Carrie Johnson

A bipartisan task force created by Congress issued an urgent call to reform the federal prison system on Tuesday.

A bipartisan task force created by Congress issued "an urgent call to action" Tuesday to overhaul the nation's federal prisons and reduce the number of U.S. inmates by 60,000 over the next decade.

A new report from the Charles Colson Task Force on Federal Corrections found that punitive ...

Attorney General Loretta Lynch on Wednesday defended President Obama's recent executive actions intended to expand background checks for gun buyers. But Republicans question their use...

For months, FBI Director James Comey has been warning about a troubling spike in homicides in some of America's biggest cities.

On Tuesday, the bureau released preliminary crime statistics that back up some of his concerns. The FBI reported that violent crime rose in the first six months of 2015, ...

There's not much the White House and the Republican-led Congress can agree on this year. President Obama singled out one issue in his State of the Union address: an overhaul for the justice system.

The extradition of Mexican drug lord Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzmán to the United States could take years. NPR explores why the U.S. wants him and what is known about his time as a fugitive.

Some who have been advocating to reduce prison terms for nonviolent drug criminals privately tell NPR they are beginning to worry nothing will happen in 2016.

The Commonwealth Court in Pennsylvania unanimously ruled Wednesday that a state law that prevents convicted criminals from getting full-time jobs in nursing homes or long-term-care facilities is unconstitutional.

By a 7-0 vote, the court found the law violates the due process rights of otherwise law-abiding people who may have run ...

A new report details the number of law enforcement officers killed nationwide this year in the line of duty. Traffic-related deaths have been the number one cause in 15 of the last of 20 years.

President Obama is expected to grant clemency to dozens of prisoners this week, but the numbers fall far short of his promise. Volunteers are working to send more applications to the White House.

The San Bernardino shooting and law enforcement efforts to prevent another attack dominated FBI Director James Comey's testimony on Capitol Hill Wednesday.

The Justice Department announced Monday it is launching a "pattern or practice" investigation into the Chicago Police Department.

As President Obama addresses the terrorist threat, law enforcement and intelligence agencies are working to figure out the nature of the attack in California, and how to stop future incidents.

NPR has the latest on the investigation into Wednesday's mass shooting in San Bernardino, Calif. The FBI is now investigating the shooting as an act of terrorism.

Investigators are combing through data for clues about motives in the San Bernardino attack. A married couple opened fire on a workplace holiday party and seemed to have planned at least the getaway.

Two suspects, a man and a woman, died in a gun battle with police in San Bernardino, Calif. Police say they executed a search warrant at a home in the nearby town of Redlands, Calif.

Law enforcement in San Bernardino, Calif., is responding to reports of an active shooter at a social services center. Local police have described multiple victims on Twitter.

The FBI says it is investigating possible ISIS sympathizers in all 50 U.S. states. A new report out Tuesday looks at what is known about ISIS supporters in America, where and who they are.

Experts trace the first completely anonymous jury to 1977. That's when a judge worried about possible jury tampering by a drug kingpin named Leroy "Nicky" Barnes, a man also known as Mr. Untouchable.

Defense lawyers for one of the officers charged in the death of Freddie Gray have asked for an anonymous jury. The practice has been used in mob and corruption cases but it's controversial.