Legal System

If you know anything about horror movies, you've heard the name Ed Gein. This quiet man from rural Wisconsin inspired some of the most terrifying characters in film history.

By Lena Thaywick

When people ask about the states with the highest crime rates, they’re usually looking at two categories: violent crimes and property crimes.

By Lena Thaywick

In the aftermath of the U.S. Supreme Court's decision that overturned Roe v. Wade, the legal status of abortion shifted to individual states. That change sparked a wave of new policies aimed at restricting access to abortion services.

By Lena Thaywick

Feeling safe where you live is about more than just locking your door. It depends on everything from political stability to healthcare to how a country handles conflict.

By Lena Thaywick

Some laws are crafted to protect people from harm. Others feel like someone wrote them after a particularly strange town hall meeting.

By Lena Thaywick

In one of the most dramatic and emotionally charged moments in legal history, Marianne Bachmeier took justice into her own hands. Her story — often referenced as Der Fall Bachmeier — continues to stir debate about morality, grief and the limits of law and order.

By Zach Taras

Divorce is a challenging process. For pregnant people, it can be even more complicated, which is why it's important to know what states allow divorce while pregnant.

By Yara Simón

Everything's bigger in Texas — including crime rates in certain cities. While the Lone Star State is home to stunning landscapes, rich cultural heritage and booming industries, it also has its fair share of dangerous cities.

By Mack Hayden

The highs and lows of show business are the stuff of legend. Behind the success, the glitz and the glamour, are the darker features of the industry: disappointment, failure, obscurity and, on occasion, horrific violence.

By Zach Taras

A racketeering conspiracy, sex cult allegations, financial crimes and fraud? Anyone familiar with the first season of the investigative podcast series "Escaping NXIVM" will know that all of these crimes were committed by one group that rose and fell within roughly two decadesm between 1998 and 2021.

By Mitch Ryan

The disappearance of Kristin Smart in 1996 shook San Luis Obispo County to its core. It was a case that stretched over two decades — and even today, after a popular true-crime podcast, a high-profile case that ended in a murder conviction, questions remain about what exactly happened.

By Zach Taras

The Astroworld tragedy shocked the music world and left a lasting scar on festival culture. On Nov. 5, 2021, the Astroworld Festival, headlined by Houston rapper Travis Scott, turned into a nightmare when a crowd rushed the stage during Scott's performance at NRG Park in Houston, Texas, ending with 10 deaths and hundreds of injuries.

By Yara Simón

The title "murder capital of the U.S." often sparks intense debate, but identifying which city holds this grim distinction requires more than just a glance at murder rates. Factors such as population density add critical context to the narrative.

By HowStuffWorks.com Contributors

The nation of Mexico is home 130 million people across 31 states (Mexico City is a separate entity but not a state in itself, similar to Washington, D.C. in the United States). Unfortunately due to a variety of factors, Mexican cities are often host to a violent crimes including homicide. Here, we'll detail the most dangerous cities in Mexico and give some info about their history.

By Talon Homer

Whether you're looking for adventure, work opportunities, new scenery or better weather conditions, California cities represent a special, sunny place in the popular imagination. But before packing your bags and heading to the Golden State, you'll want to know which is the most dangerous city in California.

By Zach Taras

The most dangerous cities face high crime rates, affecting residents and visitors. We used Statista to analyze global murder rates per capita.

By Karina Ryan

Serial killers have long captured public attention with their upsetting stories, but there are few things more tragic than a murder by a child.

By Marie Look

Modern states take a variety of approaches to curtail or regulate the drinking of alcoholic beverages by young people. The United States, with its across-the-board minimum legal drinking age of 21, is something of an outlier; many other countries have a lower legal age.

By Zach Taras

Gun laws in the United States vary by state, especially when it comes to open carry of firearms. In open carry states, people can carry firearms openly without special permits as long as they follow state laws. Most states allow the open carrying of long guns for self-defense in the home, target practice and lawful hunting.

By Mitch Ryan

As a remnant of the legacy of President Nixon and the Controlled Substance Act of 1970, cannabis plants are still categorized as Schedule I narcotics at the federal level. Although federal law remains less progressive than state laws, several states with legal weed permit medical or recreational use for citizens.

By Karina Ryan

By now, it's probably a familiar sound: jarring, ear-splitting tones that sound from your mobile device. Known as an AMBER Alert, these emergency notifications can be pivotal in finding abducted children. Named after Amber Hagerman, the system started in 1996.

By Yara Simón

Gary Francis Poste made headlines after his death as the suspected Zodiac Killer. But is there enough evidence to finally close this case?

By Sascha Bos

In November 1984, at the age of 17, Lisa McVey Noland was riding her bike home from work in Tampa, Florida, when she was abducted by a serial killer.

By Sascha Bos

What does Spider-Man do when he sees someone commit a crime and there are no police officers around to help? He swings in, wraps the wrongdoer in his web and leaves them hanging from a telephone pole until the cops take over.

By Seth W. Stoughton & Caroline McAtee

Dive into the world of La Cosa Nostra. Discover its origins, impact, and intriguing aspects of this infamous organized crime syndicate.

By HowStuffWorks