Crime News
The Daily Signal reports on crime news with analysis and commentary on policies, crime rates, and policing debates.
-
news
Ghosts of Babi Yar: A Visit to the Ravine Where Nazis Murdered 150,000
KYIV, Ukraine—Seventy-four years later, I reached up and broke off a small piece of a branch that was long and gray. It was bent in the strange, contorted ways it had blindly grown to look for light here at the cold bottom of the ravine, where the forest canopy above had turned the sunny spring… -
news
Lawmakers Urge IRS, Justice Department to Return $29K Seized from Dairy Farmers
A bipartisan group of lawmakers on the House Ways and Means Committee is urging the Justice Department, Treasury Department, and Internal Revenue Service to return money “inappropriately” seized by the IRS under civil asset forfeiture. Led by Oversight Subcommittee Chairman Peter Roskam, R-Ill., and Ranking Member John Lewis, D-Ga., the group of 14 lawmakers also… -
news
Students in Voucher Program Much Less Likely to Commit Crimes, Study Finds
Students who participated in a school choice program in Milwaukee were much less likely to face criminal charges or convictions than their counterparts in public schools, according to a new study. The study found that after males went through a school voucher program called the Milwaukee Parental Choice Program, the result was a 93-percent reduction in… -
news
Why This Sexual Assault Survivor Is an Advocate for the Second Amendment
When Kimberly Corban was a 20-year-old student at the University of Northern Colorado, a man broke into her Greeley, Colo., apartment and sexually assaulted her for nearly two hours. Now, nearly 10 years later, Corban not only works with other sexual assault survivors, but also has become an advocate for the Second Amendment. In an… -
news
How a Suspected Murderer and Criminally Convicted Illegal Immigrant Avoided Deportation
Before Pablo A. Serrano-Vitorino became the suspect in a murder spree across two states, the man, a once deported Mexican living in the United States illegally, was convicted of multiple crimes, across different agencies, but still free. Serrano-Vitorino’s case involved a series of errors that kept him from being detained by federal immigration authorities, and… -
opinion
Economic Freedom Essential to Fighting Human Trafficking
New data suggests that countries that rank higher in economic freedom are better at preventing human trafficking. A new report released by The Heritage Foundation found that when core tenets of economic freedom, such as rule of law, are practically applied to fight trafficking, the results are positive. The report used data from The Heritage Foundation’s 2016… -
opinion
Noncitizen Voting Case Pits Justice Department Against States That Require Proof of Citizenship
The free-for-all boxing match among the U.S. Election Assistance Commission (EAC), the League of Women Voters, the NAACP, Kansas, and the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) resumed on Wednesday, March 9. They’re tussling over the right of states to require proof of citizenship from people using the federal voter registration form. Federal Voter Registration In Courtroom… -
news
ISIS’ Crimes Against Christians Detailed in New Report
“‘How is the life there in Iraq?’” That’s what people ask, said Father Douglas al-Bazi, a priest at the Mar Elia refugee camp in Erbil, Iraq. “Actually, the easy answer is, there [is] no life in Iraq.” Al-Bazi, a former hostage of terrorists, talked about his own treatment at their hands. He said he saw… -
opinion
Attorney General Lynch Looks Into Prosecuting ‘Climate Change Deniers’
In news that should shock and anger Americans, U.S. Attorney General Loretta Lynch told the Senate Judiciary Committee on Wednesday that not only has she discussed internally the possibility of pursuing civil actions against so-called “climate change deniers,” but she has “referred it to the FBI to consider whether or not it meets the criteria… -
opinion
4 Lessons the Government Didn’t Learn After Solyndra Scandal
The lessons of Solyndra have clearly not been learned. The Department of Energy’s loan programs have been fraught with failures and corporate welfare, which have cost taxpayers millions. The problem is not just in the apparent abuse of taxpayer dollars, but more broadly that the government has continued to play venture capitalist The need for… -
news
Conservatives Make Their Case for Criminal Justice Reform
Conservative criminal justice reform advocates are making the case that reducing the prison population, treating drug addiction, and giving a second chance to lawbreakers are policy prescriptions that mesh with conservative ideals. While advocates cite polls that show that most conservatives support ideas like providing alternatives to prison for low-level drug offenders, GOP leaders on… -
opinion
Sheriff David Clarke on ‘3 Big Lies of Criminal Justice Reform’
Proposed reforms to the criminal justice system at the state and federal levels won’t do what advocates say it will, an outspoken county sheriff says, citing “the three big lies” of some proponents who want to reduce prison sentences. “I can’t figure out where coddling criminals and having sympathy and empathy for the hardened criminal is a conservative issue,” David… -
news
Apple iPhone Decryption Could Set Precedent, FBI Admits
FBI Director James Comey conceded Tuesday that the government’s demand that Apple decrypt an iPhone used by a San Bernardino terrorist could set a precedent for succeeding cases. Comey’s nearly three-hour testimony before the House Judiciary Committee backpedaled the Justice Department’s previous assurance that the government would compel the tech giant to unlock only a single… -
news
Law Enforcement Seized This Oklahoma Man’s Truck Without Charging Him With a Crime
GRADY COUNTY, OKLA.— When Stephen Mills learned that the Grady County Sheriff’s Department seized his Ford F-250 back in 2010, he figured it would be a matter of days before police returned the vehicle to him and his wife. It wasn’t. Watch our video to learn about Mills’ efforts to get his truck back—and what… -
news
Mike Lee Believes Supreme Court Fight Helps Chances for Passing Criminal Justice Reform in Senate
Sen. Mike Lee believes that the Senate fight over the next Supreme Court nominee will help the chances of a criminal justice reform overhaul passing Congress this year. In an interview with The Daily Signal, Lee, a conservative leader on the issue, suggested that Republican leaders may be more eager to achieve a bipartisan deal… -
opinion
Obama Administration Looks to Erase Castro’s Worst Crimes
Even before President Barack Obama’s trip to Cuba next month, his administration has looked to rewrite the history of the Castros’ worst crimes. An example of this was in 2014, when the Obama administration commuted the double life sentence of Gerardo Hernández. Hernández had been in jail for conspiracy to commit murder through his actions… -
opinion
What’s Behind the Battle Between FBI and Apple
A recent court order against Apple compels the company to help the FBI gain access to a locked iPhone 5C used by San Bernardino terrorist Syed Farook. While Apple has helped law enforcement access data on other iPhones on at least 70 other occasions, new security protections make it increasingly difficult to do so with… -
news
Apple Fight With FBI Raises Questions About Balancing National Security With Privacy
Apple’s refusal to bow to a federal court order demanding that the tech conglomerate help the FBI access encrypted information on an iPhone used by one of the San Bernardino attackers is amplifying tensions between the government and Silicon Valley. Experts warn that heeding to the FBI’s call for Apple to create a “backdoor” reversing… -
news
Why Proponents Are Struggling to Salvage Bipartisan Criminal Justice Reform
Republicans in the Senate are divided over how to overhaul the nation’s criminal justice system, posing a potential setback to lawmakers who hoped to enact major bipartisan changes this year. Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, remains a key player in reform efforts, actively promoting legislation that would scale back the nation’s high incarceration rates and reduce a ballooned prison population… -
news
GOP Senators Push Attorney General to Investigate EPA Over WOTUS
Two Republican senators opened up a broadside assault against the Environmental Protection Agency last week in the ongoing battle over President Barack Obama’s controversial “Waters of the U.S.” rule (WOTUS), a regulation that extends federal authority over smaller waterways. In a letter to Attorney General Loretta Lynch, Sens. Jim Inhofe of Oklahoma and Ben Sasse…