criminal justice

A literacy program has helped mothers and grandmothers in prison improve their reading abilities while also giving them the chance to bond with their loved ones.

A criminal complaint alleges that guards at the Jefferson City Correctional Center in Missouri pepper-sprayed Othel Moore Jr., placed a mask over his face and left him in a position that caused him to suffocate. Four former staffers face murder charges in Moore's death.

Marcellus Williams had always maintained that he had nothing to do with the stabbing death of a former St. Louis Post-Dispatch reporter. State and federal courts rejected numerous last-minute requests to halt the execution and review the case.

For nearly 25 years, Marcellus Williams has maintained his innocence in the murder of a St. Louis woman named Felicia Gayle. A plea deal that would have saved him from execution in less than a month and changed his sentence to life in prison was recently pulled by a judge.

The Missouri law known as the "Second Amendment Preservation Act" forbade police from enforcing federal gun laws that don’t have an equivalent state law, and threatened officers with fines. A federal court ruled it violated the supremacy clause.

Critics argue adding additional fees and interest on unpaid traffic fines is unfair to low-income drivers. And it may not even be legal under Kansas law.

Prison can be a lonely, violent place. But one program — or more specifically, one Jefferson City, Missouri, prison resident — is helping change the men around him.

Law students at UMKC's Expungement Clinic helped nearly 60 people clear their criminal records, giving them better opportunities for jobs and housing. But the clinic's funding has run out. Plus: Foster group homes are meant for youth with significant behavioral and mental health issues, but Missouri doesn't have enough beds for girls.

Law students at UMKC's Expungement Clinic helped nearly 60 people clear their criminal records, giving them better opportunities for jobs and housing. But the clinic's funding ran out in January, leaving some formerly incarcerated people without hope.

Alvin Brooks’ life has become the stuff of legend around Kansas City. Now, a new film by Academy Award-winner Kevin Wilmott details it for the big screen.

Marcellus Williams’ execution was put on hold in 2017 after new DNA evidence came to light. But Missouri Gov. Mike Parson says there’s not enough evidence to postpone it further.

The new autobiography "Show Me Justice: The Happy Life Journey of Alvin Lee Sykes" documents the extraordinary story of the self-taught legal scholar from Kansas City. Sykes fought tirelessly to re-open several unsolved civil rights cold cases, including the murder of Emmett Till.