The Marshall Project

The Marshall Project - 2025-08-23T15:03:07-04:00

What Trump’s D.C. Takeover Looks Like on the Ground, Two Weeks On - 2025-08-23T12:00:00-04:00
Promising to take over police to fight crime, Trump’s effort has instead morphed into mostly an immigration dragnet.

The Next Alligator Alcatraz Could Be in Your State - 2025-08-22T11:00:02-04:00
Plans to use Indiana’s “Speedway Slammer,” Louisiana’s Angola and other state prisons to house ICE detainees raise problematic questions, attorneys say.

The Heartbreak, Rage — and Discipline — of Immigration Court Watching - 2025-08-22T06:00:56-04:00
As an observer, Tim Murphy must calmly prepare immigrants to face masked ICE agents. “You’re witnessing unspeakable cruelty, but you can’t lash out.”

High-Speed Chase Video Adds to Controversy About Cuyahoga County Deputy - 2025-08-21T06:00:00-04:00
Deputy Isen Vajusi’s actions raise more questions about how the Downtown Safety Patrol polices Cleveland’s streets without much oversight.

A Woman With HIV Spent Six Years in Solitary. She Sued and Missouri Will Change Its Policy. - 2025-08-21T06:00:00-04:00
Honesty Bishop was attacked by her cellmate. Prison officials deemed her sexually active and kept her in isolation for more than 2,000 days.

The Marshall Project Wins Two National Murrow Awards - 2025-08-20T12:00:00-04:00
The criminal justice journalism outlet shines in hard news and podcast categories.

ICE Is Deporting Thousands With Minor Offenses — From Traffic Violations to Weed Possession - 2025-08-15T11:00:00-04:00
Many people with little or no criminal record have been swept into the administration’s immigration dragnet since January, an analysis of deportation data shows.

Drug Overdoses Are Skyrocketing Among Mothers. Why Is Rehab Unavailable? - 2025-08-14T06:00:00-04:00
In her new book, ‘Rehab: An American Scandal,’ Shoshana Walter explores how the giant substance treatment industry keeps failing many people desperate for help.

The Hidden Toll of Unsolved Homicides in St. Louis: ‘A Life Sentence of Grief’ - 2025-08-11T06:00:00-04:00
Without enough resources to meet their needs, families of homicide victims say, years later, they’re still struggling to cope.

How Trump’s Medicaid Cuts Will Slash Health Coverage for People Leaving Prison - 2025-08-09T12:00:00-04:00
The massive cuts will hit the formerly incarcerated hard — and that could increase crime, experts warn.

How Attica’s Violence Taught Me to Practice Peace - 2025-08-08T06:00:38-04:00
“When you grow up in a culture of violence, that doesn’t just disappear,” writes Rashon Venable. “We, as prisoners, have to take active steps toward rehabilitation.”

How Trump’s Relationship With Cops Got Thorny, From Jan. 6 Pardons to Budget Cuts - 2025-08-08T06:00:00-04:00
The president vowed to support the police and has given them reasons to cheer. But some of his actions have also frustrated some in law enforcement.

How We Analyzed the Justice Department’s Death in Custody Data - 2025-08-07T06:00:00-04:00
A rare look into data collected under the Death in Custody Reporting Act revealed serious problems.

Why Doesn’t the U.S. Government Know How Many People Die in Custody? - 2025-08-07T06:00:00-04:00
Under the Death in Custody Reporting Act, the government is supposed to track how many people die in law enforcement custody — but the data is a mess.

Who Answers for a Death in Custody? - 2025-08-06T06:00:00-04:00
A Houston mother is one of many nationwide left with grief and unanswered questions when a loved one dies behind bars.

After a Death Behind Bars, Families Struggle for Answers. This Guide Can Help. - 2025-08-06T06:00:00-04:00
Learn what questions to ask prison or jail officials, how to request key records and what to consider if you’re thinking about legal action.

Unsolved, Not Forgotten: How Six Parents Remember the Children They Lost to Violence - 2025-08-05T06:00:14-04:00
These families have yet to see justice in the deaths of their loved ones. Amid the grief, they are fighting to keep their memories from fading.

How Do You Grieve the Victim of an Unsolved Homicide? Ask the People Who’ve Been Through It. - 2025-08-05T06:00:00-04:00
In this guide, families who have lost someone to violence in St. Louis share what did – and did not – help them rebuild their lives after a tragic loss.

We Asked Families of Homicide Victims What They Want From the Police. Here’s What They Said. - 2025-08-05T06:00:00-04:00
For those whose loved ones were killed in St. Louis the investigative process could be improved with empathy, better communication, and frequent updates.

What You Need to Know About Homicide Investigations - 2025-08-05T06:00:00-04:00
In St. Louis, people whose loved ones were killed said they didn’t know what to expect from the police. This guide explains the process.

Cuyahoga Judge Leslie Ann Celebrezze Should Be Suspended for Two Years, Board Recommends - 2025-08-04T16:31:00-04:00
The case now heads to the Ohio Supreme Court. An FBI probe still looms over Celebrezze and Mark Dottore, after Marshall Project - Cleveland reporting.

Journalists: How to Investigate Dangerous Heat in Prisons - 2025-08-04T06:00:22-04:00
Exposing the risks posed by heat behind bars requires coverage at the intersection of public health, climate change and criminal justice.

Former Irish Republican Army Soldier Self-Deports, Afraid He’d Die in an ICE Holding Cell - 2025-08-04T06:00:00-04:00
The Clinton administration once used Matthew Morrison’s U.S. immigration case to help solidify peace in Northern Ireland.

Confined Trials - 2025-08-04T06:00:00-04:00
News Inside Issue 20 documents survival and resilience under extreme conditions.

The Problem With Screening the Mail in Prisons - 2025-08-02T12:00:00-04:00
New York’s controversy over scanning mail in prisons reflects a national debate involving security and privacy.

See if Your State Passed Immigration Laws in 2025 - 2025-08-01T15:55:00-04:00
State lawmakers, inspired by Trump, have passed dozens of anti-immigration bills this year.

How Trump Used the Criminal System to Massively Expand Immigration Detention - 2025-08-01T11:00:13-04:00
Through threats and incentives, the administration conscripted local jails, federal prisons and private companies to detain immigrants.

Who Is in the Cuyahoga County Jail? Finally, There’s an App for That - 2025-07-31T06:00:00-04:00
After years of debate, ‘The Sheriff App’ will allow people to use a smartphone to see who is in the Cuyahoga County jail.

The Trouble With Trump’s Homelessness Plan - 2025-07-28T17:00:00-04:00
The president’s new executive order defies legal precedent and proven strategies for reducing homelessness, says attorney Jennifer Mathis.

Trump Flouts 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.