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A collage illustration shows pieces of two handwritten letters with large print reading “URGENT” and “This is an emergency issue – please help.” A typed letter from the U.S. Department of Justice’s Federal Bureau of Prisons details the findings of an investigation into allegations of staff misconduct. Underneath these letters are images including the Thomson prison, handcuffs and a keyboard.
Feature November 15
A Warden Tried to Fix an Abusive Prison. He Faced Death Threats.
He was tasked with ending abuse at a federal penitentiary, but he says his own officers and the Bureau of Prisons stood in the way.
By , , The Marshall Project and Joseph Shapiro, NPR
Darrius Turner, a Black man with glasses, works on radio equipment and wears headphones in a studio.
News November 1
This Radio Show Connects People Behind Bars With the Outside World
Prisoncast! — a special audio project from WBEZ Chicago — brings the sounds of life beyond prison walls to incarcerated people in Illinois.
By and
A woman, wearing a KN95 mask, black cardigan, blue blouse, and black pants, walks in front of a sign that reads "Los Angeles Superior Court Clara Shortridge Foltz Courthouse."
Closing Argument September 30
Should Money Decide Who is Kept in Jail? More Locations Are Saying No.
Los Angeles and Illinois are the latest jurisdictions to change their cash bail system.
By
An aerial view of a U.S. penitentiary in Thomson, Illinois. A white water tower, with the word "Thomson" painted on it is in the foreground, next to a grove of trees.
News July 6
‘This is Major Trauma’: New Accounts of Abuse at Federal Prison Prompt Calls for Investigations
More than 120 prisoners held at a special unit in Thomson Penitentiary reported mistreatment, lawyers’ committee report says.
By , The Marshall Project and Joseph Shapiro, NPR
A Black man, wearing a blue striped button-down shirt and black tie, sits with an emotional look on his face and eyes closed. A White female lawyer, sitting on his right, is looking down and smiling while patting him on his back. A White male lawyer, sitting on his left, is smiling while clapping his hands.
Closing Argument May 20
In 2022, Exonerations Hit a Record High in the U.S.
Globally, potential innocence has long outweighed potential guilt. That philosophy of justice may not be one that the majority of Americans endorse.
By
Left, a Black woman holds a photo of herself in a red dress sitting alongside her husband, a Black man with a beard wearing a blue T-shirt and a gold crucifix chain; right, the Black woman with short hair, earrings and a white shirt, looks into the distance.
Inside Story March 23
Violence on the Inside, Mentorship From the Outside
We investigate violence at one of the newest federal prisons and talk with La La Anthony about preparing incarcerated youth for life on the outside.
By and
Life Inside May 6, 2021
Cadets Violently Strip Searched Us As Part of Their Training. For My Pain, I Got $325.
Willette Benford was one of several incarcerated women who sued the Illinois corrections department for using mass strip searches to train cadets. A small settlement check took her back to the shame and trauma of those incidents.
By Willette Benford
The state Department of Licensing temporarily closed its driver...s licensing and other service counters to the public. Photographed in Tacoma, Wash., on Tuesday, March 17, 2020.
Coronavirus May 26, 2020
No Photo ID, No Services: Coronavirus Poses Steep Hurdles After Prison
For many people leaving prison during the pandemic, closed DMVs mean closed doors.
By
A bail bonds company across the street from the Brooklyn House of Detention in 2015.
News April 23, 2020
New York Rolled Back Bail Reform. What Will The Rest Of The Country Do?
Bail reform advocates are adapting in light of COVID-19 releases and the lessons from New York’s no-bail flop.
By
A patient at the hospital at Central Prison, a maximum security facility in Raleigh, N.C. with 120 medical beds and 216 beds for mental illness, in 2016.
Coronavirus April 16, 2020
Infected, Incarcerated—and Coming to an ICU Near You?
Without ventilators, prisons lean on local hospitals to care for coronavirus victims.
By and
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