Pick of the News

Former Speaker of the House indicted on federal charges. Dennis Hastert, the longest-serving Republican speaker in the history of the U.S. Congress, faces prison time for allegedly lying to the FBI and paying $3.5 million in hush money to “conceal his prior misconduct.” The New York Times Related: Why he was indicted. The Washington Post

A black ex-cop’s requiem for reform. “Here's what I wish Americans understood about the men and women who serve in their police departments — and what needs to be done to make the system better for everyone.” Vox

Old convictions, new science. The Texas Court of Criminal Appeals is allowed to re-open criminal cases in which convictions were won through misconduct or sheer incompetence on the part of forensic experts. But what if an expert simply changes his mind? Our Maurice Chammah explains. The Marshall Project Related: The policy director for the Texas Defender Service breaks down a bill currently before the Texas legislature that would make it easier for defendants to file appeals in some junk science cases. Grits for Breakfast

The Death of the Death Penalty. Five reasons why capital punishment is unmistakably on its last gasp, from David von Drehle. Time

N/S/E/W

The Cleveland, Ohio police department — one of five law enforcement agencies to be formally investigated for a pattern of civil rights violations not once, but twice by the feds — entered into a consent decree with the Justice Department this week. Will the oversight lead to real reform this time? Frontline

A lawsuit settled this week in Florida requires a state prison to overhaul its treatment of mentally ill prisoners, after allegations that they were housed in cell blocks with feces, rotting food, and insects and forced to take scalding showers. Miami Herald (paywall)

Questions arise about how police under arrest are treated differently than other suspects in Baltimore, Maryland. When they were transported to the city jail earlier this month, three of the officers charged in the death of Freddie Gray were not held in handcuffs, and they were greeted with hugs from their colleagues, a newly released video shows. The Baltimore Sun

In Mississippi, 41 inmates are removed from a county jail and relocated to other facilities after a scathing federal report. WAPT-TV

A new paper proposes that more states follow California’s lead and establish Gun Violence Restraining Orders, which allow family members to petition courts to have guns taken away from their loved ones. National Journal

The Illinois legislature passes landmark legislation to encourage schools to limit disciplining — and often criminalizing — students of color. Lawndale News The state’s House also considers adding a $5 fee to traffic tickets to pay for police body cameras as it shapes statewide regulations for the devices. Chicago Tribune

Commentary

The Lessons of Cincinnati. The city seems to offer a model of reform for police departments everywhere. The Atlantic Related context: But Cincinnati’s apparent successes in lowering crime while reducing arrests may be more hype than hope. The Marshall Project

Raising the Age in the Empire State. “We can’t have 16- and 17-year-olds branded with a felony conviction for life.” The governor of New York again expresses his support for legislation to raise the age of criminal responsibility to 18. New York Daily News

Analysis paralysis. NSA employees privately complain that the agency is collecting so much data that they don’t know what to focus on or even where to begin. The Intercept

You need a lawyer to request a lawyer. If ordinary people in interactions with police can’t figure out how to invoke their rights without the help of a lawyer, then they have no rights at all. Simple Justice

Guilty until proven innocent. What are the alternatives to the system of money bail? Federal Reserve Bank of Boston

Etc.

Ancient History of the Day: Scientists discover evidence of intentional blunt-force trauma to a 435,000-year-old human skull — and declare it one of the earliest known murders in human history. NPR

History of the Day: A look back at the Soul Patrol, an all-black police unit tasked with policing Boston’s black neighborhoods during the city’s turbulent 1970s. CityLab

Video of the Day: What does it look like, and sound like, when prosecutors cut a deal with an informant to testify against a defendant? Like this: a dubious “snitch operation” run by prosecutors in Orange County, California. Al Jazeera America Related: Prosecutorial misconduct in the OC has been going on for years. Slate

App of the Day: With “Uber for Bodyguards,” personal security is just a tap and a click away. Geekwire

Quote of the Day (Federal Appeals Court Edition): “Kicking down a door and immediately shooting a suicidal person who is neither resisting arrest nor threatening anyone save himself is an excessive use of force.” 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals