Criminal Justice
Accountability in Crime and Law
What One Man’s 45-Year-Old Case Tells Us About the “Jim Crow Juries” Haunting Louisiana
Today, a split verdict would mean a mistrial. But in 1980s Louisiana, when nonunanimous juries were still legal, 19-year-old Lloyd Gray, a Black man, was sentenced to prison for life — even though the only two Black jurors had voted not guilty.
Local Reporting Network
Alaska Vowed to Resolve Murders of Indigenous People. Now It Refuses to Provide Their Names.
When the nonprofit Data for Indigenous Justice filed public records requests with the Alaska Department of Public Safety concerning cases it had investigated, the state rejected them.
Local Reporting Network
Sept. 11 Victims’ Lawsuit Against Saudi Government Can Go to Trial, Judge Rules
Information uncovered by plaintiffs has already undermined the FBI’s conclusion that two U.S.-based Saudi officials “unwittingly” helped al-Qaida hijackers after they arrived in America.
An Unconstitutional “Jim Crow Jury” Sent Him to Prison for Life. A New Law Aims to Keep Him There.
Five years ago, the Supreme Court decided that nonunanimous jury verdicts are unconstitutional. But for this Louisiana prisoner — and hundreds of others — “tough on crime” state leaders have ensured that doesn’t change anything.
Local Reporting Network
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Impact of Our Reporting
Four Years After Cop Was Filmed Slamming Black Woman to the Ground, Louisiana Passes Accountability Law
Despite being caught in a 2021 video ripping out Shantel Arnold’s hair, sheriff’s Deputy Julio Alvarado failed to report the incident. A new law authored by Arnold’s attorney will mandate excessive-force reporting for all law enforcement agencies.
Local Reporting Network
Former NYPD Commissioner Accuses Mayor Adams of Running “Criminal Enterprise” and Cites ProPublica Investigation
A lawsuit filed by former Commissioner Thomas Donlon alleges that the NYPD’s Community Response Team was a “rogue” unit that answered “only to City Hall.” The complaint draws extensively from ProPublica’s reporting.
Federal Monitor Slams NYPD Unit Whose Aggressive Policing ProPublica Exposed
A report from a court-appointed watchdog details “troubling” conduct and “unconstitutional” stops by the Police Department’s Community Response Team — a unit championed by Mayor Eric Adams.
Series
Series: Criminal Justice Rollback: How Louisiana Is Keeping People in Prison
Series: Slow Justice: Why Some Alaska Criminal Cases Drag on for Years
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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