Law

Dana Bowerman's lifelong best friend Michelle Elliott holds a photograph of the two together. Bowerman is serving a nearly 20-year sentence for federal drug conspiracy charges. She was holding out hope for clemency for nonviolent drug offenders but it is

After Hope For Early Release, Prisoners' Applications Stuck In Limbo

1:29pm August 04, 2015

by Carrie Johnson

The Obama administration offered help to nonviolent offenders like Dana Bowerman, but more than half the applications sent to the Clemency Project 2014 have not been processed.

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National

Acquitted Of Extreme Corruption, Former Officers Now Sue For Defamation

11:16am August 04, 2015

Five former members of a Philadelphia Police Department narcotics squad are suing the city's top officials for defamation. Philadelphia Inquirer reporter Jeremy Roebuck explains.

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Attorney General Ken Paxton was booked on three felony securities fraud charges in Texas on Monday morning.

National

Texas Attorney General Turns Himself In On Fraud Charges

3:37pm August 03, 2015

by Bill Chappell

Facing three felony charges of securities fraud, Ken Paxton was processed at a county jail and released on bail Monday morning.

Demonstrators hold up a placard of a man with his hands up during the "Justice For All" march in Washington, DC last December. Numerous protests have brought attention to police violence against people of color. One lawyer, while emphasizing that police a

National

A Lawyer's Advice For Black Men At Traffic Stops: 'Comply Now, Contest Later'

6:55pm August 01, 2015

by NPR Staff

Attorney Eric Broyles teamed up with a police officer to pen a handbook for African-American men dealing with police encounters. Above all, he recommends clarity, empathy — and getting badge numbers.

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Sgt. Barbara Johnson and Corrections Lt. Robbin Preston run the Tuba City Juvenile Detention Center on the Navajo Nation.

National

Juvenile Justice System Failing Native Americans, Studies Show

7:53pm July 31, 2015

by Laurel Morales

One report shows that state courts are twice as likely to incarcerate Native teens for minor crimes like truancy and alcohol use. Another, that alternatives like treatment programs are more effective.

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National

Judge Says Virginia Can Refuse To Issue Confederate License Plates

4:55pm July 31, 2015

by Scott Neuman

Citing a June U.S. Supreme Court ruling, the federal judge effectively vacated a 14-year-old state injunction that prohibited officials from refusing to issue such plates.

Dylann Roof, seen here at a recent court hearing in Charleston, S.C., will face federal hate crime charges over a mass shooting that police say he carried out at a black church.

National

Charleston Shooting Suspect Roof Could Face Death Penalty Over Federal Charges

4:00pm July 31, 2015

by Bill Chappell

Along with nine counts of murder leveled by state prosecutors, the Justice Department says a grand jury indicted Dylann Roof of 33 federal counts; at least one could bring the death penalty.

Expectations for movement on justice reform had been high, but sources tell NPR that concrete language on sentencing and criminal justice overhauls is still being hotly debated behind closed doors.

Despite High Expectations, Sentencing Reform Proposals Still On Ice

2:20pm July 31, 2015

by Carrie Johnson

Sen. John Cornyn suggested a hearing and markup on reform proposals could be imminent. But multiple sources tell NPR that concrete language is still being hotly debated behind closed doors.

Campus Police Officer Charged In Unarmed Black Man's Death

12:21pm July 31, 2015

by Bill Rinehart

A grand jury has handed up an indictment on murder charges against a University of Cincinnati police officer who shot and killed an unarmed black man during a traffic stop.

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A young man peers out a window in a holding cell after arriving at the intake unit at Alameda County Juvenile Hall.

National

At One Juvenile Hall, Too Few Staff Has A Big Impact

12:21pm July 31, 2015

by Brett Myers

A juvenile hall in San Leandro, Calif., is a so-called model facility, but it faces major challenges. A staffing shortage means, says a supervisor, "kids don't always get the services they should."

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