Dr. Karl Menninger

Should Punishment Fit the Crime?

Dr. Karl Menninger on the crime of punishment.

The First Famous Football Team Behind Bars

Sing Sing's football team, The Black Sheep, ascended to fame even though its players were incarcerated. One player was so good, he signed with the Eagles.
An illustration of The Hole from an October, 1962 issue of Recount, from Colorado State Penitentiary

Prisoners’ Rights: An Introductory Reading List

A selection of readings and visual material on the subject of prisoners’ rights to foster dialogue and discovery in the classroom.
trial by combat

Trial by Combat? Trial by Cake!

The medieval tradition of deciding legal cases by appointing champions to fight to the death endured through 1817, unlike its tastier cousin.
Mae West Belle of the Nineties

The End of American Film Censorship

The Hays Code kept Hollywood on a short leash until the Supreme Court decided in 1952 that films were protected by the First Amendment.
Juvenile sentencing

Why Does the U.S. Sentence Children to Life in Prison?

The U.S. is the only country in the world that sentences people to die in prison for offenses committed while under the age of 18.