The Crime Report

TCR Special Reports

Race, Land and Justice: ‘This War Isn’t Over’

By Katti Gray | 23 hours ago

Black farmers charge they have been blocked from receiving Department of Agriculture funds awarded in a class-action lawsuit because of the machinations of local agriculture officials and sometimes the courts who back up those officials. That, according to advocates, has perpetuated a pattern of eroding black land ownership and systemic rural racism.

Drugs

Four Drug Firms Settle for $260M to Avoid Opioid Trial

By TCR Staff | 23 hours ago

McKesson Corp., Cardinal Health Inc., AmerisourceBergen Corp., and Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd. reached a last-minute settlement to avoid a trial in Cleveland seeking to blame them for fueling the opioid crisis.

Drugs

How ND Overdose Death Led to Chinese Fentanyl Probe

By Crime and Justice News | 23 hours ago

The 2015 death of a North Dakota teenager prompted an ongoing federal probe that has led to 70 arrests and seizures of 1,000 kilograms of drugs.

Policing

Fort Worth Minorities Complain of Police Killings, Bias

By Crime and Justice News | 24 hours ago

The Rev. Kyev Tatum, part of a coalition asking the Justice Department to investigate “over-aggressive policing” in Fort Worth’s communities of color, says, “This is historic and it is systemic, and we understand that racism is at the heart of this.”

Policing

Policing Since Ferguson Called 'Business as Usual'

By Crime and Justice News | 24 hours ago

One expert calls criminal charges in the case of a fatal shooting by a police officer in Fort Worth, Tx., a sign of progress, while another says little has changed nationally in five years.

Elections 2020

Trump, 9 Dem Candidates to Speak on Criminal Justice

By Crime and Justice News | 24 hours ago

President Trump and nine candidates for the Democratic presidential nomination are expected to speak this weekend at a criminal justice forum at the historically black Benedict College in Columbia, S.C.

Capital Punishment

Jury Urges Death Penalty for Killer of California Women

By Crime and Justice News | October 21, 2019

A jury called for the death penalty for Michael Gargiulo. Actor Ashton Kutcher testified about a date with one of his victims. California has not conducted an execution since 2006.

Immigration

U.S. Issues Rules to Collect DNA from Asylum-Seekers

By Crime and Justice News | October 21, 2019

The Justice Department on Monday issued amended regulations that would mandate DNA collection for almost all migrants who cross between official entry points and are held even temporarily. The plan is expected to be challenged in court.

Immigration

Justices to Rule on Challenges to Quick Deportations

By Crime and Justice News | October 21, 2019

The Supreme Court agreed to hear a Trump-administration appeal of a ruling that said migrants can go to court to contest government determinations that they are ineligible for asylum and should be removed swiftly.

Jails

NYC Advocates Issue Plan For Ending Solitary in City

By Crime and Justice News | October 21, 2019

Critics say the city could end solitary confinement in its Rikers Island jail by executive action.

Hate Crimes

12 Arrests for Anti-Semitic Attacks in Last Year

At least 12 white supremacists have been arrested on allegations of plotting, threatening or carrying out anti-Semitic attacks in the U.S. since the massacre of 11 worshipers at a Pittsburgh synagogue nearly one year ago.

Race and Equity

Civil Rights Lawyer Crump Charges ‘Legalized Genocide’

Lawyer Ben Crump argues in a new book that the justice system is systematically biased against blacks. He says discrimination is evident when you “sit in the back of any court room in any city in any state in America.”

Prisoner Reentry

FL Can’t Block Ex-Felon Voting Over Fines, Judge Says

Ruling on a Florida measure aimed at restoring voting rights to felons, a federal judge said voting couldn’t be made contingent on paying fees, fines and restitution.

School Crime

OR School Protests Posting Video of Student, Gun

Surveillance video of a security guard from Oregon’s Parkrose High School security guard and coach Keanon Lowe disarming a student who brought a gun to school has drawn nationwide praise for Lowe’s response and his compassion. The Parkrose School District says the tape should not have been released.

Research & Analysis

Reforming the System

Senators Revive Effort to Create Criminal Justice Commission

Sen. Gary Peters (D-MI), Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Lindsey Graham (R-SC) and John Cornyn (R-TX) reintroduced a proposal to create a 14-member bipartisan commission. An early backer is presidential candidate Kamala Harris (D-CA).
Environment

Clean Those Vacant Lots: A Neighborhood Anti-Crime Strategy That Works

Two researchers found that a Philadelphia program to revitalize abandoned lots in the city’s most blighted neighborhoods resulted in “significant” reductions in shootings and assaults.
Drugs

Family Substance Abuse Reported by Half of US Adults: Gallup

Close to half of U.S. adults, 46 percent, have dealt with substance abuse problems in their family: 18 percent have had just alcohol problems and 10 percent have had just drug problems, while 18 percent have experienced both, according to a Gallup poll.
Media

How the Media Abets ‘Fame-Seeking’ Mass Shooters

Individuals hungry for media notoriety represent half the perpetrators of the most widely covered mass violence events since the turn of the century, according to researchers who say their findings should encourage more restrained coverage by news outlets.
Science & Technology

Gunshot Detection Technology Needs Community Buy-In: Report

Gunshot detection technology is most effective when law enforcement agencies thoroughly incorporate it into day-to-day operations and other systems of investigative tools, says a new report from the Urban Institute.
Policy & Politics

Children’s Exposure to Crime Costs U.S. $458B a Year: Study

According to a University of Pennsylvania study, more than 47 million Americans are exposed to some form of crime during childhood. A calculation of the “colossal” long-term annual costs, from mental trauma and physical ailments to reduced income, should galvanize politicians into action, the authors argue.

WORTH A READ

Reforming the System

White House Pledges Hard Work on First Step Act
By Ted Gest | October 18, 2019
The pledge was made Thursday by Ja'Ron Smith of the White House's Office of American Innovation at the inaugural "leadership summit" of the Council on Criminal Justice, a new national organization devoted to studying problems in the criminal justice system.
Viewpoints

How the Prison System Creates ‘Absentee Dads’—and Hurts the Kids They Leave Behind
By Megan Comfort and Tasseli McKay | October 17, 2019
Most experts agree that having an incarcerated parent puts children at a physical, behavioral and educational disadvantage. But the especially harmful impact on kids whose fathers are behind bars —and on the dads themselves—is largely ignored by the criminal justice system, write two RTI International social science researchers.
Policing

Police Need ‘Cutting Edge’ Help in Suicide Prevention, says Ex-Cop
By TCR Staff | October 17, 2019
“It is easier for the political class to bury" police "than to defend them," writes former NYPD officer Eugene O'Donnell, in a stinging indictment of the failure of authorities to help cops deal with the stresses and frustrations that are leading some to suicide. "Cops (feel) they are the hunted and disposable," O'Donnell wrote.
TCR Special Reports

A Prison Odyssey: Albert Reed’s Road to Redemption
By Dane Stallone | October 16, 2019
Released under the First Step Act, a former lifer recounts how he overcame the dysfunction of prison life to realize the “error of his ways.” He says there are many more like him.

Featured

Bill Moyers Speaks Out on Justice. Watch the Video.

By TCR Staff | December 1, 2017

Moyers received TCR’s annual “Justice Trailblazer” award at a John Jay College dinner Feb. 15. See the video of his remarks here.

The Crime Report - Your Complete Criminal Justice Resource

Drugs

How ND Overdose Death Led to Chinese Fentanyl Probe

By Crime and Justice News | 23 hours ago

Policing

Fort Worth Minorities Complain of Police Killings, Bias

By Crime and Justice News | 24 hours ago

Policing

Policing Since Ferguson Called 'Business as Usual'

By Crime and Justice News | 24 hours ago

Elections 2020

Trump, 9 Dem Candidates to Speak on Criminal Justice

By Crime and Justice News | 24 hours ago

Capital Punishment

Jury Urges Death Penalty for Killer of California Women

By Crime and Justice News | October 21, 2019

Immigration

U.S. Issues Rules to Collect DNA from Asylum-Seekers

By Crime and Justice News | October 21, 2019

Immigration

Justices to Rule on Challenges to Quick Deportations

By Crime and Justice News | October 21, 2019

Jails

NYC Advocates Issue Plan For Ending Solitary in City

By Crime and Justice News | October 21, 2019

Hate Crimes

12 Arrests for Anti-Semitic Attacks in Last Year

Race and Equity

Civil Rights Lawyer Crump Charges ‘Legalized Genocide’

Prisoner Reentry

FL Can’t Block Ex-Felon Voting Over Fines, Judge Says

School Crime

OR School Protests Posting Video of Student, Gun

Reforming the System

In Historic Vote, NYC Council Agrees to Shut Rikers by 2026

Tennessee Execution Questioned After New Information Emerges

Opioid Crisis Cost U.S. Economy at Least $631B: Study

Mexican Migrants Surge Despite Border Crackdown

Meth Overtakes Opioids in Parts of Wisconsin