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Joseph Neff is an investigative reporter who worked at The News & Observer of Raleigh, N.C., and The Associated Press. He was a Pulitzer finalist and has won awards including the Goldsmith Prize, the Robert F. Kennedy Journalism Award, the MOLLY National Journalism Prize, the Society of Professional Journalists' Sigma Delta Chi and others. He was a John S. Knight Fellow at Stanford University.
Phone 919-812-8615
Email jneff@themarshallproject.org
Twitter @josephcneff
Michael Bell Sr., a White man, looks at a high school photo of his son, Michael Bell Jr., a White man, while sitting at a table. Four other photos of Michael are visible beneath the high school photo of Michael Bell Jr.
Feature September 25
A Wisconsin Board Says the Real Victim of Police Misconduct Is … the Government
Michael Bell says Kenosha police killed his son and covered up the truth. A victims rights board had a different takeaway.
By
Former President Donald Trump, wearing a yellow tie with a dark-red graphical pattern, sits at a courtroom table, his hands folded, looking into the camera, while his defense attorney sits alongside him and a court officer stands watch behind them.
Feature June 4
A Jury of Trump’s Peers Weighs In
We asked 12 people with criminal convictions what they think of the verdict in Trump’s hush money trial.
By The Marshall Project
A photo collage in black and white and blue tones shows, from left, an excerpt of a transcript that reads: “I hereby submit the following report into the matter of Sandra Birchmore, and into the possible violations…procedure, rules and regulations of the Stoughton Pol…”; a sign reading “Stoughton”, the silhouette of a police officer; the words “Sandra Birchmore”; an excerpt of a transcript that reads “The relationship continue…many years and included…and communications while…was on duty for the Stoug…Police Department.”; and a photo of Sandra Birchmore.
Feature May 1
In This Police Youth Program, a Trail of Sexual Abuse Across the U.S.
Explorer posts, overseen by the Boy Scouts, are supposed to foster an interest in policing. They have faced nearly 200 allegations of misconduct.
By , and
An illustration shows a group of tiny figures of correctional officers in light blue shirts and dark blue pants interacting in small groups with incarcerated people in orange prison uniforms. Some of the officers are kicking, punching, or threatening incarcerated people. A larger group of tiny figures of correctional officers and incarcerated people surround the center group but are grayed out.
News February 9
Bill Would Change How New York Disciplines Abusive Prison Guards
A 2023 investigation by The Marshall Project exposed how the prison department failed to fire officers it accused of abuse.
By and
Correctional officers are being blocked on the left side of an illustration. They walk around a corner, removing their uniforms, only to be welcomed back on the right side of the illustration. Their uniforms are returned to them in the process.
Feature December 14, 2023
How We Investigated Abusive Prison Guards Getting Their Jobs Back in New York
The Marshall Project analyzed 12 years of arbitration cases that involved officers committing abuse or covering it up.
By and
Correctional officers are being blocked from a door of a prison on the left side of an illustration. They walk around the corner, removing their uniforms, only to be welcomed back to a door on the right side of the prison. Their uniforms are returned to them in the process.
Feature December 14, 2023
‘A Crazy System’: How Arbitration Returns Abusive Guards to New York Prisons
Over a 12-year span, three out of every four state correctional officers fired for abuse or covering it up got their jobs back.
By and
An illustration shows a correctional officer in uniform standing among four cardboard cutouts of correctional officers. A sketch of a prison is visible in the background.
News September 18, 2023
Mississippi Auditor: Prison Company Must Pay $2 Million for No-Show Workers
A 2020 investigation by The Marshall Project exposed how prison operator MTC billed the state millions for ghost workers.
By and
An illustration shows three correctional officers in the foreground, in shades of dark gray. In the background, there are three correctional officers in light gray. Two of the officers are holding up the arms of an incarcerated person in an orange uniform, while one officer covers the incarcerated person's mouth.
News May 22, 2023
We Spent Two Years Investigating Abuse by Prison Guards in New York. Here Are Five Takeaways.
The state fails to fire most corrections officers it accuses of violence against prisoners or covering up abuse.
By and
An illustration shows a line of correctional officers with their arms linked, in shades of gray, There's an opening in the line, which shows a correctional officer being protected and escorted away by two other officers, in shades of blue and purple.
Feature May 22, 2023
How a ‘Blue Wall’ Inside New York State Prisons Protects Abusive Guards
Records and interviews reveal a culture of cover-ups among corrections officers who falsify reports and send beating victims to solitary confinement.
By , and
Feature May 19, 2023
In New York Prisons, Guards Who Brutalize Prisoners Rarely Get Fired
Records obtained by The Marshall Project reveal a state discipline system that fails to hold many guards accountable.
By , and
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