Criminal Justice

The second cohort of Freedom Community Center’s Free Us Group Track Program graduated April 7 after 12 weeks of therapy, training, community service and restorative justice.

Did pandemic policies that reduced jail populations lead to an increase in violent crime? Two new reports say “no.”

Illinois' high court put the SAFE-T Act criminal justice reform — short for Safety, Accountability, Fairness and Equity-Today — on hold in December just hours before it was scheduled to take effect. On Tuesday, the Supreme Court heard arguments in the case.

Judge David Mason ruled that there was no longer "clear and convincing" evidence to keep Lamar Johnson in prison for a 1994 slaying in St. Louis.

St. Louis County Executive Sam Page first convened the Criminal Justice Coordinating Council in October 2019, but meetings paused during the pandemic. The group will reconvene Feb. 23 with a number of new members.

A 2021 state law carved out a narrow role the attorney general’s office can play in innocence claims filed by local prosecutors.

What’s next for Lamar Johnson’s attempt to overturn his 1995 murder conviction? Booker T. Shaw, Sarah Swatosh and Dave Roland discuss.

The new research, funded by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, examines the practice of plea negotiations in St. Louis County, Milwaukee and Philadelphia.

Bobby Bostic walked out of a Missouri prison in November. His freedom is roughly two centuries ahead of schedule.

St. Louis judges continue to deny bond in a majority of cases. The trend is raising alarm for court-watchers and advocates.