Topics Criminal Justice
Photo of a prison wall with barred windows and two yellow security cameras pointing outwards.
A Decade and $600 Million Later, New York Prisons Still Lack Cameras

After footage of the killing of Robert Brooks sparked national outcry, Governor Kathy Hochul promised to fully equip New York prisons with cameras. The project has stalled for years.

Rebecca McCray and Chris Gelardi   ·   February 3, 2025
Hochul’s Deportation Stance Sparks Fear, Confusion

The governor’s announcement appears to expand New York’s ability to cooperate with federal immigration authorities — but it’s not clear if the state has actually changed its policy.

Julia Rock and Chris Gelardi   ·   February 1, 2025
Hochul Wants to Revisit Another Criminal Justice Reform: State of the State 2025

After years of targeting bail, the governor is proposing changes to New York’s 2019 discovery reform law.

Chris Gelardi   ·   January 15, 2025
Photo collage of a desk with a notepad and voice recorder in a newsroom.
Covering Governor Hochul’s 2025 State of the State

Our team will be descending upon Albany on Tuesday. Here’s what they’ll be watching.

New York Focus   ·   January 13, 2025
Photo collage of a desk with a notepad and voice recorder in a newsroom.
Greenhouse Gas Emissions, Cannabis Connections, and Prison Abuse

Updates about an increase in emissions, violence within New York’s prison system, and a breakup of two nonprofits over cannabis in NYC.

Sam Mellins, Chris Gelardi and Colin Kinniburgh   ·   January 9, 2025
Brandon Bishunauth sits for a portrait inside his family's home.
Five Key Takeaways From Our Investigation Into the Queens Surrogate’s Court

Here are the major findings from a months-long investigation into what allegedly takes place inside the Queens Supreme Courthouse.

Chris Bragg   ·   January 7, 2025
The Queens Supreme Courthouse houses the Surrogate's Court, where Brandon Bishunauth's court case has played out over the past two years.
In Fight Over Fortune, a Young Man Takes on the Kingmakers of Queens

Brandon Bishunauth is an unlikely candidate to pick a fight with a bastion of old-time machine politics.

Chris Bragg   ·   January 6, 2025
New York’s Jails, Police, and Parole Boards: 2024 in Review

New York Focus reporter Chris Gelardi reflects on the criminal justice reporting that shined light on overlooked agencies and shady practices in 2024.

Chris Gelardi   ·   December 26, 2024
A collage of a Rochester police car overlayed on the Rochester skyline.
Rochester Cops Were Offered Training on Discredited Diagnosis Connected to Daniel Prude’s Killing

A newly obtained document sheds light on how the disavowed diagnosis infiltrated the Rochester Police Department before Prude’s death.

Chris Gelardi   ·   December 21, 2024
Photograph of an empty prison cell with the door open, showing an empty bed with no sheets.
In Brief: Why Has New York’s Prison Population Declined?

New York’s faster-than-average decarceration has led to dozens of prison closures.

Chris Gelardi   ·   December 19, 2024
Photo of the Court of Appeals building in Albany, NY.
In Brief: New York’s Court of Appeals — Who’s on It and What Do They Do?

The state’s top court has the final word on interpreting New York law and has seen dramatic changes in recent years.

Sam Mellins   ·   December 4, 2024
Photo of 3057 Coney Island Avenue.
Eric Adams, the Erdogan Family, and a Brooklyn Medical Fraud Hotspot

One Brighton Beach property connects political donations, Medicaid scams, and a Turkish charity

Will Bredderman   ·   November 21, 2024
A photo illustration showing Bronx Democratic Party Chair Jamaal Bailey in front of the Bronx County Courthouse.
Want to Be a Judge in the Bronx? Better Pay These Firms.

A Bronx political firm close to the borough’s Democratic party chair, Jamaal Bailey, is cashing in on local civil court races.

Sam Mellins and Chris Bragg   ·   November 13, 2024
A photo illustration showing Governor Kathy Hochul's face and migrants walking down a NYC street.
Will Hochul Fight Trump’s Plan for ‘Mass Deportations’?

Trump is poised to ramp up deportation activity in northern states like New York, which has few statewide policies limiting cooperation with federal immigration enforcement.

Chris Gelardi   ·   November 12, 2024
In the center of the image is a police badge with department names scratched out to represent O'Connell's history of moving from one department to the next. The badge is overlaid on a collage of O'Connell's redacted disciplinary records.
Rehired: How New York’s Problem Cops Can Bounce Between Jobs

The state doesn’t publicize officer employment histories, making it impossible to track so-called wandering officers.

Sammy Sussman and Chris Gelardi   ·   October 31, 2024
Can Police Departments Be Trusted to Release Their Own Misconduct Records? Apparently Not.

The police chief in Orange County’s Village of Chester claimed his department had no misconduct records. He was hiding an investigation into his own alleged malfeasance.

Sammy Sussman   ·   October 30, 2024
Naps, Pink Eye, a Bee Sting: How a Hochul Appointee Got Himself Kicked Off the Parole Board

Brandon Stradford lasted two months on New York state’s Board of Parole. He continued collecting a paycheck for another seven.

Chris Gelardi   ·   October 28, 2024
Prison Confiscates Incarcerated Journalist’s Typewriter After She Writes for New York Focus

A week after incarcerated journalist Sara Kielly published an article criticizing the prison system for its solitary confinement practices, officers ransacked her cell.

Chris Gelardi   ·   October 4, 2024
How New York’s Maximum-Security Women’s Prison Has Failed to HALT Solitary Confinement

A landmark reform law was meant to overhaul carceral punishment in New York. Getting prisons to follow it has been an uphill battle.

Sara G. Kielly   ·   September 25, 2024
‘It’s a Sham’: A Former Parole Commissioner Dissects New York’s Stubborn System

Carol Shapiro spent two years trying to reform the state Board of Parole. Little has changed.

Chris Gelardi   ·   September 20, 2024
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