Criminal Justice
Young, Black, Trans, Arrested: How Women Like Meagan Taylor Are Made Invisible
Meagan Taylor, a 22-year-old jailed while visiting Iowa with a friend earlier this month, was released last week after a flurry of activism drew attention to her plight – and what was probably a bogus arrest.
A Black Man's Guide to Surviving Encounters with the Cops
One of the authors of "Encounters with Police: A Black Man's Guide to Survival" talks about Sandra Bland's controversial arrest in Texas and how people of color can attempt to avoid police brutality.
How Eric Garner's Family Is Coping with Their Loss One Year Later
On the anniversary of one of the most notorious police killings in recent memory, Eric Garner's family looks back at a year of grief and activism.
The Legacy of Violence at the Manhattan Jail Known as the 'Tombs'
Though Rikers Island has gotten the recent media attention, New York City's other jails have also been beset by scandals.
A Study Says Inmates with an "Untrustworthy Face" Are More Likely to Receive Harsher Punishments
It seems that those who are on trial are often unconsciously judged by not just the evidence on hand, but their facial appearance.
What It's Like to Live with an Ankle Bracelet
The device is, both literally and metaphorically, my greatest source of pain.
What We Know So Far About Sandra Bland, the Black Woman Found Hanging in a Texas Prison Cell
The 28-year-old Black Lives Matter activist was reportedly about to start a new job when she got pulled over last Friday near Houston.
What Federal Prisoners Are Saying About President Obama Freeing Nonviolent Drug Offenders
On Monday, President Obama commuted the sentences of 46 people, bringing his total since taking office to 89. I reached out to some old friends from inside to see if they expect a mass exodus from the prison-industrial complex.
German Prisons Are Kinder, Gentler and Safer Than the Ones in America
As a recent touring group of US officials found out, German inmates wear their own clothes, cook their own meals and aren't put in solitary for more than eight hours at a time.
What It's Like to Visit the White House as an Ex-Con
President Obama's security detail still brands ex-cons—regardless of the nature of their crime or what they've been up to since—as suspect.
Talking to a Chicago Crime Reporter About Covering the City's Murders
In early June, Michael Lansu was laid off from the Chicago Sun-Times after almost two years keeping tabs on the Windy City's notorious gun violence.
The Stiff Competition to Work in German Prisons
In Germany, where citizens actually compete with one another to work for prisons, some states require applicants to score over 100 on an IQ test to even qualify for the job.