Would a Firing Squad Have Been More 'Humane' for Christa Pike?
Lethal injection dresses up the death penalty as something clinical and civilized. But the goal is the same: to kill someone.
Crime
Letitia James Has Already Suggested the Cornell 7 Are Guilty
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul appointed a special prosecutor who has already implied that she sides with Jane Doe.
Mamdani's Plan To Fight Antisemitism Will Fuel the NYC Nonprofit Complex
Mamdani wants to spend millions of dollars fighting "hate." Where does the money go?
The Shaky Evidence That Flock Cameras Reduce Crime Rates
Flock has been promoting a recent study of its cameras' impacts on car theft. But the paper didn't demonstrate a causal effect.
Lindsay Clancy's Holdout Juror Did What Jurors Are Supposed To Do
Just as a holdout may be a bulwark against wrongful conviction, a unanimous verdict is difficult to obtain by design.
The Right to Trial is Vanishing. Could Bolder Juries Save It?
A new campaign by the Cato Institute aims to educate jurors on their right to vote their conscience against unjust laws and sentences.
The Lindsay Clancy Jury Was Tasked With an Impossible Question
In the court of public opinion, there is little room for ambiguity here. But those who watched the trial know that reality is far less satisfying.
Lindsay Clancy, Heehaw the Donkey, and New Magneto Origins
Robby Soave and Christian Britschgi discuss the stalled jury deliberations in Lindsay Clancy’s case and the police killing of Heehaw.
Virginia Mom Gets 6-Month Suspended Jail Sentence for Letting 5-Year-Old Walk to the Pond
The government also placed Karyann Parkinson on its child abuse and neglect registry, where she will remain for seven years.
Trump Is Taking Credit for D.C.'s Crime Drop. Here's What the Data Say.
Crime in D.C. had already fallen 29 percent before the National Guard showed up, yet the Pentagon plans to keep at least 2,500 troops in the city through 2029.
Does Gun Control Make Us Safer?
Statistician Aaron Brown and professor Robert Spitzer debate the efficacy of gun control.
Border Patrol Saves America From Canadian Trucker Delivering Goods in New Mexico
What kind of country would America be if people were freely allowed to peacefully deliver goods that had been consensually bought and sold?
Why Do Americans Support the Death Penalty, Despite Wrongful Convictions?
Reformers need to take into account people’s fear of crime and human predators.
How Flock Camera Defenders Are Missing the Point
Robby Soave and Amber Duke attack The Free Press' latest attempt to defend Flock cameras.
The Trump Administration Promises the 'Largest Denaturalization Effort Ever'
Denaturalization isn't new, but it has been used sparingly in modern history, in part because it is extremely costly and time-consuming.
Police Mix Up Usernames, Man Spends 18 Months in Prison for Someone Else's Sex Crimes
"He should never have been charged, let alone convicted," judges now say.
A Serial Liar Likely Sent an Innocent Man to Florida's Death Row. Why Is He Still There?
Paul Skalnik was a career criminal and jailhouse snitch whose unbelievable testimony secured dozens of convictions—including that of Jim Dailey, who awaits execution.
How Jailhouse Snitches Send Innocent People to Death Row
Pamela Colloff discusses the dangers of incentivized testimony, the difficulty of overturning wrongful convictions, and how the justice system compounds its own errors.
Trump Says He Believes in Giving People a 'Second Chance.' For 6,000 People, the Answer Was No.
The administration this month denied thousands of clemency applications.
In 39 States, People Can Be Sentenced to Life for Murders They Did Not Commit
The Sentencing Project highlights the perverse consequences of the felony murder rule, a vestige of British law that still prevails in federal courts and all but two states.
California's Prison Reform Experiment Worked. The State's Crime Rate Has Fallen by 27% in 15 Years.
Facts don't care about the GOP's "crime wave" feelings.
The Homicide Rate Has Dropped to Historic Lows. Contrary to What Politicians Say, No One Really Knows Why.
The latest numbers from a sample of U.S. cities indicate continuing crime decreases that go beyond a reversion to pre-2020 norms.
Did a "Minneapolis Effect" and Later De-Policing Cause Firearms Crimes to Spike in 2020?
My essay on the topic collects the available empirical research. There is support for the theory that, as police across the nation pulled back from some forms of proactive policing after protests surrounding George Floyd's killing in Minneapolis, homicides and gun violence increased as a result.
Trump Blames Reflecting Pool Disaster on 'Vandals'
Robby Soave and Amber Duke discuss how the refurbishment of D.C.’s Reflecting Pool has gone off the rails.
The Secret Origins of 'Conspiracy Theory'
A new book shows how a phrase made its way from the crime pages to our political arguments—and picked up a passel of meanings along the way.
Terrorists and Criminals Reportedly Got $37.5 Billion From COVID Relief and Other U.K. Aid Programs
Britain has long wasted taxpayer money on frivolous projects. A secret dossier suggests it has now outdone itself.
Nude Shrek Text to Ohio State Senator Reportedly Lands Blogger in Jail
Free speech experts say the “Shrext” is protected by the First Amendment.
Australia Tried To Tax Smoking Out of Existence. Now 80% of Tobacco Aussies Consume Is From the Black Market.
With cigarettes costing around $40 a pack, Australia’s war on smoking has become a case study in how prohibitionist policies create black markets, violence, and criminal power.
The Other Vindictive Part of Kilmar Abrego Garcia's Case
A judge last week threw out a criminal indictment against him on the grounds that it was tainted by vindictiveness. But that same spirit infects another part of his story that few people have discussed.
Trump's 'Anti-Weaponization Fund' Is Built on a Contradiction
The president has fought to make sure alleged victims of government misconduct cannot get compensation. What changed?
Don't Blame ChatGPT for the Florida State Shooting
A new lawsuit claims that ChatGPT gave the shooter information about busy times on campus and how to use guns.
Zyn Pouches Are Safer Than Cigarettes. Why Are Some Politicians Targeting Them?
Making less harmful products harder to get pushes people toward more dangerous ones.
A SCOTUS Case Exposes the Dangers of 2 Misguided Fourth Amendment Doctrines
"Geofence" searches illustrate the perilous combination of modern technology and deference to law enforcement.
Why the Federal Government Can't Charge Anyone With 'Domestic Terrorism'
Federal law defines the term but there is no federal statute to charge someone with "domestic terrorism."
Prison Doesn't Work the Way You Think
Economist Jennifer Doleac discusses why long sentences don’t reduce crime, how first-time defendants benefit from leniency, and why clearance rates are key to crime reduction.
3 Disasters That Legal Weed Didn't Unleash—Despite the Forecasts
From higher crime to teenage stoners, here are things that the weed debate got wrong.
What Happens If There's a Murder in Antarctica?
No single government controls the South Pole, so how do they deal with crime?
Virginia's Impending 'Assault Firearm' Ban Is Logically and Constitutionally Dubious
The ban, which targets guns based on criteria that make little sense, seems vulnerable to a challenge under the Supreme Court's Second Amendment precedents.
CNN Retracts Terrible Post About Alleged Terrorists at New York City Mayor's Mansion
"In less than an hour, their lives would drastically change as the pair would be arrested for throwing homemade bombs."
96 Percent of People Charged With Human Trafficking Are U.S. Citizens
Just 26 undocumented immigrants faced federal trafficking charges in 2023.
