The Crime Report

Drugs

Lawmakers Use War on Drugs 'Playbook' for Fentanyl, Report Warns

By Nancy Bilyeau | 15 hours ago

Although a public health approach to the deepening fentanyl crisis could yield best results, legislators are dusting off a “war on drugs playbook” with harsher, draconian laws that threaten to backfire, according to a newly released report.

Crime Victims

Do Oakland Police Violate Human Rights Law?

By TCR Staff | 16 hours ago

The Oakland Police Department’s failure to make arrests in the murders of African Americans, as well as to provide support to family members without discrimination is arguably a violation of international human rights law, according to a University of California-Berkeley Law report.

Drugs

Ex-Billionaire Drug Exec is First to Get Prison Term in Opioid Cases

By TCR Staff | 16 hours ago

John Kapoor, a former billionaire who founded opioid maker Insys Therapeutics Inc., was sentenced to 5½ years in federal prison for his role in a racketeering conspiracy to illegally boost sales of his firm’s prescription fentanyl drug Subsys.

Policing

London Police Use Facial Recognition in Real Time

By Crime and Justice News | 19 hours ago

London is adopting a level of surveillance that is rare outside of China. The decision is a major development in the use of technology that has caused a worldwide debate about the balance between security and privacy.

Shootings

Downtown Seattle Fatal Shooting Called Shocking

By Crime and Justice News | 20 hours ago

The shooting that started after a dispute outside a McDonald’s was the third in a little over 24 hours downtown. Violent crime in the city declined last year, though reports of shootings were up slightly.

Guns

Gun Makers Pitch Concealed Weapons for Women

By Crime and Justice News | 20 hours ago

This year in Las Vegas, many manufacturers at the annual Shooting, Hunting, Outdoor Trade show showcased new versions of small, lightweight and concealable guns. The number of Americans with concealed-carry permits has reached almost 18.7 million.

Russia Probe

DOJ Retreats, Says Some 2016 Surveillance Lacked Authority

By Crime and Justice News | 20 hours ago

The Justice Department believes it should have discontinued its secret surveillance of one-time Donald Trump campaign adviser Carter Page far earlier than it did, DOJ tells the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court.

Drugs

Feds Missed Deadline to Renew Opioid 'Emergency'

By Crime and Justice News | 21 hours ago

The Department of Health and Human Services said it was a “clerical error.” President Donald Trump’s declaration of a “public health emergency” is back into effect, but its impact has been minimal.

White Collar Crime

Ex-Wells Fargo CEO Banned From Industry, Fined $17.5M

By Crime and Justice News | 21 hours ago

Former Wells Fargo CEO John Stumpf agreed to a lifetime ban from the banking industry and a $17.5 million fine, a result of the fake-accounts scandal that roiled Wells Fargo when he ran the bank. The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency charged five other former Wells Fargo executives.

Capital Punishment

FL High Court: Death Cases Don't Need Unanimous Juries

By Crime and Justice News | 22 hours ago

Thursday’s minority opinion said the court “got it wrong” in 2016 when it favored unanimous jury recommendations in capital punishment cases.

Sex Crime

Actress Recounts a Harvey Weinstein Assault

Annabella Sciorra, describing to jurors a sexual assault by the former producer in the 1990s, says Weinstein outweighed her by nearly 200 pounds and overpowered her.

New DA Boudin Ends Cash Bail in San Francisco

District Attorney Chesa Boudin, who took office two weeks ago, said prosecutors will use a “risk-based system” and weigh whether a defendant might flee or pose a threat to public safety.

International Crime

U.S. Rejects U.K. Request to Extradite Diplomat’s Wife

Anne Sacoolas was driving on the wrong side of the road when she hit 19-year-old Harry Dunn, riding a motorbike, on Aug. 27 in central England. A State Department spokesperson, who called it a “tragic” accident, said Sacoolas had “immunity from criminal jurisdiction.”

Sex Crime

OH Chief Criticizes Dads Posing as Teens Seeking Sex

Police in Ohio say a group of fathers posing online as teen boys seeking sex with older men are not helping police to bring potential predators to justice. Fremont Police Chief Dean Bliss says prosecutions are unlikely for meetings not arranged by police.

Research & Analysis

Reforming the System

In Milwaukee, ‘Justice’ is About More Than Punishment

Milwaukee DA John Chisholm and Wisconsin Public Defender John Reed have crossed turf lines to collaborate in a system of “community-oriented” justice whose end goal is to put fewer people in prison. In a Harvard paper, they argue there’s no reason why other cities can’t follow a similar path.
Reforming the System

Can De-Escalation Techniques, Withdrawal of Privileges Replace Solitary?

These are among the numerous evidence-based alternatives now being used by corrections authorities across the U.S. to discipline unruly or dangerous inmates, according to a study by Marc Levin of the Texas Public Policy Foundation.
Policy & Politics

1994 Federal Crime Law Helped Cut 200,000 Sentences: Study

The massive anticrime law passed by Congress in 1994 is known as a "tough on crime" measure. Its "safety valve" provisions have allowed for the reductions in many federal drug penalties, a new analysis finds.
Corrections & Reentry

‘Ban the Box’ Doesn’t Cut Recidivism for Minorities: Study

A University of California economics professors compared recidivism data in 25 states that have passed 'Ban the Box' policies and found that they might have had the opposite impact for African-American ex-offenders.
Prosecutors

Few Elections for Prosecutors Give Voters a Choice: Report

Of more than 2,300 jurisdictions that elect their prosecutor, fewer than 700 presented voters with more than a single candidate in 2014 and 2016, finds a new study. Still, most voters live in more-populous areas that give them a choice.
Rural Justice Crisis

How Washington Fuels a Jail-Building ‘Arms Race’ in Rural America

New jails built to accommodate the rising number of federal immigrant detainees and drug offenders awaiting trial are generating income for cash-strapped rural authorities, but they also create financial risk—and skew local priorities, says the Vera Institute of Justice.

WORTH A READ

Policy & Politics

New Yorkers Turn Sour on Bail Reform
By TCR Staff | January 23, 2020
According to a new poll, support for New York's recently passed law has dropped from 55 percent to 37 percent since April. That follows a storm of criticism from legislators, victim rights groups and others who say eliminating cash bail endangers public safety.
Health Care

Restricting Pregnant Immigrants: ‘People Will Die Because of This’
By TCR Staff | January 23, 2020
In a quiet move to restrict "birthright tourism," the Trump Administration sent notices to all U.S. embassies and consular officers, telling them to deny B visa requests from pregnant women seeking to come to the U.S.
Viewpoints

How the 911 System Turns Police into ‘Proxies’ for Racial Bias
By S. Rebecca Neusteter | January 22, 2020
A commitment to revamp the country’s antiquated and biased emergency call system would be a fitting way to honor Martin Luther King Jr.’s dream of racial equality, writes the former research, policy and planning director of the New York Police Department.
Crime Trends

Violent, Property Crime Reports Fell In 2019’s First Half
By TCR Staff | January 22, 2020
A preliminary FBI count shows declines in all categories of violent and property crime. There were nearly 4 percent fewer murders in the first half of 2019 than in the same period in 2018.

Featured

Bill Moyers on Justice

By TCR Staff | December 1, 2017

Moyers was honored as TCR’s 2018 “Justice Media Trailblazer.” Watch the video of his remarks at the Feb 15, 2018 John Jay College dinner here.

The Crime Report - Your Complete Criminal Justice Resource

Policing

London Police Use Facial Recognition in Real Time

By Crime and Justice News | 19 hours ago

Shootings

Downtown Seattle Fatal Shooting Called Shocking

By Crime and Justice News | 20 hours ago

Guns

Gun Makers Pitch Concealed Weapons for Women

By Crime and Justice News | 20 hours ago

Russia Probe

DOJ Retreats, Says Some 2016 Surveillance Lacked Authority

By Crime and Justice News | 20 hours ago

Drugs

Feds Missed Deadline to Renew Opioid 'Emergency'

By Crime and Justice News | 21 hours ago

White Collar Crime

Ex-Wells Fargo CEO Banned From Industry, Fined $17.5M

By Crime and Justice News | 21 hours ago

Capital Punishment

FL High Court: Death Cases Don't Need Unanimous Juries

By Crime and Justice News | 22 hours ago

Sex Crime

Actress Recounts a Harvey Weinstein Assault

New DA Boudin Ends Cash Bail in San Francisco

International Crime

U.S. Rejects U.K. Request to Extradite Diplomat’s Wife

Sex Crime

OH Chief Criticizes Dads Posing as Teens Seeking Sex

Police Misconduct

Two Columbus Officers Fired Over Stormy Daniels Arrest

FBI Aggressively Probed ‘Base’ as Terror Group

2020 Could Be Big For Legalizing Marijuana

More Tech Executives Become ‘Swatting’ Victims

15 Working Groups Will Advise New Policing Panel