Identity & Justice

A recent report from the Pennsylvania Attorney General shows that law enforcement across the state made over $15 million through the use of civil asset forfeiture between 2017 and 2018.

This controversial legal mechanism allows police departments and district attorney offices to profit from property seized during arrests, even if a suspect is never convicted of a crime. This property — which is often tied to drug suspects — ranges from cash, cars and homes to jewelry and flat screen televisions.

Black women in Pittsburgh are more likely to die during pregnancy than their peers in 97 percent of U.S. cities, according to a sweeping new report from the city's Gender Equity Commission. There's also significant inequity when it comes to employment, poverty and college readiness for black women when compared to white women and men.

Tom Schilk didn’t see the tourist he robbed fall from the third floor of his West Philadelphia apartment building.

Jerry Sandusky's resentencing on a 45-count child sexual abuse conviction is on hold, and it's not clear when it will happen. 

The Pennsylvania Board of Pardons recommended a pardon Wednesday for a local man whose criminal record has stopped him from holding public office.

Federal prosecutors filed their first charges Thursday in a sweeping investigation of child sexual abuse by clerics in Pennsylvania, accusing a former Roman Catholic priest of lying to the FBI about whether he knew an accuser and his family.

A Los Angeles man was arrested Wednesday on charges that he sold counterfeit opioid pills to Mac Miller two days before the rapper died of an overdose.

Pennsylvania's governor will be traveling next week to visit National Guard troops stationed in Lithuania and to honor the victims of last year's Pittsburgh synagogue shooting during a stop at the Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial.

People with criminal backgrounds can get help clearing their records at an event in Wilkinsburg Tuesday evening.

Attendees at Pathways 2 Pardons can receive free background checks and talk with state troopers about whether to ask the governor for a pardon. Attorneys from Duquesne University’s Civil Rights Clinic are also set to help attendees explore the possibility of clearing their records through expungement.

A recent Pennsylvania court ruling is breathing new life into old claims of childhood sexual assault in spite of state law that puts time limits on legal action.

Cruz Eduardo Tinoco Salvador was an obvious target for immigration officials. On his left hand, a tattoo read “Sur 13.” On his middle finger, three small dots indicated the same affiliation.

When Alex Herisko entered the PennDOT Driver License Center in downtown Pittsburgh, they took a number -- 715 -- and looked up at the sign to see how many customers were ahead of them: about 60. Herisko settled in for a long wait.

The Department of Corrections is recommending policy changes following five incidents where people were killed, allegedly by parolees.

Pennsylvania prison officials are planning to close another prison, as the inmate population continues to decline and prison costs rise, lawmakers and union officials said Wednesday. 

Four men have filed suit against the Roman Catholic Diocese of Scranton and its current and former bishop over claims a priest sexually abused them when they were children.

Prosecutors have announced plans to seek the death penalty in the slaying of an off-duty Pittsburgh police officer shot to death in a street confrontation last month.

The Allegheny County district attorney's office informed the court Monday of intent to seek capital punishment should 30-year-old Christian Bey be convicted of first-degree murder.

A judge has imposed a six- to 22-year sentence in a drive-by shooting that preceded the fatal police shooting of an unarmed black teenager fleeing a Pennsylvania traffic stop last year.

A year after it was established, the Pennsylvania Commission on LGBTQ Affairs has helped local governments pass inclusive laws, establish policies for transgender students and worked to end discriminatory practices in the state. 

Carmen Riley bent over her unconscious son, looked into his eyes and knew. It didn't take a mother's intuition or a doctor's prognosis to figure out that Ty'rique was gone.

Several days earlier, 21-year-old Ty'rique Riley had been jailed after an altercation with his father. Now he lay in a hospital bed, his body covered in lacerations and deep, dark bruises. He was missing teeth. His kidneys were failing.

How did this happen? And who was responsible?

Seven weeks after his death, Riley's family and supporters are pushing for answers.

Pennsylvania's governor says at least four children from his state were recently separated from their parents by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and wrote Monday to demand the agency halt the practice until it has a plan to ensure the welfare of children.