The Crime Report (https://thecrimereport.org/category/qa/)
America’s opioid epidemic was a matter of academic interest to bioethicist Travis Rieder until he suffered a serious accident in 2015. That’s when, as he put it, his efforts to overcome a “profound dependence on oxycodone” led him to write a book arguing for a more nuanced approach to pain sufferers and the doctors who work with them.
In his new book, Thomas Abt argues that efforts to address poverty and racial bias in America are effectively blocked by the violence plaguing many American neighborhoods. In a conversation with TCR, he explains why.
The two young Pennsylvania prosecutors who won a conviction of comedian Bill Cosby on sexual assault charges sit down with TCR to reprise the case, and draw lessons about future prosecutions of sex crimes.
Darwin “Casey” Diaz was once one of California’s most violent criminals. Today, the former gang leader counsels at-risk young people. In a conversation with TCR about his new book, Diaz explains how he changed his life.
The June, 2015 escape by two inmates from a high-security prison in upstate New York triggered a country-wide manhunt, a national media feeding frenzy, two movies, and a TV mini-series. In a new book, a former guard reveals what everyone missed.
One in 14 American children are growing up with at least one parent incarcerated. A new documentary by Denali Tiller explores what that means through the eyes of the kids themselves.
When drug lord Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzman was convicted last month, many people scored it as a major victory in America’s drug war. But in a conversation with TCR about his new book, Jack Riley, the DEA agent who helped bring Guzman to justice, said the country still hasn’t learned the real lessons of the struggle with opioid cartels and their enablers.
U.S. public opinion is shifting towards an acceptance of stricter gun regulations, according to Igor Volsky, founder of Guns Down America and author of a new book on the issue. In a conversation with TCR, Volsky offers a blueprint for taking advantage of the shift to go beyond what he calls merely “incremental” reforms.
American policing has drifted disturbingly far from the liberal values that gird our democracy, warns Luke William Hunt, a justice professor and a former FBI agent. In a conversation with TCR, he discusses his new book, which offers a blueprint for getting us back to our roots.
Why is the U.S. almost alone among Western democracies in condemning people to life sentences? Ashley Nellis, co-author with Marc Mauer of a new book calling for an end to the practice, tells TCR why it’s time to change our hardline approach to punishment.