Criminal Justice

Two Cities Took Different Approaches to Pandemic Court Closures. They Got Different Results

Did closing courts contribute to the resurgence in violent crime that began in 2020? What happened in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and Wichita, Kansas, may provide clues.

  • By Alec MacGillis, ProPublica

In Pennsylvania, GOP State Lawmakers Look to Impeach Philadelphia District Attorney

Republicans in Harrisburg say crime goes “unchecked” under Larry Krasner, the city’s progressive top prosecutor

  • By Harrison Cann

The Prosecutors Not Planning to Enforce Post-Roe Abortion Laws

In states like Texas and Tennessee, some local district attorneys say they’re not willing to pursue cases against women who get abortions, or doctors who provide them.

  • By Kery Murakami

The Indictment of the Nation’s Longest-serving Legislative Leader

The federal prosecution of former Illinois House Speaker Mike Madigan is the latest, and biggest, development in a push to crack down on corruption in Chicago.

  • By Daniel C. Vock

New Orleans Leans Into Data to Reduce Over Incarceration

A $474K grant will provide the city with data and analytic assistance to address racial and ethnic disparities in the criminal legal system.

  • By Shourjya Mookerjee

Should Rap Lyrics Be Used as Evidence in Criminal Trials?

A proposal in the New York State Assembly would require prosecutors to meet stricter standards to use rap lyrics as evidence, a relatively common practice that in most states has gone unregulated.

  • By Kate Elizabeth Queram

Taking Race Out of Criminal Charges

Prosecutors in Yolo County, California, are attempting “race-blind charging” by using software to redact identifying information, including race and other descriptors, from police reports.

  • By Kate Elizabeth Queram

Surging Catalytic Converter Thefts Spur State Crackdowns

The pollution control devices contain precious metals worth thousands of dollars per ounce.

  • By Jenni Bergal, Stateline

Reducing the Staggering Backlog of Court Cases

COMMENTARY | State and local leaders can tackle the massive backlog of criminal cases by expanding pretrial services, transforming indigent defense and embracing restorative justice processes.

  • By Marc Levin

Secretly Removing a Condom During Sex is Technically Legal. One State is Poised to Change That.

Lawmakers in California approved legislation to ban “stealthing.” If signed into law, the state would be the first to explicitly outlaw the practice.

  • By Kate Elizabeth Queram

Canceled Fines and Fees, $0 Cash Bail. Will Pandemic-era Criminal Justice Changes Stick?

A group that advocates for incarcerated people provides states and localities recommendations for keeping citizens who committed minor offenses out of jails and prisons.

  • By Jean Dimeo

The Prison Population is Falling, But in Some States Lots of People Are Still Locked Up

Incarceration rates have been dropping for years. Here’s where prisons and jails are still packed.

  • By Tom Shoop
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The Everglades Experiment: Florida’s First ‘Incentivized’ Prison Redefines Punishment

The initiative focuses on improving the quality of life inside prison, with attention paid to education, career counseling, leisure time, wellness, and planning for reintegration in civilian society before release.

  • By Ryan M. Moser, The Crime Report

The False Hope of the Progressive-Prosecutor Movement

COMMENTARY | Well-intentioned reformers can't fix the criminal legal system. They have to start relinquishing the power.

  • By Darcy Covert, The Atlantic

Violent Crime Up in Major US Cities Since Covid-19 Pandemic Began

But overall crime rates are lower when compared to prior years, according to a report by the National Commission on Covid-19 and Criminal Justice.

  • By Brent Woodie

More States Consider Automatic Criminal Record Expungement

About 1 in 3 U.S. adults have a criminal record.

  • By Kristian Hernández, Stateline

Alternatives to Juvenile Justice Probation Growing in Many States, Report Finds

Research by the National Conference of State Legislatures shows that states are turning to more effective programs that incentivize and mentor young offenders rather than punish them.

  • By Brent Woodie and Jean Dimeo

America’s Rural-Jail-Death Problem

Every day, in small towns and cities across the country, thousands of people are booked into local jails, many for minor crimes. Some never come home.

  • By Katie Rose Quandt, The Atlantic

There’s Only One State Where Falling Behind on Rent Could Mean Jail Time. That Could Change.

Only Arkansas permits criminal consequences for nonpayment of rent — and it has enforced the law during the pandemic. Now, after ProPublica investigated the practice, some legislators want to revoke the statute.

  • By Maya Miller, Ellis Simani and Benjamin Hardy, ProPublica

Justice Department Warns of Fake Unemployment Benefit Websites

It’s one more issue for jobless Americans and state workforce agencies to be concerned about.

  • By Brent Woodie

A Las Vegas Judge Approves $1.4 Million Payment to Wrongfully Convicted Man Who Served More Than Two Decades

Fred Steese, who spent decades behind bars for murder — despite the fact that Nevada state prosecutors had documents showing he was in another state at the time of the crime — will receive cash, fees and a certificate of innocence.

  • By Megan Rose, ProPublica