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Criminal Justice

Christian Hall was killed one year ago by Pa. State Police. His family still wants answers.

by Gary Harki of Spotlight PA

A Pennsylvania State Police barracks

Investigations of Pennsylvania State Police troopers who injure, kill should be independent, panel says

by Gary Harki of Spotlight PA

The fact that Beaver County District Attorney David J. Lozier (left)was involved in the decision to shoot, and then was the one to sign off on whether it was appropriate, has raised serious alarm among policing experts.

District attorney consulted with Pennsylvania State Police before shooting, then ruled it justified

by Gary Harki of Spotlight PA

Expanded access to videos of police using lethal force has increased public awareness of the problem, but few people know how and why courts rule these cases justified.

WATCH: A free discussion on why killings by police officers often are ruled justified

by Spotlight PA Staff

A family photo hangs on a wall in the dining room of Fe and Gareth Hall's home in Stroudsburg.

What you need to know about the killing of Christian Hall, 19, by Pennsylvania State Police

by Gary Harki of Spotlight PA

In a redacted video released by the Monroe County District Attorney’s Office, Christian Hall’s final moments are obscured. In unredacted footage obtained by Spotlight PA and NBC News, Hall is shown with his hands remaining in the air as troopers opened fire and struck Hall three times.

Christian Hall, 19, had his hands up when police fatally shot him, videos show

by Gary Harki of Spotlight PA

Sen. Art Haywood (D., Montgomery) wants to change the way use-of-force cases are investigated in Pennsylvania so families of victims and the public will have more faith in the findings.

Who investigates police killings in Pennsylvania, and why there are few checks and balances

by Gary Harki of Spotlight PA

The office of DA Larry Krasner (pictured here) is set to try ex-officer Ryan Pownall for fatally shooting David Jones, a 30-year-old unarmed man, as Jones ran from a traffic stop.

A police killing in Philadelphia could change Pa. use-of-force cases forever

by Colin Deppen of Spotlight PA

Civil rights marchers on a journey from Milwaukee to Washington, D.C. are seen here in Youngstown, Ohio.

A Pa. prosecutor waited months after receiving a police report to charge a man who shot at protesters

by Joseph Darius Jaafari of Spotlight PA and David Hurst of The Tribune-Democrat

Pennsylvania State Police troopers have justified vehicle searches by saying a driver was nervous, sweating, or eating.

How Pa. troopers use sweating, stuttering during traffic stops to launch vehicle searches

by Joseph Darius Jaafari of Spotlight PA

State Corrections Secretary John Wetzel received the Johnson & Johnson vaccine earlier this month and recorded it to encourage staff and those incarcerated to do the same.

Workers in Pa. prisons, COVID-19 hotspots, aren’t getting vaccinated. Here’s why that’s dangerous.

by Joseph Darius Jaafari of Spotlight PA

Attorney General Josh Shapiro on Thursday called it “the largest prevailing wage criminal case on record.”

Major Pennsylvania state contractor accused of fleecing employees to pump up profits

by Angela Couloumbis of Spotlight PA

The language of the bill is a carbon copy of a Pennsylvania law from the 1990s that makes it a felony for inmates to spit on another person if they are known to have a communicable disease.

How being sick could result in even stiffer penalties for spitting on Pa. police

by Joseph Darius Jaafari of Spotlight PA

The decision to exclude Pennsylvania State Police comes after a year dominated by police brutality protests and a harder look within law enforcement agencies across the country at how they interact with Black and brown communities.

Pennsylvania State Police will escape legislative scrutiny in 2021 budget process

by Joseph Darius Jaafari of Spotlight PA

This divergence from medical and federal health officials is an example of what the Pennsylvania State Corrections Officers Association said is continuous disregard by the corrections department for the lives at risk in prisons as new coronavirus cases in facilities explode.

Pa. corrections dept. tells officer with COVID-19 symptoms to return to work early

by Joseph Darius Jaafari of Spotlight PA

See how often your local Pa. district judges are actually in the courtroom

by Daniel Simmons-Ritchie of Spotlight PA

A PennLive and Spotlight PA investigation into the workloads of Pennsylvania district judges encompassed more than 3.8 million case events and more than 40 interviews.

Piles of records and months of reporting lead to eye-opening report on Pa. district judges

by Daniel Simmons-Ritchie of Spotlight PA and Christine Vendel of PennLive

An empty judicial chamber

Some local Pa. judges enjoy light workloads as taxpayers pay millions for salaries, pensions, health care

by Daniel Simmons-Ritchie of Spotlight PA and Christine Vendel of PennLive

Legal experts say civil forfeiture is a form of “highway robbery,” in which police take money — largely from people of color — to pad their yearly budgets and those of prosecutors.

How Pa. state troopers seize big money from drivers, many of whom are never charged

by Joseph Darius Jaafari of Spotlight PA and Joshua Vaughn of The Appeal

Fueled by social media posts that parroted — and then embellished — the state police’s version of events, white vigilantes wielding guns descended upon town squares.

A changing story by police on a rural Pa. shooting helped fuel white vigilantes and misinformation

by Joseph Darius Jaafari of Spotlight PA and Ryan Deto of Pittsburgh City Paper

The state inspector general will determine if protocols are followed and training is sufficient.

Pa. inspector general reviewing legality of some state police traffic stops, searches

by Joseph Darius Jaafari of Spotlight PA

To justify their searches, state police often claimed that a driver was nervous, sweating, or eating.

Highway ‘stop-and-frisk’: How Pennsylvania state troopers conduct illegal traffic searches

by Joseph Darius Jaafari of Spotlight PA and Joshua Vaughn of The Appeal

The 3/20 Coalition protests against police violence at the Centre County Government building.

In State College, a police shooting and calls for action, not more committee reports

by Yaasmeen Piper of Spotlight PA

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PA Post (Daily): Top news every weekday morning, plus a daily puzzle.

The Investigator (Weekly): Best accountability journalism every Thursday, plus a weekly riddle.

PA Local (Weekly): A fresh look at the incredible people, places, and food of Pa. every Friday.