Best Practices: Foundations

SKIP TO A SECTION: Understand the legal system and criminal justice policy Consider why you are covering a crime Do no harm Language matters Back to Best Practices home Learn the basics You’ll need to understand the basics of the legal system and criminal justice policy before you start reporting on it. Know the differences between charges, arrests, indictments, trials and similar cases. Understand sealed records, plea bargains and expungement laws in your jurisdiction. Research is your friend, consider the resources available to you, and contact other reporters and lawyers who may be willing to answer your questions. An arrest is when police take someone into custody. This is usually how criminal prosecution begins. A police officer can arrest someone if they see them commit a crime, have probable cause to believe that they committed a crime or if the officer has a valid arrest warrant. Someone can be charged…

Firearm suicides exceed gun homicides in Maryland

Preliminary data from Maryland’s department of health shows that firearm suicides overtook homicides in 2025.

Maryland ICE arrests are increasing as Trump crackdown intensifies

Capital News Service analyzed data on immigration arrests and deportations in Maryland and found that numbers are skyrocketing during Trump’s second year in office. Here’s a deeper look at the findings.

Metro ramps up fare evasion enforcement as losses hit $50 million in fiscal 2025

Fare evasion, whether jumping over subway station rails or not paying to get onto the bus, has become a common practice for many riders across the Washington metropolitan area, rising 26 percent in 2025.

Maryland state prisons saw forty-six inmate homicides since 2015, twenty-two were in the last two years

Twenty-two inmate deaths were classified as homicides between 2024 and 2025, accounting for about 48 percent of all inmate homicides since 2015, according to data from the state’s Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services.

Why is crime down in D.C. and Baltimore? The answer isn’t simple

Total violent crimes — homicide, rape, aggravated assault and robbery — in Washington, D.C. and Baltimore City decreased by 60% and 21%, respectively, since 2015, according to a Capital News Service analysis.

How the Park Police are helping ICE carry out deportation efforts

U.S. Park Police tailed a man while he commuted home from work – but when he stopped to get some water, ICE showed up and took him away.

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Josephine Johnson

Best Practices: Foundations

Firearm suicides exceed gun homicides in Maryland

Maryland ICE arrests are increasing as Trump crackdown intensifies

Metro ramps up fare evasion enforcement as losses hit $50 million in fiscal 2025

Maryland state prisons saw forty-six inmate homicides since 2015, twenty-two were in the last two years

Why is crime down in D.C. and Baltimore? The answer isn’t simple

How the Park Police are helping ICE carry out deportation efforts

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