Samantha reports on whether New Yorkers feel safe and whether the institutions that are supposed to protect them are working. Before coming to WNYC/Gothamist, she spent three years covering the criminal justice system in Tennessee for Nashville Public Radio. Her reporting on Nashville's police department received multiple awards, including the Daniel Schorr Journalism Prize. Samantha was also part of the inaugural class of Report for America, a service journalism program that sends up-and-coming reporters to local newsrooms across the country. She is a Northwestern University grad, a Baltimore native and fluent in Spanish.
Samantha Max appears in the following:
Analysis of the Daniel Penny Verdict
Wednesday, December 11, 2024
The latest on the news that jurors found Daniel Penny not guilty of criminally negligent homicide.
Daniel Penny's Subway Chokehold Trial Nears the End
Wednesday, November 27, 2024
WNYC and Gothamist reporter, Samantha Max, covers the trial of Daniel Penny who's facing criminal charges for the chokehold death of Jordan Neely in 2023.
Incarcerated men at Sing Sing will judge NY’s first known prison film festival
Wednesday, September 11, 2024
While famous actors are in Italy this week for the prestigious Venice Film Festival, a group of nontraditional movie critics is preparing for its own competition in New York.
Unlicensed Bushwick gunmaker serving 10 years for his 'hobby' blurs the gun rights debate
Wednesday, July 31, 2024
Dexter Taylor was convicted earlier this year of various charges, including violating New York’s prohibitions on homemade firearms, known as ghost guns.
NYC expands restorative justice programs: 'This is for them to come feel safe'
Monday, July 22, 2024
NYC is spending $6.5 million on restorative justice programs to bolster public safety.
NYC just made it easier for people to change their name in court
Friday, July 05, 2024
NYC just made it easier for people to change their name in court.
Lawyers take aim at NYPD gun search policy 2 years after Supreme Court ruling
Friday, June 28, 2024
Two years after a landmark Supreme Court ruling on guns, say some cracks have formed in the city’s efforts to keep as many firearms as possible off the streets.
Long Island woman suing Cold Stone over pistachio ice cream with no nuts
Friday, June 07, 2024
Here’s a scoop from Long Island: A federal judge has ruled that a woman can sue an ice cream company after she found that her pistachio ice cream had no pistachios in it.
Women held at Rikers say they were sexually assaulted during routine medical exams
Monday, April 29, 2024
In lawsuits filed under New York's Adult Survivors Act, more than 30 women said they were sexually assaulted by medical staff at Rikers and other city correctional facilities.
Bronx DA assembling team of prosecutors to review Rikers sexual assault tips
Wednesday, April 10, 2024
The Bronx DA’s office will review claims of sexual assault made by former detainees on Rikers Island against jail staff in response to a Gothamist investigation.
Lawmakers respond to sexual abuse allegations at Rikers Island
Saturday, March 30, 2024
New York lawmakers respond to WNYC investigation that reveals decades of alleged abuse in the Rikers Island women's jail.
Alleged Abuse at Rikers Comes to Light
Tuesday, March 26, 2024
Inside the investigation into alleged systemic sexual abuse on Rikers Island.
Late-night sex assaults. Invasive searches. The 700+ women alleging abuse at Rikers.
Tuesday, March 26, 2024
At least 719 people filed lawsuits against the Department of Correction and the city alleging they were sexually assaulted while at Rikers.
NJ businessman admits trying to bribe Sen. Bob Menendez, will cooperate with prosecutors
Friday, March 01, 2024
Jose Uribe agreed to cooperate with federal officials as a condition of his plea deal.
Harlem residents mourn a pioneer of NY’s criminal justice reform movement
Monday, February 12, 2024
Harlem residents and community organizers are mourning the death of Joseph “Jazz” Hayden, a convicted Harlem drug dealer turned criminal justice reform advocate.
Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg announces new charges in Times Square assault
Thursday, February 08, 2024
Charges include second-degree assault and tampering with physical evidence.
Manhattan DA returns art stolen by the Nazis to one-time owner’s heirs
Thursday, January 25, 2024
Jewish cabaret performer and art collector Fritz Grünbaum's heirs were reunited with two drawings that prosecutors say the Nazis stole from him.
Manhattan judge denies request to dismiss subway chokehold case against Daniel Penny
Wednesday, January 17, 2024
An attorney representing the family of Jordan Neely, the victim, called the ruling a “big win.”
In Greenpoint, a man with severe mental illness is harming neighbors. No one knows what to do.
Friday, October 20, 2023
When someone with serious mental illness poses a threat, what’s the best way to keep both the person and the community safe?
Chanel Lewis, convicted of killing woman jogging in Queens, asks for new trial
Friday, August 25, 2023
Attorneys for a Black man sentenced to life in prison for the sexual assault and murder of a white woman say police and prosecutors didn't disclose key evidence.
