The IRE Resource Center is a major research library containing more than 23,250 investigative stories — both print and broadcast. Add to that more than 3,000 tipsheets from our national conferences on how to cover specific beats or do specific stories and you have a resource that no reporter or editor should be without. These stories and tipsheets are searchable online or by contacting the Resource Center directly (573-882-3364 or rescntr@ire.org) where a researcher can help you pinpoint what you need. Browse or search the tipsheet section of our library below. Logged-in members can view the tipsheets free online:
Search results for "justice" ...
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Covering justice in Europe and the U.S.
Sisti gives tips on how to cover crime and justice in Europe and who you need to know to get the information you need.
Tags: International reporting; justice; Abu Omar
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Accountability in Children’s Court
Diedrich gives great tips on how to cover the juvenile justice system and the children that are in and out of it.
Tags: juvenille court; recidivism
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(More than 5) Databases for criminal justice reporting
Roberts discusses the "data-rich" nature of the criminal justice beat, identifying several key databases for reporters. Examples include 911 response data, jail bookings, jury selection transcripts, National Corrections Reporting program and many more
Tags: crime; arrest; jail; courts; police; criminal justice; violent offenders; sexual offenders; prison; inmates; judicial reporting; NACJD; NCRP; jury; juries; court docket
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Check your sources: Figuring out what criminal justice data and documents really say
Gabrielson's tipsheet addresses identifying the shortcomings in data - specifically criminal justice data. Gabrielson points out common mistakes made when using the data, and how to avoid them.
Tags: Uniform Crime Reports; police records; Federal Bureau of Investigations; FBI; clearance rates; clearance rates; conviction rates
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Borrowers Betrayed: Covering Business as a Crime Scene
This tipsheet details how a computer-assisted reporting investigation into toxic home loans turned into a crime story when in-depth analysis showed 10,000 people with criminal histories had been licensed as mortgage professionals.
Tags: mortgage; subprime; toxic loans; Florida; criminal justice; shoe-leather reporting; fraud; real estate; brokerage; stolen identity
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Criminal justice investigations: tips from unexpected people and documents
This tipsheet touches on unexpected people and documents in criminal justice reporting. "Rivalries and jealousies open the door to tips and document leaks for well-positioned reporters." Diedrich details a number of these type of sources and materials.
Tags: crime; justice; police; Federal Bureau of Investigation; probation agents; judges; clerks; convicts; warrants; arrest reports; autopsy records; indictments; trial exhibits
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Investigating Corruption in the Legal System
Sherman's tipsheet addresses story ideas to cover/look for when investigating corruption in the legal system. She also identifies useful documents for covering different aspects of the justice system - from covering federal judges to bail bond agents. Included are a couple of story examples.
Tags: justice system; legal system; judges; bail bond agents; conflict of interest;
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Cracking the Justice System
McCoy and Purcell discuss the computer-assisted work they did in reporting their series "Justice: Delayed, Dismissed, Denied." They explain the data you should gather when reporting on the courts, and the stories you can find within those numbers.
Tags: courts; crime data; Uniform Crime Report; FBI; Federal Bureau of Investigation;
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Investigating Probation
Neff's tipsheet provides information about the records and documents you should seek when investigating probation, including the need to know the specifics of your state's laws. Included in with the tipsheet are examples of these various documents.
Tags: probation; court records; court documents; crime reports; crime reporting; prison records; probation violation records;