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Cuyahoga County Sheriff Harold Pretel is refusing to seek independent investigations into three women’s deaths that occurred during encounters with his deputies, despite a growing call for more scrutiny from the victims’ families and advocacy organizations.

Filth, dysfunction and extortion. "It's the wild, wild west in there," Tedrick Francois told me after spending time in Raymond Detention Center. People awaiting trial there sleep alongside mice, have limited access to laundry, and must pay to use a toilet. www.themarshallproject.org/2025/10/09/j...

More out of the Cuyahoga County Jail: over a one-year period there were 334 work orders placed for malfunctioning or unusable showers, including clogged drains and black mold. One woman told me she had to clean the bathroom with menstrual pads. www.themarshallproject.org/2025/10/09/j...

Cuyahoga County Sheriff Harold Pretel is refusing to seek independent investigation into the death of Tasha Grant, a double amputee who died after being restrained by officers. With @markpuente.bsky.social and @douglivingston.bsky.social www.themarshallproject.org/2025/10/07/c...

"In at least one case, the lack of care has also extended to an expectant mother. This week, The San Francisco Chronicle told the story of Angie Rodriguez, a 26-year-old San Jose, California, woman who discovered she was pregnant, and then miscarried while in ICE custody."

I have been working in Cleveland under two years with @markpuente.bsky.social and @douglivingston.bsky.social. We’ve reported on four deaths in the custody of the Cuyahoga County Jail. The most recent being Tasha Grant whose death was ruled a homicide. 🧵 www.themarshallproject.org/2025/09/25/c...

The medical examiner identified internal bleeding in muscles caused by pressure placed on Tasha Grant’s neck, and video of the restraint showed Grant’s chest and abdomen against the side of the hospital bed as pressure was applied to her backside.

When someone dies in jail or prison, the circumstances surrounding their death are often shrouded in secrecy. In these as-told-to’s, three women detail their search for answers. One describes her process as “putting together a puzzle with no picture.”

Tasha Grant is the second double amputee to die in Cuyahoga County Sheriff custody. Fred Maynard died after choking on a peanut butter and jelly sandwich in front of correctional officers at the Cuyahoga County Jail in August 2023. themarshallproject.org/2025/01/23/c...

Cuyahoga County officials never disclosed that Ms. Grant died as a result of being physically restrained by a deputy. The Marshall Project-Cleveland team broke the news last night. w/ @brittanyhailer.bsky.social & Doug Livingston. www.themarshallproject.org/2025/09/25/c...

The Cuyahoga County medical examiner identified internal bleeding in muscles caused by pressure placed on Tasha Grant’s neck. "She had no legs. Why would they restrain her down like that?” said Marcellus Potter, who shares an 11-year-old son with Grant. www.themarshallproject.org/2025/09/25/c...

Tanisha Long shared her thoughts online, and "within hours, her phone was lighting up with notifications: people trying to hack her Instagram, calling her racial slurs, and wishing her dead." My latest, a Ximena Conde collab @inquirer.com www.inquirer.com/politics/cha...

The East Cleveland Jail — made infamous in Season 3 of the podcast “Serial” and at the center of a $30 million court judgment — quietly closed in December after two inspections found dozens of violations. www.news5cleveland.com/news/the-mar...

Today, we sent a letter to @themarshallproject.org‬ leadership expressing concern about their denial of bargaining obligations. Management has repeatedly denied members Weingarten rights, engaged in an illegal layoff, and more — we need your help to demand that management bargain in good faith.

A couple weeks ago, I published the first installment in an investigation I've been working on for two years. But in reality, it's an extension of work @brittanyhailer.bsky.social and I started back in 2022 to understand why people with severe mental illnesses are ending up incarcerated.

Very few investigations occur in a vacuum. @dtohl.bsky.social 'e latest investigation started as a follow up on her and @brittanyhailer.bsky.social 's work on PA's competency system. Good thread by Danielle here explaining the origins of 'The Cost of Failing' www.spotlightpa.org/news/2025/07...

@dtohl.bsky.social worked two years to get this story right. I am proud of her and so glad someone FINALLY tracked down how Pennsylvania broke decades of promises to build a better system for people with mental illness. www.spotlightpa.org/news/2025/07...

This is Sue’s story. But it could be the story of any of the roughly half a dozen families I spoke to for this investigation. And it’s the story of what failure over three decades means for real people, a mother and son.

Two years ago, after publishing a story on competency assessments trapping people in jail, I got a call from Sue. She told me about her yearslong struggle to get her son mental health care, and how none of it mattered. In the end, all of those attempts failed to find stability for her son Robert.

What happens when someone dies in the Cuyahoga County Jail? www.clevescene.com/news/what-ha...

In Cuyahoga County, corrections officer union members call the local jail “a sick building.” For years, it’s been routinely cited for not providing incarcerated people access to sunlight. But none of those citations have led to fines or other sanctions.

In Cuyahoga County, a jail death triggers mandatory investigations. Here’s what all Ohio sheriffs are supposed to do, and how to check their work.

Important explainer about investigations of deaths behind bars in Ohio.

Important new piece from @brittanyhailer.bsky.social @themarshallproject.org

I wrote about the steps local, state and federal agencies are supposed to take when someone dies in a jail in Ohio. We also included what records in those investigations should be available to the public. www.themarshallproject.org/2025/07/24/c...

In the spirit of Frederick Douglass’ historic speech, 20 currently and formerly incarcerated Americans explain what Independence Day means to them. www.themarshallproject.org/2025/07/04/w...

The absolute best, Brittany Hailer out here doing her thing. Only in Cleveland. (Pittsburgh still misses her though.) @brittanyhailer.bsky.social thelandcle.org/stories/im-a...

Conditions Inside Cuyahoga County Jail Amid Heatwave, No Air Conditioning: “They had us locked up because they were saying they didn't have enough correctional officers, so they couldn't let us out. It was draining my body.” www.themarshallproject.org/2025/07/03/c...

At #IRE25, @brittanyhailer.bsky.social and I discussed how requesting 911 calls to prisons can be a way to figure out what’s going on inside. This is a stunning example of just that👇 www.wired.com/story/ice-de...

Prison walls shouldn’t stop a person from appealing a conviction or alleging abuses. But a 2021 crackdown on drug smuggling in the mail has delayed or prevented legal documents from reaching people inside Ohio’s 28 state prisons. www.themarshallproject.org/2025/06/23/l...

You should come hear @brittanyhailer.bsky.social and me speak passionately about the justice system and give a very, very serious presentation. Here is a sneak preview of how serious we are. See you at 10:15! #IRE25

The @invisible.institute and @propublica.org reviewed over 300 complaints accusing Chicago officers of sexual assault and misconduct. Time and time again, the police department downplayed or ignored claims, enabling officers to become repeat offenders.

“That place is like a basement... Now that I’m home, [my family has] been asking me why I keep waking up at night,” says someone who was detained for over four years. Jails in St. Louis, Cleveland and Jackson don’t provide direct access to sunlight and fresh air – despite their own policies on it.

“Jail 1,” of the Cuyahoga County Jail, doesn’t have a single window in the north section of the tower. "Jail 2" does have windows—thin slits. Incarcerated persons and employees don't have regular access to fresh air or sunlight. www.themarshallproject.org/2025/05/21/s...

A third person has died in custody of the Cuyahoga County Jail this year. A 39-year-old woman was pronounced dead at MetroHealth medical center after a transfer due to “preexisting medical conditions that resulted in a medical emergency.” She is the second woman to die this year

JUST IN: ProPublica’s “Life of the Mother” series, which exposes the fatal consequences of abortion bans, has won the Pulitzer Prize for Public Service. This is the second consecutive year we’ve been awarded this distinction and our eighth Pulitzer: www.propublica.org/series/life-...

This is incredible.

Josh has been on this story for as long as I’ve known him. I’m so proud of him. Jail deaths happen everywhere. Investigate your local jail. This is local news excellence.

Tomorrow, tomorrow!!!!!! Death County, Pa hits wide release with the first two episodes coming to all podcast streaming platforms without a paywall podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/d...

MFP reporters would like to talk to federal workers in Mississippi who have lost jobs as a result of DOGE. If you or someone you know has lost a job or know of a program that has been cut and would be willing to speak to our reporters, please email us at [email protected]

Not a single person has been released early, according to a Marshall Project - Cleveland review of prison records for the past six years. Meanwhile, 700 people — mostly Black men — have been denied release due to added time. www.themarshallproject.org/2025/04/17/o...

The number of people jailed pretrial has nearly quadrupled since the 1980s; people with mental-health issues tend to be detained much longer than the rest of the population. Sarah Stillman reports on a crisis of care in county jails across the nation.

More to come on this but please go to your favorite podcast streaming services and subscribe Death County, Pa - a new limited series from Wondery and yours truly podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/d...

UPDATE: The Supreme Court has paused a deadline to return a Maryland man who was mistakenly deported to El Salvador, after a federal district judge ordered the administration to bring him back by tonight.

60 Minutes could find no criminal records for 75% of the Venezuelans the U.S. sent to a notorious mega-prison in El Salvador. https://cbsn.ws/4clubLP

Trump’s Union Order Endangers Federal Prison Officers, Labor Leaders Say Supporters of the union, which represents 30,000 prison employees, fear the move will worsen an ongoing staffing crisis. www.themarshallproject.org/2025/03/31/t...

A second person has died in the custody of the Cuyahoga County Jail. A 27-year-old man collapsed during recreation in the jail and died tonight. Jennifer Wade, 41, died in custody on Feb 24. She was reviving medical care for a preexisting condition at the time of her death.

If you're a journalist who wants to learn more about jail data and deaths in custody, register for our conversation with @themarshallproject.org's @brittanyhailer.bsky.social and Anna Flagg www.themarshallproject.org/events/for-j...

Hours after telling a judge exactly how many people are being held in a U.S. military prison at Guantanamo Bay, including immigrants with little or no criminal records, Donald Trump’s administration emptied out the entire facility www.independent.co.uk/news/world/a...