Crime
A Bonus Reason Roundtable. Live From New York City!
Enjoy a special video episode recorded live from New York City’s illustrious Comedy Cellar at the Village Underground.
As Oklahoma's Attorney General Calls for Clemency, the State Keeps Planning To Execute Richard Glossip
Two damning investigations and a request from the state attorney general haven't been enough to stop the execution.
This Georgia Man Has Been Jailed for 10 Years Without a Trial
In 2013, Maurice Jimmerson was charged with murder. Ten years later, he's still languishing in a Dougherty County jail, awaiting trial.
Oklahoma Says Richard Glossip Was Denied a Fair Trial. An Appeals Court Still Won't Overturn His Conviction.
"While I respect the Court of Criminal Appeals' opinion, I am not willing to allow an execution to proceed despite so many doubts," said Oklahoma's attorney general.
New York City Should Have Always Smelled Like Pot
The smell of weed in the streets is a sign of progress and tolerance, not decline.
Georgia Jail Officials Resign After Inmate Found Dead and Covered With Insects
"They put that man in that cell, left him there to die," said an attorney for the man's family. "And that's exactly what happened."
Intervening to Stop "True Threats" from Delusional Stalkers and Devious Stalkers
Today's oral argument in Counterman v. Colorado--the "true threats" case--highlights the importance of protecting stalking victims from objectively threatening communications.
She Told Jail Employees That She Was 'Throwing Up Blood.' They Ignored Her. The Next Day, She Was Dead.
"They had a duty to protect her," says Ta'Neasha Chappell's sister. "She was not attended to because she was a Black woman and they didn't feel like she was worth getting any attention."
Lawsuit Claims Portland Police Shot Unarmed Homeless Man, Then Ate Pizza While His Body Lay on the Ground
Robert Delgado's family is now seeking damages.
Police Release Body Camera Footage of Louisville Bank Shooting That Killed 5
Plus: Fact-checking the Twitter Files fact check, The Super Mario Bros. Movie's alleged lack of wokeness, and more...
Democrats Choose to Advertise Failures of Single-Party Democratic Rule by Holding the 2024 DNC in Chicago
After a century of Democratic mismanagement, Chicago is hemorrhaging population, catastrophically underfunding massive pension promises, and taxing the bejeebus out of its crime-scarred residents.
Oklahoma Almost Killed Him 3 Times. Now, the State Is Trying To Vacate His Conviction.
"It is critical that Oklahomans have absolute faith that the death penalty is administered fairly and with certainty," said the state's attorney general in a Thursday press release.
Trump Commuted His Sentence. Now the Justice Department Is Going To Prosecute Him Again.
Philip Esformes' case is a story about what happens when the government violates some of its most basic promises.
He Got 30 Years for Murder After a Cop Killed His Friend
Lakeith Smith's case epitomizes the issues with the "felony murder" doctrine.
Dump the Politicized Case Against Trump and Make Way for Serious Investigations
The New York charges look weak, and Americans think they’re politically motivated.
Trump's New York Indictment Turns One Hush Payment Into 34 Felonies
Prosecutors are counting each record misrepresenting the former president's reimbursement of that payment as a separate crime.
He Was Exonerated of Killing His Infant, but the State Still Says He's Guilty
"Even after his 2021 exoneration, Baltimore County prosecutors have opposed Clarence receiving compensation for the injustice of being wrongfully convicted," says an attorney representing the man.
Donald Trump's Historic Indictment: 34 Counts of Business Fraud and a 'Not Guilty' Plea
Trump is charged with 34 criminal counts connected to the payment of $130,000 to porn star Stormy Daniels in 2016 as part of a nondisclosure agreement.
A Police Officer Killed a Man for Firing 'Celebratory' Shots Into the Air. Now, He Faces a Federal Lawsuit.
"Defendant Huber intentionally fired his service weapon at Decedent and killed him with gunfire while Decedent posed no threat of death or serious bodily harm to Defendant Huber," the lawsuit states.
Are Americans More Antisemitic Than They Were Four Decades Ago?
The ADL's annual audit of "antisemitic incidents," which counted a record number last year, is apt to be influenced by changes in methodology and reporting behavior.
Even After Bodycam Footage Release, Questions Remain Around Alleged Shoplifter Killed by Virginia Police
One officer was fired and another was placed on restricted duty this week, but there are still a lot of unanswered questions.
Kids Are Stealing Hyundais and Kias. Government Officials Blame Hyundai and Kia—and TikTok.
Federal, state, and local officials will always threaten to weaponize the state against private actors they don't like. The "Kia Challenge" provides the latest example.
Idaho Likely To Authorize Execution by Firing Squad
"The firing squad, in my opinion, is beneath the dignity of the state of Idaho," said one state senator. "We have to find a better way."
Joanna Schwartz's "Shielded: How the Police Became Untouchable"
An important and compelling new book on qualified immunity and other obstacles to holding law enforcement officers accountable for rights violations.
The Great COVID Rupture
Three years after "15 days to slow the spread," things almost look like they're back to normal. But they're not.
Police Officers Charged With Murder in 'Smothering' of Virginia Man
"What I saw today was heartbreaking," said the victim's mother. "It was disturbing, it was traumatic. My son was tortured."
States Try To Reform Prostitution Laws—for Better and Worse
New bills in six states showcase some right and wrong ways to help sex workers, from full decriminalization to ramping up penalties for prostitution customers.
Bill Bratton: Fighting Crime Without Shredding Civil Liberties
The former head of the NYPD and the LAPD talks about how bad leadership creates police brutality and why he's still against pot legalization.
Mask On, Mask Off: New York Trying Everything Except Not Telling People What To Do
Mayor Eric Adams frets that COVID-19 masks are making it too easy for shoplifters to evade facial recognition.
Michigan Appeals Court Weighs Charging Parents of School Shooter With Manslaughter
Judges and prosecutors accused James and Jennifer Crumbley of negligent behavior despite the fact that school officials at the time reached many of the same judgments.
Beating Crime Without Sacrificing Civil Liberties: Live With ex-NYC Police Commissioner Bill Bratton
Join Reason on YouTube and Facebook on Thursday at 1 p.m. ET for a discussion with former New York City police commissioner Bill Bratton about the new documentary "Gotham."
New Lawsuit Challenges New Jersey's Lifetime Child Abuse Registry
"Lifetime registries are wrong," said the plaintiff's attorney. "They're wrong based on the science and they're wrong based on the reality that risk is not static. It is dynamic."
Biden Embraces the Fearmongering, Vows To Squash D.C.'s Mild Criminal Justice Reforms
In rebuking the legislation, the president showed that he may not know what's in it.
How SCOTUS Promoted Pernicious Myths About Sex Offender Registries
Twenty years ago, the justices deemed registration nonpunitive, accepting unsubstantiated assumptions about its benefits and blithely dismissing its costs.
Is Investigating a School Sexting Incident the Same as Possessing Child Porn? A Judge Says No.
Bradley Bass' case in Colorado says a lot about just how powerful prosecutors are.
Virginia Police Shoot and Kill a Man Suspected of Shoplifting Sunglasses
Police have not yet determined whether the suspect was armed at the time of the shooting.
Victims' Families File Petition in the Fifth Circuit Seeking to Enforce Rights in the Boeing Case
The families argue that they should have been given an opportunity to confer with prosecutors under the Crime Victims' Rights Act before Boeing's deferred prosecution agreement was finalized.
Pennsylvania Governor Says He Won't Sign Execution Warrants
"This is a fundamental statement of morality, of what's right and wrong," Democratic Gov. Josh Shapiro said Thursday. "And I believe Pennsylvania must be on the right side of this issue."
Mike Pompeo Says He 'Grew Up Libertarian'
These days, he may run for president. His politics have changed.
What Tyre Nichols' Killing Tells Us About Policing: Live With Walter Katz, Nick Gillespie, and Zach Weissmueller
Join Reason on YouTube and Facebook on Thursday at 1 p.m. ET for a discussion of Tyre Nichols, police reform, and violent crime in America, featuring Walter Katz.
