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Criminal Justice

Accountability in Crime and Law

477 stories published since 2008

“A Horror Movie in Reverse”: How I Investigated Decades of Untested Rape Kits

by Catherine Rentz,

Eugene Clemons May Be Ineligible for the Death Penalty. A Rigid Clinton-Era Law Could Force Him to Be Executed Anyway.

by Seth Freed Wessler,

“Have You Ever in Your Life Attended a Meeting of the Ku Klux Klan?”

by Carli Brosseau, The News & Observer,

“This Is How You Get Your Power Back”

by Catherine Rentz; Illustrations by Isabel Seliger, special to ProPublica,

“You Save as Long as You Have To”

by Catherine Rentz; Illustrations by Isabel Seliger, special to ProPublica,

“Who Is This Monster?”

by Catherine Rentz; Illustrations by Isabel Seliger, special to ProPublica,

In Exclusive Jailhouse Letter, Capitol Riot Defendant Explains Motives, Remains Boastful

by Joshua Kaplan and Joaquin Sapien,

How NYPD’s Vice Unit Got Prostitution Policing All Wrong

by Stephen Engelberg,

What Police Impunity Looks Like: “There Was No Discipline as No Wrongdoing Was Found”

by Eric Umansky,

Inspecting the NYPD “Puzzle Palace”

by Topher Sanders,

California Sent $8 Billion to Counties to Improve Jails and Services but Failed to Track the Money, Says Auditor

by Jason Pohl, The Sacramento Bee,

A Police Union Contract Puts Taxpayers on the Hook to Defend Officers When the City Won’t

by Jake Pearson,

As New York City Moves to Address Racialized Policing of Sex Work, Advocates and Lawyers Say It’s Not Enough

by Joshua Kaplan and Joaquin Sapien,

Only Two NYPD Officers Face Serious Discipline From a Watchdog’s Investigations Into Abuse of Black Lives Matter Protesters

by Eric Umansky,

Over 700 Complaints About NYPD Officers Abusing Black Lives Matter Protesters, Then Silence

by Eric Umansky,

Ruling on Murder Case by Judge Suffering From Dementia Will Stand, Court Says

by Joe Sexton,

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

by Megan Rose,

The Murder Chicago Didn’t Want to Solve

by Mick Dumke,

Lawyers Who Were Ineligible to Handle Serious Criminal Charges Were Given Thousands of These Cases Anyway

by Samantha Hogan, The Maine Monitor, and Agnel Philip, ProPublica,

A Federal Appeals Court Has Ruled in Favor of Releasing NYPD Discipline Records

by Eric Umansky,

New York City Council Proposes Sweeping NYPD Reforms

by Eric Umansky and Joaquin Sapien,

“This Is War”: Inside the Secret Chat Where Far-Right Extremists Devised Their Post-Capitol Plans

by Logan Jaffe and Jack Gillum,

Has Your Family Paid Fees or Fines to a Juvenile Justice System?

by Jodi S. Cohen and Adriana Gallardo,

Still Can’t Breathe

by Topher Sanders, ProPublica, and Yoav Gonen, THE CITY, video by Lucas Waldron, ProPublica,

New York City Paid an NBA Star Millions After an NYPD Officer Broke His Leg. The Officer Paid Little Price.

by Mike Hayes for ProPublica,

Domestic Terrorism: A More Urgent Threat, but Weaker Laws

by Sebastian Rotella,

Magistrate Judges Took Bribes, Stole Money and Mishandled Cases. South Carolina Officials Now Want Reform.

by Joseph Cranney, The Post and Courier,

“Nobody” Hurt, “Just a Perp,” Say Officers After NYPD Shot and Killed Man in His Own Home

by Eric Umansky,

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,

A teenager sitting on their bed while charging an ankle monitoring bracelet, and a surreal aggressive spotlight shines onto them.

Judges Are Locking Up Children for Noncriminal Offenses Like Repeatedly Disobeying Their Parents and Skipping School

by Jodi S. Cohen and Duaa Eldeib,

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,