Murders Spiked in 2020 in Cities Across the United States Neil MacFarquhar, New York Times
Guns Drove a Historic Surge in Murders in 2020 Tom Kutsch, The Trace
Stop calling America’s murder crisis a ‘crime’ issue. It’s something far worse. Will Bunch, Philadelphia Inquirer
DC homicides fueled by rundown properties Cuneyt Dil, Axios
As gun violence spreads to small towns, one suburb contends with a mass shooting’s aftermath Jacob Bogage and Timothy Bella, Washington Post
Murders are spiking. Police should be part of the solution. German Lopez, Vox
As Congress delays legislative action, some communities take police reform into their own hands CBS News
Federal Police Reform Talks Have Failed – but Local Efforts Stand a Better Chance of Success Thaddeus L. Johnson and Natasha N. Johnson, Governing
State AGs are ‘stepping into the police reform business’ to hold officers accountable Emma Tucker, Peter Nickeas, and Christina Carrega, Jackson Progress-Argus
Attorneys General in Three States Move to Increase Police Accountability The Crime Report
Nonprofit grants propel prosecutor push on racial injustice Claudia Lauer, AP News
New York AG Letitia James weighs legal action over Rikers Crisis Kevin Dugan, AM New York
‘I Just Want to Be Normal’: A Mentally Ill Man’s Death at Rikers Jan Ransom and Jonah E. Bromwich, New York Times
What Will It Take to Finally Shut Down NYC’s Most Notorious Jail? Mary Harris, Slate
The Endless Catastrophe of Rikers Island Editorial Board, New York Times
Decarcerate Rikers Now Jessica González-Rojas, Inquest
Who Owns the Legacy of a Women’s Prison? Anna Russell, The New Yorker
Three decades into a 75-year prison sentence, Michael Cox may be the first person to get a commutation since 2019 Kelan Lyons, Connecticut Mirror
Inmates from another era, stuck behind bars after state law change, to be freed by Orleans DA John Simerman, NOLA.com
Wrongful Conviction, the Game! Charles Bethea, The New Yorker