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Gerald Berry, 16 in this photo, holding his baby brother Kendrick. Berry is serving life in prison on a felony murder conviction.
Photo courtesy Dorothea Ford

Best of: Despite reforms, some face life for murders they didn’t commit

Because of the "felony murder rule," hundreds of people in Illinois prisons are thought to be serving life sentences for murder even though they didn’t kill anyone, according to a recent analysis from the nonprofit news outlet Injustice Watch. The 21st was joined by someone affected by the rule, as well as two reporters following the story and the co-director of the Center for Wrongful Convictions.

Art Spiegelman's graphic novel

Best of: What’s behind a recent wave of censorship in schools?

Around the country, books about race, gender, and sexuality are facing challenges, so to what’s behind it, and how it impacts which lived experiences get shared in classrooms, we were joined by the editor of an independent editorial book site, as well as professors of library science and comparative literature. 

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