Criminal Justice
Extreme heat in prisons brings more legal challenges, pressure on states
Summer heat is bearing down on U.S. prisons, where temperatures in uncooled cells can climb well into the triple digits. Facing growing pressure from advocacy groups, lawsuits and climate projections that show hotter days ahead, some state prison systems are moving to install air conditioning and expand cooling measures — though many facilities remain years […]
New Missouri law means state is no longer allowed to seize assets of prison inmates
One of the most-watched bills approved by Missouri lawmakers this year put the state back in control of the St. Louis Metropolitan Police Department. The police takeover provisions made the bill one of the most controversial of the session, and sparked a lawsuit, set for trial Nov. 5. But tucked inside, and noticed only by […]
Missouri settles lawsuit over prison isolation policies for people with HIV
For six years, Honesty Jade Bishop was held in solitary confinement in a Missouri prison after she was sexually assaulted by her cellmate. The Department of Corrections deemed that Bishop, a transgender woman who was living with HIV, was sexually active and needed to be isolated. And from 2015 to 2021, she was in administrative […]
ICE has a new courthouse tactic: Get immigrants’ cases tossed, then arrest them outside
Inside immigration courts around the country, immigrants who crossed the border illegally and were caught and released are required to appear before a judge for a preliminary hearing. But in a new twist, the Trump administration has begun using an unexpected legal tactic in its deportation efforts. Rather than pursue a deportation case, it is […]
Kratom faces increasing scrutiny from states and the feds
For years, state lawmakers have taken the lead on regulating kratom — the controversial herbal supplement used for pain relief, anxiety and opioid withdrawal symptoms. Some states have banned it entirely. Others have passed laws requiring age limits, labeling and lab testing. At least half of the states and the District of Columbia have enacted […]
Q&A: Two years after police raid on Kansas newspaper, editor eager to set example with lawsuit
TOPEKA, Kansas — Two years after police staged a chilling raid on the Marion County Record, the newspaper’s owner-editor remains committed to the hard-hitting journalism that made him a target. And he wants his ongoing lawsuit against the city and county to hurt. Eric Meyer appeared on the Kansas Reflector podcast to talk about how […]
Missouri governor’s parole study group urged to focus on transparency, fairness
Missouri’s 19 prisons hold about 24,000 people. At some point, most will be released. The question for crime victims, people behind bars and the families of both is when. How that question gets answered is at the heart of a working group created by Gov. Mike Kehoe earlier this year to examine Missouri’s parole system […]
US crime rates fell nationwide in 2024, FBI report says
Violent crime in the United States fell 4.5% in 2024, according to a new FBI report, while property crime dropped 8.1% from the previous year. The declines continue a trend seen since crime surged during the COVID-19 pandemic, when homicides jumped nearly 30% in 2020 — one of the largest one-year increases since the FBI […]
Missouri math: How a 23-year sentence adds up to more than 40 years in prison
When Deandre Pointer appeared in front of a Jackson County judge in June 2023, his world was bright. After years of protesting his innocence of murder charges and failing to convince any court, Pointer cut a deal to trade his life without parole sentence for a 23-year term on two counts of second degree murder […]
US families shoulder nearly $350B in annual costs tied to incarceration, report finds
U.S. families lose nearly $350 billion each year due to the incarceration of a loved one in jail or prison, according to a recent report from the criminal justice advocacy group FWD.us. The estimate includes both direct expenses and long-term losses in household income. The findings are based on a national survey of just over […]
Grand jury indicts top Democrat in St. Louis County government on felony charges
The top elected official in Missouri’s largest county was indicted Wednesday on four criminal charges for allegedly misusing public money to oppose passage of an April ballot measure. The indictment, secured by Attorney General Andrew Bailey’s office acting as special prosecutor, accuses St. Louis County Executive Sam Page of spending public funds on a flyer […]
Fewer than half of ICE arrests under Trump are convicted criminals
Despite Trump administration rhetoric accusing Democrats of protecting violent criminals and drug-dealing immigrants, the administration’s arrests have been catching a smaller share of criminals overall, and a smaller share of people convicted of violent and drug crimes, than the Biden administration did in the same time frame. While the Trump administration has caught more immigrants […]