AltWeeklies Wire
Two North Carolina Cities Wonder: Who's Watching the Cops?new
Alleged misdeeds at two local police departments raise the issue: Whose job is it to hold police accountable? Citizens in Durham and Chapel Hill have long been calling for better public oversight of the police in their towns, but the best way to do that is up for debate.
INDY Week |
Samiha Khanna and Joe Schwartz |
11-12-2009 |
Crime & Justice
Ed Graf May Be a Victim of Flawed Arson Sciencenew

Ed Graf was sentenced to life for burning his two young stepsons alive. Two decades later, science may exonerate him.
The Texas Observer |
Dave Mann |
06-03-2009 |
Crime & Justice
Death Row Inmate Brett Hartmann Says He Can Prove His Innocencenew

Hartmann says that when he was first arrested for murder, he didn't take it seriously enough, because he knew he didn't do it. He put his faith in his lawyers. He never expected to be sentenced to death.
Cleveland Scene |
James Renner |
03-26-2009 |
Crime & Justice
The Trials of Mexican Georgenew
For 20 years, the feds have suspected supermarket mogul George Torres is a drug runner and murderer with friends in Los Angeles City Hall. Now they'll try to make it stick.
Los Angeles CityBeat |
Jeffrey Anderson |
02-23-2009 |
Crime & Justice
He Joined the Gang When He Was 13, Now He Can't Get Outnew

Membership in one of the nation's most notorious criminal gangs can have its benefits: money, girls and a ready cadre of friends. But it may also be a dead end with no easy exit.
Willamette Week |
James Pitkin |
02-18-2009 |
Crime & Justice
Gang Leader Blames PTSD for Killingsnew
Defense attorneys will argue that a violent upbringing left Down Below Gang leader Emile Fort, who is accused of 30 federal crimes, with cognitive defects and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), which positioned him to commit and attempt murder in self-defense.
SF Weekly |
Ashley Harrell |
02-18-2009 |
Crime & Justice
How Useless Are the D.C. Police Department's Crime Cameras?new

The D.C. police department's network of more than 120 cameras has been shooting the moon since installation of the first units began more than eight years ago at no trivial cost to the taxpayer.
Washington City Paper |
Arthur Delaney |
02-12-2009 |
Crime & Justice
Salinas Calls In the Big Guns to Quell Rash of Gang Violencenew
Reacting to a stark spike in shootings that has left six people dead in the past two weeks, Salinas leaders brought in the uniformed cavalry and elevated their peace-building rhetoric. But the beefed-up patrols will likely only quiet gunfire temporarily.
Monterey County Weekly |
Zachary Stahl |
01-22-2009 |
Crime & Justice
Edward James Olmos Schools Salinas on Reaching Gang Membersnew
Emmy-winning actor Edward James Olmos delivered a sweeping and powerful address in Salinas, from breaking down the allure and definition of gangs to offering practical solutions to the Monterey County’s number one crime problem.
Monterey County Weekly |
Zachary Stahl |
01-22-2009 |
Crime & Justice
Blood Money in the New Orleans DA's Officenew
A $15 million judgment against New Orleans' DA's office after a man who spent 14 years on death row was found not guilty of the crime for which he was convicted has new District Attorney Leon Cannizzaro on the financial ropes. And that may only be the beginning.
Gambit |
David Winkler-Schmit |
01-14-2009 |
Crime & Justice
How a Mother of Two Ended Up in a Plot to Smuggle High-Tech Gear to Irannew

Shahrzad Mir Gholikhan maintains that she became accidentally caught up in her shady ex-husband's international plot. The feds have a different theory: That she was an operative of the Iranian government working to put U.S. security at risk.
New Times Broward-Palm Beach |
Deirdra Funcheon |
01-13-2009 |
International
With Domestic Violence on the Rise, Baltimore Finds New Ways to Help its Victimsnew
This year, a new Family Crimes Unit was created in the Baltimore Police Department to investigate domestic-violence cases. And Mercy Medical Center has new technology that is helping to document abuse. Both aim to help women (and men) get out of abusive relationships before they become deadly. It's not an easy goal to meet.
Baltimore City Paper |
Anna Ditkoff |
01-13-2009 |
Crime & Justice
In Life and Death, Tattoo Artist Kauri Tiyme Made Her Marknew
Kauri was an artist. She put ink under people's skin and transformed them. In many ways, she was her own finest achievement. Not just the tattoos; she had made her own body a canvas for others, but anyone can do that. What she did was much edgier, more daring. She changed her name, her identity, her ideas as she saw fit.
Westword |
Alan Prendergast |
01-12-2009 |
Crime & Justice
Jerry Hancock Moves from Law Enforcement to Prison Ministrynew
Much of what the Rev. Jerry Hancock has to say about the criminal justice system sounds reasonable coming from a clergyman who heads a prison ministry program. But when you consider that he's spent more than 30 years as a lawyer in this system, many of them as a prosecutor, his perspective is positively stunning.
Isthmus |
Esty Dinur |
01-05-2009 |
Crime & Justice
Cornerback Dwayne Goodrich: 'The Cowboy Who Killed Those Kids'new
Former cornerback Dwayne Goodrich comes to grips with his hit-and-run of three Good Samaritans as he plans for life after prison.
Dallas Observer |
Richie Whitt |
12-22-2008 |
Crime & Justice