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Inside Story ·

Discredited Hair Analysis Is Fueling Efforts to Overturn Convictions

Rapper Common talks about his work bringing music into prisons, and incarcerated people fight their convictions from debunked forensic science.

In the premiere of its second season, Inside Story spotlights the efforts incarcerated people are making to have their convictions reviewed based on the now-discredited science of hair analysis.

Actor and rapper Common sits down with host Lawrence Bartley to discuss why he believes music is healing and why he created music studios for people on the inside.

In an animated explainer, we explore the long history of music as an outlet for incarcerated people to create a future for themselves when they get out.

Then, folks on the inside share the dreams they have while serving their sentences, including returning home to have movie night with their children.

Inspired by the story on hair analysis, Bartley unpacks the word “suspect” and how it can mean those accused of crimes, but also the science behind the accusations.

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CONTRIBUTORS

Rene Ebersole, Simone Perez, Leslie Eaton, Roberto Ferdman, Rochelle Widdowson, Arielle Ray, Belle Cushing, Maurice Chammah, Kiki Dunston, James Hamilton

REPORTING PARTNER

Mother Jones

Lawrence Bartley Twitter Email is the publisher of The Marshall Project Inside, the organization’s publications intended specifically for incarcerated audiences. He is an accomplished public speaker and has provided multimedia content for CNN, PBS, NBC Nightly News, MSNBC and more. News Inside is the recipient of the 2020 Izzy Award for outstanding achievement in independent media.

Donald Washington, Jr. Email is the director and executive producer of Inside Story, a video series designed to reach audiences both inside and outside of prison walls. He is a self-taught filmmaker who honed his skills working with local Brooklyn artists and grassroots organizations. Donald holds a graduate degree from the New York Theological Seminary and a Bachelor of Science degree from Mercy College. Previously, Donald was the co-founding president of the Back-To-School Fund, a fundraising group supplementing the educational needs of children with incarcerated parents in New York State prisons. In 2015, he was presented with the Ossie Davis Award for his excellence in community service by Hudson Link for Higher Education.