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Case No. 2025-DKT-001
In Re: Criminal Justice

Every case is someone's
worst day.
We write about the
system that decides
what happens next.

A digital broadsheet dissecting criminal justice — from plea bargain mechanics in county courthouses to the quiet politics of parole board hearings. Written by public defenders, former prosecutors, and people who've sat on the wrong side of the table.

2,400 readers already on the docket

Plea Bargain MechanicsParole Board PoliticsSentencing ReformPublic Defender CaseloadsCash Bail AbolitionProsecutorial DiscretionPrison ConditionsWrongful ConvictionsJuvenile JusticeMandatory MinimumsClemency & PardonsPolice AccountabilityPlea Bargain MechanicsParole Board PoliticsSentencing ReformPublic Defender CaseloadsCash Bail AbolitionProsecutorial DiscretionPrison ConditionsWrongful ConvictionsJuvenile JusticeMandatory MinimumsClemency & PardonsPolice Accountability
The Voices
& The Record
Portrait of a Black woman attorney in professional attire against a neutral background

Denise Okafor

Public Defender, Cook County

Beat: Plea Bargains & Caseload Crisis
“I write because my clients sign away their rights in under four minutes, and nobody outside that courtroom ever knows it happened.”

Representative Work

→The 4-Minute Plea: How 94% of Federal Cases Never See a Jury
Portrait of a Black man in a suit jacket looking directly at camera with a confident expression

Marcus Tillman

Former Asst. District Attorney, Philadelphia

Beat: Prosecutorial Power & Reform
“I had more power at 28 than most people ever hold. I want readers to understand exactly how that power gets used — and misused.”

Representative Work

→The Charging Decision Nobody Talks About
Portrait of a Latina woman with a thoughtful expression, soft light from the side

Renata Solís

Incarcerated Journalist, California

Beat: Life Inside & Parole Politics
“I write from inside because the people who design this system have never spent a single night in it. Someone has to correct the record.”

Representative Work

→Parole Denied: The Hearing That Lasted Seven Minutes
Sample Coverage

What we'll be writing.

Plea BargainsANALYSIS

The 4-Minute Plea: How 94% of Federal Cases Never See a Jury

Inside the assembly-line justice of a Tuesday morning in Cook County — where the Constitution is technically upheld and practically gutted.

"The defendant didn't understand what he was waiving. Neither, frankly, did his lawyer."

Denise Okafor

14 min read

Prosecutorial PowerINVESTIGATION

The Charging Decision Nobody Talks About

Before any judge sees a case, a 27-year-old assistant DA has already decided whether you're a felon. Here's how that decision actually gets made.

"I could charge the same set of facts three different ways. The sentence range went from 18 months to 22 years."

Marcus Tillman

11 min read

Parole & Re-entryFIRST PERSON

Parole Denied: The Hearing That Lasted Seven Minutes

Renata Solís attended her third parole hearing with 14 years of clean record, two college degrees, and a job offer. The board took seven minutes.

"They asked if I was remorseful. I said yes. They asked again. I said yes again. The third time, I understood the question wasn't really a question."

Renata Solís

18 min read

Plus 8 more investigations, two court dispatches, and a sentencing data deep-dive.