Legal System

The Legal System Channel features information related to how society deals with crime, criminals and law enforcement. Learn more about how governments operate their legal systems.

Learn More / Page 3

Eighty-seven years ago today, the FBI took down America's first true celebrity criminal and the country's Public Enemy No. 1.

By Oisin Curran

The National Neighborhood Watch Program was originally established in 1972 as a local response to neighborhood crime. How has the idea evolved over time?

By Tara Yarlagadda

Forgery is one of the most difficult crimes to successfully carry off. But these six sure tried. What tripped them up?

By Michelle Konstantinovsky

Advertisement

The food we're feeding those incarcerated in the U.S. prison system is not only bad for their health, but it's also bad for John Q. Taxpayer's wallet.

By John Donovan

You probably don't know her name, but Mitsuye Endo was the plaintiff in the landmark lawsuit that ultimately led to the closing of the U.S. Japanese internment camps after the bombing of Pearl Harbor.

By Michelle Konstantinovsky

The U.S. Justice Department had to release a redacted affidavit related to the FBI's search of former President Donald Trump's Florida estate. How does the redaction process work?

By Patrick J. Kiger

A new serial podcast delves into the tragic deaths of at least six members of the Hart family, whose SUV was driven off a cliff in California in early 2018.

By Melanie Radzicki McManus

Advertisement

Cursing during road rage? A ton of trash in your car? Both can get you in trouble if you're not careful. What other crazy driving laws are on the books?

By Cherise Threewitt

The Constitution allows Supreme Court justices to be impeached by the House and put on trial by the Senate, but it's only happened once and that was in 1805.

By Patrick J. Kiger

One out of every six American women has been the victim of an attempted or completed rape, and many are afraid to or don't know how to report it.

By Michelle Konstantinovsky

Police and fire departments across the U.S. are eliminating jargon like "10-4" in favor of every-day vernacular. And there's a good reason why.

By John Perritano

Advertisement

William Burke and William Hare cut out the middleman in the early 19th-century Scottish grave-robbing game.

By Jesslyn Shields

Omarosa did it, but does that mean you can too — legally that is? A lot depends on which state you live in.

By Dave Roos

Ordinary citizens are allowed to make arrests in every U.S. state, but legal experts warn that it's a risky thing to do.

By Patrick J. Kiger

Political ideology serves as a motivator for some people to commit espionage, but it's not the only factor at play when someone decides to spy.

By Jerad W. Alexander

Advertisement

In the vast majority of cases, a child, parent, spouse or friend who goes missing returns home unharmed. But if they don't, would you know what to do first?

By Dave Roos

Stand Your Ground laws are controversial and exist in nearly half the states in the United States. But what exactly are they?

By Jerad W. Alexander

An active shooter situation at work may not be common, but you should really know how you'd handle it before it happens.

By Dave Roos

Psychics often try to help police solve crimes, but how many times are they really successful?

By Diana Brown

Advertisement

President Donald Trump says if the U.S. just deports members of the MS-13 gang, the country will be much safer. But is it really that simple?

By John Donovan

From public letters to anime porn, the 470,000 public files offer a window into the last years of al-Qaida mastermind Osama bin Laden.

By Diana Brown

Where do we draw the line between interesting and appalling?

By Diana Brown

The conviction of 80-year-old Bill Cosby on aggravated indecent assault charges raises the question of how sentencing works in the case of an elderly defendant.

By Patrick J. Kiger

Advertisement

The Mann Act was passed in 1910 and even though it's been used legitimately, it's also been abused to nab men of color like Jack Johnson and Chuck Berry.

By John Donovan

High-profile cases over the past few years have shown the benefits — and pitfalls — of asking the public to report any suspicious activities they notice to the police. When does that tip over into racial or ethnic bias?

By Dave Roos