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Inside the execution chamber at the state penitentiary in Huntsville, Texas.

Death Penalty

KADIR VAN LOHUIZEN/NOOR
Closing Argument
A Chaotic Moment For The Death Penalty
Political and legal opinions are shifting on mental illness and capital punishment, but those on death row may be left behind.
The Allan B. Polunsky Unit in Livingston, Texas, where men on death row are held in solitary confinement.
In a courtroom, a White man sits at a table peering over thick-rimmed black glasses. He is dressed in a gray-striped shirt. To his left is a woman standing in a white suit jacket and to his right is another woman, seated at the table next to him.
Death Sentences September 15
He’s Facing Execution For His Daughter’s Death. Now, Science Suggests It Was An Accident.
Robert Roberson is asking the U.S. Supreme Court to examine “shaken baby syndrome” and the state of forensic science.
By Maurice Chammah
A Dungeons and Dragons book titled “Dungeon Master’s Guide” sits atop a pile of scattered maps and drawings. Many of the hand-drawn maps are sketched on graph paper. Some pages contain details in color, and others are drawn in black-and-white.
Feature August 31
When Wizards and Orcs Came to Death Row
For men awaiting execution in Texas, illicit games of Dungeons & Dragons became a lifeline.
By Keri Blakinger
Cambridge, Massachusetts - January 31, 2023: Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer in his office at the Harvard Law School in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Credit: Tony Luong for The Marshall Project
Q&A May 31
Stephen Breyer Wants the Supreme Court to Avoid ‘Self-inflicted’ Wounds
The retired justice spoke with The Marshall Project on abortion, the death penalty and the court’s reputation.
By Beth Schwartzapfel
A White man in a black jacket leans his head forward as another White man, who is wearing a red cap and suit, talks to him.
Closing Argument April 22
How the Death Penalty Is Returning to Presidential Politics
Trump and DeSantis want to make it easier to execute people, and Biden could face a rush of clemency requests from federal death row.
By Maurice Chammah
Violation March 29
‘Bad Seed’: Two Generations, Two Terrible Crimes
Part Two of the “Violation” podcast explores whether violence runs in families and what should happen to kids who commit murder.
By Beth Schwartzapfel
Feature March 2
The Mercy Workers
For three decades, a little-known group of “mitigation specialists” has helped save death-penalty defendants by documenting their childhood traumas. A rare look inside one case.
By Maurice Chammah
A Black man wearing a red T-shirt that reads “No kids in Angola” shouts during a protest at the Louisiana state Capitol against the state’s decision to house some youth at the adult prison Angola.
Inside Story February 2
When Kids Are Punished Like Adults
Louisianans protest temporary youth housing in notorious Angola, and Bryan Stevenson speaks on sentencing reform.
By and
Analysis December 22, 2022
Some of Our Best Work of 2022
From coverage of prison violence and abuses in a juvenile lockup to investigations by our new Cleveland team, our reporters told stories that made a difference.
By Terri Troncale
A group of two men and two women hug in a courtroom full of people.
Death Sentences October 31, 2022
Would a Death Sentence Help The Parkland Families Heal?
Outrage around the school shooter’s sentence reveals tensions between what some victims’ families want and the justice system’s limits.
By Maurice Chammah
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