Portside

While ‘assigned’ to the US military base at Guantánamo Bay, detective Richard Zuley led one of the most brutal interrogations ever conducted at the prison. ‘I’ve never seen anyone stoop to these levels,’ a former Marine Corps prosecutor said. But Benita Johnson, Andre Griggs, Lathierial Boyd and Lee Harris describe Zuley using familiar techniques on them at Chicago police precincts.

What will it take to reshape America’s police departments, and curtail the unprompted police killings that beset us still?

Wrongly convicted of murder by an all-white, famous ex-boxer became advocate for other prisoners.

President Obama has pardoned two birds each Thanksgiving for the past five years. In both 2009 and 2012, he pardoned more turkeys than people. Overall, Obama has granted clemency to just 39 people.

This video tells the story of the “Detroit Sleeper Cell,” the first terrorism trial after 9/11. Here, a reporter who covers terrorism for The New York Times recalls the charged atmosphere at the time and the consequences for the Justice Department.

This statistics stuff is important. The correct analysis and interpretation of statistics are sometimes a matter of life and death.

Just how bad is the state of public defense in America? The charts below detail some of the biggest challenges plaguing the system.