The Industrial Revolution and the Rise of Policing
The increased use of machines and the division of labor allowed for the production of standardized products. It also made it easier to fence stolen goods.
The Police Dog As Weapon of Racial Terror
Police K-9 units in the United States emerged during the Civil Rights era. This was not a coincidence.
Creating the “Criminal Class”
In the late eighteenth century, Glasgow magistrate Patrick Colquhoun argued that immoral living had created a distinct class of people with weak characters.
Search Warrants and Case Law, a Prison Primer
The laws around search and seizure as they apply to average people, explained by Rafael Torres, an incarcerated Inmate Counsel Substitute in Louisiana.
Policing Abortion
A study on the criminalization of abortion in the late 1800s through the 1940s reveals that the law was often used against working-class women.
Feminism, Self-Defense, and (Not) Calling the Cops
The feminist movement of the 1970s worked to raise awareness of violence against women, but diverged on the role of law enforcement in fighting it.
What Happens When Police Use AI to Predict and Prevent Crime?
With the dawn of artificial intelligence, a slew of new machine learning tools promise to help protect us with data.
Stephen Crane vs. The Police
When the author tried to defend a woman from charges of solicitation, and then testified against the arresting officer, the NYPD struck back.
How Being Polite with Police Can Backfire
When it comes to interactions with the police, the law favors direct speech. But that's not always the way we're trained to speak to people in power.
How the Media Covered Police Brutality Three Decades Ago
The first stories about the beating of Rodney King in two major newspapers focused on racial injustice. But that changed.