The Marshall Project

The Marshall Project - 2025-07-28T13:53:02-04:00

Trump Flaunts Pardon Rules — and Costs Victims and Taxpayers More Than $1 Billion - 2025-07-28T06:00:00-04:00
Many of the president’s recent pardons violate Justice Department policies designed to ensure fairness and public safety.

How Faulty Drug Tests Turn New Parents’ Lives Upside-Down - 2025-07-27T11:00:00-04:00
Watch our joint investigation with CBS Sunday Morning into how hospitals use unreliable test results to report parents to child welfare agencies.

New York’s Prison Guard Strike Ended Months Ago. For Some, Life-Threatening Effects Persist. - 2025-07-26T12:00:00-04:00
Staffing shortages mean incarcerated people are not getting vital medical care, programming and other services.

Galvanized by Trump, These States Are Passing Harsh New Laws Against Immigrants - 2025-07-25T11:00:08-04:00
The policies create new restrictions for immigrants and people who support them — including reviving measures previously rejected by courts.

They’re Facing Deportation with Severe Mental Illness — And Now Without a Lawyer - 2025-07-24T13:35:00-04:00
The Trump administration recently ended a legal aid program, leaving immigrants who have mental health disorders on their own.

What Happens When Someone Dies Inside One of America’s Worst Jails? - 2025-07-24T06:00:13-04:00
In Cuyahoga County, a jail death triggers mandatory investigations. Here’s what all Ohio sheriffs are supposed to do, and how to check their work.

Immigrant Family Hides for Their Lives in St. Louis as ICE Crackdown Intensifies - 2025-07-22T06:00:00-04:00
They say returning to Guatemala isn’t an option — even if they are forced to.

Why Closing Prisons — Even Bad Ones — Is Complicated - 2025-07-19T12:00:00-04:00
From politics to economics, closing old or bad prisons is not always straightforward. Even some incarcerated people have mixed emotions.

Indicted Mississippi Prosecutor’s Latest Campaign Finance Report Rife With Errors - 2025-07-18T12:00:00-04:00
Amid federal corruption charges, the campaign finance report from Jody Owens features bad math, with thousands of dollars unaccounted for.

I Was Proud of My Gift of Gab. Then I Took a Communications Class Led by Fellow Prisoners. - 2025-07-18T06:00:36-04:00
After 16 years in Michigan lockups, award-winning poet and writer Demetrius Buckley had to relearn how to be an active listener.

Journalists: How to Get Records the Criminal Justice System Doesn’t Want You to Have - 2025-07-18T06:00:30-04:00
Use these tips from investigative reporter Alysia Santo to map out the systems you must unlock to get the documents you need.

The First Trans Prisoner Who Took Her Case All the Way to the Supreme Court - 2025-07-17T06:00:00-04:00
From her prison cell, Dee Farmer drafted the lawsuit that became one of the most cited cases of all time, Farmer v. Brennan.

Arrested, Shackled and Deported from Florida — Despite a Federal Court Order - 2025-07-15T16:30:35-04:00
A man was convicted and deported to Mexico, and at least 26 other people have been arrested under a Florida immigration law that officials were ordered not to enforce.

Dozens of Teens Who Spent Time at Abusive Florida Reform School Ended Up on Death Row - 2025-07-14T05:00:30-04:00
At least 34 boys from the Dozier School were later sentenced to death. Did abuse make them more violent?

How the “Big Beautiful Bill” Will Change Criminal Justice and Immigration - 2025-07-12T12:00:00-04:00
The new law aims to shift much of the nation’s law enforcement toward immigration — and could reduce efforts to prevent violent crime.

Shackled For Days and Weeks: A Federal Report Finds Widespread Abuse in Prisons - 2025-07-11T05:00:00-04:00
The report, by the Justice Department’s internal watchdog, comes after an investigative series by The Marshall Project and NPR exposed similar abuses.

How the Supreme Court Ruled Differently in Immigration and Criminal Justice Cases - 2025-07-05T12:00:00-04:00
In a term marked by rulings limiting immigrants’ rights, the court sided with several other people harmed by the criminal justice system.

What, to the American Incarcerated Person, Is Your Fourth of July? - 2025-07-04T06:00:05-04:00
In the spirit of Frederick Douglass’ historic speech, 20 currently and formerly incarcerated Americans explain what Independence Day means to them.

‘I’m About to Die Here’: What a Power Outage and Heatwave Were Like in a Jail With No AC - 2025-07-03T06:00:00-04:00
Cuyahoga County officials say no one incarcerated in the jail needed treatment for heat illness. People inside say it was life-threatening.

‘Hold People Accountable’: Why Mississippi Courts Must Now Produce Public Defense Plans - 2025-07-02T06:00:00-04:00
The state Supreme Court wants to know how local courts provide lawyers, if any, to poor people after their arrest.

Why a Prison Town That Voted for Trump Is Fighting an Immigration Detention Facility - 2025-07-01T06:00:00-04:00
Leavenworth, Kansas, is nearly synonymous with prisons. But when CoreCivic announced plans to detain immigrants there, residents pushed back.

How ‘Coercive Control’ Is Expanding Domestic Abuse Laws in Several States - 2025-06-28T12:00:00-04:00
The concept takes into account nonphysical tactics abusers use to trap their partners. But some worry the new laws will hurt victims.

Why I Blew the Whistle on Extreme Confinement on Rikers Island - 2025-06-27T06:00:00-04:00
Social worker Justyna Rzewinski saw people with mental illness “deadlocked” in their cells for months without sunlight, human contact — or medication.

Judges in Missouri Can Levy Death if Juries Deadlock. Some Say the Law Is Unconstitutional. - 2025-06-26T06:00:00-04:00
Missouri is one of two states where a judge can hand down death when juries cannot agree unanimously on a sentence.

How Ohio Prison Staff Open and Read Confidential Legal Mail - 2025-06-23T06:00:22-04:00
An anti-drug smuggling policy has slowed the delivery of time-sensitive court documents as prison staff read letters protected by attorney-client privilege.

These States Are Debating Castration for Sex Crimes. Experts Call It Cruel and Pointless. - 2025-06-21T12:00:00-04:00
Critics say there’s no evidence that castration prevents future sex offenses. Yet several states are weighing such measures.

He Spent Years in Federal Prisons. Now He’s Helping to Lead Them. - 2025-06-20T06:00:37-04:00
The Bureau of Prisons’ new deputy director’s past incarceration has drawn outrage from some officers — and support from people still inside.

A North Carolina County Wanted New Court to Stem Its Opioid Crisis. Then Came Trump’s Cuts. - 2025-06-17T06:00:00-04:00
As the Justice Department slashes funding to programs across the U.S., Wilkes County’s planned recovery court was halted before it started.

Have We Been Wrong About ‘Psychopaths’? - 2025-06-16T06:00:00-04:00
In a new book, Rasmus Rosenberg Larsen questions how courts and prisons use psychopathy diagnoses — and whether they should at all.

The Feds Are Offering Migrants Cash to Self-Deport. Lawyers Call These Incentives Misleading. - 2025-06-14T12:00:00-04:00
The government’s offer to pay a stipend, waive fees, and let people return legally to the U.S. go against current law and court practices, immigration lawyers say.

From Budget Chaos to Public Defenders: Mississippi Poised to Fund ‘Day 1’ Experiment - 2025-06-12T06:00:08-04:00
Indigent felony defendants in many counties have lacked court-appointed lawyers before indictment, even while they sat in jails for weeks or months.

Cuyahoga Deputy Who Shot at Two Teens Was Deemed Unfit for Suburban Force - 2025-06-12T06:00:00-04:00
Deputy Isen Vajusi struggled with confidence, stress and field training before being forced out of the suburbs. He’s now on the sheriff’s downtown safety patrol.

What History Tells Us to Expect From Trump’s Escalation in Los Angeles Protests - 2025-06-09T15:02:00-04:00
Since the 1960s, studies have shown that heavy-handed policing and militarized responses tend to make protests more volatile — not less.

From New York to Arizona, More States Consider Curbing Drug Testing at Childbirth - 2025-06-09T06:00:54-04:00
Some bills followed an investigation by The Marshall Project and Reveal that exposed the harms of widespread drug testing of pregnant patients.

How AI-Powered Police Forces Watch Your Every Move - 2025-06-07T12:00:00-04:00
Artificial intelligence is changing how police investigate crimes — and monitor citizens — as regulators struggle to keep pace.

This Mix of Therapies Is Helping to Stop Youth Violence in Chicago - 2025-06-05T06:00:00-04:00
A violence prevention program is pairing cognitive behavioral therapy with other support to keep high-risk teens out of jail.

Judge Stops Federal Prisons From Enforcing Trump’s Trans Care Ban, For Now - 2025-06-03T15:25:00-04:00
The district judge ordered the prison system to continue providing hormone therapy to transgender people as needed, while a lawsuit proceeds.

No Camera, No Case? A New York Trial Shows It’s Hard to Prove Prison Abuse Without Video - 2025-06-02T06:00:00-04:00
Michael McCallion waited years to confront in court the officers he said attacked him in prison. The guards denied the assault ever happened.

‘Freedom for Captives!’ Trump Puts Clemency Machine Into Overdrive for Political Allies - 2025-05-31T12:00:00-04:00
The president has remade the pardons process with seemingly one key principle in mind: “No MAGA left behind.”

Remembering Tom Robbins - 2025-05-29T17:25:00-04:00
Our founder reflects on the legacy of the reporter who helped set the standard for The Marshall Project’s investigations into prison abuse.

George Floyd, 5 Years Later - 2025-05-25T06:00:00-04:00
On this anniversary of Floyd’s murder by Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin, here are six pieces about why it happened — and what followed.

As Trump Abandons Police Reforms, These Local Officials Vow to Press On - 2025-05-24T12:00:00-04:00
The Department of Justice said it’s pulling back from policing changes. Will cities and states have the tools to enforce them?

Love Beyond Bars: Larry and Gloria - 2025-05-23T06:00:00-04:00
Larry Moses and Gloria Armour first dated in their 20s. The New Orleans duo reunited in their 60s, after Moses was wrongfully imprisoned for 29 years.

Is Trump’s Ban on Gender-Affirming Care for Trans Prisoners Unconstitutional? - 2025-05-22T17:35:45-04:00
A federal judge considers if the president’s executive order barring hormone treatment in the Bureau of Prisons is cruel and unusual punishment.

The Unbearable Darkness of Jail - 2025-05-21T06:00:29-04:00
Jails in St. Louis, Cleveland and Jackson, Mississippi, don’t provide direct access to sunlight and fresh air – even when their own policies require it.

Rural Missouri Jails See Windfall in Trump’s Mass Deportation Effort - 2025-05-19T06:00:00-04:00
As cash-strapped jails rush in for ICE contracts, one man’s death shows the complexity and risk of detaining immigrants.

Five Years After George Floyd’s Murder, Police Reforms Are Being Rolled Back - 2025-05-17T12:00:00-04:00
As reforms stall in some states, the U.S. Supreme Court just made it easier for police to be sued — and perhaps easier for police to defend themselves.

Ohio Lawmaker Wants to Require Jails to Report Pregnancy Outcomes - 2025-05-16T06:00:00-04:00
The Cleveland Democrat says “all babies should count,” — regardless of whether their mother is behind bars — to ensure access to healthcare for pregnant women.

The Marshall Project Honored in 10 Categories by the Society for News Design - 2025-05-16T06:00:00-04:00
The competition honors the best in visual journalism and design in the world.

Uncounted: Ohio’s Failure to Track Lost Pregnancies in Jails Spurs Questions Over Care - 2025-05-15T06:00:00-04:00
One woman’s pregnancy ended in the Cuyahoga County Jail amid ignored cries for help and an “egregious performance failure” by medical staff.