Criminal Justice

Drug decriminalization stumbled in Oregon. Other states are taking note.

The rocky start could slow the movement to treat addiction as a public health matter.

  • By Erika Bolstad, Stateline

Cities are embracing teen curfews, though they might not curb crime

Experts worry that curfews disproportionately target young people of color.

  • By Amanda Hernández, Stateline

Stifling prison heat used to be just a Southern problem. Not anymore.

Climate change has amplified heat-related struggles in more state prisons.

  • By Amanda Hernández, Stateline

What needs to change at Rikers? Everything.

We asked more than a dozen criminal justice experts. They urged staying the course on borough-based jails—and many called for a federal takeover of Rikers in the meantime.

  • By Shantel Destra

How one public defender’s office is embracing tech to better serve its clients

The Los Angeles County Public Defender’s Office has digitized many records and is looking to use artificial intelligence and automation in a bid to provide an effective defense.

  • By Chris Teale

How Agencies Can Clean Up Criminal Records to Automate Expungement

Automatic record clearance is a growing priority for states as criminal records delay individuals’ ability to reenter society and fill open job slots.

  • By Kaitlyn Levinson

How agencies can clean up criminal records to automate expungement

Automatic record clearance is a growing priority for states as criminal records delay individuals’ ability to reenter society and fill open job slots.

  • By Kaitlyn Levinson

A fight against floppy discs evolves into a prison rights crusade

Incarcerated man asks court to compel prisons to dump ‘Stone Age’ technology.

  • By Dana DiFilippo, New Jersey Monitor

More States Allow Residents With Felony Convictions to Vote

Nearly half the states in the U.S. now allow people previously convicted of felonies to vote.

  • By Matt Vasilogambros, Stateline

The Five Best Movies About State or Local Government

The glitz! The glamour! The government officials! In honor of this weekend’s Oscar Awards, here are our team’s top picks depicting everything from municipal water wars to prominent politicians.

  • By Elizabeth Daigneau

With tablets, hybrid classes inmates prep for cloud jobs

Detainees at the District of Columbia’s Department of Corrections have become certified cloud practitioners, knowledge that upon release will provide a sustainable wage and may help fill the IT skills gap.

  • By Stephanie Kanowitz

Criminal Justice Algorithms Still Discriminate

COMMENTARY | Proponents of algorithms as a solution to bias in criminal justice systems say they're dispassionate. "But algorithms can discriminate."

  • By Boston University, Futurity
Featured eBooks
Road and Transit Infrastructure Trends
Federal Recovery Funds at the State and Local Level
Infrastructure at a Turning Point

Republicans in Congress Move to Block Washington, D.C.'s Local Criminal Code Rewrite

The disagreement over changes to the district's sentencing guidelines reflects a nationwide debate. And while the move by House lawmakers to override D.C.'s authority has little chance of final approval, it has still upset local officials.

  • By Kery Murakami

States are Stepping Up Prosecutions for Voter Fraud. But Who Gets the Harshest Punishment?

In a number of high-profile cases, women of color have been sentenced to time in prison — including Crystal Mason of Texas.

  • By Barbara Rodriguez, The 19th

A Pennsylvania Prison Gets a Scandinavian-style Makeover

COMMENTARY | And shows how the U.S. penal system could become more humane.

  • By Synøve Nygaard Andersen and Jordan Hyatt, The Conversation

Biden Calls on Governors to Pardon Marijuana Possession Offenses

He did so after issuing a blanket pardon for all federal convictions for simple possession of the drug.

  • By Daniel C. Vock

Philadelphia Mayor's Ban on Guns in Parks and Rec Centers Criticized as ‘Meaningless’

Critics question whether Mayor Jim Kenney's executive order can be effective given state firearms laws. It comes after a parks and recreation worker was struck by a stray bullet and killed.

  • By Harrison Cann

The Growing Movement to Halt Executions in Conservative States

Right-leaning activists are speaking out against the death penalty, saying capital punishment is morally wrong, fails to deter crime and is flawed in other ways as well.

  • By Daniela Altimari

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