Justice (courts/crime/law)
Millions in debt for fraud, Oregon businessman still generous to GOP
Nigel Jaquiss of Willamette Week reported that Craig Berkman, a former Oregon Republican Party chairman, was found in a civil lawsuit to have defrauded some of Portland’s wealthiest investors out of millions of dollars and was ordered to repay $28 million. Despite the lawsuit and ailing personal finances, Berkman continued to give generous political contributions…
Read MoreQuestions raised about use of DNA in identifying suspects
Jason Felch and Maura Dolan of The Los Angeles Times reported on findings that raised questions about the reliability of DNA testing to identify suspects. An Arizona state lab analyst found several instances where people shared several of the 13 markers used to distinguish individuals, findings that defied the odds estimated by the FBI. “As…
Read MoreBorrowers Betrayed
An eight-month investigation by Miami Herald reporters Jack Dolan, Matt Haggman and Rob Barry found the Florida agency in charge of regulating mortgage professionals broke down at every level, allowing thousands of people with criminal records to get licenses — many who went on to steal millions from borrowers and banks. The newspaper also found…
Read MoreCrime & Punishment series
An investigation by The (Toronto) Star explores the state of crime and punishment in Canada. A new law increasing mandatory minimum sentencing was passed even though Canada’s crime rate has dropped over 25 percent in the last 15 years. The series looks at the monetary and social costs of the a tougher approach to crime,…
Read MoreA decade of homicide in Tulsa
An examination of records from Oklahoma’s Medical Examiner’s Office and Health Department by the Tulsa World showed that over 500 people have been murdered in Tulsa over the past 10 years. The stories looks at the impact of the homicides on victims’ families, and maps hot spots in the city where deaths have been concentrated.…
Read MoreWho killed Chandra Levy?
A year-long investigative project by The Washington Post explores the murder investigation of Chandra Levy. The in-depth investigation shows critical leads were ignored in the investigation into her disappearance and murder. Seven years later, the murder remains unsolved.
Read MoreSuspect Soldiers series
“A yearlong examination by The Sacramento Bee of more than 250 applicants for military service found that the Army, Navy and Marines accepted ex-felons, people with serious drug and alcohol or mental health problems and dozens of others with significant criminal backgrounds or otherwise troubling histories.” In the series, Russ Carollo reports on how trouble…
Read MoreReasonable Doubt
A five-part investigative series by the East Valley Tribune (Phoenix, Ariz.) looks at the efforts of Joe Arpaio, sheriff of Maricopa County, to crack down on illegal immigration. Noted as one of the most aggressive enforcement efforts in the U.S, it has come at a cost to other law enforcement efforts including “slower response times…
Read More“Decade of Doubt”
The Daily News-Miner (Fairbanks, Alaska) published a six-year independent investigation into the 1997 murder of 15-year-old John Hartman. The investigation was a project of University of Alaska-Fairbanks journalism professor Brian O’Donoghue and his students. The project points to problems within the legal system and raises questions about the convictions of the four men charged with…
Read MoreU.S. attorney to reopen inquiry into ’88 blast that killed 6 firefighters
The U.S. attorney in Kansas City, Mo., has asked the Justice Department to appoint a special attorney to review convictions in the firefighters explosion case. The move was prompted by an investigation published in The Kansas City Star on Sunday in which witnesses said a federal investigator pressured them to lie and a new witness…
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