The Marshall Project
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The Marshall Project
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Jayden Kiley was 17 and in foster care when her mother died. But for months, no one told her about Social Security death benefits — or her mom's death.

Eventually, she learned she was owed ~$8,500.
Where Are Their Benefits? Former Foster Youth Want Answers
After a Marshall Project/NPR investigation, dozens ask what happened to money owed to them — and say the government isn't helping.
www.themarshallproject.org
November 25, 2025 at 10:00 PM
Larry Moses and Gloria Armour first dated in their 20s. The New Orleans duo reunited in their 60s, after Moses was wrongfully imprisoned for 29 years.
Love Beyond Bars: Larry and Gloria
Larry Moses and Gloria Armour first dated in their 20s. The New Orleans duo reunited in their 60s, after Moses was wrongfully imprisoned for 29 years.
www.themarshallproject.org
November 25, 2025 at 8:00 PM
People report being less afraid of walking around at night and believing crime rates are lower in their neighborhood when their political party runs the Executive Branch, according to data from 25 years of Gallup surveys.

This finding is especially true for Republicans.
Want to Know if Someone Is Worried About Crime? First Ask How They Voted.
The sitting president can be a better predictor of how safe someone feels than what the crime data shows.
www.themarshallproject.org
November 25, 2025 at 6:00 PM
Increased enforcement and Trump’s policy changes are causing some people to remain in abusive relationships rather than risk deportation, experts say.
How ICE’s Crackdown Hurts Immigrant Victims of Domestic Violence
Increased enforcement and Trump’s policy changes are causing some people to remain in abusive relationships rather than risk deportation, experts say.
www.themarshallproject.org
November 25, 2025 at 4:17 PM
Sandy Hemme spent 43 years behind bars. Even after a judge declared her innocent and ordered her freed, Missouri's attorney general tried to send her back.

The state’s legal and political systems often resist admitting error even in the face of overwhelming evidence.
Woman’s Case Spotlights Missouri’s Resistance to Innocence Claims
Even after a judge declared her innocent and ordered her freed, the Missouri attorney general tried to send her back.
www.themarshallproject.org
November 25, 2025 at 2:10 PM
A growing chorus of attorneys, advocates and members of law enforcement are warning that the terror that has taken hold in immigrant communities is causing some people to remain in abusive relationships rather than risk deportation and separation from their families.
How ICE’s Crackdown Hurts Immigrant Victims of Domestic Violence
Increased enforcement and Trump’s policy changes are causing some people to remain in abusive relationships rather than risk deportation, experts say.
www.themarshallproject.org
November 24, 2025 at 9:52 PM
At least 46 people have died in Mississippi’s county jails since 2020, according to lawsuits, news reports and law enforcement records reviewed by The Marshall Project - Jackson. But those lost lives do not appear in any official statistics or records.
No One Knows How Many People Die in Mississippi’s Jails. Here’s Why.
From medical neglect to suicide, the lack of information on jail deaths can allow the same deadly problems to lead to more deaths.
www.themarshallproject.org
November 24, 2025 at 5:04 PM
People in prison died at 3.4 times the rate of the free population, with the oldest hit hardest, at the peak of the pandemic in 2020. Data holds lessons for preventing future deaths.

Read our analysis ⬇️
Officials Failed to Act When COVID Hit Prisons. A New Study Shows the Deadly Cost.
People in prison died at 3.4 times the rate of the free population, with the oldest hit hardest. New data holds lessons for preventing future deaths.
www.themarshallproject.org
November 24, 2025 at 3:04 PM
Some localities are addressing street homelessness with a new approach, which experts say can clear encampments while protecting the health of people who are forced to move.
Homeless Sweeps Can Be More Humane, Experts Say. It Isn’t Easy
Some localities are addressing street homelessness with a new approach, which experts say can clear encampments while protecting the health of people who are forced to move.
www.themarshallproject.org
November 23, 2025 at 9:00 PM
"Susan seemed so earnest and calm and full of acceptance — all rare traits in the county jail, where so many people are caught up in the emotional riot of early sobriety," Keri Blakinger wrote.
The ‘Foul-Mouthed Pagan Lesbian’ Who Inspired My Jail Memoir
Keri Blakinger’s new book, “Corrections in Ink,” began with Susan Begg, an older woman the author met on her second day in jail. If only Susan had lived to see it in print.
www.themarshallproject.org
November 23, 2025 at 5:40 PM
Increased enforcement and Trump’s policy changes are causing some people to remain in abusive relationships rather than risk deportation, experts say.
How ICE’s Crackdown Hurts Immigrant Victims of Domestic Violence
Increased enforcement and Trump’s policy changes are causing some people to remain in abusive relationships rather than risk deportation, experts say.
www.themarshallproject.org
November 22, 2025 at 5:27 PM
Jazmine Mapes remembers one cold and wet November morning in 2023, when Los Angeles city workers demanded that she and about 65 others leave the tents they’d been living in across the street from City Hall. “I was covered in ashes and dirt,” she said.

She was also pregnant.
Homeless Sweeps Can Be More Humane, Experts Say. It Isn’t Easy
Some localities are addressing street homelessness with a new approach, which experts say can clear encampments while protecting the health of people who are forced to move.
www.themarshallproject.org
November 22, 2025 at 3:23 PM
“It is not uncommon for guards to withhold food unless we take our shirts off," writes prison journalist Kwaneta Harris in Texas.
Why Solitary Confinement Is a Safe Haven for Sexually Abusive Guards
After eight years in “the hole” at Texas’ Lane Murray Unit, Kwaneta Harris documents the “daily reality” of staff sexual exploitation and violence.
www.themarshallproject.org
November 21, 2025 at 10:00 PM
A year after taking over Mohican Young Star Academy, new owners and leadership face questions from workers, police and neighbors about its direction.
How an Ohio Youth Treatment Center Tried to End Escalating Violence
A year after taking over Mohican Young Star Academy, new owners and leadership face questions from workers, police and neighbors about its direction.
www.themarshallproject.org
November 21, 2025 at 8:00 PM
Reposted by The Marshall Project
There was no way to know how many people died in Missouri prisons — until now.

Emerging on Bsky to share this latest installment in @themarshallproject.org's death-in-custody coverage + a few thoughts from my reporting on MO's flawed records system 🧵👇🏾

www.themarshallproject.org/2025/11/18/s...
There Was No Way to Know How Many People Died in Missouri Prisons — Until Now
For years, the state’s Department of Corrections cobbled together death records from multiple sources. New data reveals annual totals for the first time.
www.themarshallproject.org
November 21, 2025 at 4:13 PM
From medical neglect to suicide, the lack of information on jail deaths can allow the same deadly problems to lead to more deaths.
No One Knows How Many People Die in Mississippi’s Jails. Here’s Why.
From medical neglect to suicide, the lack of information on jail deaths can allow the same deadly problems to lead to more deaths.
www.themarshallproject.org
November 21, 2025 at 6:01 PM
Local governments across the U.S. have increasingly turned to sweeps and arrests as the number of people living on the nation’s streets exploded. But growing evidence shows that forcing people to move can harm their health. That’s prompting several cities to try a new approach in some cases.
Homeless Sweeps Can Be More Humane, Experts Say. It Isn’t Easy
Some localities are addressing street homelessness with a new approach, which experts say can clear encampments while protecting the health of people who are forced to move.
www.themarshallproject.org
November 21, 2025 at 5:15 PM
Shattered teeth. Punctured lungs. Broken bones.
Over a dozen years, New York officials have documented the results of hundreds of prison guards' attacks. ⁠When the state tried to use this evidence to fire guards, it failed 90% of the time, we found.
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.
www.themarshallproject.org
November 21, 2025 at 3:21 PM
For years, the public had no way to know how many people died in Missouri’s prisons because the state Department of Corrections wasn’t counting.

The discrepancies underscore how easily people in prison can disappear from the record, and how little we actually know about who dies in prison and how.
There Was No Way to Know How Many People Died in Missouri Prisons — Until Now
For years, the state’s Department of Corrections cobbled together death records from multiple sources. New data reveals annual totals for the first time.
www.themarshallproject.org
November 20, 2025 at 9:00 PM
The United States is experiencing historic drops in crime across almost all categories, including murder, burglary and motor vehicle theft.

But crime statistics don’t necessarily change how safe Americans feel; those beliefs are driven by political preferences.
Want to Know if Someone Is Worried About Crime? First Ask How They Voted.
The sitting president can be a better predictor of how safe someone feels than what the crime data shows.
www.themarshallproject.org
November 20, 2025 at 7:01 PM
Amid a wave of anti-trans legislation, and the violence that often follows, four people share their experiences in the criminal justice system.
What Being Trans in Prison Is Really Like
Amid a wave of anti-trans legislation, and the violence that often follows, four people share their experiences in the criminal justice system.
www.themarshallproject.org
November 20, 2025 at 5:00 PM
Some localities are addressing street homelessness with a new approach, which experts say can clear encampments while protecting the health of people who are forced to move.
Homeless Sweeps Can Be More Humane, Experts Say. It Isn’t Easy
Some localities are addressing street homelessness with a new approach, which experts say can clear encampments while protecting the health of people who are forced to move.
www.themarshallproject.org
November 20, 2025 at 4:30 PM
"How many people die each year in Missouri prisons? The question should be straightforward to answer via a public records request. But my attempts to verify the state’s data were full of twists and turns that ultimately led to the DOC providing comprehensive death data for the first time."
How We Got Comprehensive Death Data From the Missouri DOC
After repeated questions about missing deaths in the state’s existing logs, the department shared annual counts for the first time.
www.themarshallproject.org
November 20, 2025 at 2:54 PM
"I am a better person today because I accepted A. into my life, letting her provide me with the love and affection that I need," Samantha Vantassell wrote in her Life Inside essay.
I Never Thought I Could Fall In Love With a Woman. Then Came Prison.
We call straight women who couple up with fellow prisoners “gay for the stay.” That slang masks the complexity — and often beauty — of these bonds.
www.themarshallproject.org
November 19, 2025 at 10:01 PM
Like previous government shutdowns, the one that ended this week didn’t halt federal agencies’ work across the board. Immigration enforcement, for example, was largely unaffected.

But while the raids continued, the flow of information about them did not.
ICE Raids Kept On During the Shutdown, But the Detention Data Stayed Hidden
More than seven weeks have passed since the last comprehensive release of detention and deportation numbers.
www.themarshallproject.org
November 19, 2025 at 8:00 PM