Menu icon
The Marshall Project
Nonprofit journalism about criminal justice
Search
About
Newsletters
Donate
A nonprofit news organization covering the U.S. criminal justice system
Search
Magnifying glass
Local Network
Cleveland
Jackson
St. Louis
Projects
Inside Story
News Inside
Life Inside
Mauled
The Language Project
The Record
The System
Topics
Death Penalty
Immigration
Juvenile Justice
Mental Health
Policing
Politics
Prison and Jail Conditions
Prosecuting Pregnancy
About
About Us
Local Network
The Marshall Project Inside
News & Awards
Impact
People
Supporters
Jobs
Investigate This!
Newsletters
Events
Donate
Feedback?
Arrow
support@themarshallproject.org
Sentencing
Cleveland
April 17
All Stick, No Carrot: Ohio’s Reagan Tokes Law Acts as a ‘One-Way Ratchet’ for Prison Time
Intended 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.
By
Doug Livingston
Cleveland
April 10
How Ohio’s Reagan Tokes Law Keeps People in Prison Longer
It came as a response by lawmakers to a horrific crime. Now, thousands of people imprisoned since 2019 risk more time behind bars for breaking rules.
By
Doug Livingston
Closing Argument
March 29
How States Are Undoing Criminal Justice Reforms
Louisiana, New York and other states are rolling back reforms — and efforts to reduce excessive sentencing or expand parole are smaller in scope.
By
Jamiles Lartey
Closing Argument
February 1
How the U.S. Turned Away From the Death Penalty and Toward ‘Death by Incarceration’
The number of people imprisoned for life continues to climb, even as the overall prison population declines.
By
Cary Aspinwall
Closing Argument
November 2, 2024
Election Day 2024: Where Criminal Justice Is On the Ballot
From reproductive rights to border enforcement and marijuana legalization, voters across the nation will weigh in on criminal justice issues.
By
Jamiles Lartey
Closing Argument
August 31, 2024
How Efforts to Cut Long Prison Sentences Have Stalled
Crime victim advocates and conservative groups are resisting moves to revisit “truth-in-sentencing” laws.
By
Jamiles Lartey
Life Inside
November 18, 2021
Tackling a Huge Taboo: Sexual Desire Behind Bars
On the outside, most discussions about incarceration and sexual desire are limited to exploitative “reality” shows, violent movies and terrible jokes about homosexuality and prison rape. But like all humans, we deserve some semblance of dignity.
by
Tariq Maqbool
Life Inside
May 21, 2021
Mr. Sitthivong Goes to Washington
Felix Sitthivong, who is serving 65 years in a Washington prison, recently testified before the state’s House Public Safety Committee in support of a bill that could decrease his time. “They can stall our bills,” he writes of the “disappointing” outcome, “but they can never stall our dedication.”
By
Felix Sitthivong
Life Inside
April 30, 2020
A Juvenile Lifer Finds Peace in the Prison Garden
Bobby Bostic was sentenced to 241 years at age 18. Gardening, he writes, keeps him growing.
By
Bobby Bostic
News
January 28, 2020
Trade Your Prison Sentence for a Smartwatch?
Another dubious get-out-early offer is spreading through federal prisons. Lawyers say it’s a fake.
By
Christie Thompson