Blog — Criminal Injustice

Bonus: Can Cuomo Be Charged?

Andrew Cuomo is out as New York governor, after multiple accusations of harassment and abuse from female staff members. Could Cuomo be criminally prosecuted for alleged behaviors that may have crossed the line into sexual assault?

#135 The Unlikely Philly DA (reprise)

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?

InterviewsDavid HarrisAugust 17, 2021hiatus

Bonus: Lawyers Behaving Trumpily

Consequences are beginning to catch up with the lawyers who brought former president Donald Trump's election theft conspiracy theories to court.

#134: Is Police Reform Over? (reprise)

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?

InterviewsDavid HarrisAugust 10, 2021hiatus

#131 Re-entry: The Real Experience (reprise)

Criminal Injustice returns with new episodes in September 2021. Until then, we're reposting some of our favorite interviews. This episode originally appeared Feb 9, 2021.

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.

InterviewsDavid HarrisAugust 3, 2021re-entry, post-conviction, mass incarceration

#130 Does Eliminating Cash Bail Harm Public Safety? (reprise)

More US jurisdictions are questioning the use of money bail systems for pretrial release from jail. But many in law enforcement and the bail bond industry say this will damage public safety. Is that true? What really happens when you trash cash bail?

InterviewsDavid HarrisJuly 27, 2021Don Stemen, Loyola University, cash bail, Chicago, bail reform

Bonus: Trump Organization Indicted

The New York DA brings indictments against Donald Trump’s business organization and its CFO, Allen Weisselberg.

Bonus EpisodesDavid HarrisJuly 22, 2021

Bonus: SCOTUS Roundup

The U.S. Supreme Court wraps up its session with big decisions on juvenile justice, criminal procedure, civil rights and liberties, voting rights, and more.

Bonus EpisodesDavid HarrisJuly 20, 2021Supreme Court, Supreme court cases

Bonus: Cosby Released

Bill Cosby is out of prison, but not because he's innocent of the rape charges that landed him there. What happened?

#142: Police Misconduct: On Our Watch

In the world of police reform, accountability for misconduct depends on transparency – and that kind of transparency exists in very few places. So when a state finally does open its files on police discipline, what do we learn?

Bonus: In the Garage

A California man's DUI has been thrown out by the U.S. Supreme Court, which ruled that police needed a warrant to enter his attached garage.

#141: Police Reform: What Works?

Since the murder of George Floyd, cities and towns everywhere have proposed reforms that they hope can transform their police departments. Proposals range from more body cameras to eliminating police departments entirely. But what really works? Which of these will improve public safety, for everyone?

InterviewsDavid HarrisJune 29, 2021Nancy La Vigne, Walter Katz, reform, police killings, George Floyd, 121-150

#140: Flawed Forensics

Every day in American courtrooms, forensic science offers evidence to judges and juries: fingerprints, ballistics, shoe prints, even bite marks. It’s supposed to provide scientific proof of guilt. But what if it’s a lot less reliable than we think?

Bonus: Krasner's Mandate

Hoping to leverage public frustration with rising crime, Philadelphia DA Larry Krasner's critics framed his reelection as a referendum on the incumbent's progressive reforms. In the end it was -- but not in the way they had hoped.

#139: To Fix Policing, Understand It

Since George Floyd’s death, countless advocates, government officials, task forces and commissions have made demands and proposals for police reform. But one reform advocate took a novel approach: she went inside the police organization, and joined up.

Bonus: The Year of George Floyd

Today marks the one-year anniversary of George Floyd's murder by Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin. How have his death and the resulting groundswell of activism shaped the landscape for criminal justice reform?

Bonus: Police Body Cameras and Their Limits

Reformers had high hopes that equipping police with body cameras would make officers more accountable. How's that going?

Bonus EpisodesDavid HarrisMay 16, 2021body cams, police body cams, body cameras, Adam Toldedo

#138: Police Reform from a Rare Perspective

Since the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis in May of 2020, many governments, commissions, and organizations have come out with plans to change police departments. What does this look like when the leaders of a reform effort are African American, from law enforcement, and female?

Bonus: Independent Investigations Aren't Enough

Independent investigations into police killings are supposed to circumvent the apparent conflict of interest that often prevents local prosecutors from bringing charges against local officers. But they don't seem to be any likelier to result in charges, because the law is stacked in favor of police regardless of who's investigating.

#137: A Break in Belonging

When someone goes to prison, it can destroy the family left behind – and even more so when no one really knows what happened. But then, what does the family do years later, when that family member returns?