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"I entered prison at 15, lost and illiterate. A lot of the guys I knew were too ashamed to admit that they didn’t know how to read, but I wasn’t."
I Taught Myself How to Read in Prison. Then I Sued the System and Won“Just like the rest of life, everything about the court system is a puzzle I’ve had to piece together.”www.themarshallproject.orgDozens of people have been held in Mississippi’s Hinds County jail for months without criminal charges from a district attorney. Were you, or someone you know, waiting in jail for months without an indictment? Tell us about your experience.
Did You Wait Months in a Mississippi Jail? We Want to Hear From YouThe Marshall Project - Jackson wants to hear from you.www.themarshallproject.orgThe 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.
ICE Agent Who Killed Man in Maine is One of Many Troubled Law Enforcement RecruitsLong-standing problems with vetting and training explain how red-flag recruits wind up with a badge and gun.www.themarshallproject.orgExperiencing perimenopause and menopause in prison can be difficult. Here is some practical advice from medical experts and from incarcerated women who have done it.
Guide: How to Navigate Perimenopause and Menopause in PrisonPractical advice from medical experts and from incarcerated women on how to deal with perimenopause and menopause.www.themarshallproject.orgAmerica’s 3,000-plus county jails hold people awaiting their day in court or serving short sentences. They receive far less scrutiny than state and federal prisons. And sheriffs rule them with little accountability.
Your Local Jail May Be A House of HorrorsBut you probably wouldn’t know it, because sheriffs rule them with little accountability. After one man’s death in a notorious lockup, residents of a Missouri town fought back.www.themarshallproject.org"In 2004, when I was 16 years old, I spent 78 days in Savannah Regional Youth Detention Center. Twenty-two years later, I am still reeling from the effects, most often in the form of violent flashbacks."
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.www.themarshallproject.orgEvery weekday morning, our Opening Statement newsletter brings you the top headlines about policing, prisons and courts, curated by legal analyst @justadcohen.bsky.social Subscribe now to follow the issues defining U.S. criminal justice ⬇️ www.themarshallproject.org/newsletters/...
Opening StatementThe most important and timely stories related to criminal justice sent to your inbox every weekday morning, curated by editor-at-large Andrew Cohen.www.themarshallproject.orgThere have been more than 70 fires, including a dozen cases of self-immolation, in the last three years at an Illinois prison that was supposed to be a model of prioritizing mental health treatment and healing instead of punishment.
How An Illinois Prison Drove Desperate Men to Set Themselves on FireDesigned to help people with serious mental illness, Joliet Treatment Center repeatedly failed to prevent or respond to fires, despite two deaths.www.themarshallproject.orgIn interviews with The Marshall Project - St. Louis, men incarcerated at Algoa, Ozark Correctional Center and Moberly Correctional Center described the effects of unrelenting heat in facilities with limited or no air conditioning.
These Missouri Prisons Get ‘Brutally Hot.’ In Solitary, It’s Even Worse.A recent class action lawsuit from the MacArthur Justice Center sheds light on how extreme heat creates life-threatening conditions for those in solitary confinement.www.themarshallproject.orgEvery weekday morning, our Opening Statement newsletter brings you the top headlines about policing, prisons and courts, curated by legal analyst @justadcohen.bsky.social Subscribe now to follow the issues defining U.S. criminal justice ⬇️ www.themarshallproject.org/newsletters/...
Opening StatementThe most important and timely stories related to criminal justice sent to your inbox every weekday morning, curated by editor-at-large Andrew Cohen.www.themarshallproject.orgAt New York’s Green Haven lockup, student barbers must overcome their machismo — and annoyance — to sharpen their craft.
Inside a Prison Barber Class That Requires Men to Learn Women’s StylesAt New York’s Green Haven lockup, barbering students must overcome their machismo — and annoyance — to sharpen their craft.www.themarshallproject.orgNew Jersey’s reforms follow our reporting that revealed hospitals often rely on flawed drug tests with false positive rates as high as 50%.
New Jersey Adopts Reforms Around Drug Testing of Pregnant PatientsFollowing Marshall Project reporting, the state now requires hospitals to confirm test results before reporting them to authorities.www.themarshallproject.orgUnder Trump, the U.S. increasingly sends immigrants all over the nation with little warning, leaving families and attorneys unsure where they are.
ICE Detained Them, and Then They VanishedUnder Trump, the U.S. increasingly sends immigrants all over the nation with little warning, leaving families and attorneys unsure where they are.www.themarshallproject.orgIntended to curb prison violence with promises of early release, the law is turning out as unbalanced as critics feared, with sentences extended at every turn.
Why No One in Ohio Prisons Has Been Released Early Under Reform LawIntended to curb prison violence with promises of early release, the law is turning out as unbalanced as critics feared, with sentences extended at every turn.www.themarshallproject.orgIn a seven-year period, more than 14,000 Black families were flagged to law enforcement in 8 states, even though child welfare authorities did not conclude that child abuse or neglect occured.
Moms of Black Newborns Often Flagged to Police Over Drug Use ClaimsChild welfare referred Black families to law enforcement 14,000 times, despite not confirming claims of abuse.www.themarshallproject.org