Amanda Watford

Amanda Watford

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Amanda Watford (née Hernández) is a national reporter covering criminal justice and public safety for Stateline. She reports on the policies, systems and political decisions shaping how the United States responds to crime, with a focus on emerging state policy trends. Her coverage spans policing, crime victims' services, corrections, courts, drug policy, gun violence and more. She often uses data and interactive storytelling to examine how these systems evolve and how they affect communities across the country. Amanda also is a proud member of the National Association of Hispanic Journalists.

As ‘child predator hunters’ go viral, states grapple with the risks of civilian stings
Across the country, dozens of civilian groups, or vigilantes, are posing as children online, arranging meetings with adults they suspect of seeking sex with minors and livestreaming the confrontations to thousands of viewers. The groups say they are helping protect...
Low-level arrests are rising despite national crime declines
Arrests for low-level offenses, including vagrancy and drug possession, increased nationwide in 2025, even as violent crime continued to decline, according to a new analysis of federal data. The analysis , which was released in late October by the criminal...
Violent, property crime victimization rates fell in 2025, federal data shows
A new federal report released the week before Tuesday’s midterm elections found that Americans experienced declines in several categories of violent and property crime victimization in 2025, including aggravated assaults, burglaries and motor vehicle thefts. The preliminary survey findings from...
Voters back tougher crime penalties, reject marijuana rollbacks
Millions of voters in 11 states approved tougher criminal penalties and more bail restrictions in Tuesday’s midterm elections, while rejecting efforts to roll back marijuana legalization and expand cooperation with federal immigration authorities. The results reflected a mixed approach to...
Voters with felony convictions face new rules in several states for the midterms
A half-dozen states enacted laws this year changing voting rules for people with felony convictions, including when their rights can be restored and how they can register to vote — affecting voters in next week’s elections. A couple other states...
Brighter streetlights cut nighttime violence, but only for a while, study finds
As days grow shorter and darkness arrives earlier across much of the country, a new study suggests that brighter streetlights may help reduce nighttime violence — at least temporarily. Researchers found that outdoor nighttime violent crime fell by about 46%...
Researchers point to community violence programs, pandemic recovery in historic homicide decline
As candidates debate public safety ahead of the midterm elections, a new assessment of the nation’s historic homicide decline suggests there is no single explanation for the drop — and that some widely discussed enforcement strategies may have played little...
Cornell case highlights the patchwork of state laws governing intoxication, sexual consent
A former Cornell University student’s allegations of gang rape in 2024 have renewed attention on a difficult area of sexual assault law. A person can be awake, responsive and even able to move during a sexual encounter while still being...
Kratom, 7-OH laws diverge amid the spread of potent synthetic products
For years, the psychoactive compound kratom has been sold across much of the United States as an herbal supplement, available in powders, capsules and extracts with few of the restrictions applied to controlled substances. But the market is changing. Products...
District attorney elections linked to more prison admissions during ‘tough on crime’ era
County and local district attorneys oversaw higher state prison admissions during election years than in other years during the height of the nation’s “tough on crime” era, according to a new study from Northwestern University’s Pritzker School of Law. State...
CDC’s latest youth behavior report offers a narrower look at teen health
For more than 35 years, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has surveyed American high school students every two years about their health and behavior. The Youth Risk Behavior Survey, established in 1991, draws a nationally representative sample...
States put criminal justice, marijuana policies before voters in 2026
Voters in nine states will weigh changes to their criminal legal systems and drug policies this fall. The Nov. 3 ballot measures include questions about pretrial release, fentanyl and human trafficking penalties, immigration enforcement, traffic cameras, drug cartels and marijuana...