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Criminal Justice

Accountability in Crime and Law

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Former Chicago Cop Pleads Guilty to Aggravated Battery of Two Female Colleagues

Eric Tabb is one of 14 Chicago officers accused of sexual assault in the past decade with at least one other alleged incident of sexual misconduct. The cases reveal how the department failed to vigorously investigate such allegations involving police.

Local Reporting Network

Juvenile Injustice, Tennessee

The Head of a Tennessee Youth Detention Center Will Step Down After “Loss of Confidence” in His Leadership

A 2023 investigation by WPLN News and ProPublica found that Richard L. Bean was illegally locking kids up alone in cells. A new scandal has forced his resignation.

Local Reporting Network

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.

Series

500 stories published since 2008

Former Chicago Cop Pleads Guilty to Aggravated Battery of Two Female Colleagues

The Head of a Tennessee Youth Detention Center Will Step Down After “Loss of Confidence” in His Leadership

Chicago Police Dismissed a Recruit’s Claims That a Colleague Sexually Assaulted Her. Then He was Accused Again and Again.

Columbia Will Pay Survivors of Abusive Doctor $750 Million After ProPublica Revealed University’s Failures

Louisiana Judge Nullifies Death Row Inmate’s Murder Conviction That Was Based on Junk Science

An Algorithm Deemed This Nearly Blind 70-Year-Old Prisoner a “Moderate Risk.” Now He’s No Longer Eligible for Parole.

What Reality TV Gets Wrong About Criminal Investigations. (Spoiler: So Much.)

We Detailed Mayor Adams’ Embrace of an Abuse-Ridden NYPD Unit. Now Lawmakers and Advocates Demand Change.

“A Wholly Inaccurate Picture”: Reality Cop Show “The First 48” and the Wrongly Convicted Man

Police Across the U.S. Welcomed Cop Show “The First 48.” Then Relationships Soured.

Alaska Supreme Court Places New Limits on Pretrial Delays

How Eric Adams Has Backed a Secretive NYPD Unit Ridden With Abuses

He Was Convicted Based on Allegedly Fabricated Bite Mark Analysis. Louisiana Wants to Execute Him Anyway.

Missouri GOP’s Effort to Take Over St. Louis Police Hearkens Back to Civil War

Amid Increasing Domestic Violence, Illinois Struggles to Review Fatalities

Alaska Judge Vows to Reduce Trial Delays: “We Must, and We Will, Improve”

Is a New Mississippi Law Decreasing Jailings of People Awaiting Mental Health Treatment? The State Doesn’t Know.

The Neverending Case: How 10 Years of Delays Have Prevented a “Horrendous” Sexual Assault Allegation From Going to Trial

Anchorage Police Say They Witnessed a Sexual Assault in Public. It Took Seven Years for the Case to Go to Trial.

In Five Years, Chicago Has Barely Made Progress on Its Court-Ordered Police Reforms. Here’s Why.

Domestic Violence, Child Abuse and DUI Cases Are Being Dismissed en Masse in Anchorage

A Law Was Meant to Target Teen Violence. Instead, 17-Year-Olds Are Being Charged as Adults for Lesser Offenses.

The NYPD Is Tossing Out Hundreds of Misconduct Cases — Including Stop-and-Frisks — Without Even Looking at Them

Medical Examiner, Whose Testimony Helped Convict a Man in 2004 of Killing His Baby, Now Says He Was Wrong

New Louisiana Law Serves as a Warning to Bystanders Who Film Police: Stay Away or Face Arrest

New York Lawmakers Call for Police Commissioner to Be Stripped of Power to Bury Brutality Cases

A Judge Ruled a Louisiana Prison’s Health Care System Has Failed Inmates for Decades. A Federal Law Could Block Reforms.

Maryland Is on Track to Process a Nearly 50-Year-Old Backlog of Rape Kits

He Was Convicted of Killing His Baby. The DA’s Office Says He’s Innocent, but That Might Not Be Enough.

The NYPD Commissioner Responded to Our Story That Revealed He’s Burying Police Brutality Cases. We Fact-Check Him.

NYPD Restores Thousands of Missing Records but Removes Case Numbers From Its Discipline Database

Utah OB-GYN David Broadbent Charged With Forcible Sexual Abuse

New Yorkers Were Choked, Beaten and Tased by NYPD Officers. The Commissioner Buried Their Cases.

Ticketed at School as a Teen, a Young Black Woman Is Suing an Illinois City for Violating Her Civil Rights

Even When a Cop Is Killed With an Illegally Purchased Weapon, the Gun Store’s Name Is Kept Secret

Looking Up an NYPD Officer’s Discipline Record? Many Are There One Day, Gone the Next.

Despite Outcry Over Seclusion at Juvenile Detention Centers, Tennessee Lawmakers Fail to Pass Oversight Bill

The Chief Prosecutor in Elkhart, Indiana, Is Accused of Misconduct for Making Contradictory Allegations

Chinese Organized Crime’s Latest U.S. Target: Gift Cards

A Federal Judge Ruled That ProPublica’s Lawsuit Over Military Court Access Should Move Forward

Nearly Two Years After Uvalde Massacre, Here Is Where All the Investigations, Personnel Changes Stand

“Everyone Will Die in Prison”: How Louisiana’s Plan to Lock People Up Longer Imperils Its Sickest Inmates

Michigan Lawmakers Working to Fix a Program That Failed to Compensate the Wrongfully Convicted

A Marijuana Boom Led Her to Oklahoma. Then Anti-Drug Agents Seized Her Money and Raided Her Home.

A Diplomat’s Visits to Oklahoma Highlight Contacts Between Chinese Officials and Community Leaders Accused of Crimes

黑帮、金钱与凶杀:华人有组织犯罪主宰美国地下大麻交易

Gangsters, Money and Murder: How Chinese Organized Crime Is Dominating America’s Illegal Marijuana Market

What Happens When Prosecutors Offer Opposing Versions of the Truth?

No Questions, Multiple Denials: This Mississippi Court Appoints Lawyers for Just 1 in 5 Defendants Before Indictment

St. Louis Police Chief Receives a Third of His Pay From a Local Foundation, Raising Concerns of Divided Loyalties

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.

Photo of Sharon Lerner
Sharon Lerner

I cover health and the environment and the agencies that govern them, including the Environmental Protection Agency.

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Andy Kroll

I cover justice and the rule of law, including the Justice Department, U.S. attorneys and the courts.

Photo of Melissa Sanchez
Melissa Sanchez

I report on immigration and labor, and I am based in Chicago.

Photo of Jesse Coburn
Jesse Coburn

I cover housing and transportation, including the companies working in those fields and the regulators overseeing them.

If you don’t have a specific tip or story in mind, we could still use your help. Sign up to be a member of our federal worker source network to stay in touch.

Most Read

    The DOGE 100: Musk Is Out, but More Than 100 of His Followers Remain to Implement Trump’s Blueprint

    At least 38 DOGE members work, or have worked, for one of Elon Musk’s companies. Meanwhile, nearly two dozen DOGE officials are making cuts to the same federal agencies that regulate the industries that employed them.

    “The Intern in Charge”: Meet the 22-Year-Old Trump’s Team Picked to Lead Terrorism Prevention

    One year out of college and with no apparent national security expertise, Thomas Fugate is the Department of Homeland Security official tasked with overseeing the government’s main hub for combating violent extremism.

    Crackdown on Student Threats

    Tennessee’s Law on School Threats Ensnared Students Who Posed No Risks. Two States Passed Similar Laws.

    Despite an outcry over increased arrests in Tennessee, two states — Georgia and New Mexico — followed its lead by passing laws that will crack down harder on hoax threats.

    Local Police Join ICE Deportation Force in Record Numbers Despite Warnings Program Lacks Oversight

    ICE officials tout an unprecedented expansion of its 287(g) Program, driven by agreements that allow local officers to function as deportation agents during routine policing. But advocates warn such agreements come at a high cost to communities.

    Local Reporting Network

    DOGE Developed Error-Prone AI Tool to “Munch” Veterans Affairs Contracts

    We obtained records showing how a Department of Government Efficiency staffer with no medical experience used artificial intelligence to identify which VA contracts to kill. “AI is absolutely the wrong tool for this,” one expert said.