Mar 17th, 2010 · Simin Behbahani, Iran's most prominent poet, was about to board a flight to Paris when police seized her passport. Behbahani, 82 and nearly blind, has not been charged with any crime. Many fear her treatment may signal a rise in repressive tactics by Iran's government.
Mar 16th, 2010 · The crime writer has more than 40 books to his name and dozens of films made from that source material. Leonard gives NPR's Noah Adams a tour of his hometown, with stops at some of the places that taught the writer about the language of crime, and his writing desk at home.
Mar 13th, 2010 · In Los Angeles, a 16-year-old boy is facing murder charges for what started as a simple act of vandalism. He was spray painting a wall when he was confronted by Ronald Barron. Barron had committed plenty of crimes in his lifetime as a member of a violent gang. From member station KPCC, Alex Cohen has a profile of an ex-gang member who turned his life around only to become a victim of the violence he was trying to prevent.
Mar 11th, 2010 · A judge called the plot to hide the shooting of unarmed residents crossing a bridge a "despicable" scheme that immeasurably compounded Hurricane Katrina's damage. Jeffrey Lehrmann pleaded guilty to misprision of a felony, meaning he knew about the crime and didn't report it. He faces a maximum sentence of three years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
Mar 9th, 2010 · The Stolen Valor Act of 2005 makes it a federal crime to claim unearned military honors. Attorney Jonathan Turley agrees that stolen valor is offensive, but argues that it's also constitutionally protected, and cannot be criminalized.
Mar 6th, 2010 · Public humiliation has long been used as a deterrence mechanism for everything from adultery to drunken driving. Now judges in Massachusetts are ordering companies guilty of crimes that harm the community of publicly acknowledge their wrongdoings in newspaper ads. Critics say the practice is more retribution than deterrence, though.
Mar 6th, 2010 · At the start of the 20th century, poisoning was one of the easiest crimes to get away with. Until, that is, Dr. Charles Norris developed an early form of forensic medicine. Author Deborah Blum's new book, The Poisoner's Handbook, follows New York's first trained chief medical examiner as he solves a series of sensational cases.
Mar 4th, 2010 · Crime is low in Chile, a country considered Latin America's most politically and socially stable. So the widespread looting that has followed last weekend's earthquake astonished many Chileans — and has people questioning just how much progress Chile has really made.