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June 9, 2022

What the San Francisco DA Recall Really Tells Us. And What it Doesn’t.
By John Pfaff

The city’s demographics mattered, as did Chesa Boudin’s outsider status. But the politics of punishment are still too complicated to draw a neat conclusion.

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Hochul’s Regressive Bail Rollbacks Untethered From Evidence

April 11, 2022
The bail reform debate turns on data from data from New York State’s Office of Court Administration. But that data cannot answer the question of whether reform works.
By John Pfaff

The Wrong Prosecutors Are Getting Recalled

March 25, 2022
Some prosecutors confront recalls over their policies, while others facing misconduct allegations could be re-elected.
By Lara Bazelon

The Real Reason Democrats Can’t Agree On How To Address Rising Crime

March 8, 2022
The criminal legal reform divide is between moderate mayors and progressive prosecutors.
By John Pfaff

Prescription Opioids Aren’t Driving the Overdose Crisis. Illicitly Manufactured Synthetic Opioids Are.

February 15, 2022
Myths about the role of prescription opioids have fueled decades of misguided policies. A new report from The Stanford-Lancet Commission reinforces those falsehoods.
By Alex Gertner

What an Analysis of 2,000 Shootings Tells Us About How to End Gun Violence

February 14, 2022
This story was published in partnership with Slate. New York City Mayor Eric Adams’ “Blueprint to End Gun Violence” received...

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By John Pfaff

Eric Adams’ “Blueprint To End Gun Violence” Is a Trojan Horse

January 28, 2022
The New York Mayor’s blueprint isn’t really an anti-violence plan—it's an assault on modest discovery, bail and juvenile justice reforms.
By MK Kaishian

The Manhattan DA Started a Panic with Supposedly Soft-on-Crime Policies. His Critics Are Wrong.

January 18, 2022
Like other progressive prosecutors, Alvin Bragg is trying to acknowledge that prison time doesn’t fight crime.
By John Pfaff

Give People Safe Drugs

November 24, 2021
Over 100,000 overdose deaths happened last year, driven by volatile and lethal fentanyl. The safe supply movement may have an answer for the crisis.
By Zachary Siegel

Crime Rates Rise And Fall. The Police Mostly Have Nothing To Do With It.

October 26, 2021
Policing expansions don't do much to reduce crime. Instead, they manage people and communities to serve the interests of the powerful.
By Aya Gruber

Why Our Fixation On The Murder Rate Is Killing Us

October 8, 2021
Deaths by suicide, drug overdose, and car accidents are all strongly influenced by our reliance on—and unwillingness to move away from—policing.
By John Pfaff