The Marshall Project and STLPR win National Murrow Award for ‘Remember Me’
The art installation and community engagement project honored the lives of homicide victims in St. Louis whose cases have gone unsolved.
The Marshall Project
The Marshall Project is a nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization covering America's criminal justice system.
Latest posts
In the Early ’90s, the Lifers Group Tried to Warn Kids About the Perils of Prison
The incarcerated hip-hop group that emerged from the controversial ‘Scared Straight’ program set out to deglamorize the gangster rap of the moment.
‘Boston Miracle’ Strategy Cut Murders. Can It Work on Crimes Tied to Homelessness?
Tucson and other cities are trying “focused deterrence,” which targets a group of people with tougher consequences, and offers of social services.
My Dad Is in Prison. Here’s Why I Built an AI Chatbot for His Electronic Tablet.
CJ Jones’ dad had endless questions about the outside world. So the techie built a digital tool to help answer them — and deepen their relationship.
Five Things You Didn’t Know About Extreme Heat in Prison, Jail and ICE Detention
Experts share their best tips for investigating rising temperatures behind bars in a webinar from The Marshall Project’s Investigate This!
Why Did an Illinois Prison Fail to Stop 70 Fires?
Three key takeaways from our investigation of the epidemic of fires at the Joliet Treatment Center.
The Young Men Rapping and Beatmaking From a Youth Lockup
On “No Ceilings,” a young Portland lyricist asks, “If I confess all my sins, would they hang me for it?”
Watch: How a Faulty Hospital Drug Test Can Turn New Parents Into Police Targets
Watch our joint investigation with CBS Sunday Morning, exposing how unreliable drug tests at childbirth lead to parents being referred to law enforcement.
Will a Looming Budget Crunch Reverse Efforts to Rein in Fines and Fees?
From suspended driver’s licenses to jail stays, legal financial obligations can shape lives long after an arrest.
Curating Crime and Punishment: What 10 Images Reveal About American Justice
Filmmaker Lynn Novick sifted through thousands of historical images to create her upcoming documentary series on the American justice system.
Illinois Lawmakers Decry Prison’s ‘Gut-Wrenching,’ ‘Heartbreaking’ Conditions
After The Marshall Project found scores of fires set by men at a Joliet prison, legislators want improved fire safety and mental health treatment.
An Iconic ‘90s Neo-Soul Record About Life After Lockup
Chico DeBarge’s “Iggin Me” mirrors his own struggle with incarceration and loss.
ICE Is Trading Warehouses for Old Prisons
Adapting to public pushback, the Trump administration is pivoting to expand immigration detention bedspace nationwide.
Pennsylvania Struck Down Mandatory Life Without Parole for 2nd-Degree Murder. What Comes Next?
People affected by the state’s felony murder law reflect on the ruling and the uncertain path ahead.
What if Prison Was Not Designed to Punish?
In Germany, incarcerated people wear their own clothes, live in apartment-style cells and get family day passes — all to preserve human dignity.
It Was Supposed to Be a Haven for Troubled Teens. They Risked Everything to Escape.
At Fox Run, one of Ohio’s largest youth residential treatment centers, kids and former staff detail a litany of trauma.
Were You in Residential Treatment as a Minor? Here Are the Records You’re Entitled To.
This guide is for people impacted by the “troubled teen industry” to investigate abuses inside youth residential treatment facilities.
Were You Abused or Neglected in Youth Residential Treatment? We Want to Hear From You.
Help our team continue reporting on dangerous conditions in these facilities. We may also connect you with a journalist in your community.
Since Death Penalty’s Return 50 Years Ago, Missouri Executes Prisoners at High Rate
Over half of death row prisoners in Missouri have been executed. Nationally, the rate is 18%.
A Cuban Protest Ballad From ICE Detention
Cuban dissident Nilo Gibert Arencibia has been trapped in a Mississippi immigrant detention facility for eight months. Here’s his protest song.
How Troubled Law Enforcement Recruits Wind Up With a Badge and Gun
The killing of Johan Sebastián Durán Guerrero by an ICE agent in Maine is once more highlighting the problems with vetting and training in law enforcement.
A Prison on Fire
Designed to help people with serious mental illness, Joliet Treatment Center repeatedly failed to prevent or respond to fires, despite two deaths.
I Spent 78 Days in a Violent Youth Jail. I Have PTSD for Life.
Vivid flashbacks, extreme anxiety and feelings of isolation continue to plague me 22 years later.
Guide: How to Navigate Perimenopause and Menopause in Prison
Experiencing perimenopause and menopause in prison can be difficult. Here is some practical advice from medical experts and from incarcerated women who have done it.
Did You Wait Months for an Indictment in a Mississippi Jail?
The Marshall Project - Jackson wants to hear from you.
‘Music From the Big House’ Frees Blues, Soul and Gospel from the Walls of Angola Prison
Standouts include a version of Lead Belly’s hit “Midnight Special” led by filmmaker Rita Chiarelli and an incarcerated band.
Curfews, Drones, and Criminal Charges: Cities Differ on Approaches to ‘Teen Takeovers’
Experts say race and class factor heavily in perceptions of these gatherings, which are fueled by social media and can involve thousands.
New Jersey Adopts Major Reforms Around Hospital Drug Testing of Pregnant Patients
Following Marshall Project reporting, the state now requires hospitals to confirm test results before reporting them to authorities.
Moms of Black Babies More Likely to Be Flagged to Police Over Alleged Pregnancy Drug Use
Child welfare referred Black parents to law enforcement 14,000 times in 7 years, despite no findings of abuse or neglect.
Amid Increased Scrutiny, ICE Detention and Deportation Data Goes Dark
ICE says ‘millions’ of immigrants have left or been deported in Trump’s crackdown. But where are the receipts?
State Reverses Course, Finds Cuyahoga Jail Staff Failed to Start CPR in Wade’s Death
State inspectors said jail staff failed to provide CPR to Jennifer Wade after finding her unresponsive in her cell in February 2025.
Grievances in Federal Prison Rarely Succeed. Here’s How Prisoners Would Change That.
The Marshall Project surveyed people in federal facilities for advice about the complaint process — and how to fix it.
The Prison Rules You Won’t Find in Any Handbook
There are unofficial rules in every prison and jail. Here’s what you need to know before you go in.
In Federal Prisons, Some Guards Use Fear and Violence to Stifle Complaints
Prisoners in federal facilities must file most grievances with the guards — a system they say exposes them to retaliation, including physical abuse.
An Opera Explores the Strain of Prison on a Marriage
In “9131,” incarcerated composer Joseph Wilson depicts a wife’s infidelity while her husband is up for parole.
How Helping Detectives Led a Florida Woman to ICE Detention
Non-traditional state agencies, from college police to wildlife protection, have been pulled into immigration enforcement.
We Asked Ohio’s Death Row What They Think of Governor’s Death Penalty Reversal
Like Gov. Mike DeWine, most agreed the death penalty is broken and does not deter crime, but not always with the same reasoning.
Made in America: The Products of U.S. Prison Labor Are All Around Us
A project by photographer Daniella Zalcman shows the casual prevalence of goods made by prison labor in public and private spaces.
A Timely Remix of ‘Lift Every Voice and Sing’ Out of a New York Prison
The Capitol riots angered Sing Sing’s Alfred Roberts. He responded with his version of what is widely known as the Black national anthem.
From Public Flogging to Flock Cameras: How the U.S. Justice System Evolved Over 250 Years
As the nation celebrates two and a half centuries of independence, we put together a syllabus of some essential criminal justice reading.
What, to the Immigrant, Is Your Fourth of July?
In the spirit of Frederick Douglass’ landmark speech — and America at 250 — immigrants explain what Independence Day means to them.
A Dying Dream: How Trump Targets Immigrants Who Arrived as Children
Polls say Americans support protecting DACA recipients from deportation. Now some are being detained.
With ‘Live on Death Row,’ Rapper Rrome Alone Condemns the Death Penalty
“Every life hinges on poverty, gender and race,” he declares in the 2024 song, “and the pay of the attorney defending your case.”
Why New York’s ‘Precision Policing’ Raises Civil Rights Concerns
The NYPD is leading the adoption of the “data-driven” initiative. Experts warn that some of the tactics are anything but precise.
Healing From My Prison Rape Requires Time, Therapy and Friends Who Don’t Blame the Victim
Lexie Handlang was sexually assaulted soon after she arrived in a Missouri prison. Here, she charts her ongoing road to recovery.
What the Supreme Court’s TPS Ruling Means for Haitians and Syrians
Advocates say the decision to allow Trump to end temporary protected status will send Haitians to “violent, needless deaths.”
Hundreds of Calls for Help: What 911 Logs Reveal About the Local Jail
From assaults to suicide attempts, emergency calls can be a sign of problems that jails can’t handle on their own.
The Next Chapter of ‘Inside Story’
Season three will explain the systems shaping our lives.
Ohio Governor Grants Mercy to Man on Death Row For First Time
Weeks before calling to abolish capital punishment in Ohio, Gov. Mike DeWine commuted the man’s death sentence to life in prison without parole.
How The Death Penalty At 50 Is Far More Broken Than We Knew
The racial disparities, the arbitrary outcomes, the endless waiting and the risk of executing the innocent persist.