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Criminal Justice

Accountability in Crime and Law

353 stories published since 2015

Alaska Requires DNA Be Collected From People Arrested for Violent Crimes. Many Police Have Ignored That.

by Kyle Hopkins, Anchorage Daily News,

After 3 Years and $1.5 Million Testing Rape Kits, Alaska Made One New Arrest

by Kyle Hopkins, Anchorage Daily News,

Calls Increase for NYPD Commissioner to Be Stripped of Absolute Authority Over Officer Discipline

by Mollie Simon and Eric Umansky,

Restrictions on the South Texas Border Were Meant to Protect People From COVID-19. Then the Handcuffs Came Out.

by Vianna Davila and Ren Larson,

New York Lawmakers Demand NYPD Halt Undercover Sex Trade Stings

by Joaquin Sapien and Joshua Kaplan,

Police Say Seizing Property Without Trial Helps Keep Crime Down. A New Study Shows They’re Wrong.

Ian MacDougall for ProPublica,

What It Looks Like When the New York City Police Commissioner Has “Unchecked Power” Over Officer Discipline

by Mollie Simon, Lena V. Groeger, Eric Umansky and Adriana Gallardo,

A black-and-white illustration of two police officers watching a woman lean against a car door, talking to the driver.

NYPD Cops Cash In on Sex Trade Arrests With Little Evidence, While Black and Brown New Yorkers Pay the Price

by Joshua Kaplan and Joaquin Sapien,

The Way Prisoners Flag Guard Abuse, Inadequate Health Care and Unsanitary Conditions Is Broken

by Shannon Heffernan, WBEZ,

A Deputy Prosecutor Was Fired for Speaking Out Against Jail Time for People Who Fall Behind on Rent

by Maya Miller and Ellis Simani,

Maine Governor Won’t Fund Reforms for Public Defense Agency Without Accountability

by Samantha Hogan, The Maine Monitor,

Following Our Investigation, the Director of Maine’s Public Defense Agency Resigns

by Samantha Hogan, The Maine Monitor,

New York Court Officials to Review Cases Handled by Judge With Alzheimer’s

by Joe Sexton,

Cleveland Hospitals’ Private Police “Border Patrol” Comes Under Scrutiny

by David Armstrong,

Maine Hires Lawyers With Criminal Records to Defend Poor Residents. The Governor Wants Reform.

by Samantha Hogan, The Maine Monitor,

He’d Waited Decades to Argue His Innocence. She Was a Judge Who Believed in Second Chances. Nobody Knew She Suffered from Alzheimer’s.

by Joe Sexton,

She Was Afraid of Her Lawyer. Then the Text Messages Started.

by Samantha Hogan, The Maine Monitor,

Maine Hires Lawyers With Criminal Records to Defend Its Poorest Residents

by Samantha Hogan, The Maine Monitor, with data analysis by Agnel Philip,

The Obama Justice Department Had a Plan to Hold Police Accountable for Abuses. The Trump DOJ Has Undermined It.

by Robert Faturechi,

The Startling Reach and Disparate Impact of Cleveland Clinic’s Private Police Force

by David Armstrong,

What Happens to New Jersey Officers Charged With Official Misconduct? We Gathered the Cases to Find Out.

by Andrew Ford, Asbury Park Press,

How Criminal Cops Often Avoid Jail

by Andrew Ford, Asbury Park Press,

Her Stepfather Admitted to Sexually Abusing Her. That Wasn’t Enough to Keep Her Safe.

by Nadia Sussman,

Over a Dozen Black and Latino Men Accused a Cop of Humiliating, Invasive Strip Searches. The NYPD Kept Promoting Him.

by Joaquin Sapien and Topher Sanders, ProPublica, and Nate Schweber for ProPublica,

As Trump Calls for Law and Order, Can Chicago’s Top Prosecutor Beat the Charge That She’s Soft on Crime?

by Mick Dumke,

He Faced a Criminal Charge for Not Self-Isolating When He Had COVID-19 Symptoms. Prosecutors Just Dropped the Case.

by Tony Briscoe,

The NYPD Is Withholding Evidence From Investigations Into Police Abuse

by Eric Umansky and Mollie Simon,

Illinois Has Promised to “Infuse Love” in Its Juvenile Justice System, but What Will Actually Change?

by Duaa Eldeib,

The Complaint Files NYPD Unions Don’t Want You to See

by Josefa Velasquez, Greg B. Smith and Reuven Blau, THE CITY,

Grace, Black Teen Jailed for Not Doing Her Online Coursework, Is Released

by Jodi S. Cohen,

New York Grand Jury Indicts Two Former Leaders of Mexico’s Drug War for Cartel Connections

by Ginger Thompson,

Portland Protesters No Longer Being Banned From Attending Protests to Win Release From Jail

by Dara Lind,

Prosecutors Say They Support Releasing Girl Who Was Detained for Not Doing Her Schoolwork

by Jodi S. Cohen,

What Has Happened to Police Filmed Hurting Protesters? So Far, Very Little.

by Zipporah Osei and Mollie Simon,

We Tracked What Happens to Police After They Use Force on Protesters

by Zipporah Osei, Mollie Simon, Moiz Syed and Lucas Waldron,

She Asked to Be Saved From Him. Now She’s Dead.

by Kyle Hopkins, Anchorage Daily News,

Your Questions About the New York City Police Complaint Data, Answered

by Ken Schwencke and Celeste LeCompte,

We’re Publishing Thousands of Police Discipline Records That New York Kept Secret for Decades

by Eric Umansky,

The NYPD Files: Search Thousands of Civilian Complaints Against New York City Police Officers

by Derek Willis, Eric Umansky and Moiz Syed,

Judge Won’t Free Michigan Teenager Sent to Juvenile Detention After Not Doing Online Schoolwork

by Jodi S. Cohen,

Thousands Demand That Michigan #FreeGrace After the Teenager Was Incarcerated for Not Doing Her Schoolwork

by Jodi S. Cohen,

The NYPD Isn’t Giving Critical Bodycam Footage to Officials Investigating Alleged Abuse

by Eric Umansky,

The Nation’s First Reparations Package to Survivors of Police Torture Included a Public Memorial. Survivors Are Still Waiting.

by Logan Jaffe,

Drug test kit pods collaged onto a red backdrop.

Since We Reported on Flawed Roadside Drug Tests, Five More Convictions Have Been Overturned

by Ryan Gabrielson,

For Decades, She Blamed Herself for the Abuse. Writing Her Story Was an Act of Survival. Publishing It Was an Act of Rebellion.

by Adriana Gallardo,

I’ve Reported on How Chicago’s Ticketing System Has Hurt Black Residents. Now, the Conversation About Reform Is Changing.

by Melissa Sanchez,

Has the NYPD Stopped a Teen You Know? Are You a Young Person With a Story to Share? We’d Like to Hear From You.

by Adriana Gallardo,

Her Addiction Landed Her in a Prison Segregation Wing. The Man She Says Abused Her Lives Free.

by Kyle Hopkins, Anchorage Daily News,

“Alguien tiene que ayudarme”

por Thalia Beaty, Ryan Gabrielson, Nadia Sussman y Lucas Waldron,

The Prison Was Built to Hold 1,500 Inmates. It Had Over 2,000 Coronavirus Cases.

by Dara Lind,