Mark Obbie's Blog, page 7
March 15, 2015
Nightstand reading: Sunday, 3/15/15
Recent good reads in criminal-justice journalism, with an emphasis on longform narrative stories and original reporting about crime, crime victims, and reforms in sentencing and prisons: Patrick Radden Keefe‘s masterful narrative on the death 42 years ago of Jean McConville — a single mother of 10 murdered by the Irish Republican Army during Northern Ireland’s “troubles” … Continue reading Nightstand reading: Sunday, 3/15/15 →
March 12, 2015
Nightstand reading: Thursday, 3/12/15
Recent good reads in criminal-justice journalism, with an emphasis on longform narrative stories and original reporting about crime, crime victims, and reforms in sentencing and prisons: Jordan Smith investigates a woman’s conviction for murder in Las Vegas and finds it so riddled with flaws — namely, a nearly complete lack of incriminating evidence, and gobs of … Continue reading Nightstand reading: Thursday, 3/12/15 →
March 11, 2015
The boy next door
One of the themes I will explore in my upcoming series on crime victims is the effect on justice that we have when we jump to conclusions about victims or defendants as good or bad, deserving or not of our sympathy. In the stories I’ve been reporting and writing, I look at how our predispositions to … Continue reading The boy next door →
March 9, 2015
Nightstand reading: Monday, 3/9/15
Recent good reads in criminal-justice journalism, with an emphasis on longform narrative stories and original reporting about crime, crime victims, and reforms in sentencing and prisons: Tina Rosenberg reports from Philadelphia on how the old “treat ‘em and street ‘em” approach to traumatic injuries leaves victims vulnerable to emotional problems or prone to retaliation. She looks … Continue reading Nightstand reading: Monday, 3/9/15 →
March 5, 2015
Nightstand reading: Thursday, 3/5/15
Recent good reads in criminal-justice journalism, with an emphasis on longform narrative stories and original reporting about crime, crime victims, and reforms in sentencing and prisons: Politico Magazine‘s “Justice Issue” is a nightstand-reading list in itself. The issue includes: Scott C. Johnson on how Oakland police have turned their brutal past into better relations with residents. … Continue reading Nightstand reading: Thursday, 3/5/15 →
March 3, 2015
Just plain wrong
Over at the Open Society Foundations blog, I wrote this post about the reluctance of policymakers and judges to confront the morality of excessive prison sentences. I was provoked by a quote in this otherwise excellent story by Erik Eckholm in Friday’s Times, but I’ve been thinking about the issue for a while as I report … Continue reading Just plain wrong →
March 1, 2015
Nightstand reading: Sunday, 3/1/15
Recent good reads in criminal-justice journalism, with an emphasis on longform narrative stories and original reporting about crime, crime victims, and reforms in sentencing and prisons: The legendary investigative reporter Tom Robbins previews a trial of three Attica guards accused of brutality against an inmate. Robbins explains not only the central case but the culture that … Continue reading Nightstand reading: Sunday, 3/1/15 →
February 25, 2015
Nightstand reading: Wednesday, 2/25/15
Recent good reads in criminal-justice journalism, with an emphasis on longform narrative stories and original reporting about crime, crime victims, and reforms in sentencing and prisons: Connie Schultz uses her long history of reporting in Cleveland to describe the standoff between critics of the Cleveland Police Department, including the Justice Department, and its defenders. The debate … Continue reading Nightstand reading: Wednesday, 2/25/15 →
February 23, 2015
Snippet from a survivor’s story
I just hit “send” on the fourth installment of my series of seven feature stories about crime victims for Slate. I won’t predict when the series will run — all my past predictions have turned out to be wildly optimistic — but the lack of visible progress is merely an illusion! I’m happy with how … Continue reading Snippet from a survivor’s story →
February 20, 2015
On the nightstand: Friday, 2/20/15
Recent good reads in criminal-justice journalism, with an emphasis on longform narrative stories and original reporting about crime, crime victims, and reforms in sentencing and prisons: Radley Balko concludes his series showing bite mark evidence to be junk science and a factor in many wrongful convictions (I marked the start of the series on Monday’s nightstand-reading list). Part … Continue reading On the nightstand: Friday, 2/20/15 →
