Criminal Justice
What It's Like to Be an Undercover FBI Agent
Bob Hamer spent 26 years undercover for the FBI, where he posed as a drug dealer, contract killer, pedophile, degenerate gambler, international weapons dealer, and white-collar criminal.
Why Solitary Confinement in America Needs to Finally End
Now that solitary is on the national radar, systemic problems with "the hole" are being laid bare for all to see.
Can Addicts Finally Force the War on Drugs to End?
After decades of false starts, a legit political movement aimed at addressing addiction as a public health problem and led by those who are most affected by it may finally be taking shape.
Heroin, Murder, and the New Front in the War on Drugs
When heroin users die from an overdose, some US prosecutors pursue full-fledged murder charges against the dealers or friends who provided the drugs. Possible sentences include life without parole.
How One Man from the St. Louis Projects Got Out of Prison and Went Back Again
Larry walked out of Missouri state prison with some money and a job, but like most former inmates, he got dragged back in.
How I Held Onto Hope After Being Sentenced to Prison for Cocaine Trafficking
During my 26 years in federal lockups of all kinds, I earned a bachelor's and master's degree, published several books, and found the love of my life.
Art Before Death: The Powerful Work of Death Row Inmates
"Life After Death and Elsewhere" offered Tennessee death row inmates the chance to memorialize themselves in a Manhattan gallery.
The Strange Relationship Between Politics, Prosecutors, and Police Shootings
The United States is alone in the world in electing its prosecutors, but how should officials handle the rage and resentment that boils over when police kill unarmed minorities?
On Patrol with the Copwatchers Who Film the NYPD
El Grito de Sunset Park—a local police watchdog group—started in 2002, when the country's videos of law enforcement were mostly limited to Rodney King and the show 'COPS.'
What It's Like to Be a Prison Lawyer
Prisoners who help other inmates with legal filings can actually have a major impact.
A Year After Ferguson, There's Still No Peace
The police shooting of two young men of colour this week shows that even as more Americans consider race to be the biggest issue facing the country and citizens are increasingly attuned to how cops target minorities, little has changed at the local...
How America's Criminal Justice System Traps Low-Level Offenders
I've seen firsthand how the system makes it difficult for jail inmates who have committed minor crimes to get out and stay out of a cell.