Crime
Research Finds That Having a Gun in Your Home Can Make Your Household Less Safe
A new study finds that residents of states with higher levels of gun ownership are more likely to be shot to death by a family member or intimate partner.
Homeland Security Uses Foreign Databases to Accuse Immigrants of Gang Involvement
The information is being provided through a new "fusion" intelligence-gathering center in El Salvador that is funded by the Department of State.
Guatemalans Vote in an Atmosphere of Distrust and Corruption (in Photos)
The national election in Guatemala likely marked the bitter end to what was once the most hopeful anti-corruption movement in the hemisphere.
Millennials Are More Likely to Face Arrest Than Gen X'ers
New research suggests that "broken windows" policing has resulted in more young people getting arrested for trivial offenses—especially young people of color.
Stories You Might Have Missed This Week
Michigan's voting maps will get a makeover, a judge makes a call on a domestic terrorism case, and a parrot may be party to a crime.
'Proactive Policing' Could Be Creating Criminals
New research finds that minority youth who are confronted by officers are more likely to subsequently engage in delinquent behavior than those who don't face such encounters.
How the Criminal Underworld Was Invented by the Middle and Upper Classes
In his latest book, French historian Dominique Kalifa investigates how mainstream representations of poverty have been used for centuries to harm the poor.
Viewfinder: Roma Face Attacks in France
Children play in a camp of the Roma community that was attacked during the night of March 25th in Bobigny, near Paris, on March 27th, 2019.
How Might Trump's Supporters React to the Mueller Report? The Story of Nixon's Resignation Offers Clues.
To gain a historical perspective on how Trump and his closest allies might react if the Mueller report proves damning, one only needs to look as far back as 1974.
Justice by the Numbers: Meet the Statistician Trying to Fix Bias in Criminal Justice Algorithms
When the underlying data they rely on is incomplete—and it often is—the growing use of machine learning tools in America's criminal justice system can have devastating effects.
Viewfinder: London Deals With Knife Attacks
On November 7th, 2018, a police officer lets a member of the public out of a crime scene near "Billy Fury Way," where a teenager was stabbed the previous evening in London, England.
Viewfinder: An SS Guard Faces Trial for Nazi Crimes
The 94-year-old former SS guard faces trial, charged with complicity in the mass murders at the Nazi concentration camp Stutthof during World War II.
Research Suggests Trump's Anti-Immigrant Rhetoric Is Making Americans More Xenophobic
White Americans hold many negative stereotypes about undocumented workers.
More Research Finds That Immigrants Increase Economic Growth
A new report from The Hamilton Project refutes claims that immigrants are ruining native-born Americans' job prospects and driving up crime rates.
Field Notes: At the Scene of the Crime in Manila
Manila, Philippines: In 2016, police investigate an alley where a 37-year-old man was killed by two unidentified gunmen riding motorcycles.
Research Tells Us That Immigration Does Not Lead to Higher Crime Rates
Conservatives see Mollie Tibbetts' murder as proof of a need for more stringent immigration policies. Here's why they're wrong.
A Massive New Study Puts a Pin in One of the Oldest Myths About Mental Illness
Researchers find that those who have a mental illness are more likely to be the victim of a violent crime.
A New ICE Report on Undocumented Immigrant Crime Lacks Hard Statistics
The Victims of Immigration Crime (VOICE) office's quarterly report offers case studies, but it does not include statistics on crime rates.
Viewfinder: A Shooting at the Capital Gazette Office in Maryland
Police respond to a shooting on June 28th, 2018, in Annapolis, Maryland.
Dispatches: Five Essential Reads From the Past Week
A collection of some of our most important and timely stories, from a conversation with John Holdren on President Donald Trump's approach to science to a feature on innovative tracking devices and technological solutions to prevent the trafficking of polar bear pelts in Canada.
The Lede, Issue #19: Tracking Wildlife Crime, the Expiration Date of Facts, President Trump's Ramadan Dinner, and More
An exclusive newsletter that gives premium members greater access to Pacific Standard stories, staff, and contributors in their inbox every Sunday morning
Jeff Sessions Claims the ACLU Caused a Spike in Chicago Homicides—Here's Why He's Wrong
The research the attorney general drew his conclusions from had some serious flaws.
The Death Penalty in America: A Lethal History
In colonial Virginia, authorities could hang settlers for a crime as small as stealing grapes or killing a neighbor's chicken. The penal code in America's first colony was, in fact, so harsh its governor eventually reduced the number of capital offenses out of fear that settlers would refuse to live there. Since then, the number and severity of crimes punishable by death in the United States have fluctuated; today, the death penalty is still legal in 31 states. Here are some of the critical turning points in the history of capital punishment in America.
Legal Pot Is Linked to Less Crime
A new study suggests it also decreases other types of drug use, including binge drinking.