Crime & Safety

Deep-dive analysis of the death penalty at 50 finds systemic problems remain

A fence, barbed wire and a guard are visible at the Allan B. Polunsky Unit, the prison that houses the 169 men on Texas' death row in Livingston, Texas.

America’s safest midsize cities in 2026

Flatirons and mountain ranges seen behind the Stearns Lake in an autumn landscape in Broomfield, Colorado, USA.

How a George Floyd-inspired California law accidentally weakened police accountability

Jeanelle Couch holds framed photo of her son, David Couch, who was killed in a shooting involving a California Highway Patrol officer. She is standing in Cascade Park in Redding with a sky full of clouds and open space behind her.

Rats, insects and mold: How bad food leaves prisoners hungry and sick

An inmate at Maine Correctional Center in Windham adds condiments to food trays in preparation for distribution throughout the facility.

Youth drug use is down, but overdoses have risen. One town’s schools have a possible solution

The town of Fort Kent.

A new DNA profile of Ted Bundy could help solve these Utah cold cases

Theodore Bundy, seated in court, charged with the killings of two FSU coeds.

Near this city's new green spaces, a dramatic reduction in crime

Roses bloom outside a fenced yard with a sign that says "Welcome to Tioga Hope Park &Garden."

The most dangerous US cities for pedestrians

Beale Street in Memphis, Tennessee.

RAWtools South turns guns into garden tools in the mountain south

Scotty Utz, RAWtools South’s blacksmith, leads a demonstration at the 2025 Fire on the Mountain Festival in Spruce Pine, North Carolina.

Americans want smarter surveillance. They just don’t trust who’s watching.

A view of a security camera on the facade of a gray building.