Donald Prutting spent weeks calling the prison, hoping to get his brother’s ashes. Jacqueline Ciccone received a clear plastic bag with her son’s belongings at the hospital just before he passed away. She then spent months trying to understand what had happened to him in jail. When Tammy Reed’s son died, the box of items she was given by the prison seemed to contain another person’s clothes and shoes.
When people die behind bars, families are not always given back all of their loved one’s belongings. Personal items like books, drawings, and letters often hold deep emotional value, serving as one of the few reminders of the person they lost. Yet, these items are sometimes kept by correctional officials for long periods. In some prisons, property is held until the death investigation is finished. In others, it’s kept until legal paperwork is completed or a court appoints someone to manage the estate — a process that can take weeks or even months.
If precious keepsakes go missing, families often have nowhere to turn for help.
The Marshall Project spoke with several families who shared what they received — and what they never got back — after losing someone in custody. For them, each item, no matter how small, represents a lasting connection to the person they loved and lost.
