Following Derek Chauvin's conviction in the murder of George Floyd, the Justice Department launches a "pattern or practice" investigation into the Minneapolis Police Department.
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A Minneapolis jury has found former police officer Derek Chauvin guilty on all three counts in the murder of George Floyd. What does it mean for criminal justice reform?
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In the US, the local prosecutor – usu the district attorney has a huge influence on the criminal system. The DA influences who gets prosecuted, for what, how long they serve if convicted – even who gets the death penalty. So what happens when the usual tough on crime DA gets replaced – by someone determined to bring transformational change to prosecution?
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The apparently racially-motivated spa murders in Atlanta have reignited discussion about hate-crime statutes. How do these laws work? How often are they applied, and to what ends?
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For years, advocates for better policing have pushed various reforms: consent decrees, civilian oversight, body cameras. But after George Floyd’s death and 2020, is reform still a viable alternative? Or is it defund or bust?
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A happy ending to the story of Chris Young, as told by former federal judge Kevin Sharp back in episode #55.
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We’ve spoken here about exoneration of the wrongfully convicted – how difficult and how important it is. But what happens to the exoneree – to that person – after release? How does that person build a life after years in prison, for something he or she did not do?
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An ambitious but controversial program to surveil the entire city of Baltimore from above is on hold after its philanthropic backer had second thoughts.
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Returning to life outside of prison: It’s called re-entry. Getting people ready to go home just makes sense if you want them to succeed, and over 95 percent of all imprisoned people are eventually released. But we didn’t always do much to assure reentry success, and in many places and many ways, we still don’t. What does the evidence show about what works?
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David from Skokie wonders if Donald Trump could be charged as an accomplice in the January 6 killings at the U.S. Capitol.
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San Francisco DA Chesa Boudin and Los Angeles DA George Gascon are the newest members of a club we've been following for a while: progressive prosecutors elected on ambitious criminal justice reform platforms. Like their counterparts in Chicago, Philadelphia, St Louis, and other cities where voters have demanded sweeping change, Boudin and Gascon are facing fierce pushback from defenders of the status quo.
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Leaving incarceration, and returning to life outside of prison. It’s a difficult process, and many end up back behind bars. What does it take to make it work? What more can be done to support those coming home? We hear it directly from two men who have done it. Mr. F. and Mr. R. (identities withheld) describe their steps into the free world after each served decades in prison.
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On this episode, Wesley Caines, an alum of the program and now Chief of Staff at Bronx Defenders, and Lynn Novick, award-winning documentary filmmaker, discuss College Behind Bars, premiering Nov. 25 and 26 on PBS.
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Surprised at how many current and former law enforcement officers participated in the January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol? Don't be.
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n the storm of protests after the murder of George Floyd, many say that having more African American and Latino officers will reduce police violence and force used against people of color. Will it?
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Some reflections on the events of January 6 in Washington D.C.
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The death of George Floyd in Minneapolis set off outrage, weeks of demonstrations across the country and around the world, and has started discussion and legislative action at every level of government. On this episode, we’ll ask an African American law enforcement leader what policing has been like – and where it goes now.
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More than two million Americans are incarcerated in prisons and jails. These are often violent, difficult, and unhealthy places. But if prison is dangerous, how much more so – is Death Row? And how does a person live, knowing the only way out is death by execution?
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Why did the Trump legal team fail to overturn the election in court? It's not complicated.
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