Amid rising ICE arrests, volunteers provide aid — a meal, a bed, gas money — to anyone visiting someone detained in remote rural Georgia.

As federal agents descend on Chicago for more immigration raids, our analysis shows what happened to ~1,600 people arrested there this fall. We report how federal agencies moved them through an expanded network of detention facilities — many rife with complaints of inhumane conditions.

For men awaiting execution on Texas’ death row, Dungeons & Dragons became a lifeline — an escape from extreme isolating conditions, leading to the sort of friendships solitary confinement usually prevents. See their D&D character sheets, maps & more:

The Marshall Project's analysis of ICE data obtained by the Deportation Data Project found the Trump administration’s revival of family detention has swept thousands of children into ICE custody. At least 3,800 children under age 18, including 20 infants, have been booked since Trump took office.

As the newly installed Trump administration rapidly launched an array of criminal justice and immigration policy changes in early 2025, The Marshall Project dedicated our reporting to explaining the impact on families and communities. Those topics helped define our year:

On Monday, Trump signed an executive order declaring illicit fentanyl a “weapon of mass destruction,” in an escalation of the rhetoric on the nation’s opioid crisis. Then, on Thursday, Trump signed another order directing federal agencies to loosen some federal restrictions on marijuana.

The Marshall Project analyzed ICE data through the middle of October, the most current detailed records publicly available. People ICE arrested during that time were later detained in 13 states, at county jails, privately run detention centers and a rapidly constructed facility on a military base.

The Marshall Project is exploring all the ways menopause and perimenopause affect women behind bars. If you are a women’s health expert, formerly incarcerated, provide healthcare to people in prison, or have a loved one going through menopause behind bars — we want to hear from you.

Where have immigrants arrested during the so-called "Operation Midway Blitz" in Chicago ended up? New data reveals the privately-run detention facilities and local jails where ICE is holding people. @geoffhing.bsky.social @jillcastellano.bsky.social www.themarshallproject.org/2025/12/18/i...

Online, in print, and on radio and TV — we examined Trump administration orders, immigration detention, deaths behind bars and more this year.

As federal agents descend on Chicago this week for a renewed round of immigration raids, a Marshall Project analysis shows what happened to around 1,600 people arrested in a similar operation this fall.

“I can’t even keep track of how many times that occurred where they wouldn’t complete the dialysis on them. ...she would call me panicking because she knows how she would get if she skipped one,” Evangelina Perez said. “Her stomach would be tight from all the fluid she was retaining.”

We tracked around 1,600 people detained in "Operation Midway Blitz" - the Chicago-area ICE raids that took place this fall. Here's where they ended up. @themarshallproject.org @geoffhing.bsky.social @shannonheffernan.bsky.social

“Sometimes my daughter doesn’t want to leave our room because she is so sad and just wants to leave this prison so badly. She cries and cries about all of this. I am so worried that I barely eat," one mother detained in Texas said.

St. Louis jails are nearing a breaking point. The situation inside the county jail is so bad that it failed an inspection by the American Correctional Association, which critics say has rubber-stamped dangerous facilities. The preliminary audit cited overcrowding and understaffing as major issues.

This year journalists at The Marshall Project have covered the many ways people are dying in prisons and jails across the U.S. Our ongoing series, Dying Behind Bars, finds that while prisons and jails are meant to be highly surveilled environments, dying in them is a fundamentally opaque process.

I'm reporting on what it's like to go through perimenopause/menopause while incarcerated for @themarshallproject.org, and building a guide for currently incarcerated people. Help me by filling out or sharing this form! www.themarshallproject.org/2025/12/16/m...

Donate to The Marshall Project now through December 31 to have your gift matched! Support independent journalism that's shining a light on injustice.

Women at the Federal Medical Center Carswell describe missed treatments, poor education for patients, dialysis machines that break down mid-treatment or that lacked enough clean water, and other routine problems.

The Marshall Project is exploring how menopause and perimenopause affect women behind bars. If you are a women’s health expert, formerly incarcerated, provide healthcare to people in prison, or have a loved one currently going through menopause behind bars — we want to hear from you.

Analysis by The Marshall Project of ICE data obtained by the Deportation Data Project found that the Trump administration’s revival of family detention has swept thousands of children into ICE custody. At least 3,800 children under 18, including 20 infants, have been booked since Trump took office.

In U.S. health care, “treatable” is usually a reassuring word. In prisons, jails, and detention centers across the country, it often means something different. Medicines, procedures, and specialists may all exist, but people may not get access to them until permanent harm or even death occurs.

The Marshall Project is exploring how menopause and perimenopause affect women behind bars. If you are a women’s health expert, formerly incarcerated, provide healthcare to people in prison, or have a loved one currently going through menopause behind bars — we want to hear from you.

Even as more state leaders try to expand capital punishment, fewer jurors are choosing it.

great idea from @themarshallproject.org

In 2025, through evocative illustrations and photography, The Marshall Project’s visual storytelling tackled themes of deplorable jail conditions, judicial power, the racist origins of the juvenile justice system, love behind bars, deaths in custody and healing after gun violence.

"On the wall next to it, a sign read: 'When you have more than you need, build a longer table, not a higher wall.'" @shannonheffernan.bsky.social and Julieta Martinelli for @themarshallproject.org/Latino USA/Futuro Investigates: www.themarshallproject.org/2025/12/05/i...

President Donald Trump’s rhetoric might lead one to think we are in a peak age of severity, but the trials of Mangione, Lakanwal, and others will be the true litmus tests of whether Americans are really in sync with such harsh views.

In a Mississippi prison, a broken arm turned into an amputation. In a Minnesota jail, a man showing classic stroke symptoms was allegedly ignored until he collapsed and died. In New York, a man detained by immigration officials temporarily lost the ability to walk due to untreated infections.

Research shows that grief is a hidden yet profound part of prison life. And, when ignored, it impacts people’s health and their chances of moving forward. Strong support systems — whether inside or outside prison — helped soften the impact.

"I met several other deaf people while I was incarcerated. But we were all in separate dorms," a man told us. "They housed us sometimes with blind folks, which for me made communication impossible."

Incarcerated writer Shakeil Price uses his JPay tablet to store a decade’s worth of messages, pictures and video messages from family and friends. When New Jersey switches tablet companies, he’ll have to mail it home or have it destroyed — losing access to his memories.

In a Mississippi prison, a broken arm turned into an amputation. In a Minnesota county jail, a man showing classic stroke symptoms was allegedly ignored until he collapsed and died. In New York, a man detained by immigration officials temporarily lost the ability to walk due to untreated infections.

Donate to The Marshall Project now through December 31 to have your gift matched! Support independent journalism that's shining a light on injustice.

The Marshall Project - St. Louis spoke to over 40 people who have worked or lived at the prison. They reported rampant problems: going weeks without medication, a lack of medical attention in solitary confinement and monthslong waits to get treatment or follow-up appointments for serious issues.

Aramark has exclusive control over all food in West Virginia’s correctional facilities, and is the largest food services provider for prisons and jails in the United States, according to the lawsuit. As of Dec. 1, Aramark’s portfolio includes 16 state departments of corrections.

When Steven Caldwell-Bey wasn’t able to get a regular refill for his blood thinners, he began taking one pill a day instead of two to stretch them out. The problem, he said, is that it’s been difficult to get medical attention at Jefferson City Correctional Center because so many nurses have quit.

As a suicide prevention aide, Rashon Venable had to make sure others in jail didn’t harm themselves. It was surprisingly easy to get such a complex job. Read his Life Inside essay ⬇️

While undocumented victims have always faced barriers in escaping abuse, experts say Trump administration policies have left them much more vulnerable. Here are six changes impacting immigrant victims of domestic violence:

A worker’s demotion after releasing court records to The Marshall Project - Cleveland led to a lawsuit alleging retaliation and witness intimidation.

Lying to suspects remains a staple of homicide detective work and is protected by the courts. But researchers warn it increases the risk of a false confession. Here’s why.

In the midst of rising arrests and deportations, El Refugio plays a unique role; its staff believe it is the only hospitality house of its kind — hosting visiting families and sending volunteers to see people whose families cannot come themselves.

In these states, law enforcement and prosecutors have expanded their use of child abuse and neglect laws in recent years to police the conduct of pregnant women under the concept of “fetal personhood.”

Federal agents tossed tear gas canisters, released pepper spray and fired pepper balls at protesters, journalists and other observers during an operation Friday at a taco shop on the west side of Tucson, Arizona. See video from the scene:

At least 60 people arrested in Hinds County have been jailed in its detention facilities for over three months — including at least five for more than a year — with no indictment filed against them and no pathway to a trial in sight.

Marcus P. McKinley spends nearly all his $70 monthly income on commissary items to supplement the small food portions. Another plaintiff, Judy Riggs, said she spent over $4,000 to buy meals from Aramark’s food-for-purchase programs for her incarcerated loved ones since 2022.

Current and former employees at Jefferson City Correctional Center say the shortage is causing unrest. They blame the state’s contractor, Centurion Health.

Larry Moses prayed to see Gloria Armour again while he was in prison for a wrongful conviction. “I’d sit on my little bunk playing music, and I’d ask myself, “Who do I want to share my blessing with? It had to be Gloria.”

Donate to The Marshall Project now through December 31 to have your gift matched! Support independent journalism that's shining a light on injustice.

Federal agents tossed tear gas canisters, released pepper spray and fired pepper balls at protesters, journalists and other observers during an operation Friday at a taco shop on the west side of Tucson, Arizona. See video from the scene: