Technological advancements such as location tracking and DNA testing over the past 20 years have contributed to law enforcement’s ability to close a criminal investigation. But their use of facial recognition software in recent years has resulted in the wrongful arrests of seven Black people — foreshadowing another potential form of racial discrimination in the […]
Christina Carrega
Christina Carrega is the criminal justice reporter at Capital B. Follow her on Bluesky @chriscarrega.bsky.social.
Posted inCulture, History
Racist Policies, Racist Attack: Jacksonville Deplores Lack of Black History Education
JACKSONVILLE — Just after 6 p.m. Monday, chants rang out from James Weldon Johnson Park. Black fists waved in the air as cheers and claps mobilized the crowd that had gathered downtown for a rally against white supremacy. “Black lives matter!” they yelled from underneath trees that provided little shade from Florida’s summer heat. It had […]
Posted inCriminal Justice
After 17 Deadly Police Bullets and No Charges, a Grieving N.C. Family Won’t Give Up
Rick Iwanski was disappointed, but not surprised, when prosecutors announced that no charges would be filed against a Fayetteville, North Carolina, police officer who fatally shot his 22-year-old granddaughter, Jada Elizabeth Johnson, with 17 bullets to the back. Johnson was experiencing an undiagnosed mental health crisis when police were called to her grandfather’s home on […]
Posted inCriminal Justice, Policing
What Happened to Jaylin McKenzie? His Mom Demands Police Transparency
A week before Christmas last year, Jaylin McKenzie was visiting family in Memphis, Tennessee, when he was shot and killed by a police officer following a traffic stop. For nearly nine months, his mother, Ashley McKenzie-Smith, says she has been trying every avenue possible to get the truth about what happened to her only son […]
Posted inCriminal Justice, Incarceration
End to Solitary Confinement Act Is a Step Toward Rehabilitation, Survivors Say
For 20 years, Monica Cosby had been placed in and out of solitary confinement for up to eight months at a time in an Illinois prison. She didn’t realize how much those long stints really affected her until one day when she was in the prison’s yard and spotted a guard walking in her direction. […]
Posted inCriminal Justice
Judge in Trump’s Jan. 6 Trial Is No Stranger to Tackling Tough Cases
The judge presiding over the case in which former President Donald Trump has been criminally charged in his alleged efforts to block the results of the 2020 presidential election doesn’t shy away from challenges. U.S. District Court Judge Tanya Chutkan is no stranger when it comes to handing down tough sentences related to the violent […]
Posted inCriminal Justice, Juvenile Justice
Dozens of Black Children Are Enduring Dangerous Heat Behind Bars
Days after an emergency filing was made to remove juveniles from the Louisiana State Penitentiary because of potentially deadly heat conditions, the judge assigned to the case conducted a surprise visit to the facility. Although the judge’s findings have not been revealed yet, last week’s emergency federal court filing argued that dozens of mostly Black […]
Posted inCriminal Justice, Incarceration
What the Road to Redemption Looks Like for Incarcerated People
A weekend visit to family on Long Island, New York, turned into Kenneth Hogan’s last days of freedom. At 20 years old, Hogan was a father of two and his mother’s main support system. Hogan says he sold drugs in Albany, New York, to financially survive and yet he aspired to break his family’s generational […]
Posted inCriminal Justice, Policing
What to Do If You Witness Possible Police Misconduct
Disturbing cellphone and police body camera footage of a Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputy tackling a Black woman to the ground as she filmed the arrest of a man raises questions about how bystanders can protect themselves while documenting possible police misconduct. In police body camera footage released by the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department […]
Posted inCriminal Justice, Gun Violence
A Broken Justice System Is Only Deepening the Grief of Sinzae Reed’s Family
Megan Reed was in the middle of cooking dinner when she was startled by someone repeatedly banging on the front door of her Columbus, Ohio, apartment. A neighbor alerted her that her youngest son, Sinzae Reed, was shot. Reed rushed out of their second-floor apartment in the Wedgewood Village Apartments complex with food still cooking […]