Issue

Criminal Justice

It costs $13 million per year to hold each of the 40 prisoners at Guantánamo Bay. Where does the money go? How do police profit from seized property? What is it like to be one of 2.7 million children with a parent in jail or prison? What programs have succeeded in the U.S. and elsewhere to reduce recidivism?

These are a few of the questions Pulitzer Center grantees ask in the stories highlighted in Criminal Justice.

Innovative initiatives include a transformational theater piece based on a three-year investigation into solitary confinement. The play was performed on Alcatrez Island. A photography project features the work of court-involved youth who depict life on the streets of San Francisco. This project provided opportunities for youth to showcase their work while shining light on the criminal justice system in California.

Funding for Carol Rosenberg’s ongoing reporting on Guantánamo Bay comes from the Hewlett Foundation, the Rockefeller Foundation, and other sources. The Art for Justice Fund, established by philanthropist Agnes Gund, is helping to support our reporting on mass incarceration. Omidyar Network has provided financial support for “Taken”—our project on civil asset forfeiture. The Pulitzer Center extends its heartfelt thanks to our generous donors.

Criminal Justice

Criminalizing Mental Illness, Part 2

The criminal justice system has become the primary way the U.S. deals with mental illness. In the second of a two-part documentary, we see how some communities are working to find solutions to this misalignment of care.

Private Prisons: Locking Down the Facts

This series explores the competing political narratives over the efficacy and morality of private prisons and whether they are good for employees, inmates, and the economies of the small towns that often house them.

Lawmen Off Limits

The Bangor Daily News is painting a statewide picture of what is, and isn’t, being done to hold county law enforcement officers to account in Maine.

Broken Justice

Can an attorney handle more than 100 criminal cases at a time? That's the reality for a public defender like Jeff Esparza, who represents defendants unable to afford their own lawyers in Kansas City.

He Did the Crime, She Did the Time

Reporter Allison Herrera explores a law in Oklahoma called "Failure to Protect," meant to decrease the number of abused children. Sometimes, it's the woman and not the abuser who does more time.

On-Demand Webinar: Global News Resources for Educators

The Pulitzer Center invited educators to view a webinar that connected participants to the Center's education staff to explore methods for using reporting exercises to increase students’ engagement, critical thinking skills, media literacy skills, and empathy.