Criminal Justice
Accountability in Crime and Law
An Algorithm Deemed This Nearly Blind 70-Year-Old Prisoner a “Moderate Risk.” Now He’s No Longer Eligible for Parole.
A Louisiana law cedes much of the power of the parole board to an algorithm that bars thousands of prisoners from a shot at early release. Civil rights attorneys say it could disproportionately harm Black people — and may even be unconstitutional.
Local Reporting Network
What Reality TV Gets Wrong About Criminal Investigations. (Spoiler: So Much.)
When Edgar Barrientos-Quintana was cleared of murder charges last year, reporter Jessica Lussenhop noticed something she had never seen before in a wrongful conviction case: the involvement of popular true crime show “The First 48.”
“A Wholly Inaccurate Picture”: Reality Cop Show “The First 48” and the Wrongly Convicted Man
Edgar Barrientos-Quintana spent 16 years behind bars wrongly convicted for a shooting featured on “The First 48.” The Minnesota attorney general’s office effectively alleged that the show shaped the case instead of the case shaping the show.
Police Across the U.S. Welcomed Cop Show “The First 48.” Then Relationships Soured.
Partnerships between police and the popular reality show, once enthusiastic and mutually beneficial, have often turned into breakups. Here’s how that has played out in three cities.
Featured Reporters
Impact of Our Reporting
Columbia Will Pay Survivors of Abusive Doctor $750 Million After ProPublica Revealed University’s Failures
The sweeping deal means the Ivy League school’s settlements will total more than $1 billion for over 1,000 claims of sexual abuse by former patients of OB-GYN Robert Hadden, who worked at the university for 20 years despite decades of complaints.
Louisiana Judge Nullifies Death Row Inmate’s Murder Conviction That Was Based on Junk Science
Following a Verite News and ProPublica investigation, a district judge vacated the death sentence of Jimmie Duncan, whose 1998 murder conviction was based on allegedly fabricated bite mark analysis. It remains unclear if Duncan will walk free.
Local Reporting Network
We Detailed Mayor Adams’ Embrace of an Abuse-Ridden NYPD Unit. Now Lawmakers and Advocates Demand Change.
In the wake of ProPublica’s expose of the Community Response Team, critics are calling for the unit to be disbanded. New York City’s police commissioner may also be reducing the team’s role.
Series
Series: Guns in Dangerous Hands: How Tennessee’s Justice System Allows Domestic Abusers to Keep Their Firearms
Series: Fields of Green: Chinese Mafias and the U.S. Black Market for Marijuana
Series: Black Boxes: How Police Undermined the Promise of Body Cameras
Series: Mayor, Judge and Jury: Louisiana’s Mayor’s Courts
Series: No Defense: How Mississippi Fails Poor Defendants
Series: Unguarded: Investigating Risks to the Incarcerated of Illinois
Series: Asset Mismanagement: How the Police Take Money and Keep It
Series: Defenseless: Investigating the Only State Without Public Defenders
Series: The NYPD Files: Investigating America’s Largest Police Force
Series: Unchecked Power: The Extraordinary Power of Alabama Sheriffs
Series: Lawless: Sexual Violence in Alaska
Series: Locked Down: An Investigation of Mississippi’s Prisons
Series: Overcorrection: Crisis in California Jails
Series: Blood Will Tell: Investigating a Forensic Science
Series: Accused in Elkhart: Justice in an Indiana County
Series: A Sick System: Repeat Attacks After Pleading Insanity
Series: Stuck Kids: Illinois Children Languish in Psychiatric Hospitals
Series: Police Accountability in Chicago: Monitoring the Chicago Police Department
Series: Ignoring Innocence: The Wrongfully Convicted Forced Into Plea Deals
Series: Busted: Examining Chemical Field Tests
Series: Nuisance Abatement: The NYPD’s Aggressive Enforcement of a Little-known Law
Series: Unbelievable: The Cost of Not Believing Rape Victims
Series: Out of Order: When Prosecutors Cross the Line
Series: Post Mortem: Death Investigation in America
Series: Law & Disorder: After Katrina, New Orleans Police Under Scrutiny
What We’re Watching
During Donald Trump’s second presidency, ProPublica will focus on the areas most in need of scrutiny. Here are some of the issues our reporters will be watching — and how to get in touch with them securely.
Learn more about our reporting team. We will continue to share our areas of interest as the news develops.
Sharon Lerner
I cover health and the environment and the agencies that govern them, including the Environmental Protection Agency.
Andy Kroll
I cover justice and the rule of law, including the Justice Department, U.S. attorneys and the courts.
Melissa Sanchez
I report on immigration and labor, and I am based in Chicago.
Jesse Coburn
I cover housing and transportation, including the companies working in those fields and the regulators overseeing them.
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