Jill Castellano
@jillcastellano.bsky.social
Data Journalist for The Marshall Project, writing about crime stats and perceptions of public safety. Drop me a line at jcastellano@themarshallproject.org.
Watching closely as the end of Gavin Newsom's term ticks down! @themarshallproject.org
Gavin Newsom Could Reshape the U.S. Death Penalty, But It’s Politically Risky
More than 560 people still face death sentences in California, despite a longstanding moratorium on executions.
themarshallproject.org
How will this mixed messaging play out in the minds of voters? "Even as Trump emphasized brutal crime, he also cheered current historically low crime rates." www.washingtonpost.com/politics/202...
Trump emphasizes crime in midterm push in North Carolina
The president made violent crime the central issue in his first large-scale outdoor rally this year and cites the GOP’s 1988 “Willie Horton” attack ad on Democratic nominee Michael S. Dukakis.
washingtonpost.com
As a part of our series analyzing 9,000 death sentences across the U.S., here's what the death penalty landscape looks like in California as Gavin Newsom weighs a big decision on clemency. With @themarshallproject.org and @mauricechammah.bsky.social! www.themarshallproject.org/2026/09/10/n...
Gavin Newsom Could Reshape the U.S. Death Penalty, But It’s Politically Risky
More than 560 people still face death sentences in California, despite a longstanding moratorium on executions.
themarshallproject.org
It was very cool to see the work my @themarshallproject.org colleagues @caryaspinwall.bsky.social and @sho-walter.bsky.social and I have done covering fetal personhood and pregnancy drug testing featured on John Oliver last night! You can watch it here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=sCSt...
Fetal Personhood: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (HBO)
YouTube video by LastWeekTonight
youtube.com
🚨 WE HAVE A DEAL! After three years, in a major step forward for our members, we have ratified our first contract with @propublica.org’s management. We deeply appreciate everyone who supported us along the way. Here are some of our big wins👇
![A graphic poster reads "We have a deal! The ProPublica Guild has reached a deal with ProPublica's management on our first contract and has voted to ratify it. Swipe for the highlights [pointing emoji].](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:cdv2pqnwpgqvwp7i4h6qqm3m/bafkreicamcjhmrljmxkoelj7c44bud5joxgqjjqcwjjdq66mmnjljtqawe)
Check it out: Our latest work in a series on false positive drug tests at childbirth. @themarshallproject.org
Moms of Black Babies More Likely to Be Flagged to Police Over Alleged Pregnancy Drug Use
Child welfare referred Black parents to law enforcement 14,000 times in 7 years, despite no findings of abuse or neglect.
themarshallproject.org
Programs that send mental health professionals instead of police, or alongside police, to people in the midst of behavioral crises have spread rapidly in recent years. Some version of this concept now exists in 44 out of the country’s 50 largest cities, according to a 2024 study.
More Cities Sending Mental Health Workers Instead of Police, But Funding Doubts Remain
More than 40 of the largest U.S. cities have launched some alternative response, but questions remain about how to pay for it.
themarshallproject.org
How North Carolina officials kept the truth about a police shooting hidden. www.themarshallproject.org/2026/04/22/n...
How the Truth About a North Carolina Police Shooting Stayed Hidden
In 2019, a state trooper killed Brandon Webster, claiming self-defense. Evidence contradicted that account but wasn’t made public — until now.
themarshallproject.org
TODAY: Join @themarshallproject.org for a conversation about pregnancy criminalization. I'll be talking about our data analysis that found 70,000 cases where new parents were referred to law enforcement over drug use allegations. See you there! www.themarshallproject.org/events/how-t...
How to Investigate Hospital Drug Testing and the Policing of Pregnancy
In this training webinar, three Marshall Project reporters will share key takeaways from their coverage of pregnancy surveillance.
themarshallproject.org
Today we're taking a collective lunch break in solidarity with @propublicaguild.org's strike for a fair contract. You can support ProPublica Guild by not clicking on or sharing PP stories today, and telling management why you're honoring the digital picket line: actionnetwork.org/letters/tell...
Tell ProPublica you’ll honor a digital picket line
Unionized staff at ProPublica have voted overwhelmingly to authorize a strike after more than two years of bargaining their first contract. ProPublica management has: Refused to agree to basic jo...
actionnetwork.org
We’re on strike today! Support our fight for a fair contract by NOT visiting the @propublica.org website or engaging with ProPublica stories today. Tell ProPublica’s management you won’t cross the picket line: actionnetwork.org/petitions/te...
I went on Minnesota Public Radio to talk about how the state refers thousands of mothers to law enforcement over alleged drug use during pregnancy, often based on flawed drug tests at childbirth. In fact, these referrals take place for every 1 in 42 births. @themarshallproject.org
Investigation: Thousands of new mothers referred to law enforcement after faulty drug tests
Rather than illicit drugs, many of these parents had eaten or used poppy seeds, heartburn medications, CBD gummies and prescribed medications during their pregnancy, leading to encounters with police ...
mprnews.org
Our investigation found state agencies shared allegations of pregnancy substance use with law enforcement 70,000+ times over six years. Allegations are often based on unreliable drug testing, which can return false positives. Use our interactive tool to explore the data and policies in your state:
In Your State, Are Cops Being Called on New Mothers?
The Marshall Project found more than 70,000 cases referred to law enforcement over allegations of substance use during pregnancy. Explore the data for your state.
themarshallproject.org
For the expecting parents out there -- here's what you need to know about (unreliable) drug testing at childbirth and what you can do about it @themarshallproject.org @sho-walter.bsky.social www.themarshallproject.org/2026/02/13/t...
Having a Baby? 5 Tips to Avoid Problems From Flawed Drug Testing at the Hospital
Hospitals routinely use unreliable drug tests at childbirth, and many parents are reported to child welfare agencies and the police. Here’s what you can do.
themarshallproject.org
Proud of this amazing work I got to do with @sho-walter.bsky.social
The Marshall Project@themarshallproject.org · 8mo agoWe found over 70,000 cases referred to law enforcement over allegations of substance use during pregnancy — and that’s a significant undercount. Use our interactive tool to look up the data and policies on drug testing during childbirth in your state:
@jillcastellano.bsky.social and I wrote about how this data also went missing during the shutdown: www.themarshallproject.org/2025/11/15/d...
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.
themarshallproject.org
Great story showing how you can use Deportation Data Project info to show the long reaching geographic impacts of these ICE raids
Jill Castellano@jillcastellano.bsky.social · 9mo agoWe tracked around 1,600 people detained in "Operation Midway Blitz" - the Chicago-area ICE raids that took place this fall. Here's where they ended up. @themarshallproject.org @geoffhing.bsky.social @shannonheffernan.bsky.social
We tracked around 1,600 people detained in "Operation Midway Blitz" - the Chicago-area ICE raids that took place this fall. Here's where they ended up. @themarshallproject.org @geoffhing.bsky.social @shannonheffernan.bsky.social
ICE Data Reveals What Happened to 1,600 People Arrested During Chicago’s Blitz
Most of those arrested were swiftly shuttled to a sprawling array of detention centers in 13 states, many with reports of troubling conditions.
themarshallproject.org
Ahead of the 2020 election, we asked people in prison what might have helped keep them from committing the crime that led to their incarceration. Among their responses were: • affordable housing • a stable, well-paying job • mental health support
What Could Have Kept Me Out of Prison
We asked people behind bars what services and programs could have changed the course of their lives. Therapy, affordable housing and a living wage topped the list.
themarshallproject.org
Are you curating your news diet more intentionally these days? If topics like policing, prisons, or criminal justice reform matter to you, subscribing to one of our newsletters is the perfect way to get the most important coverage delivered straight to your inbox:
Sign Up for The Marshall Project's Newsletters
Get (free) criminal justice news, from daily updates to weekly insights.
themarshallproject.org
What drives our beliefs around crime and personal safety? Increasingly, the answer is politics. My latest for @themarshallproject.org
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.
themarshallproject.org
Nice resource from The Open Notebook for anyone dipping their toes into crime and public safety journalism. @theopennotebook.bsky.social
Bringing Scientific Evidence into Any Beat: Crime and Public Safety - The Open Notebook
Daniel von Appen/Unsplash Just as police reports and witness accounts provide crucial information and context in stories about crime and public safety, scientific evidence similarly strengthens report...
theopennotebook.com
ICE agents continued raiding, arresting and deporting during the 43-day shutdown, but officials stopped publishing data on their operations. This data gives us the best info we have on what ICE is up to, where, and who is being caught in the dragnet.
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.
themarshallproject.org
"...while the raids continued, the flow of information about them did not." From @geoffhing.bsky.social and @jillcastellano.bsky.social www.themarshallproject.org/2025/11/15/d...
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.
themarshallproject.org
I was laid off from Teen Vogue today along with multiple other staffers, and today is my last day. certainly more to come from me when the dust has settled more, but to my knowledge, after today, there will be no politics staffers at Teen Vogue.
Past Marshall Project reporting has found that, in the aggregate, the cost of police misconduct settlements can reach into the billions. But recently, two cities have embraced a legal maneuver that, if widely adopted, could limit how much victims actually recover from these settlements.
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?
themarshallproject.org
Crawled out of my hole to join BlueSky. Learn more about my journalism here: www.themarshallproject.org/staff/jill-c...
Jill Castellano | The Marshall Project
Stories by Jill Castellano, Data Reporter at The Marshall Project.
themarshallproject.org
