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Jails

A man stands in silhouette in front of glass doors of a video visitation area at the Cuyahoga County Sheriff’s Department.
Cleveland December 17, 2024
You Can See Who Is in Many Ohio Jails With a Few Clicks — Just Not in Cuyahoga County
The sheriff’s department lags behind other agencies by failing to offer a website to help the public quickly learn who’s inside its notorious county jail.
By , The Marshall Project, Nora McKeown, Spectrum News 1
An illustration shows a person wearing a black head cover and an orange, long-sleeved shirt. The person is reading a letter at a desk with stacks of envelopes on it. A collage of letters showing different styles of penmanship are in the background.
Feature December 16, 2024
What I Learned From a Year of Reading Letters From Prisoners
The Marshall Project receives nearly 3,000 letters a year from people behind bars. Each one tells a different story about the system’s harms.
By
A man wearing a blue uniform sits on a metal folding chair in a small room.
Closing Argument December 14, 2024
How Inhumane Prison and Jail Conditions Prompt Calls for Federal Takeovers
Some state and local lockups are facing federal intervention due to problems ranging from filthy cells to violent abuse.
By
Belzley, a White man with gray hair and a goatee, wears a blue button-down shirt and khakis, and stands behind a large drum kit.
Feature December 4, 2024
After Jail Deaths and No Justice, This Kentucky Lawyer Tried to Make a Difference
A tough legal precedent had kept his clients from their day in court, so Greg Belzley decided there was only one thing to do — try to change the law.
By Ryan Kost
A sectioned off area inside the Cuyahoga County Justice Complex labeled “Sheriff’s Department Perimeter Patrol” has computers and chairs. A man in a long-sleeved button-down shirt and dark-colored pants walks towards the left, behind the sectioned off area.
Cleveland November 21, 2024
Cuyahoga County Jail Will Now Do More Than Show People the Door
Reentry changes come in response to The Marshall Project - Cleveland investigation that showed people leaving jail got little help to avoid returning.
By
An illustration of a pink-colored woman sitting on a chair with her back to the viewer, holding a phone, while her young, bushy-haired son sits across from her, one hand holding a phone to his ear and his other on his face in a distraught pose.
Life Inside October 18, 2024
Life Inside, Remixed: The Emotional Toll of Visiting a Son in Jail
Ymilul Bates’ first visit to her son exposed her to cold, distant corrections officers and left her with a question: Did they know her son was loved?
By The Marshall Project
Dozens of sheriffs in uniform, some wearing cowboy hats, some wearing suits, stand on the steps of an angled staircase outside of The White House.
Analysis October 16, 2024
Why Sheriffs’ Elections Matter
From immigration enforcement to abortion access, sheriffs wield a surprising amount of power in their jurisdictions.
By
Feature July 30, 2024
This Company Promised to Improve Health Care in Jails. Dozens of Its Patients Have Died.
Turn Key Health Clinics has quickly expanded to jails in 10 states. Some of its policies and practices have endangered patients.
By , Brianna Bailey and Sachi Mcclendon
Jackson June 20, 2024
Mississippi Wants to Allow Some Votes From Jails and Prisons. Red Tape May Stop It.
A new state law will allow more people in jails and prisons to cast absentee ballots, but many obstacles remain.
By
A collage shows a color photo of the exterior of a jail, with visible barbed wire, within the outline of Pike County. In the background are a map of Mississippi, text from federal filings and black-and-white photos of a water tower reading “Magnolia” and a “Prisoner loading and unloading only” sign.
Jackson May 2, 2024
Mississippi Lawmakers Considered Modest Public Defense Reforms. They Rejected All of Them.
With its refusal to impose oversight or consistent standards in local defense, Mississippi risks falling further behind the rest of the U.S., critics say.
By
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