Featured Articles

Chicago torture victims face uphill legal battle

Mike Mannheimer
October 24, 2008 12:37

Melvin Jones says he screamed and begged for mercy as Chicago police touched metal clips to his feet and thighs, churned a hand-cranked device and sent shock waves of electricity through his body more than 25 years ago. He says...

State senators study case of innocent man who died in prison

Mike Mannheimer
December 29, 2008 16:23

Legislators may change state law to recognize the innocence of a Fort Worth man convicted in Lubbock more than 20 years ago. State Sens. Robert Duncan, R-Lubbock, and Rodney Ellis, D-Houston, may clarify how the state compensates and exonerates wrongfully...

Recent Articles

Groups sue Bush over last-minute rule changes

Mike Mannheimer
January 02, 2009 15:45

The Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence sued the Bush administration yesterday in hopes of stopping a new policy that would allow people to carry concealed, loaded guns in most national parks and wildlife refuges. "The Bush administration's last-minute gift...

'Lethal Warriors' in Iraq, linked to string of crimes back home

Mike Mannheimer
January 02, 2009 15:41

Reporting from Orange County and Colorado Springs -- They nicknamed themselves the Lethal Warriors, and during two tours in Iraq, the soldiers of the Army's 2nd Battalion, 12th Infantry regiment confronted some of the war's cruelest fighting, hunting insurgents through...

Officials describe search for state's top forensic pathologist as tough

Mike Mannheimer
January 02, 2009 15:34

Officials are moving closer to hiring Mississippi's first medical examiner in more than a decade.It is progressing," said Sam Howell, director of the State Crime Lab. "They are looking at some candidates to be interviewed." The medical examiner's post has...

Otis L. Sanford: Cops posing as kids just does not seem right

Mike Mannheimer
January 01, 2009 17:11

OK, I get it. This is about creating a safe school environment and protecting students from the scourge of drug dependency. It's about zero tolerance, or something close to it, for peddling even small quantities of drugs on or near...

Napolitano backs security tech

Mike Mannheimer
January 01, 2009 17:07

Gov. Janet Napolitano — President-elect Barack Obama's pick to run the Homeland Security Department — has strongly advocated using advanced security technology as a law enforcement tool, drawing praise from police and raising concern among civil liberties groups that warn...

New Sentencing Guidelines For Crack, New Challenges

Mike Mannheimer
January 01, 2009 16:58

Michael D. Thompson, a former crack cocaine dealer, thought he deserved a break. Sentenced in 2000 to 15 years and eight months in prison, Thompson asked a federal judge in the District to release him, arguing that he had received...

Judges rule three-strikes sentence unconstitutional

Mike Mannheimer
December 31, 2008 21:21

California's three-strikes sentencing law suffered a blow Tuesday when a federal appeals court struck down as unconstitutional a 28-years-to-life sentence for a sex offender who failed to register with local police at the correct time of year. The U.S. 9th...

Emotions tested in a year of crime

Mike Mannheimer
December 31, 2008 21:17

The criminal landscape of 2008 reminded all of us how fragile — and strange — life can be. It was a tragic year for police officers, with the Houston Police Department losing three to violent circumstances. As a result, Texas...