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Shannon Heffernan

Staff Writer

she/her

My work focuses on prisons and jails across the U.S. I’m also interested in reporting on sexual and gender-based violence, immigration and mental health — and how arts and culture shape (and are shaped by) crime and punishment.

My Background

At The Marshall Project, I’ve reported on the ways survivors of gender-based violence are punished for crimes that their abusers committed and on poor conditions in prisons and jails.

Before The Marshall Project, I worked as a public radio reporter in Chicago, and my stories have been heard on a wide-range of national radio shows, including “This American Life” and NPR’s “Morning Edition.” I was the lead reporter for Season 4 of “Motive,” a podcast investigating abuse and corruption in small town prisons in Illinois and on the podcast team for “16 Shots,” about the police killing of Laquan McDonald.

My work has been honored with a National Murrow Award and a national Headliner Award, and as a Scripps Howard finalist. In addition to reporting, I am an award-winning short fiction writer.

Contact Me About...

I’m interested in hearing about prisons and jails, immigration detention and gender-based or sexualized violence.

phone (872) 804-1619
email sheffernan@themarshallproject.org
x @shannon_h
signal shannonheffernan72
bluesky @shannonheffernan.bsky.social
A photograph with an aerial view shows a group of eight people walking on a road as they follow several immigration officers.
Español June 18
El Gobierno Ofrece Dinero A Inmigrantes Que Se Autodeporten. Abogados Dicen Que Esos Incentivos Son Engañosos.
La oferta de pagar un estipendio, eximir multas y permitir que la gente regrese legalmente a Estados Unidos va en contra de la ley y las prácticas judiciales, dicen abogados de inmigración.
Por y
A photograph with an aerial view shows a group of eight people walking on a road as they follow several immigration officers.
Closing Argument June 14
The Feds Are Offering Migrants Cash to Self-Deport. Lawyers Call These Incentives Misleading.
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.
By and
A photograph of the Georgia State Capitol building.
Closing Argument April 12
The Bipartisan Push to Rethink Long Sentences for Abuse Survivors
A Georgia bill offers a model for other states looking to protect people who are accused or convicted of crimes stemming from their abuse.
By
Marshall, a man with light-toned skin, wears a blue suit jacket and glasses as he stands behind a podium. On person stands behind him and three are sitting.
News April 12
Who Is Billy Marshall? What to Know About Trump’s New Bureau of Prisons Director
West Virginia’s top corrections official led a troubled state agency, and will now head a federal bureaucracy plagued with problems of its own.
By , and
[Use this form](https://airtable.com/appR7SW9BhPZGdXp9/pagoMplkqm6bNwKLQ/form) to tell us about your experience when someone died in custody.
Get Involved April 10
Did Your Family Member Die in Prison or Jail? What Happened Next?
Your insights help inform The Marshall Project’s reporting on what families go through when someone dies in custody.
By The Marshall Project
An officer in a navy uniform holds a walkie talkie while walking through a hall. There is an open gate in the foreground. Two people in orange uniforms with towels are walking in the background.
Closing Argument February 15
How Trump Is Trying to Expand the Already Colossal U.S. Prison System
The administration’s efforts — from mass deportation to harsher punishments for some crimes — rely on access to more prison and jail cells.
By
A group of men wearing white uniforms, seen from the back, walk toward a fenced area. A guard stands by the entrance.
Analysis January 22
What Will Trump’s Executive Order on Private Prisons Really Do?
The order reverses Biden’s ban on private prison contracts with the Justice Department. Private immigrant detention never stopped and is expected to grow.
By
Trump, a White man in a navy suit and a red and navy tie, signs a document while sitting in the Oval Office.
Analysis January 22
Trump’s New Order to Expand the Death Penalty Misses Key Details
The order shows the president’s desire for more executions. But it’s unclear how the administration will carry out its plans, legal experts say.
By and
Three firefighters carrying power tools walk through a forest.
Closing Argument January 11
Incarcerated Firefighters Do Risky, Low-Pay Work. Many Say It’s The Best Job Behind Bars.
More than 900 prison firefighters were responding to the crisis in Los Angeles — but their pay is low and the ethics of their choice are complicated.
By and , The Marshall Project, and , The Los Angeles Times
President Donald Trump, a White man wearing a dark suit and red striped tie, and his attorney Todd Blanche, a man with light-toned skin wearing a dark suit with a dark tie, appear on a monitor in a courtroom.
Analysis January 10
‘Was This Fair?’ People Behind Bars React to Trump’s Sentencing
The president-elect avoided punishment for his 34 felony convictions, highlighting how the legal system often treats the wealthy and powerful.
By The Marshall Project
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