Criminal Justice
Sheriff Chuck Jenkins has long crusaded against immigrants in rapidly diversifying Frederick County, and faces pushback as he seeks a fifth term in November.
The Latest
Long Reads
Waiting for a Second Look
People given lengthy sentences at a young age are seeking relief through D.C.’s landmark sentencing reforms, but they face hurdles due to the pandemic and a dysfunctional federal prison system.
A Future for Susanville
Plans to shutter a California prison offer halting glimpses of a different world: an economy that doesn’t revolve around incarceration, a country where losing your job isn’t tantamount to ruin, and an opening for abolition.
Vacancies and Zombie Commissioners Leave Opening for Parole Reform in New York
Upcoming appointments by Governor Kathy Hochul could push New York’s parole board away from a culture of perpetual punishment
The Big Lie Messengers Who Carry a Badge and Gun
Arizona’s Mark Lamb and a network of far-right sheriffs around the country are partnering with leading purveyors of election fraud conspiracies, part of an escalating campaign to police the vote.
Criminalizing Pregnancy
The Latest
August 26, 2022
The Winding Road to Ending ICE Collaboration in Raleigh
The Latest
The Latest
Upcoming Elections
Who Elects their Prosecutors and Sheriffs in 2022?
Our Bolts resource has the answers. Under the hood of the federal midterms, 2022 will shape criminal legal institutions around the nation with more than 2,400 elections for prosecutor and sheriff.
Rights Restoration
Policing Democracy
Fines and Fees
May 16, 2022
North Carolina Drivers Still Face “Debt Traps” Despite Some Local Reforms
A DA cleared the soaring fines and fees that prevented thousands from legally driving, but advocates say the problem needs broader statewide relief.
April 1, 2022
Louisiana Court Officials Resist Reforms to End the Predatory Fines and Fees that Fund Their Offices
Conflicts of interest and gaps in basic information stall the years-long effort to shift one of the poorest states in the country away from a system of court funding that feeds on its poorest residents.
Judges and courts
Parole Reform
State Primers
National Primer of Criminal Justice Elections
In 2022, Intense Clashes Between Criminal Justice Reformers and Tough-On-Crime Foes
Eight big election questions that will shape the future of criminal punishment and mass incarceration
