum-security facility in Bismarck, N.D., which has based some of its programs on those found in a prison in Norway.
News October 31, 2017
I Did It Norway
Some American prisons are singing a European tune.
By
Graphics December 19, 2014
U.S. Incarceration: Still Mass
The shrink-the-prisons movement hasn’t moved the numbers.
By and
News and Awards February 12, 2021
The Marshall Project and Mississippi Today Win Harry Frank Guggenheim Award for Excellence in Criminal Justice Reporting
Our investigation exposed Mississippi’s modern-day debtors prisons.
By The Marshall Project
News June 5, 2015
Job Opening: No Training, Low Pay, High Turnover
In Mississippi prisons last year, half the officers quit.
By
News December 13, 2020
Prisoners Are Setting Fires To Protest Pandemic Conditions
But many Texas prisons don’t have working fire alarms.
By
News March 2, 2020
No Glitter, No Glue, No Meth?
Can Texas prisons really stop contraband by banning greeting cards?
By
Lincoln Hills School for Boys in Irma, Wisc.
News March 3, 2016
There Are Still 80 ‘Youth Prisons’ in the U.S. Here Are Five Things to Know About Them
They’re harsh, dangerous and isolated — and may be around for a while.
By
An illustration shows, from left, an elephant symbolizing Republicans; simplified figures including a person stepping out with vertical bars to their right, crossed by wavy lines suggesting a flag; a woman holding a sign; a donkey symbolizing Democrats; a ballot box; and hints of barbed wire on either side of the drawing. The color scheme of the drawing is in marigold yellow, coral, blue, black and light gray.
Investigate This October 18, 2024
Journalists: How to Report on the Political Opinions of People in Prisons and Jails in Your State
More than 54,000 incarcerated people in 45 states shared their views on the presidential election in The Marshall Project’s landmark political survey.
By The Marshall Project
A photo shows the silhouette of a prison tower, trees and lamp posts against an orange sunset.
Closing Argument July 22, 2023
‘Concrete Coffins’: Surviving Extreme Heat Behind Bars
Record temperatures in much of the U.S. threatening more people in prisons.
By
A man wearing an orange and red prison uniform looks out the window of his solitary confinement cell.
Closing Argument September 2, 2023
Ending the Golden State Era of Solitary Confinement
California could reshape the practice as other states limit isolation. Meanwhile, prisons aren’t keeping pace.
By
At the ADX Florence supermax prison in Colorado, the Department of Justice’s inspector general found mentally ill inmates held in solitary confinement despite a 2014 change in policy meant to improve their care.
News July 12, 2017
Federal Watchdog Finds Mentally Ill Are Stuck in Solitary
A new report contradicts a claim from the Bureau of Prisons.
By
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