The Victims Left Behind by Genetic Genealogy
An Atlantic analysis of more than 100 cases using this powerful new policing tool found only four involving a homicide with a Black victim.
When the Misdiagnosis Is Child Abuse
Some pediatricians are trained to determine whether kids’ injuries are accidental. Their assessments can be subjective—but they’re often accepted as fact. And when they’re wrong, parents can needlessly end up in jail.
Releasing People From Prison Is Easier Said Than Done
As the pandemic threatens the lives of those behind bars, the country must confront a system that has never had rehabilitation as its priority.
America’s Other Epidemic
A new approach to fighting the opioid crisis as it quietly rages on
When the Police Call Your Landlord
Crime-free-housing programs are quietly giving police widespread influence over landlords and their tenants.
The Weinstein Verdict Shows Why Rape Convictions Are So Rare
Harvey Weinstein may be headed to prison, but few women will ever see their perpetrators brought to justice.
Can You Cure a Domestic Abuser?
A class developed in Duluth, Minnesota, has heavily influenced how domestic abusers are rehabilitated across the U.S. But critics question whether it works.
Marketing Psychiatric Drugs to Jailers and Judges
Drug companies are courting jails and judges through sophisticated marketing efforts.
Awakening to a Mass-Supervision Crisis
Paroled from prison, Kelly Savage entered a world that could feel as restrictive as the one she left.
The Dying American Prisoner
Incarcerated people who are dying can apply for “compassionate release” in some states—but very few of them get it. This is the story of one who did.
Chicago Is Making the Case for Releasing Pregnant Inmates
Women in jail typically have limited prenatal support and return to custody soon after giving birth. One program is testing a different approach.
An Airbnb for the Formerly Incarcerated
A nonprofit is trying to match newly released prisoners with hosts who can support them. But it’s hard to find funding for unconventional ideas.
Reporting for Work Where You Once Reported for Probation
Where mistrust between communities and law enforcement runs high, can people with criminal histories bridge the gap?
What Happens After Prisoners Learn to Code?
Slack, one of Silicon Valley’s more diverse companies, has hired three formerly incarcerated coders.
The Repurposing of the American Jail
Jails and prisons are becoming substance-abuse treatment facilities—even for those who haven’t been accused of a crime.
Bill Clinton Owes My Father an Apology
Bill Clinton took responsibility for contributing to mass incarceration. He has yet to say he’s sorry for his role in mass deportation.
How Biden Killed Prison Education
My friend Twist and I are both incarcerated. But I’m getting a college degree, and he, like most prisoners in recent decades, hasn’t been able to.
Employers Are Still Avoiding Former Inmates
Dozens of states and D.C. have restricted when companies can ask about job applicants’ criminal records—but many aren’t following the rules.
The Porch Pirate of Potrero Hill Can’t Believe It Came to This
When a longtime resident started stealing her neighbors’ Amazon packages, she entered a vortex of smart cameras, Nextdoor rants, and cellphone surveillance.
A Texas Prosecutor Fights for Reform
As a progressive district attorney in one of the reddest states, Dallas County’s John Creuzot is a controversial figure.
The False Alarms That Get Kids Arrested
Teens are paying the price for school-shooting threats—whether they’re real or not.
A Prison Lifer Comes Home
Imprisoned for decades for a crime he committed as a juvenile, “Red Dog” Fennell was released as an old man into a baffling world.
The Private Option
One company has become the biggest provider of jail health care. Sheriffs are worried: “If you’re the only dance in town, you can pretty much call your own shots.”
This Man Says His Anti-violence Plan Would Save 12,000 Lives
Why aren’t more cities using it?
The Capricious Use of Solitary Confinement Against Detained Immigrants
FOIA documents and a whistle-blower uncover how the Obama and Trump administrations used solitary in ways that critics say are arbitrary, cruel, and in violation of federal rules.
In Prison, and Fighting to Vote
A campaign for suffrage is growing inside prisons. Is anyone listening?
Do Algorithms Have a Place in Policing?
How a Pakistani-born retired pilot took on a controversial, data-driven policing program in Los Angeles—and won
Saved From Death Row, Only to Be Returned
A set of unusual cases in North Carolina brings new attention to racism in death-penalty trials.
The Bad-Apple Myth of Policing
Violence perpetrated by cops doesn’t simply boil down to individual bad actors—it’s also a systemic, judicial failing.
Who Will Hold the Police Accountable?
When a Nashville officer killed a black man, his mother and other activists didn’t just seek an indictment—they fought to give citizens oversight of the whole police department.
The Shocking Lack of Lawyers in Rural America
While cities are trying to reform their criminal-justice systems, smaller, more far-flung locales are struggling to provide basic services.
An Epidemic of Disbelief
What new research reveals about sexual predators, and why police fail to catch them
The Sheriff Who’s Defying ICE
Garry McFadden is taking a stand. But will North Carolina’s legislature strip his office of the powers he’s using?
Should We Be Afraid of AI in the Criminal-Justice System?
Many states and cities are putting Americans’ fates in the hands of algorithms.
The ‘Death Penalty’s Dred Scott’ Lives On
In 1987, the Supreme Court came within one vote of eliminating capital punishment in Georgia based on evidence of racial disparities. Instead, it created a precedent that civil-rights advocates have been fighting for decades.
GOP Lawmakers Are Quietly Turning Against the Death Penalty
Republican state legislators across the country have joined with Democrats to ban capital punishment—including in New Hampshire, which recently became the 21st state to end the practice.
When Abuse Victims Commit Crimes
New laws in New York and elsewhere could keep women out of prison for crimes against their abusers.
The Search for Progressive Judges
Activists have swept a new wave of prosecutors into office. Is the focus now shifting to the judiciary?
The Supreme Court Resuscitates the Eighth Amendment
The justices strike a blow against policing for profit.
The Criminal-Justice Bill Had Broad Bipartisan Support and Still Almost Died
The “permanent campaign” made some Republicans fear being cast as soft on crime.
Could a Supreme Court Decision Entitle 2,000 Oklahoma Inmates to New Trials?
Roughly half of the state could be designated as reservation land. No one’s sure what that would mean for Native inmates whose crimes occurred within those boundaries.
The Bigger Failure Exposed by Jazmine Headley’s Arrest
Why were police officers called to the scene in the first place?
Letter: Laquan McDonald’s Death and the Rhetoric of Police
A reader weighs in on the Chicago Police Department’s culture of intimidation, and describes her own experience processing the shooting of the 17-year-old Laquan McDonald.
The Newest Password Technology Is Making Your Phone Easier for Police to Search
For the first time, police have compelled a suspect to unlock his phone using Face ID. The case reveals an interesting inversion: More advanced password technology is less protected from police seizure.
Something Went Wrong in Chicago
A white policeman was convicted of murder in the killing of a black teen—an outcome that goes against the many forces aligned to prevent the officer from facing consequences.
The Bail-Reform Tool That Activists Want Abolished
They worry that algorithms used to determine a person’s flight risk will only perpetuate racial discrimination.
Florida Felons Want Their Voting Rights Restored
A ballot amendment in the November election could restore voting rights to 1.5 million felons in Florida, one of just three states that permanently bars felons from voting.
Big Tech's Newest Experiment in Criminal-Justice Reform
The unicorn start-up Slack is launching an apprenticeship program for formerly incarcerated people. But will the industry ever hire from the inside en masse?
What I Learned by Studying Militarized Policing
It doesn’t make the police or public any safer. But figuring that out exposed the dearth of useable data on law-enforcement practices.
The Common App Will Stop Asking About Students' Criminal Histories
The change may be the biggest help to low-income students of color, who are disproportionately likely to have been convicted of a crime.
His Brother’s Keeper
In America’s deadliest big city, the task of announcing each new murder falls to police spokesman T. J. Smith. One year ago, he confronted a killing like no other.
Is Rural America Getting Tired of Tough-on-Crime Policies?
Across political, racial, and geographic lines, more Americans seem ready to move past the age of mass incarceration.
'So What? Maybe It Is a Concentration Camp'
Joe Arpaio made his name by building a harsh jail in the desert. Now, Trump is promising to take his punitive approach to immigration national.
How the Activists Who Tore Down Durham's Confederate Statue Got Away With It
On Tuesday, the district attorney in Durham, North Carolina, dismissed all remaining charges in the August case. What does that mean for the future of statues around the country?
The FBI's War on Black-Owned Bookstores
At the height of the Black Power movement, the Bureau focused on the unlikeliest of public enemies: black independent booksellers.
What It Takes to Actually Convict Police of Misconduct
Officers involved in fatal incidents keep getting acquitted, but a team of Baltimore cops who stole from suspects and taxpayers alike during a years-long criminal spree are facing serious jail time.
The Baltimore Police Department Is Badly Broken
This week a detective gave stunning testimony about abuses by the city’s gun-trace task force and an officer was charged with fabricating evidence.
A Popular Algorithm Is No Better at Predicting Crimes Than Random People
The COMPAS tool is widely used to assess a defendant’s risk of committing more crimes, but a new study puts its usefulness into perspective.
How Letting Felons Vote Is Changing Virginia
Under Governor Terry McAuliffe, the state embarked on a campaign to grant clemency more often, and to restore the civil rights of convicted felons.
The Superiority of a States' Rights Approach to Marijuana
The public wants it, and the Tenth Amendment demands it.