The Marshall Project’s Inside Story Podcast

She Was Locked Up for a Stillbirth. Now Free, She Must Register as Violent Offender

We revisit the story of Cherie Mason, who was imprisoned after losing her pregnancy in Oklahoma, and is now free. Veteran rapper and wellness entrepreneur Styles P talks about the value of artistic expression, the use of rap lyrics in criminal trials and investing in the health of his community. We meet a magician who found that a hobby behind bars would be the key to his success on the outside. And currently incarcerated people tell us about the smells they miss from the outside, including fresh-baked cookies and a grandmother’s cooking.
Inside Story is a first-of-its-kind series created by The Marshall Project to engage with and bring information to one of America’s largest news deserts — its prisons and jails. Our series was developed by formerly incarcerated people, including host Lawrence Bartley and director Donald Washington, Jr.

St. Louis Police Struggle to Solve Killings as Families Seek Answers

We investigate the impact of the St. Louis police’s failure to solve murders, talk with rapper G. Dep about healing after turning himself in, dig into the trend of banning books inside correctional facilities and hear from incarcerated people about what brings them joy.  
Inside Story is a first-of-its-kind series created by The Marshall Project to engage with and bring information to one of America’s largest news deserts — its prisons and jails. Our series was developed by formerly incarcerated people, including host Lawrence Bartley and director Donald Washington, Jr.

Effort to Provide Low-Cost Healthcare Behind Bars Stirs Controversy

We report on how a company providing low-cost health care services at jails across the U.S. is stirring controversy. In an animated essay, Rafael Rodriguez describes how a mentor behind bars saved his life by teaching him to paint. Ex-banker and Harvard-trained lawyer Bianca Tylek unpacks profit-making in prison.  
Inside Story is a first-of-its-kind series created by The Marshall Project to engage with and bring information to one of America’s largest news deserts — its prisons and jails. Our series was developed by formerly incarcerated people, including host Lawrence Bartley and director Donald Washington, Jr.

Getting Vote Rights Back After Prison Isn’t Easy; They’re Still Trying

We follow a Tennessee woman as she goes to court to regain her right to vote after serving time behind bars, check in with entrepreneur Topeka Sam about her efforts to help other formerly incarcerated women rebuild their lives on the outside, and hear from a man from an immigrant family explain that nothing has made him feel more American than going to jail.  
Inside Story is a first-of-its-kind series created by The Marshall Project to engage with and bring information to one of America’s largest news deserts — its prisons and jails. Our series was developed by formerly incarcerated people, including host Lawrence Bartley and director Donald Washington, Jr.

Prison Staff Shortages’ Toll on Prisoners, Guards and Their Families

We explore the impact of prison staff shortages on incarcerated people, guards and their families. Also, comedian Donnell Rawlings talks about his military cop days and his “hustler” father, and a former New York state parole board commissioner explains how her experience serving on the panel changed the way she sees the system altogether.
Inside Story is a first-of-its-kind series created by The Marshall Project to engage with and bring information to one of America’s largest news deserts — its prisons and jails. Our series was developed by formerly incarcerated people, including host Lawrence Bartley and director Donald Washington, Jr.

How Discredited Hair Analysis Fuels Efforts to Overturn Convictions

We speak with actor Common about his work bringing music into prisons, report on incarcerated people’s fight to overturn their convictions from the now-discredited forensic science of hair analysis and explore the long history of music as an outlet for prisoners to create a future for themselves when they get out.  
Inside Story is a first-of-its-kind series created by The Marshall Project to engage with and bring information to one of America’s largest news deserts — its prisons and jails. Our series was developed by formerly incarcerated people, including host Lawrence Bartley and director Donald Washington, Jr.

How This Prison in Illinois Became One of the Deadliest in the U.S. | Inside Story

We explore violence at Thomson prison in Illinois, a deadly federal facility; sit down with actor La La Anthony to hear how she works to prepare young people for life on the outside; and see how a simple hobby helped a child with a life sentence continue to grow.
Inside Story is a first-of-its-kind series created to engage with and bring information to one of America’s largest news deserts — its prisons and jails. The series from The Marshall Project was developed by formerly incarcerated people, including host Lawrence Bartley and director Donald Washington, Jr.

2 Strikes and You’re in Prison Forever: Life Without Parole Sentences Are on the Rise | Inside Story

Death penalty sentences may be on the decline, but many will spend their final days behind bars with another sentence - life without parole. We speak with The Wire’s Gbenga Akkinagbe, and hear how Ali Siddiq’s time in prison helped him become a comedian.
Inside Story is a first-of-its-kind series created to engage with and bring information to one of America’s largest news deserts — its prisons and jails. The series from The Marshall Project was developed by formerly incarcerated people, including host Lawrence Bartley and director Donald Washington, Jr.

TikTokers Reveal What Life Is Like in Prison – From Personal Experience | Inside Story

We see how glimpses of life behind bars are going viral on social media, talk to Piper Kerman about creating Orange is the New Black and meet a man on a mission to get books behind bars. We also learn about the underground economy of solitary confinement.
Inside Story is a first-of-its-kind series created to engage with and bring information to one of America’s largest news deserts — its prisons and jails. The series from The Marshall Project was developed by formerly incarcerated people, including host Lawrence Bartley and director Donald Washington, Jr.

She Was Sentenced for Manslaughter for a Stillbirth | Inside Story

We learn how prosecutors in Oklahoma can turn one of the darkest days in a mother’s life into a prison term, discuss drug policy with Columbia University’s Dr. Carl Hart and hear how Washington state Rep. Tarra Simmons went from being incarcerated to writing legislation. 
Inside Story is a first-of-its-kind series created to engage with and bring information to one of America’s largest news deserts — its prisons and jails. The series from The Marshall Project was developed by formerly incarcerated people, including host Lawrence Bartley and director Donald Washington, Jr.