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Joseph Neff

Staff Writer

I investigate violence and neglect in prisons, prosecutorial and police misconduct, and other wrongdoing in the criminal justice system — people being harmed, public trust betrayed.

My Background

I’ve been an investigative reporter for 30 years, digging into health care, the military, state government, research misconduct, Blackwater and a blind neurosurgeon. I have a keen interest in the criminal legal system.

I find it hard to get through a day without hot chiles. As a Peace Corps volunteer, I taught beekeeping in West Africa.

Contact Me About...

If you know of something systemically wrong in the world of criminal justice, that angers you or keeps you up at night, please contact me. It helps if you can point me to or provide records. I treasure people who act as guides in an unfamiliar world.

phone (212) 803-5245
email jneff@themarshallproject.org
signal JoeNeff.50
Michael McCallion, a man with light-toned skin and short dark brown hair, wears an orange plaid long-sleeved shirt and jeans while standing near a lake.
News June 2
No Camera, No Case? A New York Trial Shows It’s Hard to Prove Prison Abuse Without Video
Michael McCallion waited years to confront in court the officers he said attacked him in prison. The guards denied the assault ever happened.
By
An illustration shows two correction officers holding down an incarcerated man wearing an orange jumpsuit while nurses stand outside in the hallway.
Feature May 1
When Prison Nurses Must Choose Between Loyalty to Abusive Guards and Devotion to Patients
In dozens of cases, medical personnel in New York prisons were accused of covering up beatings — some under pressure — and rarely faced punishment.
By and
An illustration shows an infirmary room with a hospital bed with orange blood splattered on it; a chair, a desk with a computer on it; a sink and a countertop; and broken glass on the floor.
Feature April 30
In Some New York Prisons, Infirmaries Are Dens of Hidden Violence
After guards beat Robert Brooks to death in December, The Marshall Project found dozens more allegations of abuse in medical rooms lacking cameras.
By and
A Black Woman, wearing a silver cap and gray jacket, holds a sign that reads "Justice for Robert Brooks" during a protest. Protesters holding signs stand behind her.
Closing Argument January 14
Why Firing the Prison Guards Involved in Robert Brooks’ Death Is Neither Quick Nor Easy
Our investigation in 2023 exposed how New York’s discipline system failed to hold abusive guards to account.
By and
Michael Bell Sr., a White man, looks at a high school photo of his son, Michael Bell Jr., a White man, while sitting at a table. Four other photos of Michael are visible beneath the high school photo of Michael Bell Jr.
Feature September 25, 2024
A Wisconsin Board Says the Real Victim of Police Misconduct Is … the Government
Michael Bell says Kenosha police killed his son and covered up the truth. A victims rights board had a different takeaway.
By
Former President Donald Trump, wearing a yellow tie with a dark-red graphical pattern, sits at a courtroom table, his hands folded, looking into the camera, while his defense attorney sits alongside him and a court officer stands watch behind them.
Feature June 4, 2024
A Jury of Trump’s Peers Weighs In
We asked 12 people with criminal convictions what they think of the verdict in Trump’s hush money trial.
By The Marshall Project
A photo collage in black and white and blue tones shows, from left, an excerpt of a transcript that reads: “I hereby submit the following report into the matter of Sandra Birchmore, and into the possible violations…procedure, rules and regulations of the Stoughton Pol…”; a sign reading “Stoughton”, the silhouette of a police officer; the words “Sandra Birchmore”; an excerpt of a transcript that reads “The relationship continue…many years and included…and communications while…was on duty for the Stoug…Police Department.”; and a photo of Sandra Birchmore.
Feature May 1, 2024
In This Police Youth Program, a Trail of Sexual Abuse Across the U.S.
Explorer posts, overseen by the Boy Scouts, are supposed to foster an interest in policing. They have faced nearly 200 allegations of misconduct.
By , and
An illustration shows a group of tiny figures of correctional officers in light blue shirts and dark blue pants interacting in small groups with incarcerated people in orange prison uniforms. Some of the officers are kicking, punching, or threatening incarcerated people. A larger group of tiny figures of correctional officers and incarcerated people surround the center group but are grayed out.
News February 9, 2024
Bill Would Change How New York Disciplines Abusive Prison Guards
A 2023 investigation by The Marshall Project exposed how the prison department failed to fire officers it accused of abuse.
By and
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
Correctional officers are being blocked on the left side of an illustration. They walk around a corner, removing their uniforms, only to be welcomed back on the right side of the illustration. Their uniforms are returned to them in the process.
Feature December 14, 2023
How We Investigated Abusive Prison Guards Getting Their Jobs Back in New York
The Marshall Project analyzed 12 years of arbitration cases that involved officers committing abuse or covering it up.
By and
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