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In his Life Inside essay, Bobby Bostic discusses his writing workshops in juvenile detention centers.
“These kids are full of potential,” he writes. “Giving them guidance is my way of giving back.”
“These kids are full of potential,” he writes. “Giving them guidance is my way of giving back.”
Here’s How I Use My Story to Teach Incarcerated Kids That Writing Matters
At 18, Bobby Bostic was sentenced to 241 years in prison. Now out on parole, he’s sharing the healing power of writing in juvenile detention centers.
www.themarshallproject.org
November 10, 2025 at 10:01 PM
In his Life Inside essay, Bobby Bostic discusses his writing workshops in juvenile detention centers.
“These kids are full of potential,” he writes. “Giving them guidance is my way of giving back.”
“These kids are full of potential,” he writes. “Giving them guidance is my way of giving back.”
In one case, the wife of a man who had been murdered did not want to come to court to testify for fear of being arrested by Homeland Security agents. Her fear of arrest “makes it more likely that her husband’s murderers will go free and justice will be denied,” wrote prosecutor Jose Villarreal.
Trump Says Federal Deployments Make Cities Safer. Local Officials Disagree.
In Chicago, Memphis and elsewhere, residents allege a surge of federal agents and military troops is making it harder to police and prosecute crime.
www.themarshallproject.org
November 10, 2025 at 8:01 PM
In one case, the wife of a man who had been murdered did not want to come to court to testify for fear of being arrested by Homeland Security agents. Her fear of arrest “makes it more likely that her husband’s murderers will go free and justice will be denied,” wrote prosecutor Jose Villarreal.
An April fight involving more than a dozen Mohican residents left many of them, along with staff, with injuries, including a pencil stab wound to one child, according to police reports. Two workers were treated at a hospital, one of them for a concussion, according to medical reports.
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 10, 2025 at 6:00 PM
An April fight involving more than a dozen Mohican residents left many of them, along with staff, with injuries, including a pencil stab wound to one child, according to police reports. Two workers were treated at a hospital, one of them for a concussion, according to medical reports.
At the Grow Academy in Madison, teenage boys in the juvenile system spend their days tending to vegetables, learning emotional regulation and living in a dorm-style building that is run by the state’s department of corrections, but looks nothing like a jail.
The Competing Visions to Fix the Country’s Juvenile Justice Crisis
Some states keep adding beds in already troubled facilities, while others are trying alternative approaches to detention or keeping some children out of the system altogether.
www.themarshallproject.org
November 10, 2025 at 4:00 PM
At the Grow Academy in Madison, teenage boys in the juvenile system spend their days tending to vegetables, learning emotional regulation and living in a dorm-style building that is run by the state’s department of corrections, but looks nothing like a jail.
“Not much” sunlight ever makes it to people inside the St. Louis City Justice Center — even on a bright summer day, the jail’s interim commissioner acknowledged to us.
“We're taking an abundance off their life,” he said of people who remain locked up for years.
“We're taking an abundance off their life,” he said of people who remain locked up for years.
Months Without Sunshine: The Unbearable Darkness of Jail
Jails in St. Louis, Cleveland and Jackson, Mississippi, don’t provide direct access to sunlight and fresh air – even when their own policies require it.
www.themarshallproject.org
November 10, 2025 at 2:55 PM
“Not much” sunlight ever makes it to people inside the St. Louis City Justice Center — even on a bright summer day, the jail’s interim commissioner acknowledged to us.
“We're taking an abundance off their life,” he said of people who remain locked up for years.
“We're taking an abundance off their life,” he said of people who remain locked up for years.
"I entered prison at 15, lost and illiterate," writes Andre Jacobs. "A lot of the guys I knew were too ashamed to admit that they didn’t know how to read, but I wasn’t.
I taught myself how."
I taught myself how."
I Taught Myself How to Read in Prison. Then I Sued the System and Won
“Just like the rest of life, everything about the court system is a puzzle I’ve had to piece together.”
www.themarshallproject.org
November 9, 2025 at 9:00 PM
"I entered prison at 15, lost and illiterate," writes Andre Jacobs. "A lot of the guys I knew were too ashamed to admit that they didn’t know how to read, but I wasn’t.
I taught myself how."
I taught myself how."
"I’m able to write about very complicated characters, other murderers, and put myself beneath them by telling the reader about my own terrible transgressions, often explaining that I’m as bad or worse than the people I’m writing about."
A Leading Prison Journalist Upends Our Obsession With True Crime
John J. Lennon tells Bill Keller that he “wanted to tell a different story about the guilty” in his new book.
www.themarshallproject.org
November 9, 2025 at 5:00 PM
"I’m able to write about very complicated characters, other murderers, and put myself beneath them by telling the reader about my own terrible transgressions, often explaining that I’m as bad or worse than the people I’m writing about."
Reposted by The Marshall Project
Once one person trusted me enough to talk, my number spread through the Mohican Young Star Academy network. Over and over, I heard the same thing about the residential treatment facility for boys: someone is going to get hurt.
www.themarshallproject.org/2025/11/06/r...
www.themarshallproject.org/2025/11/06/r...
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 6, 2025 at 12:37 PM
Once one person trusted me enough to talk, my number spread through the Mohican Young Star Academy network. Over and over, I heard the same thing about the residential treatment facility for boys: someone is going to get hurt.
www.themarshallproject.org/2025/11/06/r...
www.themarshallproject.org/2025/11/06/r...
Screams and bangs echoed inside Ohio’s largest youth residential treatment center. Some children rushed outside to grab rocks. A teacher ushered her students into the cafeteria for safety.
Another teacher texted her mother, pleading with her to call 911: “Call them. Call mom please.”
Another teacher texted her mother, pleading with her to call 911: “Call them. Call mom please.”
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 8, 2025 at 9:42 PM
Screams and bangs echoed inside Ohio’s largest youth residential treatment center. Some children rushed outside to grab rocks. A teacher ushered her students into the cafeteria for safety.
Another teacher texted her mother, pleading with her to call 911: “Call them. Call mom please.”
Another teacher texted her mother, pleading with her to call 911: “Call them. Call mom please.”
Some states keep adding beds in already troubled facilities, while others are trying alternative approaches to detention or keeping some children out of the system altogether.
The Competing Visions to Fix the Country’s Juvenile Justice Crisis
Some states keep adding beds in already troubled facilities, while others are trying alternative approaches to detention or keeping some children out of the system altogether.
www.themarshallproject.org
November 8, 2025 at 5:51 PM
Some states keep adding beds in already troubled facilities, while others are trying alternative approaches to detention or keeping some children out of the system altogether.
Denver, Minneapolis and other cities want to avoid paying large sums owed to victims of some types of misconduct. But will the officers pay up?
Who Pays for Police Misconduct? These Cities Say Officers, Not Taxpayers
Denver, Minneapolis and other cities want to avoid paying large sums owed to victims of some types of misconduct. But will the officers pay up?
www.themarshallproject.org
November 7, 2025 at 10:00 PM
Denver, Minneapolis and other cities want to avoid paying large sums owed to victims of some types of misconduct. But will the officers pay up?
An April fight involving more than a dozen Mohican residents left many of them, along with staff, with injuries, including a pencil stab wound to one child, according to police reports. Two workers were treated at a hospital, one of them for a concussion, according to medical reports.
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 7, 2025 at 8:00 PM
An April fight involving more than a dozen Mohican residents left many of them, along with staff, with injuries, including a pencil stab wound to one child, according to police reports. Two workers were treated at a hospital, one of them for a concussion, according to medical reports.
John J. Lennon tells Bill Keller that he “wanted to tell a different story about the guilty” in his new book.
A Leading Prison Journalist Upends Our Obsession With True Crime
John J. Lennon tells Bill Keller that he “wanted to tell a different story about the guilty” in his new book.
www.themarshallproject.org
November 7, 2025 at 6:30 PM
John J. Lennon tells Bill Keller that he “wanted to tell a different story about the guilty” in his new book.
In one case, the wife of a man who had been murdered did not want to come to court to testify for fear of being arrested by Homeland Security agents. Her fear of arrest “makes it more likely that her husband’s murderers will go free and justice will be denied,” wrote Jose Villarreal.
Trump Says Federal Deployments Make Cities Safer. Local Officials Disagree.
In Chicago, Memphis and elsewhere, residents allege a surge of federal agents and military troops is making it harder to police and prosecute crime.
www.themarshallproject.org
November 7, 2025 at 4:00 PM
In one case, the wife of a man who had been murdered did not want to come to court to testify for fear of being arrested by Homeland Security agents. Her fear of arrest “makes it more likely that her husband’s murderers will go free and justice will be denied,” wrote Jose Villarreal.
Food behind bars often fails to meet the standards of basic nutrition.
What’s in a Prison Meal?
The ongoing fight for more, and better, prison food.
www.themarshallproject.org
November 7, 2025 at 2:42 PM
Food behind bars often fails to meet the standards of basic nutrition.
A Black freshman’s apparent suicide on campus is one of at least nine Black men who have been found hanging from trees since 2000.
Tree Hanging at Delta State in Mississippi Raises Dread of Past Lynchings
A Black freshman’s apparent suicide on campus is one of at least nine Black men who have been found hanging from trees since 2000.
www.themarshallproject.org
November 6, 2025 at 9:25 PM
A Black freshman’s apparent suicide on campus is one of at least nine Black men who have been found hanging from trees since 2000.
Reposted by The Marshall Project
Incredible reporting by @brittanyhailer.bsky.social for @themarshallproject.org on the tragic and dangerous conditions inside youth treatment centers. Hailer is one of the best there is out there.
www.themarshallproject.org/2025/11/06/r...
www.themarshallproject.org/2025/11/06/r...
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 6, 2025 at 1:26 PM
Incredible reporting by @brittanyhailer.bsky.social for @themarshallproject.org on the tragic and dangerous conditions inside youth treatment centers. Hailer is one of the best there is out there.
www.themarshallproject.org/2025/11/06/r...
www.themarshallproject.org/2025/11/06/r...
In Chicago, Memphis and elsewhere, residents allege a surge of federal agents and military troops is making it harder to police and prosecute crime.
Trump Says Federal Deployments Make Cities Safer. Local Officials Disagree.
In Chicago, Memphis and elsewhere, residents allege a surge of federal agents and military troops is making it harder to police and prosecute crime.
www.themarshallproject.org
November 6, 2025 at 6:06 PM
In Chicago, Memphis and elsewhere, residents allege a surge of federal agents and military troops is making it harder to police and prosecute crime.
Screams and bangs echoed inside Ohio’s largest youth residential treatment center. Some children rushed outside to grab rocks. A teacher ushered her students into the cafeteria for safety.
Another teacher texted her mother, pleading with her to call 911: “Call them. Call mom please.”
Another teacher texted her mother, pleading with her to call 911: “Call them. Call mom please.”
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 6, 2025 at 3:47 PM
Screams and bangs echoed inside Ohio’s largest youth residential treatment center. Some children rushed outside to grab rocks. A teacher ushered her students into the cafeteria for safety.
Another teacher texted her mother, pleading with her to call 911: “Call them. Call mom please.”
Another teacher texted her mother, pleading with her to call 911: “Call them. Call mom please.”
Diamonds Ford thought she was shooting at an intruder when cops raided her Florida home without knocking. Then she was charged with attempted murder.
Read her essay ⬇️
Read her essay ⬇️
I ‘Stood My Ground’ — but It Was the Police Raiding My House
Diamonds Ford thought she was shooting at an intruder when Florida cops raided her home without knocking. Then she was charged with attempted murder.
www.themarshallproject.org
November 6, 2025 at 2:27 PM
Diamonds Ford thought she was shooting at an intruder when cops raided her Florida home without knocking. Then she was charged with attempted murder.
Read her essay ⬇️
Read her essay ⬇️
A Black freshman’s apparent suicide on campus is one of at least nine Black men who have been found hanging from trees since 2000.
Tree Hanging at Delta State in Mississippi Raises Dread of Past Lynchings
A Black freshman’s apparent suicide on campus is one of at least nine Black men who have been found hanging from trees since 2000.
www.themarshallproject.org
November 5, 2025 at 8:40 PM
A Black freshman’s apparent suicide on campus is one of at least nine Black men who have been found hanging from trees since 2000.
John J. Lennon tells Bill Keller that he “wanted to tell a different story about the guilty” in his new book.
A Leading Prison Journalist Upends Our Obsession With True Crime
John J. Lennon tells Bill Keller that he “wanted to tell a different story about the guilty” in his new book.
www.themarshallproject.org
November 5, 2025 at 5:10 PM
John J. Lennon tells Bill Keller that he “wanted to tell a different story about the guilty” in his new book.
Thomas Koskovich writes that it's stressful when anyone dies in your prison, especially when no one ever tells you what happened.
In Prison, Every Death Creates a Ripple Effect
It’s stressful when anyone dies on your wing, especially when no one ever tells you what happened.
www.themarshallproject.org
November 5, 2025 at 2:27 PM
Thomas Koskovich writes that it's stressful when anyone dies in your prison, especially when no one ever tells you what happened.
When someone dies behind bars, the officials who run prisons and jails don't always return all of their belongings to their loved ones. Books, drawings, letters, and other memorabilia, for many families, are precious reminders of the person they've lost.
Their Loved Ones Died Behind Bars. These Keepsakes Are All They Have Left.
Five families reflect on the possessions they got back, and the ones they didn’t.
www.themarshallproject.org
November 3, 2025 at 9:45 PM
When someone dies behind bars, the officials who run prisons and jails don't always return all of their belongings to their loved ones. Books, drawings, letters, and other memorabilia, for many families, are precious reminders of the person they've lost.
Missouri’s competency-to-stand-trial system has become so overloaded that even people accused of low-level crimes now wait years for effective treatment. Administrators have responded with new programs, but reporting suggests that those efforts aren’t nearly enough.
Woman Loses Her Home While Waiting in Jail for Mental Health Treatment
A backlog of defendants deemed mentally unfit for trial persists despite public policy changes to address the crisis.
www.themarshallproject.org
November 3, 2025 at 7:25 PM
Missouri’s competency-to-stand-trial system has become so overloaded that even people accused of low-level crimes now wait years for effective treatment. Administrators have responded with new programs, but reporting suggests that those efforts aren’t nearly enough.