Joaquin Sapien
Westchester County's Ongoing Failure to Support Integrated Housing
The Trump administration ended a years-long battle over fair housing, but the promise to end segregation was broken long before that.
A Damaging New Secure Housing Unit Poses Problems on Rikers Island
A new report from the New York City Board of Correction suggests that inmates have traded one problematic practice for another.
Abusers in the Juvenile Justice System
Amid significant reforms, federal officials worry that sexual abuse in juvenile justice system remains prevalent and too often unpunished.
The Trials of New York's Family Court
A journalist immerses herself in New York’s Family Court system and finds a mix of misery and modest hope.
Can California Successfully Re-Build Its Foster Care System?
As California dismantles its beleaguered system of youth group homes, state lawmakers bet big on expanding foster care.
Capitol Case: One Man's Enduring Fight Against Government Secrecy
Robert Freeman, the executive director of the New York Committee on Open Government, reflects on seven governors and their records for transparency.
Should We Re-Consider Giving Juvenile Offenders Gentler Treatment?
The arrest of three runaway boys for a horrific rape shines light on New York City’s latest program for troubled youth.
Is It Time to Start Shutting Down Group Homes for Troubled Children?
At a hearing last week in Washington there was a renewed call for addressing the violence and neglect that plagues group homes for foster youth.
When Racist Cops Blog
A blog hosting posts from former and current New York City officers reinforces the worst kinds of stereotypes.
The Monetary Cost of a Wrongful Conviction in New York
A Brooklyn man who spent more than a dozen years in prison for a crime he likely did not commit will receive $3 million from New York State. He may get even more from New York City.
An Unpardonable Failure: A Flawed Prosecutor
Evidence of a convicted murderer’s possible innocence sat buried in a case file for more than two decades. Now, a prosecutor in Brooklyn will have to answer for the mistake.
Sentenced to Wait: Efforts to End Prison Rape Stall Again
The Prison Rape Elimination Act was passed in Washington 2003. It still hasn’t been fully implemented.
The Value of Taping Interrogations
A report advocating death penalty reforms finds that false confessions in capital cases can be limited by recording the questioning of suspects.
Guards May Be Responsible for Half of Prison Sexual Assaults
A Department of Justice study also shows the number of reports of sexual assaults is rising, but rarely results in prosecution.
Can We Finally Do Something About Rape in Juvenile Detention Centers?
After years of frustration and delay, some hope in the fight against sex abuse in the nation’s juvenile jails.
Are Prosecutors Detaining the Innocent Until They Falsely Testify?
For years, prosecutors in New York have been using what are known as material witness orders to compel testimony from reluctant witnesses in criminal trials. But has the power to persuade led to coercion and tainted convictions?
The Ongoing Effort to Put an End to Prison Rape Hits a New Snag
It took years to enact tougher standards for investigating and punishing sexual violence in the nation’s jails and prisons. Now, there is frustration over how those reforms will be enforced.
The Strange and Possibly Illegal World of Truancy Court
Students are handcuffed, and often jailed. Fines can reach into the thousands of dollars. Accused students and their families are never provided with legal counsel. That, according to a complaint seeking federal intervention.
Boys in Custody and the Women Who Abuse Them
The nation’s system of juvenile justice has long been troubled. But recent studies have revealed a surprising new menace: female staffers at detention facilities sexually abusing the male youngsters in their care.
Hundreds of Teens Raped and Assaulted by Staff in Juvenile Justice System
Shocking findings from a U.S. Department of Justice survey.