The Crime Report

COVID-19

COVID Infections Soared in Prisons Where Testing was 'Limited': Report

By Nancy Bilyeau | 15 hours ago

In states that did not implement a mass testing strategy for incarcerated populations, rates of infection among incarcerated people were nearly eight times the rate for non-incarcerated populations of similar age, gender and race, according to the National Commission on COVID-19 and Criminal Justice.

Solitary Confinement

New York Adopts 'Nelson Mandela' Rules Curbing Use of Solitary

By TCR Staff | 15 hours ago

Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo on Wednesday signed into law a bill that will restrict prisons and jails from holding people in solitary confinement for more than 15 consecutive days. The measure follows other states which have adapted the United Nations guidelines named after Nelson Mandela.

Mass Shootings

20 Mass Shootings in Two Weeks Since Atlanta, Capped by California Killings

By TCR Staff | 17 hours ago

In the two weeks since the three Atlanta-area spa shootings claimed the lives of eight people, 20 other mass shootings have taken place across the country, with four people, including a child, killed Wednesday evening and a fifth person injured in a mass shooting at an office complex in Orange, California.

Courts

Camera Footage Shows Chauvin Defending Restraint of George Floyd

By TCR Staff | 17 hours ago

In newly released body-camera footage, Derek Chauvin defends his treatment of George Floyd to a bystander, saying Floyd “was probably on something” and needed to be under “control.”

Policing

Chicago PD Fails to Replace Gang Database Described as 'Racist'

By TCR Staff | 17 hours ago

The city’s watchdog has found that the Chicago Police Department has “fallen critically short” on its vow to replace and improve its gang database, which reports have described as an error-laden tool of racial discrimination.

Race and Equity

Baltimore's Sheree Brescoe Becomes First African American Female Deputy Commissioner

By TCR Staff | 18 hours ago

Baltimore Police Commissioner Michael Harrison announced Wednesday the promotion of Col. Sheree Briscoe, who will be the first African American woman to be deputy commissioner and the first to oversee the department’s day-to-day operations.

Hate Crimes

Hate Crime Charges Filed Against Man Who Attacked Asian-American Woman

By TCR Staff | 18 hours ago

New York authorities said Wednesday they have filed three felony hate-crime charges against 38-year-old Brandon Elliot in the brutal stomping of an elderly Asian American woman.

Immigration

ICE Pays $1M a Day for Empty Detention Beds

By TCR Staff | 18 hours ago

Although Immigration and Customs Enforcement has released hundreds of people to lower the risk of COVID-19, and is arresting and detaining fewer unauthorized immigrants, ICE pays for a minimum number of beds whether they are filled or not.

Reforming the System

Georgia Restricts Citizens Arrest Law Tied to 2020 Murder

By TCR Staff | 18 hours ago

Georgia lawmakers on Wednesday approved a bill gutting a Civil War-era law that allowed residents to arrest one another, a move championed by critics who said such laws have historically been used by white citizens to justify the killing of African-Americans.

Courts

Virginia Strikes ‘Trans Panic' Defense of Violent Crime

By TCR Staff | 18 hours ago

Virginia on Wednesday became the 12th state to ban the gay and trans “panic” defense, a controversial legal strategy that allows a defendant to explain violent crimes based on their discovery of the victim’s gender identity.

Hate Crimes

Amid Attacks Against Asian Americans, Garland Launches Hate Crimes Review

Amid reports of a rising number of hate crimes against Asian Americans, U.S. Attorney General Merrick Garland on Tuesday announced he is launching a 30-day “expedited review” into how the Justice Department can bolster its efforts to prosecute hate crimes

White House

Capitol Police Officers Sue Trump Over January 6 Riot

Two Capitol Police officers who were on duty during the deadly Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol sued former President Donald J. Trump on Tuesday, saying he was responsible for the physical and emotional injuries they suffered.

Police Misconduct

Second Day of Chauvin Trial Ends With Tense Testimonies

During the second day of testimony in the Derek Chauvin murder trial, Judge Peter Cahill reprimanded witness Genevieve Hansen, a two-year veteran of the Minneapolis Fire Department who was on scene at the time of Floyd’s fatal arrest on Memorial Day 2020.

Crime and Justice News

New York Legalizes Recreational Marijuana, Offering Racial Justice, Other States Follow

New York lawmakers pushed through a marijuana legalization measure Tuesday that backers say will expunge the felony drug records of tens of thousands of people.

Reforming the System

Rochester City Council Approves Police Reform Plan

Following the death of Daniel Prude, the Rochester City Council approved a future of policing plan Monday afternoon that proposes scrapping the current contract with the Rochester Police Locust Club union, trimming the size of the department over the next decade, immediately firing officers for cause, and overhauling New York’s Civil Service hiring system.

Research & Analysis

Juvenile Justice

Youth Justice System Worsened During Pandemic

COVID-19 made it more difficult for young people to receive adequate legal counsel, and exacerbated already existing racial disparities, according to a report from the National Juvenile Defender Center.
Reforming the System

Could Eliminating Cash Bail Save the U.S. Billions?

A new paper suggests that reducing pre-trial detention by eliminating cash bail would generate significant economic returns for accused individuals, their families and communities, and the country as a whole.
Courts

Plea Bargaining ‘Weakens Integrity’ of Judicial Process: Report

The decades-old trial penalty in New York State threatens constitutional rights, limits law enforcement transparency, and weakens the integrity of the justice system, says a report released Friday.
Race and Equity

Coverage of Mass Shootings Ignores Black Victims: Study

A recent study published in the journal Sociology of Race and Ethnicity about shooting victims in Chicago found Black people killed in predominantly Black neighborhoods in the city in 2016 received roughly half as much news coverage as white people killed in majority white neighborhoods, and were less likely to be discussed as “multifaceted, complex people.”
Policing

Task Force Calls for National Standards in Police Training

Police forces across America should adopt national standards for certification and training to ensure officers are exposed to the most relevant and contemporary research and practice regardless of whether they work in big cities or small towns, a Council of Criminal Justice task force on policing said Thursday.
Hate Crimes

‘Locked Down, Lashing Out:’ How COVID Spurred Anti-Asian Hate Crimes

While the pandemic has created a serious global health and economic crisis, it has also stoked the flames of hatred against people of Asian descent. A case study of Italy blamed right-wing rhetoric and media for a spike in anti-Asian hate crimes after February, 2020.

WORTH A READ

TCR Special Reports

The Invisible Color Line in U.S. Policing
By Isidoro Rodriguez | March 31, 2021
Commentators argue that African Americans in law enforcement can play a primary role in tackling the historic legacy of police racism. But first they have to get in the door. In interviews with The Crime Report, senior Black officers say police recruitment practices are riddled with both overt and implicit bias.
Policing

Racism Blocked My Appointment as Chief, Charges St. Louis Cop
By David A. Love/theGrio | March 31, 2021
Veteran St. Louis Officer Lt. Col. Troy Doyle was the favored candidate to become the city’s first Black police chief, but the county’s Board of Police Commissioners picked a white officer. Now Doyle has launched a lawsuit claiming the decision was influenced by corporate donors opposed to appointing an African American.
Race and Equity

Police ‘Create Criminals’ for Traffic Stops, Criminalizing Poverty
By Andrea Cipriano | March 31, 2021
A former captain with the Birmingham Police Department writes that some police have lost touch with the core responsibility of crime prevention, and instead have "created criminals" out of "low hanging fruit" to keep numbers high for traffic stops. Unfortunately, this leads to an entanglement with the justice system stemming from poverty and race.
Reforming the System

Cities Need a Fresh Approach to Public Safety: Report
By TCR Staff | March 30, 2021
A new report from the Square One Project proposes a “new model” that relies less on police and more on investment in community services. The authors focus their attention on New York, but argue it’s applicable to major cities across the U.S. after a year of crisis.

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

Mass Shootings

20 Mass Shootings in Two Weeks Since Atlanta, Capped by California Killings

By TCR Staff | 17 hours ago

Courts

Camera Footage Shows Chauvin Defending Restraint of George Floyd

By TCR Staff | 17 hours ago

Policing

Chicago PD Fails to Replace Gang Database Described as 'Racist'

By TCR Staff | 17 hours ago

Race and Equity

Baltimore's Sheree Brescoe Becomes First African American Female Deputy Commissioner

By TCR Staff | 18 hours ago

Hate Crimes

Hate Crime Charges Filed Against Man Who Attacked Asian-American Woman

By TCR Staff | 18 hours ago

Immigration

ICE Pays $1M a Day for Empty Detention Beds

By TCR Staff | 18 hours ago

Reforming the System

Georgia Restricts Citizens Arrest Law Tied to 2020 Murder

By TCR Staff | 18 hours ago

Courts

Virginia Strikes ‘Trans Panic' Defense of Violent Crime

By TCR Staff | 18 hours ago

Hate Crimes

Amid Attacks Against Asian Americans, Garland Launches Hate Crimes Review

White House

Capitol Police Officers Sue Trump Over January 6 Riot

Police Misconduct

Second Day of Chauvin Trial Ends With Tense Testimonies

Crime and Justice News

New York Legalizes Recreational Marijuana, Offering Racial Justice, Other States Follow

Reforming the System

Rochester City Council Approves Police Reform Plan

Congress Considers Reforming Capitol Police Board

Despite Vulnerability of Georgia Spa Workers, Many Targeted for Arrest

Prosecutor, Defense in Derek Chauvin Case Address Video of Killing

Biden Picks ‘Trailblazing’ Slate of Judicial Nominees