Investigations
Baltimore’s homicide clearance rate is rising, but arrests for murder remain flat
Murders have declined and the mayor calls the city a model for violence reduction. But arrests for murder have largely remained the same.
Tag criminal-justice
Commentary
Democratic Pundits Have A Pernicious Crime Problem
They say fact-checking perceptions of crime is a fool's errand because they're rooted in vibes. But they ignore that the vibes are coming from somewhere: media.
Investigations
California Lets Defendants Challenge Racism In Court. Few Have Succeeded.
A Garrison Project and CalMatters analysis of the Racial Justice Act found about a dozen successful cases in which judges took action on racial bias in the legal process.
Commentary
A Potent Weapon For State Legislatures To Undermine Reform Prosecutors
Preemption is being used by red and blue states alike to roll back the power of reform prosecutors.
Features
Though they once applauded the jail’s federal reforms, community groups and political leaders in New Orleans oppose a key mandate: the construction of a $109 million mental health jail.
Latest
Data Undercuts Key Law Enforcement Claim About San Francisco's Fentanyl Trafficking Crackdown
San Francisco’s top prosecutor says massive resources are needed to rebut human trafficking defenses, but it’s hard to find many instances where that has happened.
Investigations
"We establish our own probable cause," a District Action Team officer said in a piece of video footage captured after a 2022 arrest.
Features
This Cop Unleashed A Reign Of Terror, Say The Wrongfully Accused
For years, people in Raleigh were arrested for heroin possession—without having the drug. Now, they’re demanding answers
Latest
How States Will Target Pregnant People Now that Roe Has Fallen
After the Dobbs decision, every pregnancy is a potential crime scene.
Commentary
What the San Francisco DA Recall Really Tells Us. And What it Doesn’t.
The city's demographics mattered, as did Chesa Boudin's outsider status. But the politics of punishment are still too complicated to draw a neat conclusion.
Commentary
The Manhattan DA Started a Panic with Supposedly Soft-on-Crime Policies. His Critics Are Wrong.
Like other progressive prosecutors, Alvin Bragg is trying to acknowledge that prison time doesn’t fight crime.
Investigations
Human Trafficking Sting Nets No Human Trafficking Charges
A Florida sheriff boasted of 125 arrests as part of a massive anti-human trafficking operation. But none of the charges were for human trafficking—nearly all were for misdemeanor solicitation.
Features
In 1992, thousands of furious, drunken cops descended on City Hall — and changed New York history.