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Criminal Record

Amanda Knox | Photo: Amanda Knox, 2024; Patrik Andersson

Criminal Justice

Amanda Knox Tells Her Own Story

"Our criminal justice system relies upon our own ignorance and the fact that we don't know what our rights are."

Billy Binion | 12.15.2024 6:00 AM

NYPD squad car | Illustration: Lex Villena; adapted from ID 156501652 © Jonathan Weiss | Dreamstime.com

Police Abuse

Their Juvenile Records Were Supposed To Be Sealed. The NYPD Accessed Them Anyway.

According to a new lawsuit, NYPD officers have been illegally accessing sealed juvenile arrest records.

Emma Camp | 9.4.2024 2:00 PM

A worker tending to a marijuana plant | Eric Limon / Dreamstime.com

Drug Legalization

Maryland Governor To Issue Mass Pardon to More Than 100,000 Marijuana Offenders

The blanket pardon is one of the largest yet, and another sign of the collapse of public support for marijuana prohibition.

C.J. Ciaramella | 6.17.2024 1:20 PM

A soldier in military fatigues sits with a therapist. | Katarzyna Bialasiewicz | Dreamstime.com

Military

Brickbat: Guilty Until Proven Innocent

Charles Oliver | 4.9.2024 4:00 AM

New Jersey police | Illustration: Lex Villena; Rui Vale De Sousa

Criminal Record

New Jersey Police Have Waited Almost 2 Years To Expunge a Man's Criminal Record, Lawsuit Claims

Individuals are waiting months to have their criminal records expunged after court orders, according to a new lawsuit.

Emma Camp | 10.24.2023 3:31 PM

A man hands a couple a key to their new home | Photo 140714356 © Fizkes | Dreamstime.com

Housing Policy

Banning Criminal Background Checks Will Lead To More Housing Discrimination, Not Less

The best reforms would correct the real problems of overcriminalization and overincarceration, as well as removing all artificial barriers to building more homes.

Veronique de Rugy | 9.28.2023 4:35 PM

A pen and a bullet on top of a federal firearm transaction record. | Guy Sagi | Dreamstime.com

Guns

Brickbat: On Record

Charles Oliver | 9.5.2023 4:00 AM

topicsdrugs | Illustration: Semen Shablin/iStock

Drugs

New York Legalized Marijuana, but a Legal Typo Is Hindering Implementation

Correcting the error will require new legislation.

Jacob Sullum | 5.2.2023 6:00 AM

John Stossel prostitute | Stossel TV

Sex Work

'I Have My Own Life': The Case for Legalizing Sex Work

It would be far easier to prosecute sex trafficking if voluntary sex work were legal.

John Stossel | 9.14.2022 1:00 PM

rentalagreement_1161x653 | Poramate Cheewapat / Dreamstime.com

Brickbats

Brickbat: Risk Assessment

Charles Oliver | 6.25.2021 4:00 AM

krtphotoslive284837 | Gerald S. Williams/MCT/Newscom

Occupational Licensing

Pennsylvania Is the Latest State To Loosen Occupational Licensing Rules for Individuals With Criminal Records

Finding a steady job is the best way to keep a person from going back to prison or jail. These changes make a lot of sense.

Eric Boehm | 7.6.2020 3:45 PM

lacey_1161x653 | Yonhap News/YNA/Newscom

California

Thousands of Old Los Angeles County Marijuana Convictions Will Be Expunged

Nearly 66,000 cases are covered, dating back to 1961.

Scott Shackford | 2.14.2020 12:25 PM

Donald-Trump-11-22-19-Newscom | Sipa USA/Newscom

Criminal Justice

Trump Will Sign Federal 'Ban the Box' Bill Into Law as Part of Massive Spending Bill

The law will bar the federal government and its contractors from asking about criminal history in job applications.

C.J. Ciaramella | 12.20.2019 4:14 PM

Andrii Kucher  / Dreamstime.com

Criminal Justice

Offenders in California Get Saddled with Thousands of Dollars in Court Fees. This Bill Would Stop That.

A study shows that when these fees hit low-income offenders, they wreck their lives—and also don't even get paid.

Scott Shackford | 5.22.2019 2:40 PM

Marijuana Business

When Experience Is a Liability

In some states, a marijuana conviction can exclude you from the newly legal industry.

Jacob Sullum | 3.1.2019 12:00 PM

sullum | Charlo Greene (YouTube); Daniel Fagundes (courtesy Daniel Fagundes); Sean Berte (courtesy Sean Berte); Michael Diaz-Rivera (Anthony Camera); Tyler Markwart (courtesy Tyler Markwart); Seamus Maguire (courtesy Seamus Maguire)

Decriminalization

The Lingering Stench of Marijuana Prohibition

People with pot records continue to suffer, even in places where their crimes are no longer crimes.

Jacob Sullum | 3.1.2019 12:00 PM

Large image on homepages

California

California Will Keep Your DNA on File Even if You Haven't Been Convicted of a Crime

The Electronic Frontier Foundation, the Equal Justice Society, and others are challenging the practice in court.

Zuri Davis | 12.14.2018 12:35 PM

Large image on homepages | Tina Burch/ZUMA Press/Newscom

ICE

Most ICE Detainees Aren't Criminals, Report Reveals

As if we needed any more evidence that the vast majority of undocumented immigrants aren't bringing crime into the country.

Joe Setyon | 10.10.2018 10:30 AM

Large image on homepages | Joanna Andreasson

Civil Liberties

A Second Chance for People With Criminal Records

Eric Boehm | 7.28.2018 6:00 AM

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