A Mass Murderer Is Testing the Limits of Scandinavian Goodwill

Norway’s Most Dangerous Man Is Back in the Spotlight, Leading Many to Wonder How Much Compassion He Deserves

For four days in March, I watched Norway’s national devil return to public view, in another installment of the courtroom drama familiarly titled Breivik v. State. Andres Behring Breivik, now 37, perpetrated the greatest act of political violence any Nordic country has seen since the end of World War II. After exploding a car bomb outside the prime minister’s office in central Oslo in July 2011, he went to a youth camp where he killed 69 boys and girls.

In 2012, in the first Breivik v. State, he was convicted …

By Bruno Kaufmann | March 24, 2016

What the Heck Is the Mexican Mafia?

How a Gang Neglected by Wardens Made It Big Outside Prison Walls

By Jim Hernandez | September 11, 2015

In California, there are individuals who have been tried, convicted, and sentenced to prison—and gained significant power from behind bars. The sanctions of imprisonment have become the source of their …

A Nonprofit That Teaches Law to Those Who Need It Most

In San Jose, California, Families Are Encouraged to Join Their Loved Ones’ Defense Team

by Raj Jayadev | June 17, 2015

When I heard about the suicide of Kalief Browder, a teenager who was charged with stealing a backpack and served three years in brutal Rikers Island until the charge against …

When a Felony Is No Longer a Felony

How Redefining Nonviolent Crimes Is Changing California’s Justice System

by Sarah Rothbard | February 19, 2015

After decades of building prisons and increasing the number of people behind bars, the pendulum of California’s criminal justice system has swung away from incarceration. Among the policies and laws …

Former California Department of Corrections Director Jeanne Woodford

An Ex-Prison Warden and a Fan of ‘The Shawshank Redemption’

November 15, 2014

Jeanne Woodford is the former warden of San Quentin State Prison, director and undersecretary of the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, and executive director of Death Penalty Focus. She …

A New Way of Life Founder Susan Burton

Forgiveness Would Be My Superpower

November 9, 2014

Susan Burton is the founder and executive director of A New Way of Life Reentry Project, which provides housing and support services to formerly incarcerated women in South Central Los …

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