Did you know that U.S. hospitals routinely drug test people coming in to give birth and report new parents to child welfare authorities over positive results, even though these tests can have false positive rates as high as 50%? And even though the hospital itself sometimes provided the medication that patients are testing positive for?

Did you know that in Missouri, only those on death row can bring innocence claims before a court? For Sandra Hemme, that meant spending more years in prison for a murder she did not commit. Her case was marked by dubious police practices, a questionable, coerced confession and claims of ineffective work by some of Hemme’s lawyers. Hemme was released in July 2024 following a 43-year fight for innocence.

Bringing stories like these to light is what we live for at The Marshall Project. In fact, it’s our entire mission: To create and sustain a sense of urgency about the U.S. criminal justice system by shining a light on injustices. We have a community of thousands across the country who have joined us in this mission by becoming members of The Marshall Project.

We have an impact on the criminal justice system through journalism, rendering it more fair, effective, transparent and humane. Our reporting has spurred new legislation and advocacy campaigns, prompted official probes, improved conditions in specific prisons and jails, helped free people from detention and been cited by everyone from Supreme Court justices to jailhouse lawyers.

We’re not owned by one wealthy individual with competing interests. There’s no private equity firm backing us, and we don’t receive any funding from a powerful corporate owner. Instead, we rely on donations from readers to sustain our journalism and its impact.

During our year-end membership drive, your donation will automatically be matched, dollar for dollar, by our board chair, Liz Simons. If you agree that honest, independent journalism is essential to improving the criminal justice system — and you’d like to double your donation — become a member of The Marshall Project today.