Criminal Justice
Here's What the Media Get Wrong About Hurricanes
No, a big storm does not require big government.
Mocking the Police Is Not a Crime
A First Amendment case prompts The Onion to explain how parody works.
A Jury Acquitted Them of Various Charges. They Served Prison Time for Them Anyway.
The Supreme Court may soon consider if acquitted conduct sentencing is illegal.
LAPD Officer Killed During Training Exercise Was Reportedly Investigating Cops Accused of Gang Rape
Plus: The Onion weighs in on qualified immunity case, Supreme Court rejects challenges to bump stock ban, and more...
Storms and Reforms
Plus: The editors unpack a philosophical question from a listener concerning foreign policy.
An Iowa Jury Awards $12 Million in Damages to a Man Who Was Wrongly Imprisoned for Sexual Abuse
A former guidance counselor served six years of a 25-year sentence thanks to a public defender's incompetence.
Bill Introduced To Bring Independent Oversight to Federal Prison System
The Federal Prison Oversight Act would create an independent ombudsman to investigate complaints about the Bureau of Prisons, something prison advocacy groups have long called for.
Teenage Girl Killed in Police Shootout With Her Dad in California Desert
Media outlets repeated police speculation that she might have been involved, but investigators now say she was likely unarmed.
Federal Judge Decides Safe Deposit Boxes Aren't Safe From FBI
Judge Gary Klausner admits that the FBI probably hid their true motives in rifling through the contents of hundreds of safe deposit boxes, but says that's fine.
Netflix's Athena Is a Masterpiece About Police Violence and Social Unrest
A technically astounding film that turns a French housing block into a political warzone.
Review: Is Prison for Rehabilitation or Punishment?
High recidivism rates are not surprising when life in prison features the same factors that drive crime.
Should Libertarians Root for the Abolition of Police and Prisons?
Libertarians have some common ground with the abolitionists—but if they insist on anti-capitalism as a litmus test, abolitionists will find themselves isolated and marginalized.
A Parodist Asks SCOTUS To Let Him Sue the Cops Who Arrested Him for Making Fun of Them
The 6th Circuit ruled that qualified immunity prevented Anthony Novak from vindicating his First Amendment rights.
Trump's Declassification Claims Are Implausible and Irrelevant
The potential crimes that the FBI is investigating do not hinge on the current classification status of the records that the former president kept at Mar-a-Lago.
The Iranian Protests Were Not Made in the U.S.A.
The onerous sanctions regime carried out by the Trump and Biden administrations has done immeasurable harm in Iran.
Why Are Half of All U.S. Exonerations of Black Prisoners?
A new report looks at decades of troubling trends of bad convictions in murder, rape, and drug cases.
San Francisco Police Can Now Have Live Access to Nearly Any Camera in the City
A new ordinance passed by the city's Board of Supervisors allows police to request live access to private security cameras even for misdemeanor violations.
Woman Seriously Injured After Colorado Cops Leave Her Handcuffed in Car Parked on Train Tracks
Plus: The ridiculous panic over "rainbow fentanyl" continues, Arizona can enforce near-total abortion ban, and more...
Republican Governors and Attorneys General Think Every State Is a Border State
Some states that do not border Mexico have sought to play a role in immigration policy.
In Netflix's Dahmer, Incompetent Police Fail To Catch a Serial Killer
The show depicts the killer's gruesome crimes but lays some of the blame on the Milwaukee police who failed for so long to catch him.
Germany's Criminalization of Online Offensiveness Shows the Perils of Weakening the First Amendment
A crackdown on insults, hate speech, and misinformation punishes dissenters who express themselves in ways that offend government officials.
Retrial of Backpage Execs Wouldn't Be Double Jeopardy, Court Says
Former Backpage executives could now face trial again in 2023, after the government's first attempt resulted in a mistrial.
The FBI Regains Access to Mar-a-Lago Documents That Trump Claims He Mentally Declassified
Even if Trump did declassify those records, the 11th Circuit says, he "has not identified any reason that he is entitled to them."
L.A. Times Investigates California's Marijuana Legalization Disaster
An emphasis on corruption and enforcement downplays the very real influence of regulation and taxes on California's booming black market.
Michigan Rolls Back Reforms of Civil Asset Forfeiture
Michigan is now a more dangerous place for anyone who flies with large amounts of cash.
Judge Reviewing Mar-a-Lago Documents Complains That Trump Has Offered No Evidence He Declassified Them
In any case, that issue does not seem relevant under the statutes that the FBI cited in its search warrant.
Senate Investigation Finds Justice Department Undercounted Prison and Jail Deaths Last Year by Nearly 1,000
The report says the inaccuracies "deprived Congress and the American public of information about who is dying in custody and why."
He Didn't Break Any Rules. New York City Is Demanding He Pay a Fine Anyway
The Big Apple's building regulations are almost impossible to navigate, and officials like it that way.
British Cops Arrest and Threaten Anti-Monarchist Protesters
Anti-royalists are facing fines and jail sentences for disrupting ceremonial events
In South Carolina, What You Say During Protests Could Land You in Jail
Brittany Martin, who is pregnant, was sentenced to four years in prison after telling police they'd "better be ready to die for the blue. I'm ready to die for the black."
Are the Media Making Mass Shootings Worse?
Yes, according to a growing body of research, says criminologist Adam Lankford.
Selling Fentanyl Could Mean the Death Penalty Under New Rubio Bill
As per usual, politicians' response to negative effects of the drug war is…more drug war.
In Mississippi, Dozens of Mentally Ill People Are Held in Jails While Awaiting Inpatient Treatment
While a new report highlights Mississippi's jailing of mentally ill people, the practice is common nationwide.
Marvin Guy No Longer Faces Death Penalty for Allegedly Shooting, Killing Cop in Botched No-Knock Raid
An unannounced SWAT team invaded a Texas man’s home in failed pursuit of drug evidence. They’ve blamed him for the violence they incited.
Hiring Formerly Incarcerated People Is Good, Actually
Some conservative media outlets and politicians lambast the practice. But if you care about public safety, that opposition doesn't make sense.
'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.
Incarcerated Children in Texas Left Without Bathroom Access for 22 Hours
"This is inhumane," one child told state inspectors.
Cops Fail To Protect Own Informant From Rape, Then Charge Her With a Drug Crime
Plus: The authoritarian convergence, inflation up and stocks down, and more...
18-Year-Old Faces Possible 70 Years in Federal Prison for Snapchat Sexting Crime
"I'm not saying my kid should get nothing," says Eric Beyer Jr.'s mother. "But to take an 18-year-old kid and put him in jail for longer than he's been alive?"