ebradylunny

The list of persons wrongfully convicted in the U.S. continues to grow.  Our criminal justice system is among the best in the world but it is not perfect. Any system run by humans has its share of errors and the justice system is no exception.  The ability of the internet to share information has allowed

Over the past two months, coverage of most news has taken a backseat to what's going on with COVID-19, the novel virus that has claimed thousands of lives across the globe.  News outlets are struggling to keep up with the work of sharing the most updated news with an anxious public.  I recently posted my

The names and faces behind the nearly one million women, men and children on the nation's sex offender registry represent untold stories of shattered lives left behind by the harm suffered by victims and their families as well as those whose crimes are posted for public display. Women Against Registry is a St. Louis-area group

The Bloomington-Normal area reported more than 50 incidents of gunfire in 2019. Teens and young adults were involved in many of those cases.  I recently interviewed local youth minister Andrew Held and McLean County Public Defender Carla Barnes about their work in assessing what's gone wrong in the lives of these young people.  Both are

The challenges facing women when they return home from jail and prison are complex and long lasting. An event sponsored recently by the Women's Justice Initiative explored the reasons women find themselves behind bars and what can be done to help them start over.  Much is known about the differences between incarcerated men and women

The story surrounding 8-year old Rica Rountree's death continued this week wit the arrest of her father Richard Rountree.  He is charged with child endangerment to failing to protect her from the ongoing abuse he knew was being perpetrated on the child by his girlfriend Cindy Baker.  The arrest followed an emotional rally last week

Even the most seasoned crime reporters cannot escape the recurring memories of certain autopsy photos and the story that comes along with them.  When the images depict a child -- abused and tortured to the point of death-- the time between viewing and a lessening impact on the memory can be longer than usual. Such

after my June 2019 retirement from full-time journalism. Through my work as a correspondent with WGLT in Normal I have the opportunity to delve into those stories that make people think about how the system works and in some cases, fails.  The public's knowledge of the courts and criminal justice system is often limited to