best true crime video essays

Favoree's guide to YouTube

13 Best Video Essay YouTubers in 2024 According to Viewers

Tamara Indriana

First of all, what even is a video essay ?

The line between video essays and documentaries is often muddy. While both video essays and documentaries use audiovisual elements to convey ideas and narratives, they differ in their focus, narrative structure, visual style, and intended audience.

Video essays offer critical analysis and interpretation of visual media, while documentaries provide factual information on real-life events and experiences. One key tip to distinguish between the two is that documentaries focus on getting answers from primary sources , like conducting interviews.

Video essays have gained popularity in recent years, particularly on YouTube. The accessibility of digital editing tools and visual media makes it easier than ever for aspiring filmmakers, critics, and scholars to produce and share their own video essays with the world.

In this article, we have compiled a list of the best video essayists on YouTube. Join us as we unravel the intricacies of these digital storytellers who put their viewers on the edge of their seats.

If video essays are not your cup of tea and you’re looking for something more educational, check out our article on the best documentary YouTube channels .

13 Top Video Essay YouTube Channels in 2024

This list is compiled from the opinions of  Favoree  and  Reddit  users.

In no particular order:

1.  EmpLemon  – 1.2M Subscribers

Emplemon blends elements of documentary-style storytelling with humor and cultural critique. Through his videos, Emplemon tells stories about internet culture, dissecting its quirks with razor-sharp wit and insight.

His contents elicit a rollercoaster of emotions, from laughter at absurd internet phenomena to contemplation of the impact of online communities on society.

2.  ContraPoints  – 1.8M Subscribers

Natalie Wynn, better known as Contrapoints, makes incisive video essays about social topics. Initially gaining fame for providing leftist rebuttals to right-wing content, Wynn’s dark humor and elaborate productions captivate audiences.

While her style has evolved to include more intimate settings, Wynn’s content remains intellectually stimulating, featuring detailed philosophical discussions presented in a visually stunning manner.

Natalie is not only an icon for her video essays, she’s also one of the most influential Trans creators on YouTube .

3.  ColdFusion  – 4.7M Subscribers

ColdFusion is a prominent YouTube channel making high-quality videos on corporations and their scandals. The channel’s soothing narration style contributes to a relaxing viewing experience.

With professional editing and a focus on interesting subject matter, ColdFusion delivers compelling insights into the latest trends and developments shaping the world of business and technology.

Check out our article on the best economics YouTube channel if you’re interested in improving your financial knowledge!

4.  Wendigoon  – 3.4M Subscribers

Wendigoon’s exploration of horror and supernatural phenomena certainly gives viewers goosebumps. With a focus on topics like urban legends , paranormal encounters, and mysterious occurrences, Wendigoon delivers chilling narratives that leave viewers intrigued and unsettled.

The channel’s immersive storytelling and atmospheric visuals evoke a sense of unease, drawing audiences into the eerie world of the unknown. Wendigoon’s expertly crafted videos combine suspenseful narration with haunting imagery, creating an unforgettable viewing experience.

Can’t get enough of chilling true crime stories? Our article on the best true crime YouTube channels will help you find more creators to watch.

5.  hbomberguy  – 1.6M Subscribers

Hbomberguy is a highly respected YouTuber famous for his well-researched video essays. With a focus on various topics ranging from video games to social critiques of modernity, Hbomberguy delivers arguments backed by cited facts. His recent video that exposed Internet Historian has gotten the most attention and discourse.

Despite a sporadic upload schedule, his content is eagerly anticipated, offering deep dives into internet culture and thought-provoking analyses.

6.  Kurzgesagt – In a Nutshell  – 21.8M Subscribers

Kurzgesagt is incredible at explaining complex scientific concepts and philosophical ideas in a simple way. Through stunning art and animation, Kurzgesagt brings these topics to life.

Covering a wide range of subjects from space exploration to biology, the channel’s videos are both educational and visually captivating, leaving viewers feeling inspired and enlightened. Kurzgesagt offers an immersive journey into the wonders of the universe, sparking curiosity and wonder in audiences worldwide.

7.  Fredrik Knudsen  – 1.2M Subscribers

A cult favorite, Fredrik Knudsen’s acclaimed series “Down the Rabbit Hole” investigates obscure corners of the internet and perplexing aspects of history.

Known for his unbiased and objective approach, Knudsen presents his subjects in a neutral manner, allowing facts to speak for themselves. His thought-provoking content offers insights into the complexities of human experiences and internet phenomena.

8.  blameitonjorge  – 1.7M Subscribers

Blameitonjorge is beloved for his videos centered around lost media, creepy events, and obscure topics. With a soothing and friendly voice, Jorge’s narration style is modest, respectful, and intelligently humorous, offering a refreshing contrast to typical list-making channels.

His videos cover a diverse range of subjects, including UFO sightings, nostalgia, horror movies, true crime, and Mexican urban legends, all presented with meticulous research and informative editing. Blameitonjorge’s efforts to uncover unanswered mysteries and controversies breathe new life into forgotten topics.

9.  Solar Sands  – 1.3M Subscribers

Solar Sands, an American YouTuber, specializes in video essays analyzing and reviewing art, culture, and archaeology. His long form contents concentrate on retrospectives on various aspects of artistic quality, including the history of low-resolution paintings in Minecraft and analyses of artists like Trevor Henderson .

Solar Sands’ content offers unusual insights into the world of art and culture, appealing to viewers interested in thought-provoking discussions and analyses.

10.  Philosophy Tube  – 1.5M Subscribers

Abigail Thorn, AKA Philosophy Tube, is a British YouTuber exploring philosophy, politics, and personal identity through theatrical presentations and insightful discussions. Abigail’s well-researched content creates a deeper understanding of complex topics and provides support for those grappling with personal identity.

Her inclusive and authentic approach transforms philosophical concepts into accessible narratives, while her openness about her transgender journey inspires self-acceptance in viewers. With a blend of academic rigor and theatrical flair, Philosophy Tube continues to educate and entertain her audiences.

Want a deeper understanding of philosophy without breaking the bank? Check out the best philosophy YouTube channels to learn more!

11. Super Eyepatch Wolf – 1.7M Subscribers

John Walsh, also known as Super Eyepatch Wolf , is an Irish YouTuber renowned for his analytical-style videos primarily focused on anime, with occasional forays into manga and video games.

Unlike many other anime YouTubers, his presentation style stands out for its calm and passionate delivery. His content resonates with audiences seeking thoughtful analysis and insightful commentary.

12. Folding Ideas – 920K Subscribers

Dan Olson or Folding Ideas is a YouTube channel offering long-form video essays on internet culture. From NFTs to nuggets, he makes any topic interesting and will leave you looking for more.

While the writing can occasionally seem overly clever, Dan Olson’s thoroughly researched insights provide valuable perspectives into tech grifts and other media. Despite only uploading every few months, the channel’s in-depth and insightful content is highly appreciated by viewers.

13. Jacob Geller – 1.2M Subscribers

Jacob Geller offers thought-provoking video essays that seamlessly blend topics such as video games, history, politics, and more. With a dark yet empathetic tone, Geller digs deep into philosophical, ethical, metaphysical, and psychological themes, using gaming as a springboard for discussions.

Whether discussing a specific video game mod or architectural design, Jacob’s talent shines through in his insightful videos, offering a deep exploration of video games with surprising depth.

Why are video essays important?

Video essays are important as they provide a platform for creators to offer nuanced interpretations and critical perspectives on various subjects. They serve as engaging educational tools, stimulating discussions and deepening understanding of visual media and cultural phenomena.

What are the benefits of video essays?

Video essays offer benefits such as fostering critical thinking, providing accessible and entertaining educational content, and offering a fresh approach to the analysis and exploration of visual media.

What’s the difference between a video essay and a documentary?

The difference lies in their focus, narrative structure, visual style, and intended audience. While video essays offer critical analysis and interpretation of visual media, documentaries provide factual information on real-life events and experiences, often by obtaining answers from primary sources through interviews.

Is video essay a genre?

Video essay is not a genre in the traditional sense. Rather, it is a format or style of content creation that can encompass a wide range of subjects and approaches, from film analysis to cultural critique.

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The Best Video Essay Channels, Ranked

Cinephiles and film buffs owe it to themselves to check out these YouTube channels which brilliantly analyze and explain movies using video essays.

If you’re a die-hard movie fan, you don’t have to be a hardcore collector to know that you can find a lot of your special features free on YouTube – from movie trailers and top-ten lists to reaction videos and cast-and-crew interviews. But the crème de la crème for any budding cinephile is YouTube ’s subculture of video essayists.

The best of these content creators, particularly those focused on dissecting and analyzing film and television, give viewers a lot of food for thought, making them consider things they hadn’t before, even when it comes to movies they have watched 100 times. There is an embarrassment of content out there, but this article seeks to separate the wheat from the chaff – we are recommending only the channels with the best, most refreshing, and most original analysis. If you're a film lover or budding buff, you owe it to yourself to check out these great video essay channels.

What’s So Great About That?

UK creator and pop-culture academic Grace Lee makes video essays examining themes and form in both horror and animated media; she has an affinity for the deeper, more unexpected thoughts evoked by her favorite genres. Whereas many content creators are quippy or sarcastic, Lee’s voiceover narrative approach is one of measured thoughtfulness.

Related: Explained: How Twin Peaks Changed Television

While her output as What's So Great About That? is not as large as some other creators on this list, that is far from a bad thing as Lee seems to focus more on quality than quantity. Each video discusses fairly narrow topics within a given property – examples include the “treachery of language” in the work of David Lynch or the concept of the “unnatural” in the original Evil Dead film.

You might mistake Canadian vlogger Sarah Z (pronounced “Zed”) for your best friend. She sits on the couch with a cup of coffee and speaks directly to you, a monologuist spending hours on end about all of her opinions, from toxic fandoms to true-crime documentaries.

But these monologues are not the boring, meaningless yarns that you might expect. Rather, Sarah’s channel is an ever-deepening trove of incisive and engaging media analysis encased in a shell of light and fluffy entertainment. The whole thing is driven by Sarah’s palpable excitement and enthusiasm for the topics she is covering, and a penchant for long, detailed videos that are extensively researched. Some videos will even stretch far beyond the one-hour mark, including a 90-minute video on geek culture and a full two hours on Dear Evan Hansen .

Another Canadian creator steps up to the plate in the form of Sage Hyden , a fantasy novelist whose essay channel Just Write seems particularly preoccupied with film’s place in the cultural conversation. In particular, Hyden is fascinated with the messages that movies send us, what they are trying to communicate (consciously or subconsciously), and how they shape our perceptions and prejudices.

For topics that can sometimes land on the serious side, Hyden’s tone and writing style are conversational and often funny, and his insights are fairly eye-opening. Topics include Willy Wonka and its relationship to misconceptions about poverty, the importance of the original Mulan film, and the cinematic lineage of the modern murder mystery Knives Out .

If you consider yourself an outsider or find yourself disagreeing with most of your friends on their favorite movies, you might find a mutual kinship with creator Yhara Zayd , whose videos examine film and television through lenses both personal and political. Zayd’s is not the kind of detached analysis you can expect from many YouTubers; rather, though she is very well-researched, she is also full of unapologetic hot takes, and her videos are brimming with the caustic personality of a modern-day Pauline Kael.

Related: These Are the Best Marilyn Monroe Movies

In some ways, Zayd has crafted the perfect synergy between the highly-opinionated critic and the relentless deconstructionist, enthusiastically dissecting and questioning the images and media we regularly consume. She also has a distinct knack for self-awareness, gazing inward as she gazes outward, a quality which separates her content from that of many of her peers. Zayd covers such divergent subjects as the commodification of the great Marilyn Monroe, reflections of housing discrimination in 1980s horror films , and the under-appreciated legacy of Not Another Teen Movie .

For something a little less personal but no less fascinating, it is worth checking out the prolific Susannah McCullough and her channel The Take . McCullough and her extraordinary team make what are probably the best “Explained” videos you’ll be able to find, along with character breakdowns, deconstructions of tropes, and the lessons movies can teach us. They’ve got videos that deconstruct and explain Donnie Darko , The Sopranos , Get Out , and many, many more. They’ve also nerded out with full series on different franchises, including detailed character analyses in shows such as Friends and Breaking Bad .

The writing is smart but accessible, and the arguments are utterly convincing. The videos themselves are breezily edited and full of poppy visuals. The channel also covers many, many genres and types of movies, so you are sure to find something on a movie or TV show you love. The Take offers incisive film analysis in a context that is fun and completely unpretentious.

Maggie Mae Fish

Decadent, performance-driven vlogs like ContraPoints and Philosophy Tube are all the rage these days, and film buffs finally have their own version in the form of Maggie Mae Fish . Ms. Fish is a singular, idiosyncratic voice who pivots wildly from dedicated film scholar to sketch-comedy caricature and back again. She typically sits center-frame in a variety of ornately designed sets, dressed in colorful outfits, while she patiently spoons out detailed, thoughtful analysis over the course of long videos.

For any video-essay enthusiast, Fish is the real deal – wickedly entertaining, subversive, accessible, and always thought-provoking. Her recent two-video series on Twin Peaks is catnip for any fans seeking a new perspective on the show – and an excellent dressing-down of Twin Perfect’s infamous 4.5-hour breakdown. She also deconstructs auteur theory through the works of David Lynch and Stanley Kubrick, and spends two hours discussing Loki ’s debt to Andrei Tarkovsky’s Stalker .

Lindsay Ellis

When it comes to distinct personalities, no vlogger quite matches the likes of the controversial but brilliant Lindsay Ellis . She is a brand unto herself, with an over-the-top, self-deprecating style that can only be described as a hopped-up, sleep-deprived, but no less informed, Adam Curtis. She is often seen drinking wine in her videos, breaking down popular media like Disney movies, musical adaptations, and The Lord of the Rings franchise.

Ellis is one of the originals of the medium, and her work is so singular that her influence has likely extended to all the other creators who occupy this list. Some of her most brilliant work includes “The Whole Plate,” a nine-video series that completely deconstructs the first Transformers film through the lenses of gender, sexuality, and film studies. Her most iconic work includes 40-minute videos ranting about the film adaptations of Rent and The Phantom of the Opera . Due to recent Internet events, she has stopped making videos on YouTube, but her existing videos are still there for all to see and are absolutely worth checking out.

Every Frame A Painting

Sometimes the most obvious answer is still the best one. Taylor Ramos and Tony Zhou’s gorgeous video series Every Frame A Painting is still the benchmark against which all other video essayists are judged. You’ve probably seen their video on Edgar Wright and visual comedy, or the one on silence in the films of Martin Scorsese. The channel has been defunct for several years now, but the content still feels as fresh and original as it did when it was first published.

The topics covered are narrow and unexpected, but they all work extraordinarily well. The writing is tight and evocative, and Zhou’s voice is unforgettably soothing and inviting. The editing is also crisp and beautiful. Ramos and Zhou have become so renowned for their work that they were even invited to contribute to David Fincher’s Voir , a video essay project for Netflix.

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35 great true crime stories: true crime articles to read online, murder stories, the body in room 348 by mark bowden, the case of the vanishing blonde by mark bowden, true crime by david grann, the lazarus file by matthew mcgough, the truck stop killer by vanessa veselka, the girl in the picture by nile cappello, mysterious circumstances by david grann, the unbelievable tale of a fake hitman, a kill list, a darknet vigilante... and a murder by gian m. volpicell, the sicario by charles bowden, the untold story of silk road by joshuah bearman, the young and the reckless by brendan i. koerner, the most deceptive hack in history by andy greenberg, how an entire nation became russia's test lab for cyberwar by andy greenberg, the most devastating cyberattack in history by andy greenberg, organised crime, crimetown usa by david grann, cocaine incorporated by patrick radden keefe, the hunt for el chapo by patrick radden keefe, white collar crime, the $9 billion witness by matt taibbi, the biggest tax scam ever by tim dickinson, only fools and horses by barney curley, how i became a con artist by jason jellick, see also..., 150 great articles and essays.

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The 50 best true-crime documentaries you can stream right now

(Ricardo Santos / For The Times)

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Cult murders, lottery heists, deadly dating apps, killer clowns: We’re in the midst of a true-crime wave, and television is the culprit. From HBO Max to A&E, true-crime programming is more prevalent than illegal weed dispensaries. So, like the authorities — at least the honest ones — we’re stepping in to help.

Here, selected by yours truly and compiled from Times coverage, are 50 of the best true-crime documentary films and TV series you can stream right now. The choices run the gamut in terms of subject matter and tone, tackling all matter of narratives: following the gumshoe detectives of “The First 48,” exposing miscarriages of justice in “Who Killed Malcolm X?,” chronicling crimes so bizarre it’s hard to believe they qualify as true in “Sasquatch.”

The filmmakers behind these productions have solved crimes, freed the wrongly accused, exposed the guilty and given voice to victims and survivors. And yes, they’ve also unraveled the twisted tales of heinous murders, heartless scams and wanton corruption for the sake of entertainment. Critics of the genre argue that true crime is exploitative and voyeuristic, and there’s no doubt that’s part of its allure. True-crime buffs often point to the thrill of playing armchair detective (see “Don’t F— With Cats”) and the satisfaction of solving a real-life puzzle. I’d like to believe the form has become so popular because perps and their wrongdoings are exposed in the majority of the programming, and accountability is in short supply elsewhere these days.

Like any list, of course, this one comes with limitations: I’ve excluded programming from networks dedicated to the genre, such as Investigation Discovery and Oxygen, which feature so much content they deserve their own guide. How else to do justice to national treasures such as “Snapped” and “Homicide Hunter: Lt. Joe Kenda”? I’ve also sought to strike a balance among many tones and subjects, so the reasons for including the titles vary as much as their production values. Some are bar-setting films from master documentarians, others are necessary works from filmmakers who uncovered incredible stories. Some were simply too juicy to pass up.

And you may be surprised by a few of the big titles that didn’t make the list, like “Making a Murderer” and “The Staircase.” I could write lengthy essays on my issues with both docuseries, but I’ll spare you. In short, I left them out because I found problematic the artistic license both series used to make their point. Go ahead. Arrest me.

To my fellow true-crime aficionados: I’ve undoubtedly overlooked your favorites or promoted others that have no business on this list! I get it. But once you’ve stopped fuming, I hope you’ll discover titles that are new to you, or give another shot to one you previously dismissed. Sleuth away. — Lorraine Ali

Curated by Lorraine Ali Compiled by Ed Stockly

50. Murdaugh Murders: A Southern Scandal

2023 | TV-MA | 1 Season | Documentary series Netflix: Included Created by Jenner Furst and Julia Willoughby Nason

The Murdaughs. Perhaps you’ve heard of them? The prominent Hampton County, S.C., family once renowned for their wealth and power are now at the center of so much death that multiple documentaries are required just to keep up. Netflix’s series is perhaps the best of the bunch when it comes to organizing the mayhem into a cohesive, crisp narrative, and there’s a lot to catalog: the 2014 murder of a student with ties to the family. The 2018 death of the Murdaughs’ longtime housekeeper, Gloria Satterfield, and the dubious life insurance scam around her demise. The 2019 death of Mallory Beach during a reckless boating collision. And the 2021 double homicide of Alex Murdaugh’s son Paul and his wife, Margaret. “Fyre Fraud” filmmakers Jenner Furst and Julia Willoughby Nason chronicle the downfall of the family dynasty and now-disgraced former attorney Alex Murdaugh over three episodes using interviews with former friends, lovers, law-enforcement officials, attorneys and journalists to show how the Murdaugh clan’s stunning abuse of power and privilege spiraled into a national obsession. Alex was sentenced to life for the murders of his wife and son, but with so many dubious deaths in his wake, this story isn’t over — not by a long shot. Expect a second season. — Lorraine Ali

49. Jimmy Savile: A British Horror Story

2022 | TV-MA | 1 Season | Documentary series Netflix: Included Created by Rowan Deacon

Generations of British children grew up watching Jimmy Savile as the jovial host of the kids show “Jim’ll Fix It” and the effervescent emcee of “Top of the Pops.” The affable DJ and philanthropist was renowned for his bizarre hairdos, quirky demeanor and ability to charm everyone from Muhammad Ali to the royals. But after his 2011 death, a U.K. investigation found that Savile sexually abused at least 500 victims throughout his career from 1955 to the mid-2000s. He preyed upon children in BBC’s broadcasting studios, at children’s hospitals and inside schools. The majority of Savile’s alleged victims were between ages 13 and 15, but some were as young as 2 years old. The late entertainer’s decades-long abuse of the young people he purported to be helping is chronicled in this two-part documentary, and though the film could use some reorganizing, it tells the fascinating tale of a predator who hid in plain sight. The film shows how many in the U.K. media and entertainment worlds knew something was wrong but chose to ignore his troubling behavior. After all, Savile was a “national treasure.” Prepare to be enraged. — Lorraine Ali

48. Dr. Death: The Undoctored Story

2021 | TV-14 | 1 Season | Documentary series Peacock: Included Created by Sara Mast

In the hands of neurosurgeon Christopher Duntsch, surgical tools were deadly weapons. The bad doctor (now serving a life sentence) injured, maimed or killed 33 of the 38 patients who trusted him with their routine spinal surgeries in the Dallas area over a two-year period in the early 2010s. “Dr. Death: The Undoctored Story” chronicles an erratic history, from his beginnings as a manipulative, below-par medical student to a rampant drug abuser to an egomaniac whose impunity and incompetence in the operating theater injured or killed his patients and stunned his colleagues. Scarier yet, the healthcare system knew about his fatal spree but still allowed him to practice. Surgeons and nurses interviewed in the film recall in jaw-dropping detail how they continually blew the whistle on Duntsch as he continued to find employment at hospitals across the state. A serial killer with a scalpel or simply an inept doctor with a license to kill? Watch this series and decide for yourself. ( Read more ) — Lorraine Ali

47. Truth and Lies: Jonestown, Paradise Lost

2018 | TV-PG | Documentary special Hulu: Included

Created by Monica DelaRosa and David Sloan

The largest mass murder and suicide in modern history is recounted in this documentary. Over 900 members of the Peoples Temple church, many of them American, died on the cult’s remote jungle compound outside Jonestown, Guyana, in 1978 after they’d consumed a deadly cyanide-laced drink on the orders of their paranoid leader, Jim Jones. The special traces the origins of the eccentric pastor, from his church’s racially integrated beginnings in Indianapolis through its exodus from San Francisco to Guyana to avoid increased media attention and investigations.

The doc utilizes seldom-seen, raw footage, audiotapes and recently declassified FBI documents to paint the picture of a cult where grueling manual labor, abuse and starvation were everyday realities. But it’s the interviews with those who survived the horror, and the posthumous diaries and letters from those who died, that capture the downward spiral of the delusional Jones. He ordered the massacre after U.S. Congressman Leo Ryan visited Jonestown out of concern for the well-being of Jones’ followers. As Ryan was preparing to leave, he and four others (including U.S. journalists and defectors) were shot to death on the airstrip by Temple gunmen. The murders prompted Jones to command his flock to drink the poison punch. “There’s no way we can survive” he told the anguished, crying crowd. “Truth and Lies: Jonestown, Paradise Lost” is a must-watch for anyone who wishes to understand why 909 souls — many of them children — perished on the command of one demented man. — Lorraine Ali

46. Crime Stories: India Detectives

2021 | TV- MA | 1 Season | Documentary series Netflix: Included Created by N Amit and Jack Rampling

The frenetic bustle of Bangalore is the backdrop for this four-episode docuseries about crime-solving in the city of 11 million. Each episode follows a different precinct of Indian detectives from the moment a victim reports a crime to the capture of the suspects. Extortion, kidnapping and murder are among the offenses chronicled here, but it’s the distinctive setting of the series that makes it a fascinating watch. The investigations take viewers around Bangalore, from crowded slums where sex workers are found killed to the comfortable flats of tech workers in a region known as India’s Silicon Valley, a setting where nothing bad should ever happen — but does. It’s a unique window into the lives of Bengaluru’s police force, and an unexpectedly moving look at the people they’re charged with protecting. Brace yourself: A&E’s “Interrogation Raw” has nothing on the inquisition scenes here. — Lorraine Ali

45. Undercurrent: The Disappearance of Kim Wall

2022 | TV- MA | 1 Season | Documentary series HBO Max: Included Created by Erin Lee Carr

An eccentric entrepreneur, an intrepid journalist, a submarine, a murder. Swedish reporter Kim Wall disappeared in 2017 on assignment, covering what should have been a tame human interest story about a celebrity inventor and his latest contraption. She was was last seen interviewing media darling Peter Madsen aboard his self-made submarine in Danish waters, a trip from which only one of them returned. This two-part documentary chronicles the bizarre events around Wall’s demise, from her experience reporting in hot zones around the globe to the hubris of a wealthy predator who assumed he’d charm his way out of a homicide conviction. Police, prosecutors and Navy scientists are among the cadre who waded through Madsen‘s multiple lies in search of the real story. As details about Wall’s last moments emerge, the truth is far more horrific and barbaric than anyone imagined. — Lorraine Ali

44. Helter Skelter: An American Myth

2020 | TV- MA | 1 Season | Documentary series MGM+: Included | Apple TV+: Rent/Buy | Prime Video: Rent/Buy Created by Lesley Chilcott

More than half a century later, memories of the Manson Family still resemble a fever dream. It’s no wonder storytellers can’t help but reexplore the rise and fall of Charlie Manson, a diminutive ex-con, pimp and aspiring musician who amassed a following of mostly young women, plied them with LSD, sex and antiestablishment jargon, then convinced them to kill in the name of a race war. They lived on a commune. They mingled with, and murdered, celebrities. And it all happened behind the deceptive cloak of peace and love.

Compelling and comprehensive documentaries on that anomalous period in American crime are hard to come by, and while “Helter Skelter: An American Myth” isn’t perfect, it does do an excellent job of capturing the cultural confusion that ensued when a band of hippies crept into the homes of the LaBiancas and Roman Polanski and Sharon Tate to murder them in the most gruesome of ways. The six-part production follows the history of the “Family,” from its flower-power beginnings to its barbaric killing spree in the summer of 1969. Full of illuminating archival footage of Manson, his followers and the environs that shaped their unlikely ascent, the series’ hourlong episodes feature exclusive interviews with former cult members, survivors of the victims, and the men and women involved in investigating a chilling crime spree that’s now part of L.A.’s dark history. ( Read more ) —Lorraine Ali

43. How to Fix a Drug Scandal

2020 | TV-MA | 1 Season | Documentary series Netflix: Included Created b y Erin Lee Carr

This four-part series can be frustrating to watch due to its over-the-top re-creations and clunky attempts at artful camera work, but the subject at its heart is worth your time. Erin Lee Carr focuses on Sonja Farak, a chemist at a drug lab in Amherst, Mass., that was one of the state’s two main testing facilities. Her role was to test evidence gathered from drug-related cases. Her lab work and her testimony on the stand secured thousands of convictions. But she also happened to be stealing and partaking in the controlled substances she was meant to be testing, including methamphetamines and LSD. But there’s more. Across the state, a chemist at the Hinton Lab was caught forging tens of thousands of tests, and that was just the beginning of the malfeasance uncovered by authorities when they investigated Annie Dookhan. She wasn’t getting high on evidence, but she was consistently misidentifying samples, and claimed to have tested substances that she’d never in fact examined. She even falsified evidence in order to impress her bosses and move up the chain.

Together the women compromised more than 47,000 criminal cases, affecting the lives of thousands. Dookhan’s arrest resulted in an avalanche of appeals, and numerous faulty convictions were overturned, but the state attorney general’s office went to great lengths to downplay Farak as a liability, burying proof of her drug addiction, lying to district attorneys and misleading judges for five years while keeping defendants from appealing their convictions. — Lorraine Ali

42. West of Memphis

2012 | Rated R | Documentary Apple TV+: Rent/Buy | Prime Video: Rent/Buy Directed by Amy Berg

Satanic panic plagued the Bible Belt the 1980s and 1990s, when devil worship was thought to be behind seemingly every inexplicable, heinous crime. It was against this paranoid backdrop that the teens later known as the West Memphis Three were wrongfully convicted for the 1993 murder of three 8-year-old boys in West Memphis, Ark. The crime was particularly gruesome: The bodies of the boys were found naked and hogtied in a drainage ditch, and one of the young victims’ genitals had been mutilated. The unthinkable levels of cruelty and violence were assumed to be the work of a demonic cult — villains who dressed in black and listened to heavy metal, as local teens Jessie Misskelley, Jason Baldwin and Damien Echols did at the time. The trio were arrested and convicted of the murders despite a stunning lack of evidence and coerced confessions. Filmmaker Amy Berg chronicles this gross miscarriage of justice through interviews with those deeply involved in the case, including family members, witnesses and the West Memphis Three themselves. Berg rightly argues that the teens were railroaded, and DNA evidence years later appeared to implicate the stepfather of one of the deceased. After 18 years in prison and celebrity campaigns to free the men (Eddie Vedder, Johnny Depp and Natalie Maines were among those calling for their release), the West Memphis Three were released in 2011. Produced by Echols, his wife, Lorri Davis, and filmmaker Peter Jackson, “West of Memphis” is a searing indictment of the criminal justice system that shines a light on the dangers of institutional classism. ( Read more ) — Lorraine Ali

41. Monsters Inside: The 24 Faces of Billy Milligan

2021 | TV-14 | 1 Season | Documentary series Netflix: Included Created by Olivier Megaton

In 1978, Billy Milligan became the first person in U.S. history to cite multiple personality disorder in an insanity defense. But were his multiple personalities really controlling his actions, or were they simply the pretext of a dangerous, narcissistic sociopath? Netflix’s four-part investigative series revisits those questions, and the crimes of the rapist who terrorized Ohio State University before his arrest and made subsequent claims that he had no memory of the assaults. French film director Olivier Megaton (“Taken 2” and “Taken 3”) applies a cinematic lens to the docuseries format as he follows the Milligan family, friends, doctors and law enforcement who are still trying to understand Milligan’s state of mind at the time of his alleged crimes and at trial.

A litany of psychiatrists diagnosed Milligan, who was in his 20s when he was accused, with “multiple personality disorder” (known now as dissociative identity disorder). They determined he had as many as 24 distinct “multiples,” which led a jury to find Milligan innocent by reason of insanity. The landmark verdict rocked the criminal justice system, and its repercussions are still being debated today. ( Read more ) —Lorraine Ali

40. Catching Killers

2021 | TV-MA | 2 Seasons | Documentary series Netflix: Included Created by Simon Dekker

Homicide detectives recount in vivid detail the extreme measures they took to track and capture the globe’s most notorious serial killers in Netflix’s docuseries “Catching Killers.” The Green River Killer, Aileen Wuornos, BTK and the Happy Face Killer are among the subjects covered in this two-season, eight-episode collection of captivating stories told by the investigators at the forefront of solving the cases. There’s no narration or outside talking heads here, just compelling sit-down interviews with the women and men who worked on some of the country’s most notorious crimes, poring over hundreds of clues, risking their lives and suffering emotionally after witnessing gruesome scenes and interrogating sociopaths, sadists and cannibals. Their frank and humanizing testimonials, paired with archival police and news footage from the cases, illustrate the momentous effort that went into cracking some of the most egregious serial homicides in modern memory. ( Read more ) — Lorraine Ali

39. The Vow

2020 | TV-MA | 2 Seasons | Documentary series HBO Max: Included | Apple TV+: Rent/Buy | Prime Video: Rent/Buy Created by Jehane Noujaim and Karim Amer

“ The Vow ” follows disaffected members of NXIVM as they extricate themselves from the alleged cult and speak out against its leader, Keith Raniere. You might be wondering how seemingly intelligent people got involved in such a dubious operation. Weren’t they freaked out by the color-coded sashes that members wore to denote their rank? What about the outlandish claims about Raniere’s supposed intelligence or the midnight volleyball games he insisted on playing? Was anything really worth moving to the suburbs of Albany, N.Y., where the group was based?

Sarah Edmondson and Mark Vicente, two of the primary subjects of “The Vow,” say they never planned to join a cult. They were well-meaning spiritual seekers who found a sense of purpose through the group’s “Executive Success Program” — or ESP — personal development seminars supposedly designed to help people overcome their “limiting beliefs.” As recounted in “The Vow,” Edmondson and Vicente worked their way up the organization’s internal hierarchy — known as “the stripe path” — and became enthusiastic boosters of its mission, recruiting Hollywood actors and other artists to join NXIVM and helping it expand across North America.

Their decision to become whistleblowers, chronicled by “The Vow” directors Jehane Noujaim and Karim Amer , helped lead to Raniere’s 2020 conviction on charges including sex trafficking. Other high-profile NXIVM members, including Seagram’s heiress Clare Bronfman and “Smallville” actor Allison Mack , also have faced legal action. ( Read more ) — Meredith Blake

38. Cocaine Cowboys

2006 | TV-MA | Documentary Hulu: Included Directed by Billy Corben

Before the cowboys came to town, Miami was a quiet place that featured, someone says, “a lot of old people sitting around in beach chairs waiting to die.” Then Colombia’s Medellín Cartel, “the world’s largest cocaine-smuggling organization,” discovered the place, more and more Americans got the drug habit, and lots of numbers in Miami skyrocketed. Those included the millions of dollars placed in local banks and the murder count, which went from 104 in 1976 to 621 in 1981.

“Cocaine Cowboys” tells this story with an all-sleaze-all-the-time attitude. The story is told largely by a trio of men who were there. Jon Roberts claims to have overseen the shipping of more than $2 billion worth of cocaine from Colombia, pilot Mickey Munday says he personally flew in some 10 tons, and Jorge “Rivi” Ayala is currently in prison for murder. These gentlemen are all capable storytellers, albeit invariably self-serving ones. While the filmmakers clearly got a contact high from hearing all these war stories, most civilians will find a little of this goes a long way. ( Read more ) — Kenneth Turan

37. John Wayne Gacy: Devil in Disguise

2021 | TV-14 | 1 Season | Documentary series Peacock: Included Created by Rod Blackhurst

John Wayne Gacy seemed like a stand-up guy to his friends and neighbors. He performed as a clown in parades and at the bedsides of sick children. He was a former Jaycee who founded a construction company where he generously hired young men with little experience. He was jovial and had a great sense of humor. But when 26 bodies were discovered under the floorboards of his Chicago home in 1978, it was clear they’d all been hoodwinked by the middle-aged guy next door. This six-part docuseries reveals how one of the country’s more prolific serial killers hid in plain sight as he preyed upon young men throughout the 1960s and 1970s. “Devil in Disguise” features interviews with Gacy’s sister and never-before-seen footage from his meeting with FBI profiler Robert Ressler, providing clues into how a monster convinced everyone he was a harmless jester. Warning: There’s clown art. — Lorraine Ali

36. The Lady and the Dale

2021 | TV-MA | 1 Season | Documentary series HBO Max: Included Directed by Nick Cammilleri and Zackary Drucker

Liz Carmichael, a transgender woman, brash automobile entrepreneur and Ayn Rand-loving libertarian with purported Mafia ties, is the subject of “The Lady and the Dale.” Directed by Nick Cammilleri and Zackary Drucker, the four-part series paints a riveting portrait of Carmichael, who gained notoriety as the iconoclastic maker of a supposedly revolutionary three-wheeled car called the Dale — touted as the greatest vehicle since the Model T. At the height of the oil crisis, in the mid-1970s, Carmichael made grandiose claims that the vehicle could get 70 miles to the gallon and would upend the auto industry.

But in 1977, she was convicted on charges of fraud and conspiracy for bilking investors in her L.A.-area Twentieth Century Motor Car Corp. — merely one twist in a much-stranger-than-fiction life story that also involved a roadside flower business in Texas, an appearance on “Unsolved Mysteries,” plastic surgery, the FBI, Cuban gunrunners and political commentator Tucker Carlson’s dad.

Using archival video, interviews with family members and colleagues, animated photo-collage re-creations and expert commentary, “The Lady and the Dale” depicts Carmichael as a deeply flawed yet undeniably charismatic transgender pioneer — a true-crime antihero who never sought to be a role model, yet inspired fierce devotion and radical acceptance from many who knew her. By allowing Carmichael to be so completely herself, rife with fascinating contradictions, the series represents something of a breakthrough in transgender representation on the small screen. ( Read more ) — Meredith Blake

35. Murder on Middle Beach

2020 | TV-MA | 1 Season | Documentary series HBO Max: Included Created by Madison Hamburg

Madison Hamburg, whose mother, Barbara Beach, was killed in 2010, is convinced that, if used in the right way, true-crime TV can be of value in the hunt for justice — even in spite of the hurdles he’s come across in his own efforts to solve the crime, documented in HBO’s “Murder on Middle Beach.” The series brought Beach’s perplexing murder in the yard of her affluent Connecticut home back into the spotlight, but Hamburg wanted to focus on the other victims — the entire Hamburg/Beach family — as he sought to exonerate his sister, his aunt and others identified as “persons of interest” by the local police department. Throughout Hamburg’s own detective work, he ran into one central problem: Detectives don’t want to share information.

The media frenzy around a case, cold or otherwise, is a double-edged sword: It can be devastating for the family to relive the horror, even as the media’s attention may be able to grab the public’s attention — and put pressure on the police. A few years ago, Hamburg himself confided in an old friend who also happened to be an ex-FBI agent about his challenges with “Murder on Middle Beach.” He feared exploiting his mother’s story or his family, and was unsure whether airing it would make any difference. His friend asked him, “Would you rather find justice or the truth?” ( Read more ) — Valentina Valentini

34. Love Fraud

2020 | TV-MA | 1 Season | Documentary series Apple TV+: Rent/Buy | Prime Video: Included Created by Rachel Grady and Heidi Ewing

The hunt and capture of lonely-hearts con artist Richard Scott Smith is at the center of this Showtime thriller. For over 20 years, Smith used the internet and multiple aliases to lure in dozens of women. He’d woo them, professing his love mere weeks into their relationship, convincing the women he was The One. Then he’d breach their bank accounts, dignity and sense of trust. But his victims eventually find one another, compare notes and unite under the banner of revenge. The chase practically plays out in real time here as Smith’s exes take things into their own hands after they’re dismissed by law enforcement. The pacing along with the colorful cast of characters make this series pop, from doting soccer moms to a tough-as-leather female bounty hunter to Smith himself. When filmmakers Rachel Grady and Heidi Ewing finally catch up with him, he explains away his crimes by pointing to a loveless childhood that made him the hopeless romantic he is today. The con never ends. — Lorraine Ali

33. The Witness

2016 | Rated 13+ | Documentary AMC+: Included | Kanopy: Included | Apple TV+: Rent/Buy | Prime Video: Rent/Buy Created by Bill Genovese, directed by James Solomon

At first glance, the title of “The Witness” would seem to reference the 38 residents of Kew Gardens in Queens, N.Y., who were pilloried in the press for their apparent indifference to the screams of 28-year-old Kitty Genovese as she was stabbed to death outside their windows. In the decades since that night in March 1964, Genovese has been held up as a tragic victim of bystander apathy in the big city, though one of the key accomplishments of this quietly revelatory documentary is that it sees the people in this tragedy as more than just convenient scapegoats or symbols. Not all those 38 neighbors were as cruelly indifferent as the public was led to believe, and Kitty herself, as one person passionately attests here, “was so much more than her last 30 minutes.”

That person is Kitty’s younger brother, Bill, the film’s chief camera subject, its driving force and the real witness of the title. No passive observer, he is instead an active investigator and interpreter of events that forever changed his family’s life. Only 16 at the time of his sister’s death, Bill joined the Marines a few years later and went to Vietnam, where he lost both his legs — a setback that, whatever it may have cost him in mobility, seems to have sapped none of his determination. Now in his 60s, hoisting himself up stairs and climbing in and out of a wheelchair, he could scarcely seem more energetic — or more inspiring — in his dogged pursuit of the truth.

The strength of “The Witness” lies in its recognition that the truth is often not just elusive but unattainable. To call the film a debunking or a corrective would ascribe to it a level of knowledge that neither Bill Genovese nor director James Solomon, a screenwriter making a fine nonfiction filmmaking debut, claims to possess. Instead they throw themselves into the hunt with unflagging resolve, turning a sober reflection on tragedy into a lively and unpredictable detective story, and evincing at every step a sense of initiative that is the very opposite of apathy. ( Read more ) — Justin Chang

32. The Hillside Strangler: Devil in Disguise

2022 | TV-MA | 1 season | Documentary series Peacock: Included Created by Alexa Danner

Los Angeles has been called many things: City of Angels, Tinseltown. But it also gained a name for a decidedly less glamorous distinction in the 1970s and 1980s: Serial Killer Capital of America. In the decades between the 1969 Manson Family murders and the 1989 conviction of Richard Ramirez, a.k.a. the Night Stalker, there were so many serial murders to keep track of that traumatized Angelenos needed a flow chart to keep up. There was the Skid Row Stabber. The Sunset Strip Killer. The West Side Rapist. The Toolbox Killers. The Grim Sleeper. During this period, more than 20 serial killers were reportedly operating simultaneously in Los Angeles.

“The Hillside Strangler: Devil in Disguise” focuses on one of the more notorious cases to rise out of that dark era. The four-episode series revisits the killing spree of the so-called Hillside Strangler, a phantom behind the killings of 10 women in Los Angeles in 1977 and 1978. The city was gripped with fear as body after body was found dumped in the hills above Glendale and Eagle Rock, near Dodger Stadium in Elysian Heights, on a residential street in La Crescenta, near a freeway offramp in Los Feliz. The men ultimately convicted of the slayings were cousins Kenneth Bianchi and Angelo Buono, who appear in interrogation rooms in the latter half of this documentary. It’s a trip back in time to the terrifying true stories of the serial kidnappings and murders that held the quiet neighborhoods of East Los Angeles hostage during the 1970s. ( Read more ) —Lorraine Ali

31. Rest in Power: The Trayvon Martin Story

2018 | TV-14 | 1 Season | Documentary series BET+: Included | Paramount+: Included | Apple TV+: Rent/Buy Created by Jenner Furst and Julia Willoughby Nason

Social justice, personal loss, systemic racism and national reckoning are explored in “Rest in Power: The Trayvon Martin Story,” a potent, moving six-part documentary offering fresh insight into the 2012 killing of the unarmed teen by 28-year-old vigilante George Zimmerman. The docuseries chronicles why this slaying of a young Black man — a crime that often goes uncovered in the media — made headlines, inspired protests and forced a national reckoning.

“Rest in Power” delves deep into the specifics of the 17-year-old’s homicide, the police investigation, the trial and the acquittal. But it’s the way in which directors Jenner Furst and Julia Willoughby Nason connect new and old details of the case with its widespread effect that makes “Rest in Power” a comprehensive, emotional and brutally honest look at America since that fatal shooting. Martin’s killing and Zimmerman’s acquittal helped ignite social justice movements such as Black Lives Matter, galvanized alt-right advocates around issues of white separatism and ultimately influenced the outcome of the 2016 presidential election.

The series, inspired by a 2017 book by Martin’s parents, Sybrina Fulton and Tracy Martin (they co-produced the series along with Shawn “Jay-Z” Carter), uses the scope of history to string together all these events, as well as the ensuing protests over the shootings of unarmed Black men and women across the country. ( Read more ) — Lorraine Ali

30. 3 ½ Minutes, Ten Bullets

2015 | Rated 13+ | Documentary HBO Max: Included | Apple TV+: Rent/Buy | Prime Video: Rent/Buy Directed by Marc Silver

A documentary that shouldn’t have to be made, about a law that needn’t exist, explored via a crime that could have been avoided: “3 1/2 Minutes, Ten Bullets” is a thought-provoking, mournful experience. The film’s focus is the trial of Michael Dunn, a middle-aged white man who on Nov. 23, 2012, in Jacksonville, Fla., shot and killed black teenager Jordan Davis at a gas station during an argument over the decibel level of the rap music coming from the SUV that Jordan, 17, and his buddies were in.

Director Marc Silver won approval to film the trial, and the sobering narrative his fixed cameras capture — of a tragedy parsed for some measure of institutionalized justice — extends to the more personal connecting tissue of interviews with Jordan’s family and friends. Silver artfully layers that, coolly and calmly, so the weight of the issues — namely how racial profiling and a self-defense law like “stand your ground” malevolently feed each other — sinks in. The heartache and outrage are there already. The movie wisely doesn’t force it. And if you don’t know the outcome, the suspense may prove to be unbearable. ( Read more ) — Robert Abele

29. Aileen: Life and Death of a Serial Killer

2003 | Rated R | Documentary Sundance Now: Included | Apple TV+: Rent/Buy | Prime Video: Included Directed by Nick Broomfield

Controversial documentary filmmaker Nick Broomfield’s first film on Florida serial killer Aileen Wuornos, 1992’s “Aileen Wuornos: The Selling of a Serial Killer,” was a biting critique of the ascendant tabloid media culture and portrayed the accused killer as the most honorable and clear-eyed person involved in her unseemly tale. Broomfield’s second, “Aileen: Life and Death of a Serial Killer,” finds him and his footage subpoenaed for one of Wuornos’ death-row appeals. Broomfield, then 55, conducted Wuornos’ final interview the day before she was executed in October 2002. ( Read more ) — Mark Olsen

28. Tales of the Grim Sleeper

2014 | TV-MA | Documentary Plex: Included Directed by Nick Broomfield

“ Tales of the Grim Sleeper ,” from British documentarian Nick Broomfield (“Aileen: Life and Death of a Serial Killer,” “Biggie and Tupac”), probes into what, on the surface, seems like the underzealousness of police tracking a Black serial killer. The reason it only “seems” that way is that the neglect stems from the same cultural pools of racism: In the case of the Grim Sleeper, the victims were all Black women, many of them sex workers and/or addicts.

Broomfield tells us that for years the unofficial police designation for such victims was NHI — no humans involved. In this case, a dozen murders received less official attention and press coverage than the death of any single upper- or middle-class white victim.

The perp was given his nickname by L.A. Weekly, which revealed that, based on DNA evidence, the same man was likely responsible for almost a dozen killings in the mid-’80s and then, after a 13-year hiatus, more killings between 2001 and 2010. No one knows the exact number of lives he took. The evidence connects the one killer to roughly 20 murders. But Lonnie Franklin Jr., who died in 2020, had photos — often sexually explicit — of hundreds of women, many of whom have yet to be identified. ( Read more ) — Andy Klein

27. Fyre: The Greatest Party That Never Happened

2019 | TV-MA | Documentary Netflix: Included Directed by Chris Smith

It was announced as “the cultural experience of the decade,” and it was — just not in the way anyone anticipated.

As detailed by director Chris Smith in the compulsively watchable documentary “Fyre: The Greatest Party That Never Happened,” what started out being touted as “Coachella in the Caribbean” ended up as pure chaos that reminded participants of “a scene from a horror movie.” The wreckage of 2017’s Fyre Festival was so compelling that this documentary, which opened simultaneously in theaters and on Netflix, was released in the same week as a Hulu doc on the exact same topic.

Documentary veteran Smith, whose earlier films include “American Job” and “Jim & Andy: The Great Beyond,” does an expert job here, talking to some 50 folks, including festival employees, consultants, would-be revelers and unwitting residents of the Bahamas who got caught in the event’s momentous undertow. These interviews, along with vérité footage shot as the event was coming together and falling apart, are briskly edited by Jon Karmen and Dan Koehler into a fast-moving narrative that has the fascination of the bad traffic accident you just can’t turn away from. ( Read more ) —Kenneth Turan

26. Atlanta’s Missing and Murdered: The Lost Children

2020 | TV-MA | 1 Season | Documentary series HBO Max: Included | Apple TV+: Rent/Buy | Prime Video: Rent/Buy Created by Joshua Bennett and Sam Pollard

Anthony Terrell is grateful that HBO’s “ Atlanta’s Missing and Murdered: The Lost Children ” brought a new spotlight to the terror that gripped Black residents of Atlanta in the late 1970s and early 1980s, when dozens of children and young adults were murdered or disappeared without a trace. Terrell is also thankful that the five-part documentary allowed him to discuss the pain and trauma he has suffered all his life as the survivor of one of the victims of the brutal crime wave — his 10-year-old brother, Earl, was murdered after going to a neighborhood swimming pool. But in the end, he worries it is not enough.

Although Atlanta native Wayne Williams was prosecuted for two of the crimes, the remainder of the cases were closed without being thoroughly investigated. Painful questions have lingered for many of the survivors, who maintain that the real truth behind the murders has never been uncovered. “Atlanta’s Missing and Murdered” presents strong evidence that the Ku Klux Klan and white supremacists belonging to the National States’ Rights Party may have been involved in the killings and the disappearances. The series, the nonfiction “Atlanta Monster” podcast and Season 2 of Netflix’s “Mindhunter” have renewed public interest in the case in recent years. ( Read more ) — Greg Braxton

25. Surviving R. Kelly

2019 | TV-MA | 3 Seasons | Documentary series Lifetime: Included | Netflix: Included | Apple TV+: Rent/Buy Created by Dream Hampton

Lifetime’s documentary series “Surviving R. Kelly” was instrumental in taking the singer down after decades where the star appeared untouchable. Through its blockbuster debut season, sequel “The Reckoning” and a third installment, “The Final Chapter,” it used firsthand accounts, police investigations, court documents and more to chronicle the “I Believe I Can Fly” singer’s increasingly disturbing pattern of sexual, mental and physical abuse of underage girls over two decades. Women who fell under Kelly’s spell, some who were as young as 13, speak out for the first time here, illustrating the dark side of fame, the perils of celebrity worship and double standards when it comes to race in the #MeToo era. In-depth interviews with alleged victims, Kelly’s ex-wife, his brothers, former insiders, friends and journalists who’ve covered the Chicago songwriter and producer paint a picture of a predator whose behavior was consistently overlooked by the industry, his peers and the public while his spiritual hit was sung in churches and schools. ( Read more ) — Lorraine Ali

24. Keep Sweet: Pray and Obey

2022 | TV-MA | 1 Season | Documentary series Netflix: Included Created by Rachel Dretzin

The crimes of Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints leader Warren Jeffs are explored through the firsthand accounts of his former followers in “Keep Sweet: Pray and Obey.” This four-part documentary series chronicles Jeffs’ rise in the FLDS and the crimes he inflicted on the flock who resided in his settlement on the Utah-Arizona border. Ex-members — mostly women — tell the stories of Jeffs forcing them into underage marriages, placing rigid restrictions on their lives, and vowing to destroy them if they ever dared to leave. This documentary gives his victims the chance to tell their own stories, and to explain what really happened inside the twisted world he created. Jeffs was sentenced to life in prison plus 20 years in 2011 for sexually assaulting two girls, but his reign of terror continues to haunt his former followers. — Lorraine Ali

23. Ted Bundy: Falling for a Killer

2020 | Rated 1 8 + | 1 Season | Documentary series Prime Video: Included Created by Trish Wood

There’s no shortage of productions about prolific serial killer Ted Bundy, but many of those narratives rely on the recollections of the highly articulate killer who never seemed to stop talking about himself. “Falling for a Killer” by director Trish Wood takes a different approach by reframing his story through the voices of women who knew him. His former girlfriend Elizabeth Kendall is primary to the story, as she recalls their early halcyon days and, later, signs that something was terribly broken in her handsome yet troubled partner. The story is set against the feminist movement of the 1970s. Kendall and others share their memories of the man they thought they knew in this insightful, five-part docuseries. — Lorraine Ali

22. The Imposter

2012 | Rated R | Documentary Apple TV+: Rent/Buy | Prime Video: Rent/Buy | Peacock: Included Directed by Bart Layton

A whole lot stranger than fiction, “The Imposter” is a documentary that’s disturbing in ways only reality can manage. This is a train wreck you think you see coming, but no matter how prepared you are, the nature and extent of the damage will overwhelm you.

As directed by British documentarian Bart Layton, “The Imposter” tells the story of a dark-skinned French Algerian man, a world-class deceiver and manipulator who managed to convince members of a distraught Texas family that he was their long-lost blond and blue-eyed teenage brother and son. What makes this film so spooky and unnerving is that it shows how much of what we consider to be reality is merely a function of what we want to believe. Next to the power and desires of the human heart and mind, few things stand a chance, certainly not the puny construct we like to call the real world.

The disappeared boy is sassy 13-year-old Nicholas Barclay, who vanished from the streets of San Antonio in 1994. “It gives you nightmares, it really does,” says his still-distressed mother Beverly Dollarhide. “It didn’t make the news. It was just news to us.” Then, three years and four months later, the family gets an out-of-nowhere phone call from Linares, Spain. Nicholas has been found, and he wants to come home. Beyond shocked, Nicholas’ sister Carey Gibson remembers thinking that Linares must be a town in Texas. “You had like 100,000 questions you wanted answered immediately,” she says. “You want it to all happen now.”

The person in Spain, we find out at once, couldn’t be further from the 16-year-old Nicholas. Instead, he is 23-year-old Frédéric Bourdin, eventually known to European authorities as “La Chameleon” for his shape-shifting abilities. “As long as I remember,” he says, looking directly at the camera, bold as brass, “I wanted to be someone else. Someone who was acceptable.” ( Read more ) — Kenneth Turan

21. Who Killed Malcolm X?

2020 | TV-MA | 1 Season | Documentary series Netflix: Included Directed by Phil Bertelsen and Rachel Dretzin.

Abdur-Rahman Muhammad was obsessed with uncovering the truth about Malcolm X’s 1965 murder. The activist and researcher spent 20 years investigating the question of who really killed the civil rights hero during a speech in New York’s Audubon Ballroom, and that quest is at the center of the Netflix documentary series “Who Killed Malcolm X?”

Two men known at the time of the killing as Norman 3X Butler and Thomas 15X Johnson spent decades in prison for the murder. But the case against them was questionable from the start, causing historians and amateur sleuths to raise doubts about the official account of what happened that fateful day. Through archival footage, declassified documents and a number of interviews with former and current Nation of Islam members and retired agents who worked the case, Abdur-Rahman presents a compelling theory that the wrong men took the rap.

He identifies a likely assassin based on his exhaustive investigative research, spurring the Manhattan prosecutor to reopen the case. Then, nearly two years after the docuseries raised its titular question and helped spur a renewed investigation into the assassination, two of the three men convicted in Malcolm X’s killing were exonerated (one of whom is still alive). The series isn’t the tightest of productions, but its impact is immeasurable. ( Read more ) — Lorraine Ali

20. Athlete A

2020 | Rated PG-13 | Documentary Netflix: Included Directed by Bonni Cohen and Jon Shenk

Former gymnast Rachael Denhollander became the first woman to report sexual abuse at the hands of Larry Nassar, a physician for USA Gymnastics and Michigan State University. In August of 2016, she filed a Title IX complaint with MSU and told its police department that Nassar had assaulted her when she was a 15-year-old gymnast.

Her story — now at the center of the Netflix documentary “Athlete A” — would compel over 260 female athletes to come forward with their own tales about Nassar’s abuse. In 2017, he pleaded guilty to federal child pornography charges in addition to multiple charges of first-degree sexual assault and will probably spend the rest of his life in prison.

But even though Nassar is behind bars, Denhollander and others in the gymnastics world feel the sport has far more work to do to address claims of systemic emotional, physical and sexual abuse. — Amy Kaufman

19. Allen v. Farrow

2021 | TV-MA | 1 Season | Documentary series HBO Max: Included | Apple TV+: Rent/Buy | Prime Video: Rent/Buy Created by Kirby Dick and Amy Ziering

“Allen v. Farrow,” from investigative filmmakers Kirby Dick and Amy Ziering , goes beyond the scandalous headlines and makes a compelling argument that revered filmmaker Woody Allen got away with the unthinkable. This four-part series explores allegations that Allen abused Dylan Farrow, his adopted daughter with Mia Farrow, when she was a child. The accusations were turned against Farrow in the media. When Allen later married Mia Farrow’s adopted daughter Soon-Yi Previn, Hollywood and the press still largely ignored the unpleasant personal life of their favorite director in lieu of celebrating his work.

Documentarians Dick and Ziering pored over years of custody trial evidence, home movies, recorded phone conversations, photo exhibits and more, piecing together a harrowing picture of Allen as an abuser and master manipulator, and Dylan Farrow as a silenced, disbelieved victim. Allen has long denied the allegations. But here Dylan, now 37, has a platform to tell her side of the story. The result is a convincing and ultimately devastating portrait of Allen. ( Read more ) — Lorraine Ali

18. The Seven Five

2014 | Rated R |Documentary Apple TV+: Rent/Buy | Prime Video: Included Directed by Tiller Russell

It would be hard to imagine a more entertaining corrupt-cop documentary than “The Seven Five,” a slick and fascinating portrait of disgraced New York policeman Michael Dowd. In the late ’80s and early ’90s, Dowd was an officer at Brooklyn’s 75th Precinct, situated in a particularly rough neighborhood that led the city in homicides and police shootings.

Director Tiller Russell relates an evocative tale of cocaine-fueled temptation and greed, interspersing footage from a 1993 hearing for Dowd (who was sentenced to 14 years) with new interviews with the seemingly unrepentant Dowd, his former partner and contemporaries on both sides of the law. The cocky Dowd’s systematic progression from cop on the take to drug trafficker is choreographed with the sort of verve and gusto that gave Billy Corben’s 2006 Miami-based documentary “Cocaine Cowboys” a similar rock ‘n’ roll style.

With a wildly colorful cast of characters (especially the swagger-ific drug lord Adam Diaz) and sound bites (“Forget Beverly Hills … the ghetto is one of the richest neighborhoods there is!”), there’s no missing that “The Seven Five” would make one swell Hollywood movie. — Michael Rechtshaffen

17. Wild Wild Country

2018 | TV-MA | 1 Season | Documentary series Netflix: Included Created by Chapman and Maclain Way

“Wild Wild Country” is a dippy tale of the early 1980s in which East meets West and, out of an attempt to build a paradise, all hell breaks loose.

Directed by brothers Chapman and Maclain Way (“The Battered Bastards of Baseball”), its focus is a dimly remembered but in its time nationally newsworthy religious group — or sex cult, depending on your point of view — led by Indian mystic Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh and the city they set out to build on a remote patch of Oregon.

It’s a story of enemies and neighbors, of power plays and paranoia that includes, among other things, attempted murder, arson, electioneering, bioterrorism by fast food, nude sunbathing, the separation of church and state, 10,000 cassette tapes and 93 Rolls-Royces, one of which the guru would daily drive past his admirers.

“Why do they do this?” a TV reporter standing among them wonders. “What do they believe in?”

Rajneesh (later called Osho) and his movement caught on in the 1970s, his ashram becoming a destination of choice for mostly Americans and Europeans seeking enlightenment or spiritual thrills. He promoted, among other practices, a brand of “dynamic meditation” that involved hyperventilation (“designed to arouse the serpent force, called kundalini”); primal-scream catharsis; jumping up and down and saying “Hoo!”; and, finally, silence and stillness. Then maybe some dancing. This might happen with everybody naked. ( Read more ) — Robert Lloyd

16. Sasquatch

2021 | TV-MA | 1 Season | Documentary series Hulu: Included Created by the Duplas s brothers

True crime, weed wars and monster tales meet in “Sasquatch,” and Hulu’s three-part docuseries delivers on all fronts.

This hybrid whodunit/monster-hunter mashup is centered around one central unsolved mystery, and several ancillary riddles, in the Emerald Triangle, a swath of Northern California wilderness across Mendocino, Humboldt and Trinity counties. It’s a region renowned for its natural beauty, marijuana production — and Bigfoot sightings.

Leading us into the tangled woods is investigative reporter David Holthouse, who was working on a Mendocino dope farm in 1993 when a group of terrified men burst into his cabin with claims of finding three mutilated bodies at a nearby farm. The deceased were torn limb from limb, heads ripped from torsos, their parts strewn around the campsite. This wasn’t a drug heist, they said. No marijuana plants were stolen — and there were giant footprints around the scene. It had to be Bigfoot. Or did it? “Sasquatch” sets out to answer that question over three episodes. This is an eccentric offering in the world of true crime, which is part of what makes it so addictive. Monsters come in all shapes and forms, and this series grapples with them all. ( Read more ) — Lorraine Ali

15. A Wilderness of Error

2020 | TV-MA | 1 Season | Documentary series Hulu: Included | Apple TV+: Rent/Buy | Prime Video: Rent/Buy Created by Marc Smerling

Fifty years after his wife and two young daughters were brutally murdered, and 41 after he was convicted of the crime, the case of former Army surgeon Jeffrey R. MacDonald continues to fascinate. Were the Fort Bragg, N.C., murders, as MacDonald has long contended, committed by a group of drug-crazed hippies chanting, “Acid is groovy, kill the pigs?” Or were they, as the prosecution successfully argued, actually the work of MacDonald, who murdered his family in a psychotic rage?

The case inspired Joe McGinniss’ nonfiction bestseller “Fatal Vision,” published in 1983, as well as a hugely successful 1984 TV miniseries based on the book — not to mention Janet Malcolm’s famed 1990 reconsideration “The Journalist and the Murderer.” Now it’s the subject of the FX series “A Wilderness of Error,” based on the book of the same name by Oscar-winning documentary director Errol Morris ( “The Fog of War” ), who has questioned MacDonald’s guilt and the prosecution’s handling of the case.

Morris, whose 1988 film “The Thin Blue Line” actually led to the overturning of a death sentence, wondered whether the testimony of several key people — a woman who claimed she’d been in the house during the murders, a U.S. marshal who alleged the woman confessed to him and a man who allegedly admitted to the killings — had deliberately been overlooked by the prosecution, and whether the initial investigation by the Army had essentially been a shoddy cover-up. ( Read more ) — Lewis Beale

14. Memories of a Murderer: The Nilsen Tapes

2021 | TV-MA | Documentary Netflix: Included Directed by Michael Harte

The life and crimes of Scottish serial killer and necrophile Dennis Nilsen are documented in his own words in this highly competent and deeply creepy 85-minute film, culled from 250 hours’ worth of recordings that Nilsen taped in his prison cell after he killed at least 12 young men between 1978 and 1983. Like Ted Bundy, the soft-spoken Nilsen is highly articulate and even charming, but his cover was an unassuming, mousy demeanor. He recounts the events of his life in poetic prose with flowery language, but it’s the recollections of police, survivors and his own mother that shed light on the monster at the heart of his ghoulish crime spree. Directed by Michael Harte (“Don’t F— With Cats”), this documentary is a master class in pitting a killer’s own warped recollections against the firsthand accounts of those who suffered from his actions. — Lorraine Ali

13. The Central Park Five

2012 | TV-PG | Documentary PBS: Included | Kanopy: Included | Apple TV+: Rent/Buy Directed by Ken Burns, Sarah Burns and David McMahon

Then-New York Mayor Ed Koch didn’t shrink from calling it “the crime of the century.” A TV newscaster talked angrily about evildoers who “blazed a nighttime trail of terror” that culminated in the horrific beating and savage rape of a Central Park jogger on the night of April 19, 1989. The event became an all-consuming national sensation, but, as it turns out, everything everyone thought they knew was wrong.

This is the devastating premise of “The Central Park Five,” a careful, thoughtful documentary that meticulously re-creates what happened on that night and details how and why everything went so terribly off-course. Co-directed by Ken Burns, David McMahon and Sarah Burns, it projects equal parts fury and despair as it reveals how a particular group of individuals was caught in the unforgiving gears of the criminal justice system.

Five black and Latino teenagers, ages 14 to 16, admitted to the rape and beating (though they almost immediately recanted) of the white jogger and served prison sentences ranging from six to 13 years. But, out of nowhere, compelling new evidence, including a startling 2002 confession by a convicted murderer and rapist whose DNA was present at the crime scene, led a judge to overturn their convictions. Yet it is one of the case’s painful ironies that to this day it is the arrest and not the ultimate exoneration that is remembered.

“The Central Park Five” serves as a cinematic primer on what has become one of the most disturbing aspects of our criminal justice system: the ability — and the unabashed willingness — of police to psychologically manipulate people into confessing to things they have not done. ( Read more ) — Kenneth Turan

12. McMillions

2020 | TV-14 | 1 Season | Documentary series HBO Max: Included Created by James Lee Hernandez and Brian Lazarte

James Lee Hernandez and Brian Lazarte’s six-part documentary, “ McMillions ,” is a twisty, many-fingered, onion-layered story tailor-made for cliffhangers and progressive reveals. The HBO series tells the story of the McDonald’s Monopoly game fraud, in which an ex-cop nicknamed Uncle Jerry — in an operation that went undetected from 1989 to 2001 and involved an ad hoc network of “recruiters” and semi-solid citizens willing to participate in what not all fully understood was thievery — managed to scam some $24 million in cash and prizes from the home of the Happy Meal.

It was the subject of a 2018 Daily Beast story by Jeff Maysh, “How an Ex-Cop Rigged McDonald’s Monopoly Game and Stole Millions,” which within days became the subject of a bidding war for the film rights. (Fox won; Ben Affleck is scheduled to direct, Matt Damon to star.) ( Read more ) — Robert Lloyd

11. The Innocence Files

2020 | TV-MA | 1 Season | Documentary series Netflix: Included Created by: Roger Ross Williams, Liz Garbus and Alex Gibney

“The Innocence Files” masterfully examines how innocent people end up in prison and documents the Herculean effort it takes to overturn those wrongful convictions. Though there’s no shortage of heartbreaking television productions about poor folks who are betrayed by the system, this moving, impactful series stands apart. Expertly directed by respected documentary filmmakers Alex Gibney, Roger Ross Williams and Liz Garbus, “The Innocence Files” delivers a potent statement on class, crime and the American justice system. The nine-part series takes its source material from Innocence Project cases, following several wrongfully convicted subjects over three different story arcs. The filmmakers explore common defects in the system — from the use of bogus forensic evidence to unreliable eyewitness accounts — exploring the legal and emotional fallout for all involved. —Lorraine Ali

10. Don’t F— With Cats: Hunting an Internet Killer

2019 | TV-MA | 1 Season | Documentary series Netflix: Included Created by Mark Lewis

A group of Facebook sleuths track down a deranged killer and wannabe internet star in this three-part series from Mark Lewis. Luka Magnotta was courting the idea of celebrity in 2010 when he became famous for all the wrong reasons. The then-28-year-old Canadian was posting online a series of anonymous videos showing him suffocating, drowning and feeding kittens to a snake. A community of outraged internet sleuths coalesced around the goal of outing this animal abuser.

Filmmaker Lewis embedded with several of the armchair detectives, documenting how they pieced together Magnotta’s identity clue by clue. Is that light socket in the background of his video European or American? Are there any identifying background sounds? Their digital legwork proved invaluable to law enforcement when, in 2012, the killer graduated to killing humans. He murdered a 33-year-old computer engineering student from China, Jun Lin, and released a video of the horrific crime online. The series is a wild ride through Magnotta’s sadistic ploys for attention, and the dogged efforts of amateur detectives to stop him. In the end, they were instrumental in his capture during a worldwide manhunt, even if it may have resulted in giving his depraved videos more views than they ever should have had. This doc was one of Netflix’s biggest true-crime hits outside of the problematic “Making a Murderer.” Riveting, but not for the faint of heart. —Lorraine Ali

9. The Crime of the Century

2021 | TV-14 | 1 Season | Documentary series HBO Max: Included Created by Alex Gibney

For more than 20 years, Americans have watched the human cost of the opioid crisis as if it were an epidemic without cause. But what if the crisis had been manufactured through a series of cynical misdeeds involving profit-ravenous pharmaceutical companies, bought-and-paid-for medical professionals and a toothless political and legal system?

You probably wouldn’t be shocked, given what we now know from numerous class-action lawsuits, interviews with recovering addicts and grieving parents, hard news exposés and, yes, lots of documentaries . But Alex Gibney’s gripping two-part docuseries “The Crime of the Century” sheds new light on an ongoing disaster by meticulously tracking the moves of one major kingpin: Purdue Pharma , the drug company that made billions off the addictive and often lethal pain medication OxyContin . ( Read more ) — Lorraine Ali

8. Long Shot

2017 | TV-14 | Documentary Netflix: Included Directed by Jacob LaMendola

Social etiquette crimes are the lifeblood of “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” Larry David’s HBO comedy series where a self-centered guy named Larry offends everyone he meets, and his bad behavior often has a butterfly effect. But here’s one instance where Larry was a good influence, even if it was unintentional.

“Long Shot” tells the story of young father Juan Catalan, an Angeleno who was wrongly accused of the 2003 gang-related murder of a 16-year-old girl in Sun Valley. But Catalan swears he’s innocent. The accused even has an alibi: He was attending a game with his daughter at Dodger Stadium. The prosecutor isn’t buying it, even after Catalan produces proof in the form of ticket stubs. Defense attorney Todd Melnik scraped for anything else that might prove his client’s innocence. Maybe the Dodger fancam? But the fleeting images of the father and daughter aren’t clear enough.

Here’s where David comes in. The actor had been shooting “The Car Pool Lane” episode of the series, where he picks up a sex worker so he can use the carpool lane to make it to the game on time, and the crew were filming in an aisle near Catalan’s seats. Outtakes of the episode were scanned for images of Catalan, and, as David says in the documentary, “There he was. Pretty cool.” “Curb Your Enthusiasm” and subsequent cellphone data helped clear Catalan. This short and simply made documentary chronicles the incredible story of a wrongly convicted soul who was saved by the least likely of men. — Lorraine Ali

7. The Trials of Gabriel Fernandez

2020 | TV - MA | 1 Season | Documentary series Netflix: Included Created by Brian Knappenberger

Netflix documentary series “ The Trials of Gabriel Fernandez ” follows the story of the torture and murder of an 8-year-old child, beaten to death in 2013 by his mother and her boyfriend, and the repeated failure of social workers and police officers to intervene. Directed by Brian Knappenberger, “Gabriel Fernandez” piggybacks on the reporting of Garrett Therolf, who covered the story for The Times as it broke, and later elsewhere, and who appears extensively throughout. (Therolf, an executive producer of the series, brought Knappenberger into the project.) A well-made and conscientious work that includes interviews with people involved in the case and experts regarding it from afar, along with footage of police interviews and courtroom testimony, it is old news and an ongoing story, since we have not reached the end of child abuse or institutional incompetence. ( Read more ) — Robert Lloyd

6. The First 48

2004 | TV-14 | 2 4 Seasons | Documentary series A&E: Included (22 seasons) | Peacock: Included (15 seasons) | Hulu: Included (16 seasons) | Prime Video: Rent/Buy (7 seasons) Created by Nigel Bellis

Three things are a given in each episode of “The First 48”: a homicide, a homicide investigation and hard questions in a bleak interrogation room. This long-running series takes viewers behind the scenes, following a squad of detectives in the first critical hours of a murder. The sense of urgency around each case is implicit in the show’s opening sequence: “The clock starts ticking the moment they are called,” says the narrator. “Their chance of solving a murder is cut in half if they don’t get a lead within the first 48 hours.”

Now in its 24th season, this addictive unscripted series still sets a high bar as it follows detectives in police precincts from Dallas, New Orleans, Birmingham, Tulsa and other U.S. cities. Each hourlong episode is shot vérité-style and set to minimal ambient music, building tension subtly as the story unfolds. The results in each case are unpredictable: Many are solved by the closing credits, while others still remain open. Law enforcement turns to a combination of factors to break their cases, from forensic evidence to witness accounts to lies and confessions in the interrogation room, and no two cases ever shake out in the same manner. In a world where bad people always seem to be getting away with doing bad things, “The First 48” is one place where the quest for accountability always drives the story. — Lorraine Ali

5. O.J.: Made in America

2016 | TV-14 | 1 Season | Documentary series Apple TV+: Rent/Buy | Prime Video: Rent/Buy Created by Ezra Edelman

Comedy, they say, is tragedy plus time. The same equation can also result in revelation, as ESPN’s astonishing documentary series “O.J.: Made in America” proves. There have been many attempts to tell the O.J. Simpson story, to explain why, in 1995, what appeared to be an open-and-shut case of domestic violence taken to its fatal and too-often inevitable conclusion turned into the trial of the century and resulted in acquittal. But all pale beside Ezra Edelman’s 7 1/2-hour chronicle of Simpson’s life and times. Historically meticulous, thematically compelling and deeply human, “O.J.: Made in America” is a masterwork of scholarship, journalism and cinematic art. ( Read more ) — Mary McNamara

4. The Keepers

2017 | TV-MA | 1 Season | Documentary series Netflix: Included Created by Ryan White

The seven-part documentary series “The Keepers” looks at one of Baltimore’s most vexing cold cases through the eyes of the women who continue to push for justice. Sister Cathy Cesnik went missing in November of 1969. Two months later, her body was found in a field not far from her apartment. Five decades later, the murder of the young nun and high school teacher remains unsolved. Policeman and priests — the very people tasked with protecting and consoling the community — are among the case’s prime suspects.

Sister Cathy’s former students at Archbishop Keough High School, such as Gemma Hoskins and Abbie Schaub, have spent the majority of their adult lives trying to solve the murder of their beloved teacher, who was 26 at the time of her death. But as “The Keepers” shows, the list of theories and suspects only grows with time. “The Keepers” is an unusually empathetic true-crime offering that places the memory of Sister Cathy above all else, yet still brings much needed heat to a tragically cold case. ( Read more ) — Lorraine Ali

3. Night Stalker: The Hunt for a Serial Killer

2021 | TV-MA | 1 Season | Documentary series Netflix: Included Created by Tiller Russell Los Angeles was terrorized by a phantom in the spring and summer of 1985. Creeping into homes at night, he tortured and murdered more than a dozen people, with the San Fernando and San Gabriel valleys the focus of his mayhem: assaulting women in their 80s; kidnapping and molesting children as young as 6; scrawling a pentagram on one of his murder victims and demanding that another pray to Satan.

Netflix’s docuseries “Night Stalker: The Hunt for a Serial Killer” chronicles the pursuit of the elusive predator though the recollections of the investigators and cops who chased him. Analog detective work — years before cellphone data and DNA became useful investigative tools — and the help of the community led to the capture of demon worshipper Richard Ramirez. His crimes stand out as particularly heinous and evil, even by today’s standards, in a metropolis that’s no stranger to the darkest of crimes ( the Black Dahlia , the Manson Family , the Hillside Strangler) . The four-part series is a powerful and haunting addition to the streamer’s onslaught of true-crime fare, capturing a place and time that many Angelenos regretfully claim as part of their city’s collective history. ( Read more ) — Lorraine Ali

2. The Jinx: The Life and Deaths of Robert Durst

2015 | TV-14 | 1 Season | Documentary series HBO Max: Included | Apple TV+: Rent/Buy | Prime Video: Rent/Buy Created by Andrew Jarecki

“The Jinx: The Life and Deaths of Robert Durst” is a seductive six-part series about a murder, maybe two murders, maybe three. Although its particulars are a matter of public record, it is helpful in watching “The Jinx” to know as little as possible about Durst — the son of a billionaire New York developer, the husband of a woman missing since 1982, just to start — in order to let its strangeness breathe and its cleverly ordered revelations have their full effect. Director Andrew Jarecki — best known for the Oscar-nominated “Capturing the Friedmans” (2003), starts the series in 2001 with the discovery of a headless, limbless torso floating in Galveston Bay and works backward and forward from there. It’s a puzzle box that gives up its secrets slowly and unpredictably. ( Read more ) —Robert Lloyd

1. The Thin Blue Line

1988 | Rated 18+ | Documentary Criterion: Included | Apple TV+: Rent/Buy Directed by Errol Morris

Considered one of the most impactful documentaries ever made, Errol Morris’ “The Thin Blue Line” changed the form and saved an innocent man from death row. Fusing cinematic technique with investigative journalism and activism with art, Morris dissected the troubling case of Randall Dale Adams, a drifter who was charged with the 1976 murder of a Dallas police officer. The officer was shot to death after a routine traffic stop. The evidence pointed to repeat offender 16-year-old David Harris, and the teen bragged to his friends about killing a cop, but he was still able to convince detectives that Adams was the culprit.

Morris used the power of cinema to expose staggering irregularities in the investigation and presented his findings in an exquisite display of experimental filmmaking. His unorthodox approach included haunting reenactments, original music by Philip Glass and profound excerpts from the interviews he conducted. For example, Adams’ co-counsel said she believed that the forces of law and justice, faced with a police killing, went after Adams because, as an adult, he could be sent to the electric chair, while Harris, as a minor, could not. Her theory is just one of many that Morris uses to build an alternate narrative in his film.

The result is a wonderfully made film that confronts injustice, exonerating a wrongfully convicted man while changing the face of documentary film forever. — Lorraine Ali

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Lorraine Ali is news and culture critic of the Los Angeles Times. Previously, she was television critic for The Times covering media, breaking news and the onslaught of content across streaming, cable and network TV. Ali is an award-winning journalist and Los Angeles native who has written in publications ranging from the New York Times to Rolling Stone and GQ. She was formerly senior writer for The Times’ Calendar section where she covered entertainment, culture, and American Arab and Muslim issues. Ali started at The Times in 2011 as music editor after leaving her post as a senior writer and music critic at Newsweek Magazine.

Former Los Angeles Times staffer Ed Stockly handled the TV listings and highlights and was the resident TV Skeptic, occasionally writing about TV shows that feature the paranormal, bad science, mermaids, Big Foot, aliens and quackery.

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The 25 Best True-Crime Documentaries to Binge Right Now

By Matthew Jacobs

Everywhere you look, there’s more of it. True crime has taken over Hollywood, with networks and streaming services pumping out nonfiction accounts of scandalous misdeeds, wrongful convictions, and sordid scams at a rate that even the genre's diehards struggle to keep up with. (See, for instance, this year’s massively gripping Netflix doc American Nightmare , or HBO’s highly anticipated continuation of The Jinx, coming soon.)

The best true-crime documentaries bring principled reportage to the intrigue they chronicle, giving equal or greater weight to the victims as to the perpetrators whose psychology seizes our collective imagination. This list attempts to encapsulate the format’s varying modes, from serious digests to seedy diversions; although one person’s true-crime trash is another’s treasure, these recommendations steer clear of the genre’s tawdriest impulses. All of our picks are available to stream or rent somewhere, and when you’re done, you can find dozens more at the ready.

The Central Park Five (2012)

One of the most devastating wrongful convictions of the 20th century put five innocent Black and Latino teenagers behind bars. Police coerced confessions out of them after a white woman was attacked and raped in Central Park in 1989, but the DNA evidence that exonerated the group more than a decade later has made the case an exemplar of racist law tactics. Ken Burns ’ vital documentary lays out how it happened, and the grave effect it had on all five men's lives.

Crazy Love (2007)

A somewhat forgotten highlight from an era when true crime wasn’t yet ubiquitous, Dan Klores and Fisher Stevens ’ thrill ride is a buffet of shocking details. The eponymous romance revolves around successful New York City attorney Burt Pugach, who had an extramarital affair with a younger woman and hired goons to attack her when she ended things. If you think that sounds wild, it’s only the start of the story. The New York Times once called the ordeal “one of the most celebrated crimes of passion in New York history.”

The Crime of the Century (2021)

Some crimes happen gradually, in boardrooms and backstage briberies. That’s the story of the United States’ ongoing opioid epidemic, which Alex Gibney chronicles in HBO’s blistering two-part exposé. The first installment tracks OxyContin, the addictive painkiller that spread largely because of bad faith deals made by certain greedy members of the Sackler family . The second delves into fentanyl, a widely manufactured drug that pharmaceutical executives enticed doctors to overprescribe. Gibney’s sources lay the blame on medical giants and lawmakers who have ignored the crisis. Given the gravity of the subject and its continued relevance, the documentary earns its resolute title.

The Keepers (2017)

This seven-part Netflix series’ tagline alone is compelling: “Who Killed Sister Cathy?” That would be Catherine Cesnik, a nun who disappeared at age 26 after students at a Catholic all-girls school confided in her about a priest who had sexually abused them. Her body was discovered two months later. The case remains unsolved, but director Ryan White ( The Case Against 8, Good Night Oppy ) sketches a thorough, damning connection between Cesnik’s death and the assault that occurred before she could speak up about it.

Cropsey (2009)

Want a documentary that’s also one of the most spine-chilling horror movies you’ve ever seen? Cropsey starts with an urban legend involving child abductions that gripped Staten Island throughout the 1970s. Locals spoke of a boogeyman with ties to an infamously abusive mental institution that was shuttered in 1987. Codirectors Joshua Zeman and Barbara Brancaccio trace the crimes, and their effects on a community haunted by the nightmarish kidnappings, to a Rikers Island inmate found guilty of similar terrors. Along the way, they encounter underground tunnels, purported Satan worship, serial killers, and a web of myth-building that raises all sorts of unsettling questions.

Dear Zachary: A Letter to a Son About His Father (2008)

Wrenching and combative, Dear Zachary arraigns the Canadian justice system for its soft approach to a case involving director Kurt Kuenne 's childhood best friend, Andrew Bagby, a med school resident shot to death by his unstable ex-girlfriend. She later gave birth to his child, and Kuenne’s film follows Bagby’s parents as they seek custody in hopes of protecting their grandson. It’s also a tear-jerking ode to a life lost too soon, functioning as a record of a man whose absence has left his loved ones bereft.

I'll Be Gone in the Dark (2020)

Michelle McNamara was an obsessive true-crime blogger (and the wife of comedian Patton Oswalt ) who wrote a bestselling book of the same name about a prolific criminal she named the Golden State Killer. The HBO docuseries based on her work centers on McNamara’s investigation, focusing on the victims instead of their killer. It’s also a tender profile of McNamara herself, who died of a mixture of prescription drugs she’d ingested before she got to see the arrest that resulted from her tireless journalism.

The Imposter (2012)

Bart Layton 's juicy retelling of a French defrauder who convinced a Texas family that he was their long-lost relative invigorated the true-crime genre when it became an acclaimed hit in 2012. The Imposter isn’t only about a trickster—it’s also fixated on the chilling circumstances that led the family to fall for the ruse. Follow the film with David Grann ’s riveting New Yorker story about the same saga.

The Jinx (2015)

A cultural sensation when it debuted on HBO, The Jinx came about in the strangest possible way. Director Andrew Jerecki ( Capturing the Friedmans ) made a little-seen fiction movie inspired by the three murders that New York real estate heir Robert Durst was accused of committing, and Durst liked it enough to ask Jerecki if he’d care to make a documentary about him. (Being portrayed by Ryan Gosling would be a glow-up for anyone.) In the process, Durst became a public spectacle and further incriminated himself. The six-part series is a fascinating study of criminality, wealthy family resentments, and warped self-mythology. Apparently, there’s more to the story too: HBO recently announced a second season.

Last Call: When a Serial Killer Stalked Queer New York (2023)

The name of the murderer in HBO’s four-part Last Call isn’t revealed until the end of the third episode. The series’ focus is not the psychology of the perpetrator—it’s the lives of his victims, gay and bisexual men in the Northeast. These deaths, occurring shortly before and during the AIDS crisis, happened at a time when law enforcement and the government weren’t inclined to lend queer people a helping hand in the first place. In adapting Elon Green 's book from 2021, director Anthony Caronna ( Susanne Bartsch: On Top ) plots an exhaustive portrait of a demographic haunted by a body politic that didn’t want much to do with them.

Love Has Won: The Cult of Mother God (2023)

Like most industries, cult management is dominated by men. The saga of Amy “Mother God” Carlson , a self-appointed messiah whose followers live streamed their conspiratorial New Age spiritualism on YouTube for all to see, offers a refreshing gender swap. Carlson convinced her disciples to abandon the so-called 3D world for a Colorado commune where they fed her the supposed panacea that eventually helped to kill her. Director Hannah Olson ( The Last Cruise ) had access to scores of footage revealing the group’s vexing dynamics, which makes Love Has Won one of the most vivid and ridiculous cult snapshots yet.

Made You Look: A True Story About Fake Art (2020)

Art theft and forgery have become their own documentary subgenre (see also: This Is a Robbery, The Painter and the Thief, Art and Craft ). Any of those titles are worthwhile, but Made You Look has a particularly intriguing setup: the most successful high-end forgery scam ever pulled off in the art world. It started with a Mark Rothko painting that sold for $5.5 million at auction, and then ballooned to include more than 60 dupes credited to the likes of Jackson Pollock and Andy Warhol. The perpetrator had enough talent to convince a gallery director and art experts that the pieces were authentic, which makes the film somewhat existential: In an industry so committed to legitimacy, how can counterfeits slip by?

Making a Murderer (2015–2018)

A lightning rod for discourse about police misconduct, wrongful convictions, and the ethics of true crime, Making a Murderer arrived like a dispatch from a near future in which the genre took over the world. That’s essentially what happened after Netflix released its first season, a watercooler fixture focused on a Wisconsin exoneree charged with murder while pursuing a lawsuit concerning his earlier sentencing. Enthusiasm for unseemly transgressions was nothing new, but the copycats that Laura Ricciardi and Moira Demos ’ Emmy-winning series inspired are still inescapable. (Also check out American Vandal , a pitch-perfect parody.)

McMillions (2020)

When we think of true crime, we tend to think of three things: murder, cults, and corporate subterfuge. McMillions is a shining example of the latter. In six episodes, the series unpacks a 12-year, $24 million fraud scheme in which a former cop nicknamed “Uncle Jerry” gamed his way through the Monopoly stickers that won lucky McDonald’s customers money. Jerry was the head of security at the marketing company running the fast-food chain’s promotions, which allowed him to rig the competition with the help of a criminal cabal that included alleged mafia connections. His scam gets the tantalizing treatment it deserves thanks to this HBO romp.

Mommy Dead and Dearest (2017)

Even if you already know the particulars, the mother-daughter psychodrama at the center of this HBO doc is stunning. Erin Lee Carr, who also made Thought Crimes: The Case of the Cannibal Cop and I Love You, Now Die: The Commonwealth V. Michelle Carter, peels back the curtain on a Munchausen-syndrome-by-proxy calamity that gripped the internet in the mid-2010s and inspired Hulu's The Act . In a nutshell, Dee Dee Blanchard, a seemingly cheerful Mississippi woman, was killed by her daughter, whose myriad illnesses she had induced or outright invented. Mommy Dead and Dearest recounts one of this century’s most twisted true-crime sensations.

O.J.: Made in America (2016)

During the brief period when movies released both theatrically and on television could receive Oscar and Emmy nominations, O.J.: Made in America won both. It also garnered a Peabody Award and a handful of other prizes, proving what a magnum opus it was for sports documentarian Ezra Edelmen. Clocking in at nearly eight hours (split into five episodes for TV), Made in America is worth every minute. It's sort of an anti-true-crime doc, foregoing sensationalism to assess the infamous athlete’s scandals through the thorny lenses of race, athletics, and celebrity culture.

Paradise Lost: The Child Murders at Robin Hood Hills (1996)

Joe Berlinger and Bruce Sinofsky ’s sprawling film won raves for its insider access to a notorious court case involving teenage boys, known as the West Memphis Three, convicted under dubious circumstances for the murder of three kids during a supposed Satanic ritual. To this day, Paradise Lost contains some of the most thorough footage seen in a true-crime film, including video from inside the courtroom and in the judge’s chambers. The movie spawned two sequels depicting the men’s quest to prove their innocence .

Prophet’s Prey (2015)

Several of Oscar-nominated director Amy Berg ’s documentaries could qualify for this list. There’s Deliver Us From Evil, about a Catholic priest who molested 25 children; West of Memphis, about the West Memphis Three; and The Case Against Adnan Syed, which reexamines the proceedings that inspired the hit podcast Serial. In Prophet’s Prey , Berg turns her attention to Warren Jeffs, the president of a fundamentalist Mormon sect that is really a polygamist cult. Convicted on two counts of child sexual abuse, Jeffs is currently serving a life sentence. The film charts his rise and fall as a leader who used religion to mask villainy.

The Staircase (2004)

French director Jean-Xavier de Lestrade followed his Oscar-winning wrongful-conviction doc Murder on a Sunday Morning with this knotty miniseries about the trial of war novelist Michael Peterson, who was convicted of killing his wife in 2001. Peterson has maintained his innocence, and theories about what happened that night abound. What started as an eight-episode chronicle has since ballooned to 13, with follow-ups covering new revelations in the case. The details still spark intrigue, as evidenced by Max's popular scripted series from 2022 starring Colin Firth and Toni Collette.

Strong Island (2017)

In April 1992, Yance Ford ’s brother, an unarmed 24-year-old teacher on Long Island, was shot and killed when he confronted a white man about a repair at an auto body shop. A grand jury opted not to indict the suspect, sending Ford’s already stunned relatives into an existential tailspin. The filmmaker, known for his work with PBS and on the queer-history docuseries Pride, became the first openly transgender director nominated for an Oscar when Strong Island made the Best Documentary Feature roster. The movie revisits the inciting incident and explores how it reshaped his family.

The Thin Blue Line (1988)

No true-crime list would be complete without the genre’s urtext. Errol Morris ’s influential film examines the case of a Dallas man convicted for the murder of a police officer, in turn revealing his innocence and identifying the actual killer. At the time, the techniques employed in The Thin Blue Line were radical. Morris treats his subjects like characters in a fiction story, and his stylized music and aesthetics flout the vérité objectivity that was more or less seen as essential to documentary filmmaking at the time. Even his reenactments—once considered sacrilege in nonfiction—were controversial enough to keep the movie from Oscar consideration. Today, the entire form owes some debt to Morris and The Thin Blue Line .

Time: The Kalief Browder Story (2017)

This searing six-part series isn’t about hair-raising murder or corporate chicanery. Instead, Time ’s subject matter is all too human. Kalief Browder was 16 when Bronx police booked him for allegedly stealing a backpack, a nightmare that resulted in a three-year Rikers Island incarceration—two of which were spent in solitary confinement—without a trial or formal conviction. Director Jenner Furst, who has since made glossier true-crime hits like LuLaRich and The Pharmacist, launches from Browder’s story into an indictment of the prison system and the racist laws that prompted this injustice.

Tower (2016)

The first mass school shooting in the United States occurred in 1966 when a sniper killed 16 people and wounded three dozen others from atop a University of Texas building in Austin. Adapting a Texas Monthly article , director Keith Maitland combines archival footage and rotoscope animation to recount what transpired that fateful day. It’s not an easy watch, but Tower memorializes a harrowing turning point in American history.

Voyeur (2017)

Ostensibly, Voyeur is about a Colorado motel owner who installed a platform from which he could spy on guests having sex. But it’s as much about journalistic malpractice as it is invasion of privacy. Gay Talese published a book about the eponymous father of two in 2016, revealing that the man allegedly witnessed a murder and did nothing to stop it. Fact-checkers called some of Talese’s reportage into question, after which Talese temporarily disavowed the book. Voyeur directors Josh Koury and Myles Kane blend these interconnected sagas—the owner’s predation, Talese’s secondhand fabulism—into a multipronged ethical audit.

Wild Wild Country (2018)

Many cult documentaries, like Holy Hell and The Vow, start by surveying makeshift utopias. What would it be like to join a like-minded cohort in an enclave unburdened by everyday reality? Then, without fail, things darken. Wild Wild Country , arguably the most gripping cult doc to date, follows Rajneeshpuram, a spiritual-sexual ashram that began in India and moved to rural Oregon under the guardianship of a demigod whose top deputy was convicted for attempted murder and assault. Along the way, the maroon-clad group allegedly committed bioterrorism, arson, and immigration crimes. Emmy-winning directors Chapman Way and Maclain Way combine fascinating footage of the commune with present-day interviews and news archives to paint a detailed portrait of life inside Rajneeshpuram.

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15 True Crime Channels On YouTube That Any Crime Junkie Will Love

The true crime genre has exploded in the last several years with content creators and internet sleuths digging into some of the most tragic and gruesome crimes to ever occur. Among the true crime junkie community, podcasts and YouTube channels are some of the most popular mediums audiences use to consume content. Within the YouTube community, styles of channels vary greatly, ranging from expert hosts breaking down cases to regular women doing their makeup while sharing shocking stories. Regardless of who's telling the story, one thing that can be agreed on: the interest in true crime doesn't look like it will let up any time soon. So go on and discover some of the most popular true crime channels YouTube has to offer and vote up the ones that suck you in from the start and don't let up until the end. 

What Is It About:  Ex Navy Seal Jon Ballen is the mastermind behind the MrBallen channel, which was established in 2020. Jon talks directly into the camera and uses a mixture of unsettling sound effects, stock images, and real case photos and video footage to tell tales of tragic accidental ends and intentional crime. His successful YouTube presence, which now boasts 8.7 million subscribers, has led to the creation of a foundation that helps victims of violent crime. 

Why You Should Watch: Jon is a master storyteller, his clear and concise narration manages to get through some of the most horrific stories in a very respectful way. He hits the gas from the start and doesn't let up. He has various video formats ranging from three stories in one video to one long case, to last pictures taken before tragic events. His videos are generally less than 30 minutes, making them easy to watch. 

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What Is It About:  With 5.5 million subscribers, JCS uses a combination of body cam footage, crime scene pictures, and professional narration to tell unbelievable true crime stories. The YouTuber has been making videos since 2017 and stands out because he uses criminal psychology to analyze and give plausible explanations for certain behaviors. JCS dives not just into the crime itself but also into how it affects society as a whole. 

Why You Should Watch:  JCS uses all real footage during his entire analysis, making the entire upload a compelling watch. Compared to other channels where stories are just told for shock value, JCS gives an educated and sophisticated insight into why criminals behave the way they do. He also explains some of the tactics the criminal justice system has to deal with those individuals. 

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What Is It About:  Dreading was established in 2021 and has grown to 801k subscribers. The channel takes a deep dive into various true crime cases that have shocked the world as well as some lesser known cases. The host uses a combination of stock videos and images alongside real case photos, and interviews to tell harrowing tales using voiceover narration. 

Why You Should Watch:  The videos are incredibly well researched and broken down into a way that makes the cases easy to understand. The host uses psychology to explain why the targets and wrongdoers could have made such choices as they did. The channel gives great psychological insight into cases where viewers might be asking themselves why people do the things they do.  He also shares a complete list of resources used to create his video, giving him added credibility. 

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Matt Orchard - Crime and Society

What Is It About:  Matt tackles different criminal cases and tells his viewers the story through voiceover narration while using images and video of the case and individuals involved to supplement his video. He covers cases using a psychology focused lens that breaks down perpetrator actions, victim behavior, and interrogation tactics. Matt’s channel has been uploading crime analysis since 2021and has amassed 236k subscribers so far. 

Why You Should Watch:  Matt’s approach to the cases is matter of fact and clinical. His storytelling is precise and detailed. He approaches the cases in a way that removes bias from his storytelling as much as possible. This presents cases in a way that truly allows the audience to come to their own conclusions regarding what they should believe. 

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Eleanor Neale

What Is It About:  Established in 2016, Eleanor Neale’s channel has grown to an impressive 2.69 million subscribers. Originally starting as a makeup channel, Eleanor discovered increased interest in her channel when she began telling true crime stories. This moved her away from makeup and into true crime storytelling. Being based in the UK means she shares cases that a lot of the American audience don’t have knowledge of. She looks right into the camera to tell the stories and uses case footage and photos to explain and supplement the tales.

Why You Should Watch:  Eleanor’s storytelling is informative and entertaining. She adds emotion and a certain dramatic flair to the stories, making it feel as though it’s a friend telling another friend a story. Since half the time it’s her telling the story, viewers can also just listen to the tale rather than have to continuously stare at the screen. She also focuses on lesser known crimes that other channels don’t cover.

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Vintage Files

What Is It About:  This Canadian channel tackles everything from fascinating discoveries to disturbing disappearances and true crime throughout history. Some of the events covered go as far back as the 1800s, making the cases truly unique and not something that many other channels focus on. Uploads to the channel began in 2017 and has now grown to a following of 265k subscribers.

Why You Should Watch:  The videos are short and sweet and to the point. Most of the cases and events covered are not something most people have heard of, making it a great channel for those lovers of truly unheard of and unique stories. The cases don't always revolve around gruesome crime or sad events, which makes the channel feel balanced. 

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Kendall Rae

What Is It About:  Kendall Rae has been creating content on YouTube since 2012. She originally began with personal vlogs on her daily life before finding her way to true crime in 2017. Her videos now cover missing people, murders, and thefts, among other criminal activity, both solved and unsolved. She has amassed 3.74 million subscribers and has expanded her work to include a podcast and focus on spreading awareness for victims and their families .

Why You Should Watch:  Kendall shares true crime stories with utmost respect for the victims. Her videos are thorough and well researched and she doesn’t poke fun at the situations. She uses her platform to help promote a safer digital space for children,  spread awareness of ongoing cases, and has even launched merch that gives 100% of funds back to organizations such as the Center For Missing and Exploited Children. 

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Law & Crime

What Is It About:  Using a legal lens to cover crimes that have taken place, this channel dives into a variety of cases as they happen. Produced by legal commentator and attorney Dan Abrams and hosted by various legal professionals, the channel is a heavy hitter in the world of legal analysis and true crime. The channel has a variety of formats in which case footage is presented, ranging from clips of body cam/dashcam footage and interviews to whole documentary style videos. It has a following of 5.78 million subscribers and is often a resource for other true crime channels.

Why You Should Watch:  The criminal justice system can be difficult to understand, and there is often a misunderstanding of how cases are handled. This channel breaks down the legalese  and clears up why the criminal justice system proceeds the way it does. A must watch for anyone who is interested in the facts of a case beyond just the occurrences. 

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Christina Randall

What Is It About:  Christina Randall spent three years in prison for assault and upon release found an audience on YouTube interested in hearing her prison story. Thus began her YouTube journey , which now has 1.59 million followers. She covers various true crime cases from beginning to end and does so using a combination of direct storytelling supplemented with case photos and video. 

Why You Should Watch:  Christina’s past prison experience gives her a unique lens from which to view crime. She doesn’t add in too much of her own commentary into the cases, making her approach direct and concise. 

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Ask A Mortician

What Is It About:  Caitlin Doughty is a real life mortician who began her channel in 2011 and now has a following of 2.03 million people. She originally began her channel as a way to answer questions about the funeral industry, but that evolved over time to include short form documentaries. She looks at various events, including true crime cases, and breaks down the post-death details surrounding the victim(s). 

Why You Should Watch: Caitlin approaches perishing in a very open, transparent, and sometimes humorous manner. It makes subjects such as decomposition and grief easier to digest. She is an  advocate of death acceptance  and attempts to use her videos to spread a positive death message by explaining that it’s a natural part of life and shouldn’t be treated as a taboo topic. 

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Real Stories

What Is It About:  A professional documentary channel, Real Stories tackles conspiracies, world events, and true crime. It is part of the  Little Dot Studios Network , an award-winning digital content agency. The channel began in 2015 and now boasts 6.28 million subscribers. There are whole teams behind each documentary made, making each video very high end and educational.

Why You Should Watch:  The videos are professionally researched and produced, making them true documentaries versus just an at home video creation. The videos contain firsthand interviews and footage often inaccessible to other YouTube channels. The tone is sharp, clean, and sticks only to the facts of the case, letting viewers come to their own conclusions.

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True Crime Recaps

What Is It About:  Married couple Chris Nathan and Amy Townsend cover a variety of criminal cases and do it all in 30 minutes or less. Their tagline is All the Crime in Half the Time . Their channel started back in 2019 and has been true crime focused from the start. They’ve grown to 475K subscribers on Youtube and also host their own podcast. 

Why You Should Watch:  Most of their videos hover around the 15 minute mark, making it ideal for those who are looking for the gist of crime without getting into the often terrible details of the story. The compact versions of the stories are well researched and manage to give a lot of detail despite the limited time. 

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Boze vs. The World

What Is It About:  Ericka Bozeman is the host of Boze vs. The World YouTube channel and has been creating true crime content since 2021. She began her media presence as a Twitch streamer before expanding to YouTube. Her channel is part true crime storytelling and part true crime case reaction videos. Her following stands at 1.1 million subscribers.

Why You Should Watch:  The channel is entertaining and has a casual tone that doesn’t feel stiff. Ericka is full of energy and her reactions to some of the case facts break the tension of often serious subjects. She follows current court cases live and gives her reaction to the proceedings, which gives viewers the feel that they’re experiencing the cases alongside her. 

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Bella Fiori

What Is It About:  Bella Fiori is an Australian content creator who focuses mostly on true crime cases in Australia, both solved and unsolved. Like many others, her channel began as a makeup tutorial and lifestyle channel in 2015 before taking a turn into true crime in 2017. She continues to mix in some lifestyle and makeup videos alongside her crime case videos and has grown her channel to 2.57 million subscribers. 

Why You Should Watch:  Bella sets up the videos in a very inviting way and tells stories from different rooms in her home, giving her videos a feel of casual storytelling. She covers cases from different countries, giving often unheard of events more exposure. Her tone is soothing and non-judgmental.

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Bailey Sarian

What Is It About:  Bailey started her channel in 2013 and has steadily grown her following since then, landing her at 7.28 million subscribers. Originally a makeup tutorial and product review channel, Bailey discovered an enduring and unique niche when she began combining her makeup tutorials with true crime storytelling. Unlike many other true crime channels, she doesn’t use too many case photos for visuals, rather she uses story telling techniques to describe the situations and events of the crimes.

Why You Should Watch:  Bailey is a casual storyteller, making her videos seem like a friend is telling another friend a harrowing tale. Her occasional humorous commentary on the situations add to the casual tone and also help soften the blow of some of the most gruesome crime details. Of course it also helps that her makeup always looks stunning at the end.

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Lists for fans who can't get enough of that sweet, sweet T.C.

16 Best True Crime YouTube Channels

Looking for some true crime on YouTube to binge? Check out the 16 best true crime YouTube channels that you should be subscribed to.

Unlike Netflix, YouTube is free!

The platform has plenty of true crime YouTubers to choose from who publish new videos regularly.

The YouTube true crime channels listed below deliver content on unsolved mysteries, historical cases, law, psychology, news, and more.

Table of contents

• Law&Crime Network
• Bailey Sarian
• True Crime Daily
• BuzzFeed Unsolved Network
• Eleanor Neale
• BOZE vs. the WORLD
• Kendall Rae
• Bella Fiori
• True Crime Recaps
• Criminally Listed
• Stephanie Harlowe
• Danielle Kirsty
• EWU Crime Storytime
• The Casual Criminalist
• Murder With My Husband
• A Wicked World

1. Law&Crime Network

• Uploads: 17,597
• Subscribers: 5.38M
• Video Views: 3,248,437,695
• Country: US
• Created: 29th August 2015

The Law&Crime Network has built quite a name for itself, partially because of the sheer amount of content available on its channel.

Each video provides just as much value as the last, even though there is such a wide selection.

This channel was founded by Dan Abrams .

He’s best known as a top legal commentator and lawyer who focuses a lot on the legal proceedings portion of true crime.

He also has his own podcast called The Dan Abrams Podcast .

Law&Crime Network gives the viewer a lot of insight into the situations by providing commentary from lawyers and journalists in some of their videos.

That trait makes the Law&Crime Network perfect for true crime junkies that want to follow the story through to justice being served instead of just hearing about the crime.

Popular Law&Crime Network YouTube Video:

2. Bailey Sarian

• Uploads: 578
• Subscribers: 7.13M
• Video Views: 1,082,559,169
• Created: 23rd January 2013

Bailey Sarian is one of the top true crime YouTubers on the platform.

She also stars in her own true crime podcast called Murder, Mystery & Makeup .

In her videos, she delivers content in a very unique that has actually inspired a number of other creators on the platform.

She discusses a true crime event but also does her makeup at the same time!

This approach may seem unorthodox, but it’s a format that many people have grown to enjoy.

She even has an Amazon page that includes all her beauty product recommendations .

Her natural storytelling ability really shines through when you watch one of her videos.

She never skips important details, so you get a full picture of what happened.

This is what makes her one of the best true crime channels on YouTube.

Her videos are ideal for true crime fans who prefer a more story-driven feel, and who want to feel immersed in the words they’re hearing.

Plus, her videos have the added bonus of featuring some seriously cool makeup looks. So they’re even better if you have a passion for makeup, or want to learn more about it.

Popular Bailey Sarian YouTube Video:

3. True Crime Daily

• Uploads: 4,314
• Subscribers: 5.27M
• Video Views: 2,731,266,260
• Created: 12th July 2014

On the True Crime Daily channel you can expect to find videos that honestly feel more like full-fledged documentaries .

Similar to the other YouTube channels on this list, they also boast their own podcast called True Crime Daily The Podcast .

It was nominated for the People’s Choice Podcast Awards 2022.

Each video on True Crime Daily’s channel truly goes into a deep dive and leaves no stone unturned in the story.

Every detail is covered, and you know by the end of the video that you’ve learned everything there is to know about that case.

They cover a range of different crimes on this channel, giving attention to smaller petty crimes but also to the larger and more disturbing ones.

Furthermore, they look into cases from the past as well as the present.

So if you enjoy more historical cases from a time gone by, then you can get your fix on this channel.

True crime buffs who enjoy knowing all the details about a case will love this channel.

True Crime Daily also shows footage of the crimes committed and pictures and videos of the convicts if they’re available.

So if you like to see the story play out in real time then this might be the place for you!

Popular True Crime Daily YouTube Video:

4. BuzzFeed Unsolved Network

• Uploads: 697
• Subscribers: 5.39M
• Video Views: 1,952,759,849
• Created: 15th May 2018

BuzzFeed Unsolved Network’s Youtube channel was initially created to be a place to put the episodes of the BuzzFeed Unsolved: True Crime show starring Ryan Bergara & Shane Madej.

Unfortunately, it stopped airing in 2021 and the famous duo moved on and created their own YouTube channel called Watcher .

But some of the old content is still up, and the channel still posts new true crime content, it’s just from various other creators instead of the original duo.

You can expect to find a variety of mysterious stories on this channel, some of which are true crime and some of which stray a bit into the supernatural.

Either way, it’s riveting content and if you’ve never watched BuzzFeed Unsolved before then you’ll have plenty to catch up on.

The unsolved nature of the stories discussed might not be everyone’s cup of tea, but if you like a good mystery and enjoy trying to analyze what went down then you’ll definitely love this format.

Popular BuzzFeed Unsolved Network YouTube Video:

5. Eleanor Neale

• Uploads: 252
• Subscribers: 2.6M
• Video Views: 452,932,926
• Country: UK
• Created: 28th March 2016

Eleanor Neale is a young content creator with a passion for true crime and psychology.

She also boasts her own line of true crime merch .

Because she’s studied psychology so extensively, Neale is able to give a unique perspective on the thought processes behind the criminals she talks about.

Each piece is obviously well-researched, so you know you’re getting accurate information from the channel.

And like so many other great true crime channels, the details she’s able to provide in her classic, long-form videos make for a complete feel to the experience.

Eleanor Neale’s content is the dream for fans of true crime who like to think about the motive behind the world’s worst crimes and what the criminals were thinking.

But even if you aren’t interested in the psychology of it all, most people will find enjoyment in listening to Neale discuss true crime because of her passion for it.

Popular Eleanor Neale YouTube Video:

6. BOZE vs. the WORLD

• Subscribers: 1.01M
• Video Views: 193,899,175
• Created: 31st January 2015

BOZE vs. the WORLD is a channel that has a totally different feeling than other true crime channels.

Most true crime videos turn out serious, dark, and heavy. Oftentimes leaving us with a feeling of sadness and unease.

This channel stands out, because the host, BOZE, makes sure to bring a lighthearted feel to her content.

Don’t mistake this for her being disrespectful or not understanding the severity of the topics she discusses, but she does crack jokes at the criminal’s expense.

This provides a little bit of much-needed emotional relief when you’re talking about such dark stories. And this is something that not many other true crime channels pull off.

This true crime content is a great option for people who can’t usually stomach such depressing stories, but still want the experience of listening to a true crime story.

Popular BOZE vs. the WORLD YouTube Video:

7. Kendall Rae

• Uploads: 911
• Subscribers: 3.66M
• Video Views: 663,437,197
• Created: 2nd August 2012

Kendall Rae is another popular true crime channel.

She is known for bringing awareness to smaller and lesser-known crimes so that there’s more of a chance the unsolved ones might someday have a breakthrough.

She takes her job very seriously and launches into her own small-scale investigations on occasion.

But this doesn’t mean she neglects talking about the larger crimes.

On her channel, she tends to talk about a variety of different true crime stories and even strays from the true crime genre every once in a while.

This means there are plenty of interesting videos to choose from there.

So Kendall Rae is a fantastic choice for people who value someone truly loving what they do, since she loves true crime and advocating for victims of it.

If you can’t get enough of Kendall Rae, you should check out the podcast she does with her cousin called The Sesh .

Popular Kendall Rae YouTube Video:

8. Bella Fiori

• Uploads: 450
• Subscribers: 2.58M
• Video Views: 283,164,822
• Country: AU
• Created: 2nd March 2015

Bella Fiori’s YouTube channel features a mix of different topics, but predominantly she posts about true crime. And she’s great at it, making it to the top of the list of many people’s favorite true crime content creators with her upbeat demeanor and well-told stories.

She likes to dive into mysteries on her channel, so you’ll notice a lot of unsolved cases there.

She definitely lets the viewer draw their own conclusions about the mystery, simply stating facts but remaining mostly impartial.

So if you’re a true crime fan that loves playing detective and trying to figure out who-dunnit, then most of the Bella Fiori channel’s content might be perfect for you!

9. True Crime Recaps

• Uploads: 522
• Subscribers: 450K
• Video Views: 59,198,377
• Created: 9th April 2019

True Crime Recaps is a channel that posts shorter-form true crime videos than you normally see.

They typically range from about 10 to 30 minutes, whereas a lot of true crime channels post longer-form videos that almost always stretch past the hour mark or at least get close to it.

The duo that host these videos do a good job of giving you a synopsis of the crime stories, and infuse a lot of their own personality into the content as well.

This can be really refreshing for a lot of viewers and is why we’ve included them on this best true crime YouTubers list.

This channel is probably an ideal one for true crime junkies with a short attention span, or not enough time on their hands to sit through longer videos.

Or if you like to binge true crime, it’s a lot easier to pack these recaps in.

Popular True Crime Recaps YouTube Video:

10. Criminally Listed

• Uploads: 540
• Subscribers: 912K
• Video Views: 232,832,167
• Country: CA
• Created: 4th September 2016

Criminally Listed is a YouTube channel that has multiple benefits, not only do they cover a variety of true crime stories but they also do so in shorter videos that everyone can find time for.

Additionally, these videos often focus on raising awareness for unsolved crimes.

Most true crime fans will be able to find something about the Criminally Listed videos that they like, and each one is packed with information despite their shorter lengths.

There’s plenty to choose from, the library of videos from this channel is large to say the least.

So if you like cold cases, short videos, or true crime in general, then you’ll probably enjoy what Criminally Listed has to offer.

Popular Criminally Listed YouTube Video:

11. Stephanie Harlowe

• Subscribers: 860K
• Video Views: 170,604,068
• Created: 29th March 2018

Stephanie Harlowe is a popular true crime YouTuber who is known for her in-depth research and engaging storytelling style.

Similar to other creators on this list, Stephanie also has a podcast called Crime Weekly , which she co-hosts with retired police detective Derrick Levasseur.

In her videos, she often covers cases that have not been widely reported on, and she brings a fresh perspective to well-known cases.

Harlowe’s channel hasn’t always been about true crime. In the past, she has posted videos about beauty, fashion, and lifestyle.

Nowadays though, Harlowe’s channel is a popular destination for people who are interested in long-form true crime.

Some of her most popular videos cover autopsies, mysteries, cold cases, and murder.

Harlowe often interviews people who were involved in the cases she covers, and she reads through transcripts of the court documents.

As a gifted storyteller, she is able to take complex cases and make them easy to understand. She also uses humor and suspense to keep her viewers engaged.

She’s also not afraid to cover cases that other true crime YouTubers don’t report on.

If you are interested in true crime then I recommend checking out Stephanie Harlowe’s YouTube channel. She is a very talented true crime YouTuber.

Popular Stephanie Harlowe YouTube Video:

12. Danielle Kirsty

• Uploads: 124
• Subscribers: 879K
• Video Views: 142,973,719
• Country: GB
• Created: 23rd September 2014

Danielle Kirsty is a passionate beauty and true crime YouTuber based in the UK.

Her videos typically feature makeup tutorials, product reviews, and true crime stories.

She covers a wide range of cases on her channel, from con men, kidnappers, cults, and of course serial killers.

Danielle has a great sense of humor and her videos always make you feel like you’re hanging out with a friend.

Subscribers have described her as “very down-to-earth” and “doesn’t take herself too seriously” which is important when most of her videos are upwards of an hour.

She is well-known on the platform for doing extensive research and presenting the facts accurately for each one of the cases she covers.

If you’re looking for a new YouTuber to watch and enjoy a mix of true crime and makeup tutorials, then I highly recommend checking out Danielle Kirsty.

Popular Danielle Kirsty YouTube Video:

13. EWU Crime Storytime

• Uploads: 59
• Subscribers: 798K
• Video Views: 120,120,099
• Created: 9th September 2021

EWU Crime Storytime is a YouTube channel based out of the US, voiced by an anonymous man who tells detailed true crime stories.

He tends to focus on missing people, killers, and murders.

Each story is treated respectfully and is purposely done to raise awareness and help others learn about these true crimes.

The videos are usually long form and range from half an hour all the way up to an hour.

They are presented in a documentary style, with lots of bodycam audio laid over real case photos and actual police video.

It’s clear that the cases are well-researched by the numerous citations throughout the videos.

The narrators voice is authoritative, calm, and easy to listen to.

EWU Crime Storytime owns a few other YouTube channels that you might be interested in that include Explore With Us , EWU Crime Vault , and EWU Unsolved .

14. The Casual Criminalist

• Uploads: 335
• Subscribers: 523K
• Video Views: 81,752,070
• Country: CZ
• Created: 11th August 2020

The Casual Criminalist is a true crime YouTube channel created by UK-born media personality, Simon Whistler .

While he mainly focuses on unsolved mysteries and lesser-known cases, it’s not uncommon for him to feature some infamous cases from throughout history.

This includes OJ Simpson, John Wayne Gacy, and the Golden State Killer.

In his spare time, Whistler runs a dozen or so other successful YouTube channels and also hosts two podcasts .

Whistler’s videos are known for their casual and informative style, as the channel name would suggest.

He presents the facts in a clear and concise way and often uses humor to keep his audience engaged.

Furthermore, he does a great job of balancing out the gruesome details of some cases by telling the stories of the victims and their families.

The Casual Criminalist is the perfect channel to watch if you’re looking for a male presenter that does things a little differently.

Popular Casual Criminalist YouTube Video:

15. Murder With My Husband

• Uploads: 385
• Subscribers: 327K
• Video Views: 36,302,663
• Created: 2nd October 2020

Payton and Garrett are the hosts of the YouTube channel Murder With My Husband.

The type of true crime they tend to focus on includes missing persons and unsolved mysteries.

The channel features a mix of long-form and shorter, more episodic videos. So there’s something for everyone.

As you may have guessed by the channel name, the hook of this duo is that the wife loves true crime and her husband Garrett hates it .

In addition to their YouTube videos, Payton and Garrett also host a podcast called Murder With My Husband .

The podcast is very popular, boasting thousands of positive reviews online.

Payton and Garrett are both talented storytellers, and they have a knack for making complex cases understandable and engaging.

They are also committed to providing their viewers with a respectful and informative platform to discuss true crime.

Popular Murder With My Husband YouTube Video:

16. A Wicked World

• Uploads: 67
• Subscribers: 13.9K
• Video Views: 1,060,484
• Created: 25th May 2023

A Wicked World is a fresh new true crime YouTube channel hosted by Cassie.

Based in the US, she covers various true crimes from around the world.

In particular, she focuses on child abuse, with new videos being released weekly.

The purpose of her videos is to shine a light on the crimes and raise awareness, with the goal of helping people identify the warning signs before it’s too late.

As you’d expect from any good true crime YouTuber, Cassie talks about the offender but also the victims, in great detail.

Having first-hand experience as a family member of a murder victim, Cassie has the ability to be empathetic and relate significantly on a personal level with the stories she tells.

Each video runs roughly 20-30 minutes and features related audio, imagery, and video that gives additional context and makes for a seamless watching experience.

If you prefer shorter-form content, she also has a TikTok channel that features bite-sized episodes.

You can really tell how passionate Cassie is from watching just a few videos.

Her voice is easy to listen to and her tone is professional.

If you’d like to access exclusive videos each month, check out her Patreon .

Popular A Wicked World YouTube Video:

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How in the world do you not have Explore with Us and their sub channel EWU Crime Storytime? EWU Crime Story Time has a team of professionals (detectives, lawyers, psychologists, etc) that analyze the content from all different angles and they are the best channels I’ve ever come across. Explore with Us started out as a father daughter team that would investigate unsolved disappearances and murders etc but they’ve moved on to True Crime documentaries. The insight they provide to why criminals do what they do, and how to tell when people are being dishonest in interrogation . You should really give them a mention.

Thank you for the suggestion. This has now been added to the list.

Last Chapter! My absolute favorite true crime channel. The host is actually really funny.

If you believe stories of the brutal murders of innocent victims is something to laugh about, then “That Chapter” is right for you. If you are someone who feels the victims’ stories should be told in a respectful manner, you would find Mike Oh’s lighthearted and whimsical presentation style to be offensive.

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12 True-Crime Docs on Amazon Prime Video You Might Lose Sleep Over

You know that feeling you get when you see the words " based on a true story " at the end of a horror film, right before the credits roll? Well, these true-crime documentaries will have you feeling all those chills and goosebumps the whole way through. Gone are the days when true crime was a genre for lazy Sunday afternoons, because if you try to watch these documentaries in the background, or while you try to take a nap, it's safe to say you'll end up at the edge of your seat with your eyes peeled instead.

Each of these true-crime documentaries on Amazon Prime Video covers a different chilling real-life tragedy. Some of their subjects have become well-known parts of the fabric of American history, while others cover lesser-known tragedies, many of which have had significant effects on the justice system in the United States and across the world. Regardless, all of them are layered and morally complex enough to have you theorizing and texting about them for weeks.

If you're looking for a true-crime documentary that will truly make you think while also keeping you up until morning, ahead are 12 of the best true-crime documentaries currently available to stream on Prime Video.

"The Murder of Meredith Kercher"

It took six years of trials to reach a final verdict on the murder of British study-abroad student Meredith Kercher. This documentary chronicles her full story from the day she was tragically killed in her Perugia apartment leading up to the incrimination of her American roommate, Amanda Knox.

Watch "The Murder of Meredith Kercher" on Amazon Prime .

"American Tragedy"

"American Tragedy" explores the Columbine school shooting from the perspective of Sue Klebold, the mother of one of the shooters, Dylan Klebold, whom she once lovingly called "Sunshine Boy." Grappling with the grief over the son she thought she knew and remorse for the innocent lives he took, this documentary highlights the lessons Klebold learned as the mother of a school shooter and what Americans can take away from the tragedy.

Watch "American Tragedy" on Amazon Prime .

"Dear Zachary: A Letter to a Son About His Father"

In this heart-wrenching documentary, filmmaker Kurt Kuenne tells the story of his childhood friend Andrew Bagby, who was murdered by his pregnant ex-girlfriend, Shirley Turner. Through a series of interviews with the people who were closest to Bagby, "Dear Zachary" unravels the complicated custody battle between Bagby's killer and his grieving parents, while serving as a cinematic scrapbook for the son who never got the chance to know him.

Watch "Dear Zachary: A Letter to a Son About His Father" on Amazon Prime .

"You Belong to Me: Sex, Race and Murder in the South"

This documentary takes us back to Live Oak, FL, in the year 1952, when a Black woman named Ruby McCollum killed her white physician, Dr. Clifford Leroy, after years of sexual abuse. A case that haunted the jurors and even the prosecutors, McCollum's trial and incarceration shed light on the systemic racism and paramour rights of the Jim Crow era.

Watch "You Belong to Me: Sex, Race and Murder in the South" on Amazon Prime .

"Lorena"

This four-part documentary from executive producer Jordan Peele features the story of Lorena Bobbitt, who sliced off her husband's penis in 1993 following years of domestic abuse. In light of the scandal being turned into nothing but a national joke, "Lorena" is a reinvestigation of the sexual assault and moral issues that were largely ignored in the media's coverage of the case.

Watch "Lorena" on Amazon Prime .

The Imposter

"The Imposter" recounts the twisted case of Frédéric Bourdin, who exploited one family's grief over the disappearance of their 13-year-old son, Nicholas Barclay, to get the childhood he never had. In a series of interviews, Bourdin himself explains how he was able to successfully convince Spanish and American officials as well as many of Barclay's family members of his identity despite being French with brown eyes and dark hair, instead of American with blue eyes and blond hair.

Watch "The Imposter" on Amazon Prime .

"No Place to Hide: The Rehtaeh Parsons Story"

Through the eyes of Rehtaeh Parsons's parents, "No Place to Hide" re-examines the criminal case that led to Canada's illegalization of cyberbullying. From Parsons's sexual assault to the police investigation and her subsequent suicide, this documentary examines police indifference toward sexual-assault cases.

Watch "No Place to Hide: The Rehtaeh Parsons" Story on Amazon Prime .

"The Witness"

Fifty years after his sister's violent murder, William Genovese narrates "The Witness," covering the investigation of the widely publicized stabbing that took place in Queens, NY. Through accounts from the 38 witnesses, this documentary breaks down the truth and the long-held public opinion of Kitty Genovese's 1964 death.

Watch "The Witness" on Amazon Prime .

"Southwest of Salem: The Story of the San Antonio Four"

"Southwest of Salem" examines the wrongful convictions of Elizabeth Ramirez, Cassandra Rivera, Kristie Mayhugh, and Anna Vasquez, four lesbians who allegedly gang-raped two young girls. After 15 years of fighting for their innocence behind bars, a pivotal court hearing debunked the scientific evidence that had been used against them.

Watch "Southwest of Salem: The Story of the San Antonio Four" on Amazon Prime .

"Unseen"

"Unseen" depicts the Cleveland Police Department's astonishing 2009 discovery of 11 women's bodies decomposing at the home of known sex offender Anthony Sowell. Through the investigation, this documentary addresses the invisibility of marginalized women and why society turned a blind eye to the killing spree they were victim to.

Watch "Unseen" on Amazon Prime .

"I Don't Like Mondays"

After 16-year-old Brenda Spencer was charged with murder for the Cleveland Elementary School shooting, she infamously told officials, "I don't like Mondays. This livens up the day." This documentary explores Spencer's case, from her disturbing confessions to the conditionality of her imprisonment.

Watch "I Don't Like Mondays" on Amazon Prime .

"Cropsey"

What happens when an urban legend from your childhood becomes real? That's the question at the heart of "Cropsey," which traces the New York City legend about a boogeyman named Cropsey that became all too relevant when children started going missing from Staten Island. The documentary explores the roots of the myth, the disappearances, and the mysterious man eventually convicted of the kidnappings.

Watch "Cropsey" on Amazon Prime .

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Our Long-standing Obsession with True Crime

Until quite recently, when someone who actually knew what he or she was talking about took the trouble to correct it, the Wikipedia entry for “True Crime” claimed that the genre originated in 1966 with the publication of Truman Capote’s “In Cold Blood.” This all-too-common misconception gets the starting date wrong by roughly 400 years.

No sooner had Gutenberg invented movable type than enterprising printers began churning out graphically violent murder ballads. Whenever a particularly ghastly killing occurred, it was promptly cast in doggerel, printed on a large sheet of paper known as a “broadside,” and peddled to the hard-working masses eager to brighten their dreary days with a little vicarious sadism. Throat-slittings, stranglings, bludgeonings and axe-murders were among the many grisly subjects of these crudely written verses, though few atrocities could match the morbid titillation of a really gruesome child-killing, as in the case of the British “monster mom” Emma Pitt:

                   This Emma Pitt was a schoolmistress,

                      Her child she killed we see,

                   Oh mothers, did you ever hear

                      Of such barbarity?

                   With a large flint stone she beat its head,

                      When such cruelty she’d done,

                   From the tender roof of the infant’s mouth

                      She cut away its tongue.

Murder ballads weren’t the only kind of crime literature available in the old days. In England, true crime books can be traced as far back as John Reynolds’ “The Triumphs of God’s Revenge Against the Crying and Execrable Sin of Murther,” an Elizabethan anthology that dished up juicy real-life stories of homicidal violence under the moralistic pretext of demonstrating that Crime Does Not Pay. Even more popular was “The Newgate Calendar: Or, Malefactors’ Bloody Register,” a constantly updated compendium of sordid true crime accounts, which, after the Bible and Bunyan’s “Pilgrim’s Progress,” was the most widely read book in Britain for more than a century.

Here in America, the public’s appetite for lurid entertainment was fed by volumes like the “The Record of Crimes in the United States” (a particular favorite of self-confessed true crime junkie, Nathaniel Hawthorne). Throughout the 19th century and into the early 20th, similar compilations were churned out on a regular basis. Perhaps the best known was the 1910 “Celebrated Criminal Cases of America,” by former San Francisco police captain Thomas S. Duke, a collection of criminal case histories covering a wide range of reprobates, from infamous outlaws like Jesse James and the Daltons to Victorian serial killers like Theodore Durrant (aka “The Demon of the Belfry”) and the Chicago “multi-murderer” Dr. H.H. Holmes. Dashiell Hammett was so addicted to Duke’s book that he kept a copy of it on his night table for bedtime reading (as does his surrogate, Sam Spade, in “The Maltese Falcon”).

Though first-rate pieces of American true crime writing appeared throughout the mid-20th century, by such writers as Damon Runyon, Herbert Asbury, Jim Thompson, Dorothy Kilgallen and especially Edmund Pearson (revered by aficionados as the dean of American true crime), a distinct air of disreputability still clung to the genre. Then came “In Cold Blood,” which elevated the book-length true crime narrative to the rarefied heights of serious literature. Unfortunately, its author also set an unfortunate precedent by indulging in the kind of novelistic embellishment (not to say rank fabrication) that has become endemic to the form. People who write true crime, of course, aren’t the only authors of creative nonfiction who have been known to improve on the truth. Given the promise of absolute veracity that is embedded in the very name of the true crime genre, however, I believe such writers have a particular obligation to stick to the facts.

Not that I’ve always done so myself. Early in my writing career, I occasionally allowed myself a bit of what I referred to as “extrapolation” (less euphemistically known as “making stuff up”). My unacknowledged credo (cribbed from the first chapter of Ken Kesey’s “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest”) was “It’s the truth even if it didn’t happen.” In my defense, I restricted my fabrications to fairly minor atmospheric details. For example, in my book “Deranged: The Shocking True Story of America’s Most Fiendish Killer,” there’s a scene in which the main character—the wizened cannibal-pedophile Albert Fish (using his pseudonym, Frank Howard)—dines with the family of his future child-victim, Grace Budd. Here’s how I describe the meal:

The men retired to the kitchen, a clean but dingy-looking room illuminated by a single bare bulb that tinged the whitewashed walls a sickly yellow. The long wooden table, covered with a plaid oilcloth, held a big cast-iron pot full of ham hocks and sauerkraut—the leftover remains of the previous night’s dinner. The sharp, briny odor of the cabbage filled the room. Arranged around the pot were platters of pickled beets and boiled carrots, a basket of hard rolls and two ceramic bowls into which Mrs. Budd had transferred Frank Howard’s pot cheese and strawberries.

This lunch really happened, but I took the artistic liberty of inventing the menu. I hasten to say I did some research into the kind of food a working-class family like the Budds might have served a guest for lunch in the late 1920s. Still, I didn’t actually know what they ate; I just wanted to make the moment seem real for the reader.

I no longer permit myself even such minor bits of imaginative re-creation. My field is historic true crime—I’ve written about cases from the Civil War era to the 1950s—and I’ve come to see the genre as a legitimate branch of American historical study. After all, the Leopold and Loeb case tells us as much about the Jazz Age as Charles Lindbergh’s transatlantic flight does, just as the Manson murders shed as much light on the culture of late-1960s America as Woodstock does. To be taken as seriously as history, however, a true crime book must adhere strictly to documented fact. There’s no reason why a book-length narrative about a 19th-century serial murderer shouldn’t be held to the same rigorous standards as, for instance, a biography of Teddy Roosevelt.

My task as a writer, as I see it, is to produce a serious work of historical scholarship (my last few books have included copious endnotes) that stays true to the sensationalistic roots of the genre by providing “murder fanciers” (as Edmund Pearson called true crime lovers) with the primal pleasures they crave. In looking for a suitable subject, I try to find cases that possess some larger social or cultural significance. Shocking murders happen all the time, of course, but few of them have the ingredients to make much of an impression on the public beyond momentary shock. In the early 1920s, for example, a former showgirl named Clara Phillips—“The Tiger Woman,” the tabloids dubbed her—took a claw hammer to the skull of her husband’s mistress and bludgeoned her to death. Her crime provided the public with some fleeting titillation but quickly vanished into permanent obscurity. By contrast, the 1927 “Double Indemnity Murder” perpetrated by Queens housewife Ruth Snyder and her milquetoast lover, Judd Gray, became one of the signature crimes of the Jazz Age. What made it so riveting wasn’t the homicide per se (the victim, Ruth’s husband, Albert, suffered a death no more or less gruesome than the one inflicted on Mr. Phillip’s mistress) but the colorful cast of characters, the deliciously tawdry storyline and—most important of all—the way the crime seemed to crystalize the cultural anxieties of the day: the breakdown of traditional morality, the threatening freedoms embodied by the “New Woman” and so forth.

Of course, there will always be highbrows who cast a contemptuous eye at the true crime genre. In an essay on “In Cold Blood,” Renata Adler deplores both the original book and the 1968 movie for playing to the bloodlust of the audience by using “every technique of cheap fiction” to intensify the emotional impact of the killings. This criticism, however, seems deeply wrongheaded since, on some fundamental level, one purpose of true crime writing is precisely to provide decent law-abiding citizens with primal, sadistic thrills—to satisfy what William James called our “aboriginal capacity for murderous excitement.” The worst specimens of the genre may not rise above the quasi-pornographic level, but the best—like those exquisitely ornamented war clubs, broadswords and flintlocks displayed in museums—are a testimony to something worth celebrating: the human ability to take something rooted in our intrinsically bloodthirsty nature and turn it into craft of a very high order, sometimes even art.

607 Crime Essay Topic Ideas & Examples

When writing a research paper about criminology or law, you have to consider your topic carefully. Our team came up with 465 titles, along with some crime essay examples to assist you in your assignment.

🏆 Best Crime Topic Ideas & Essay Examples

👍 good crime topics for essays, ✅ simple & easy topics about crime, 💡 most interesting crime topics to write about, 📌 useful crime topics for essays, 📑 interesting crime topics, ❓ crime research questions.

• Unemployment Leads to Crime Essay In the 1990s, the rate of unemployment was low and so was the rate of property crime. Crime rates increase steadily in society, and the rate of crime is connected to unemployment and low wages.
• Youth Crime as a Major Issue in the World The relationships that exist in the families of the youths could facilitate the indulgence in criminal activities for example when the parents are involved in crime, when there is poor parental guidance and supervision, in […]
• Applying Developmental Theories of Crime to Jeffrey Dahmer In the framework of this theory, Dahmer’s obsession with dissecting animals and necrophilic fantasies from a young age are not connected to the other events in his life but are simply manifestations of his latent, […]
• Impact of Crime on Wider Society Therefore, just as some organs in the body can be removed in order to improve the health of a person, the people who cause problems in the society can also be removed so that the […]
• The Effects of Mass Media Glorifying Crime and Criminal Lifestyle Crime has and will dominate popular media, ranging from the traditional police and detective shows/movies to documentaries, and more recently the ‘true crime’ genre or psychological thrillers attempting to tell the story from the perspective […]
• Three Pathways to Crime Identified by Loeber It encompasses an account of an individual’s past in the course of time of problem behavior in a continuing increment of seriousness of problem behavior.
• Technology for Crime Prevention With the modern computer technology and advanced software, criminal justice system has been in a capacity to compile data and store it as well as share its analysis with other agencies both in and out […]
• Chris Watts and His Murder Crimes Watts pleaded guilty to the killings of his children and wife. Watts concluded the interview by saying he was sorry and repented for his actions after seeking refuge in God.
• Frankston Serial Killer: Background, Crimes, and Motives At the time, the police noted that Denyer was with his girlfriend. The letter claimed that Denyer knows his whereabouts, and that he was planning to break out of prison to kill him.
• Types of Crime Analysis The goals of tactical analysis are to recognize crime trends and to develop the best suited strategies to address them. This is a matter of great concern and the department would inquire more into the […]
• Displacement: Crime Prevention It refers to circumstances where crime intervention efforts make the cost of committing an offense greater than the benefits accruing from the crime.
• The Impact of Social Media on the Rise in Crime For example, Jones cites revenge porn, or the practice of publishing a partner’s intimate contact on social media, as one of the results of social media use.
• Marxists and Functionalists’ Views on Crime and Deviance Also, the essay seeks to explain why people commit crimes in reference to a social and political transition, poverty, globalization of crime and state bureaucracy in order to evaluate the most effective conceptual approach to […]
• International Organized Crime: The 14K Triads in Hong Kong Being one of the largest transnational criminal organizations globally, the 14K does not depend on the strict structure, operates according to the principles of secrecy, and it is rather difficult to bring the organization to […]
• Crime TV: How Is Criminality Represented on Television? The public’s views and comprehension of crime are heavily influenced by television, the internet, and print media, which can spread the message about the exaggerated danger to society.
• Social Theories of Crime in Explaining Gang Violence This theory incorporates the strain theory as well as the social disorganization it points out that as a result of strain and societal segregation there is a particular culture that establishes for the low income […]
• Suspect, Crime Scene, and the Victim: Evidence Triangle In every crime investigation, it is mandatory that the evidence gathered be adequate to draw the link between the suspect, crime scene and the victim.
• Solving the Issue of Crime As the director of the county juvenile court, the research question related to the problem at hand should state as follows: What are cost effective methods of solving the proliferation of violent street gangs in […]
• Social Cultural Causes of Crime There is need to highlight the social cultural factors of crime and describe the necessary positive measures to prevent the occurrences of crime.
• White Collar Crime Parties affected by the crime and how it affects them White collar criminals place more emphasis on their personal needs than their organization’s to the point of downplaying the real costs of their actions.
• Why Does Crime Exist in Society? Philosophically this is the equivalent of saying that without evil one would not recognize good, and while this is evident in the criminal world and the world of law, it only provides some explanation as […]
• Parental Responsibility for Crimes of Children Parents should be held responsible for the crime of their children because in most cases criminal involvement of children is the result of lack of parental control.
• Infamous Crimes: Laci Peterson’s Murder Even during the war in Iraq, the search for her and the ultimate arrest of Scott Peterson led the news. Her cell phone and purse were still in the house, and a neighbor said she […]
• White Collar Crimes From a Marxist Criminological Perspective Marxist criminologists interpret it in the following way: “…the crimes of the upper class exert a greater economic toll on society than the crimes of the ‘ordinary people’”.
• Youth Crime According to Conflict Theory The second one is that the youth might engage in criminal activities and violence due to misappropriation of resources, lack of jobs, and inadequate strategies to meet their social needs.
• Consequences of Committing Crime These factors affect the behavior of an individual and might lead them to criminal activities depending on the effect of the overall combination of the elements mentioned above.
• An Epidemic of Knife Crime in the UK In the case of the former, it is evident that social class plays a key role in the emergence of knife crimes across the UK.
• Youth Crime in Functionalism and Conflict Theories The analysis will focus on determining factors contributing to youth engagement in criminal acts, examining the types of delinquencies they are likely to commit, and establishing the socio-psychological facets associated with the teenagers in the […]
• Crimes Against Property, Persons, and Public Order The least in ranking is crimes against public order for they have no serious repercussions to lives and livelihood of the involved people.
• The Cause of the Crime Since it takes a lot of time and resources to get involved in crime, it is evident that involvement in crime is entirely due to decision of the person to gain the rewards that are […]
• Bernie Madoff Ponzi’s Crime Scheme The image of the American Dream and the Strain Theory works in reverse as well: if a person fails to possess lots of quantifiable treasure, then the social order will consider him as a disappointment.
• Campus Crimes Types and Causes According to the college administrators’ records, crimes in campuses were minimal in the 19th century and in the early 20th century.
• Zodiac Movie: Crime, Media Reporting and Ethics The development of the events and the rise of the killer’s popularity began as soon as the reporters of the San Francisco Chronicle received and discovered the letter with threats to American society.
• Crimes Against Person Cases of murder falls in the rule of felony murder which is well stipulated by the constitution of any given country and the penalty is administered depending on whether the case was committed in an […]
• The Influence of Peer Groups on Youth Crime The impact of youth crime on the community is profound, and so is the influence of criminal behavior on the lives of adolescents.
• Developmental Crime Prevention Developmental crime prevention is a subsystem of special criminological crime prevention, the target of which is the pre-criminal forms of deviant and delinquent behavior of minors.
• “The Functions of Crime” by Emile Durkheim In the article “The Functions of Crime”, Emile Durkheim argues clearly that crime should be treated and analyzed as a normal aspect of a given society.
• Social Disorganization and Crime Social disorganization can be conceptualized as the incapability of the community structure to attain the common values of its members and maintain effective social controls, or as the failure and degeneration of social institutions and […]
• The Genre of Crime and Gangster Movies The gangster movies always tend to idolize the gangster figures with a relation to the sinister activities that always define crime and the lifestyles of the gangsters.
• Crime Scene Investigation in Criminal Justice In the process of controlling the crowd and maintaining order with the aid of the police officers, I took some photographs of the surrounding and then approached the main spot of event. I managed to […]
• Relationship Between Crime Rates and Poverty This shows that the strength of the relationship between the crime index and people living below the line of poverty is.427.
• Cultural Criminology: Inside the Crime To facilitate an understanding of cultural criminology, it is essential to consider such ideas as crime as culture, culture as crime, the media constructions of crime control and corruption, and political dimensions of culture, crime, […]
• Crime: What Modifies the Human Acts? A young man entering medical school has, as proximate and intermediate ends, the passing of his exams, and the advance from the first to the second class; more remote ends are the exams and classes […]
• Statistics of Crime Costs to the UK Healthcare The statistic is describing the claims by Labour that the NHS uses 500 million a year to treat wounds caused by knife crimes.
• Cyber Bullying and Positivist Theory of Crime Learning theory approaches to the explanation of criminal behavior have been associated with one of the major sociological theories of crime, the differential association theory.
• The Drug Crime Story of the Stickup Kids In the first part, Contreras situates the participants in the historical context of New York and the South Bronx, the epicenter of the rise of the crack-cocaine trade.
• Cybercrime and Cyber-Related Crimes The introduction of computer technology has created room for cyber crimes and cyber related crimes that have caused many people pain and losses to the society.
• Functionalist Approach to Deviance and Crime This paper looks at the functionalist approach to the explanation of the causes of deviance and crime. Some level of deviance is however healthy as it leads to better adaptation of the society.
• Andrew Luster’s Crime and Media Attention Henry Luster, a psychiatrist, and Elizabeth Luster, the parents of Andrew Luster. The film concluded with a snapshot of Luster and an appeal for witnesses to his whereabouts to notify authorities.
• “Sisters in Crime: The Rise of the New Female Criminal” by Adler This includes the extent, nature, control and cause of crime in the society. It focuses on supernaturalism in the definition and address of crime in society.
• Factors Influencing the Commission of Crime Some of the factors that contribute to the decision-making of the offender are based on time constraints, the ability of the information available, agreeing with the offender’s plans as well as the availability of favorable […]
• Capital Punishment and Deterrence of Crime For the case of murder or crimes that necessitate capital punishment, the incentive to commit murder is directly related to the uncertainties that punishments for the crime will generate.
• Aileen Wuornos’ Background and Crimes Aileen Wuornos began her series of murders in 1989. For a short period, she killed seven people, and all of them were men.
• Criminology: Application of Crime Theories For an action to amount to crime, there has to be a breach of law followed by the administration of punishment by the state to the accused.
• The Evolution of Behavioral and Cognitive Development Theories of Crime Behavioral theory is based upon the principles of behavioral psychology and is the basis for behavior modification and change. This theory is founded on the belief that the way in which people organize their thoughts […]
• CCTV Cameras: Surveillance and the Reduction of Crime The present paper will seek to argue that greater surveillance is not a desirable answer to the problem of crime and that other solutions are required to reduce crime rates in the long term.
• Organized Crime – John Gotti’s Analyze He argues that the American social structure and its structure of wealth distribution and that dream of achieving the ‘American dream’ all require crime to maintain social stability in the face of structural inequality.
• The Phases of a Crime and Their Importance in Psychological Profiling Attempt and accomplishment, the third and fourth phases of a crime respectively, differ in the sense that an attempt is a failed crime.
• Crime in Canada: Causes, Regulation and Legislation There are those activities that are universally accepted to constitute a crime, however, what might be considered the crime in one society is not necessarily applied in a different society; for instance, looking at a […]
• The Impact of the Internet on Traditional Crime How the Internet helps the criminals The advancement in the modern computer technologies and the Internet has put radical changes in the concept of information and the mode of exchanging the data.
• How Biochemical Conditions and Brain Activity are Linked to Crime Studies have shown that areas with high rates of homicide and other forms of violence had a lot of lead in the air.
• Crimes in Biological, Psychological, Sociological Theories With the course of time, people also started paying attention not to the very commitment of crimes but to the triggers that made a person act in a particular way.
• Drug, Crime and Violence This essay offers a brief discussion of how the abuse of illegal drugs is related to both crime and violence. It is prudent to mention that drug and violence have been noted to be closely […]
• Crime and Deviance Crime is an act that is against the norm of a society and the registered law of the entire country. A person is usually taken to the court of law where the offence is listened […]
• White Collar Crimes: Bernard Madoff Ponzi Scheme A Ponzi scheme is a white collar crime in which the perpetrator encourages people to invest in a business and promises high dividends within a short period of time.
• Anti Money Laundering and Financial Crime There are a number of requirements by the government on the AML procedures to be developed and adopted by the firms in the financial service in industry in an attempt to fight the illegal practice.
• Cyber-Bullying Is a Crime: Discussion It is easy to see the effects of cyber-bullying but it is hard to find out who is the bully making it hard for authorities to pin the blame on the perpetrator of a crime […]
• Processing a Crime Scene That is why, for the effective investigation, it is important to take all the necessary crime scene processing measures correctly, and the role of the first responding officer is particularly significant.
• Substance Abuse and Crime Logically, it is still not possible to prove the theories that correspond to criminal behaviour studies and consequently the correctness and relevancy of the theories vary in application depending on the strain of the situation, […]
• Sentencing Philosophies in Crime That makes it difficult to know how severe the crime is in relation to the sentence. The objectives of sentencing are to protect society.
• The British Crime Survey’s Strengths and Weaknesses The British Crime Survey’s main purpose is to check the crime level and the number of affected people in England. The investigation performed by the British Crime Survey is in the form of an interview, […]
• Anthropological Theory of Crime Criminal law is a division of law that elucidates crimes, describes their nature and defines available punishment for a criminal offense.
• Investigating Crimes against Property According to the Uniform Crime Report of the Federal Bureau of Investigations, there are about 9,767,915 cases of property crimes reported in America annually.
• Approaches to Crime Prevention The objective of the criminal justice system is to ensure proper enforcement of the standards of conduct in protecting the rights of the individuals and the community in a free society.
• The Major Theories of Crime Causation The survival of any civilization hinges on the establishment of laws and codes of conduct and the subsequent obeying of the same by the members of the society.
• The Relationship Between Wealth Distribution and Crime Rates According to Anser et al, the levels of crime and violence in the community depend on the difference between the risks or costs and potential gains.
• The Community Policing Impact on Juvenile Crime Moreover, the involvement of the police when it comes to community activities and narrowing the gap between law enforcement and youth is also related to criminal activity in the region.
• Crime Prevention and Risk Management This brochure will outline some basic notions of risk management and assessment and crime and victimization prevention; additionally, it will provide the reader with some basic strategies of daily risk management and include sources for […]
• TV Violence, Increasing Crime Levels and Child Aggression Most of the proponents of that theory state that by witnessing a certain behavior in fiction people become more prone to repeating it in real life. One of the powers these advancements have given us […]
• Crimes and Criminal Tendencies: Cause and Effect The school makes demands of control, discipline, and accountability which are difficult for the low self-control student to meet, and, for this reason, early school leaving is a result of low self-control, not a cause […]
• Crime Causes in Sociological Theories The former can be characterized as the outcome of the constructive or adverse influence of rewards/ penalties on the individual’s behavior.
• The Most Effective Crime Prevention Strategies in the Past Two Decades The conditions are; the desire of the criminal to carry out an offence, the opportunity to carry out the crime and finally the possession of skills and tools necessary for commitment of the crime.
• Current Trends in Globalization of Crime Hence, the major cause of the drugs smuggling routes over the U.S.-Mexico border is still the discrepancies between the U.S.and Mexican drug enforcing legislation as well as the lack of cross-border cooperation.
• Document Falsification Crime and Response to It The crime is often described as a white color crime as the modification of documents is primarily used for illegal monetary benefits and deception of others. The current response to falsified documents is sufficient and […]
• American Serial Killer Joseph Paul Franklin’s Crimes The reason for changing his name as because he wanted to join the Rhodesian Army and due to his criminal background, he was forced to change the name. The couple were killed and Franklin confessed […]
• Note-Taking and Crime Scene Photography Concerning the effectiveness of notes, generally, they should contain a high level of detail, and straightforwardness and cover all areas of the crime scene.
• Hacking as a Crime and Related Theories The move to embrace the novel technology has led to the emergence of a new form of crime and behavior referred to as “hacking”. Today, the term is used to refer to individuals engaged in […]
• Crime Prevention Strategies and Quality of Life The aim of crime prevention strategies is to create conditions that cut the chances and motivation for crime, transforming the capability of the criminal justice system to handle crimes.
• Cyber Crimes: Court – United States vs. Ancheta Reasoning: The jury argued that the defendant conspired to violate the Computer Fraud Abuse Act as well as the CAN-SPAM Act, caused havoc to computer networks of the national defense department of the federal government, […]
• Crime and Delinquency, Eric Smith’s Case Thus the psychological problems that smith developed were due to the experiences he had gone through the courtesy of his bright red hair, freckles, and speech problems.
• Age-Crime Relationships and Motivations Of the three major factors outlined by basis theory, opportunities availability is the most determinant factor of crime commission among the youths as lack of jobs makes them engage in criminal activities in order to […]
• Does Drug Interdiction Increase or Decrease Drug-Related Crime? Thesis: Drug interdiction helps to reduce drug-related crime by reducing the flow of drugs into the country and by disrupting the flow of funds into the hands of the terrorists.
• Crime and Punishment in Texas As for the number of prisoners, Texas has the highest number of them, and this is due to the fact that it is one of the states with the highest population in the United States.
• The First Officer at Crime Scene One should perfectly realize the fact that the crime scene investigation is an extremely important and, at the same time, complex process that determines the success of the whole case and contributes to the improved […]
• Corporate Crime – BP Oil Spill The spill contributed to the disruption of the ecosystem and the wildlife, these included both aquatic and terrestrial wildlife. This contributed to the loss of life, environmental pollution and health issues among others.
• Street Crime in Australia As such, it follows suit that crime, and to be specific street crime, must be analyzed in the context of how it is related to the society as a whole but not in isolation5.
• Prohibition and the Rise of Organized Crime In the 1920s, the United States was facing worrying rates of crime that called for the intervention of the Congress to avert the situation.
• Concepts and Reasons of Violent Crimes in Modern Society The environment has specifically been pointed out to be influential in the case of corporate affairs whereby the risk of exposure of huge corruption claims may lead to elimination of the whistle blowers.
• Electronic Crime: Online Predators on Facebook Facebook, as one of the many social network sites, will be addressed in this paper and after looking at the dangers that such sites pose to the contemporary world, a conclusion will be arrived at […]
• “Making Crime Pay” by Katherine Beckett The writer suggests that even if the call for tougher penalties is seen as the answer to the problem, those calling for these penalties are not necessarily affected by the rising crime. There is need […]
• Crime Reporting in Irish Media The impact of the increase in crime reporting is the rise in worrisome behaviors among the citizens. On the other hand, there is an increase in crime rates, especially cyber crimes and sexual offenses.
• Sociological Perspectives on Crimes of Power: Enron Selfish ambitions of people are dangerous to the organization because this will lead to the downfall of the company in the long run as it happened with Enron.
• Generalisation of Persons Who Commit Crime The generalisation about the people who commit crime indicates flaws in the processes of thinking and possible outcomes. It appears that the society chooses to pay attention to crime committed by specific groups, such as […]
• Natural and Legal Crime Conceptual Distinction Natural crime is therefore described as a crime against the fundamental laws of nature as well as personal crimes which could or may sometimes not be against the laws of the land.
• Prostitution as a Victimless Crime The association in the law and morality in the subject of prostitution is been a wide concern as prostitution can be considered as one of the oldest phenomena of humankind in a way of practicing […]
• Effective Physical Security and Crime Prevention Therefore, for effective implementation of the defense-in-depth strategy for the protection of assets, it is important to address the following issues: knowing the enemy, understanding the external enemies, defending against an internal enemy, and knowing […]
• Crime Scene Investigation and Evidence Classification They include the explanation of physical evidence to identify purposes, the discussion of the differences between class and individual characteristics of physical evidence, and the evaluation of the class characteristics’ importance.
• Raskolnikov’s Crime in Dostoevsky’s “Crime and Punishment” Using the ingenuity of Fyodor Dostoevsky and his eternal masterpiece Crime and Punishment, the paper is going to prove the idea that the actual crime committed by Rodion Raskolnikov was the arrogance he had towards […]
• Fort Lauderdale’s Law Enforcement and Crime Rates 1 percent of French background, 1. 0 percent of Dutch background, 1.
• Freakonomics: What Attributed to the Sharp Drop In Crime? This article focuses on these reasons that were thought to have led to reduction of the rising crime rates experienced in United States in the 1990s and refutes the claims flaunted by the theorists.
• A Marxist Approach to Global Crime The capitalistic economic system fosters most of the global crimes by encouraging the exploitation of one group by another and promoting the self-interest of the individuals who engage in these forms of crime.
• Social Issues; Crime and Poverty in Camden This has threatened the social security and peaceful coexistence of the people in the community. The larger the differences between the poor and the rich, the high are the chances of crime.
• To What Extent Are New Technologies and Organized Crime Linked? There are three major issues in the assessment of the crime and technology which will form the basis of our argument in this research paper; the level of information technology that is used by the […]
• DNA Analysis: A Crime-Fighting Tool or Invasion of Privacy? This paper set out to demonstrate that DNA analysis offers a versatile tool for fighting crime and therefore ensuring the success of our civilization.
• An Inchoate Crime Under the conspiracy element in the Wisconsin Statutes, conspiracy is defined as the agreement or combination of forces by two individuals with the intent of committing a crime.
• The Connection Between Drugs and Crime The central viewpoint is that it is not an absolute truth that drug use is not an obvious cause of crime.
• Criminal Justice & Security: Measuring Crime Statistics NIBRS is a part of UCR; it has been in place since 1989, and its aim is to ensure the collection of detailed crime reports from law enforcement agencies.
• How America’s Top Cop Reversed the Crime Epidemic Bratton and his fellows at the NYPD employed computer mapping to identify areas that experienced high crime levels, and then made use of all resources available in the police to fight these crimes.
• Neighborhood Watch Programs and Crime Prevention The presence of a service that supports victims of crimes in the area also plays a significant role in the lives of the residents and of the neighborhood watch program.
• Medea’s Justification for Her Crime Medea felt Jason had betrayed her love for him and due to her desperate situation she was depressed and her normal thinking was affected that she started thinking of how she would revenge the man […]
• “Crimes Against Humanity” by Ward Churchill Throughout the essay, he puts a lot of words and phrases in quotation marks to underline the unique and figurative meaning of these phrases.
• Crime Scene Reconstruction During crime scene simulation, the specialists are supposed to apply scientific methods in order to reconstruct a crime and answer the most important questions related to it that slow down the process of investigation.
• Forensic Psychology: Media and Crime Relationship Consequently, it is arguable that exposure to stimuli involving violence such as the one found in a violent video game and some TV programs including cartoons may cause activation of aggressive scripts among children.
• Crime Scene Investigation: Principles and Process Besides, the paper presents the qualities that crime investigators should have to guarantee a successful inquiry process. Upon arrival on a scene or the site of the crime, one should: Offer assistance to the injured […]
• Society’s Response to Crime Impacts on Justice True, the decisions of the court are generally based on nature of the crime, evidence and the manner of the plaintiff and defendant.
• Robert Merton’s Strain Theory Explaining Economic Crime Trends This theory states that “crime occurs when there are not enough legitimate opportunities for people to achieve the success goals imposed by the society”.
• White-Collar Crime-Related Data Sources in the US The data available in NCVS to examine the utility of employing the NCVS to quantify white-collar crimes includes the list of white-collar crimes and their classification.
• Design Theory in “Ornament and Crime” Essay by Loos One of the striking examples of this opinion is the desire to combine the interior and exterior decoration of the building, making them a logical continuation of each other.
• Evidence of a Relationship Between Crime and Economy Many people from low socio-economic backgrounds are tempted to engage in crime because they lack required skills and qualifications to get them employed. In conclusion, there are many factors which motivate people to commit crimes.
• Drug Crimes and Merton’s Anomie It is also reported that in the year 2004, seven percent of the State inmates in the United States jails and eighteen percent of the Federal prisoners pointed out that they engaged in committing offenses […]
• The Theft of a Laptop in Various Crime Scenarios This paper seeks to evaluate different situations that involve the theft of a laptop with the aim of establishing the types of crime they represent and the differences between them.
• Petty Crime Offenses: A Case of Mary Lee It is easy for the prosecution, in this case, to request the judge to sentence the defendant due to her criminal behavior.
• White Collar Crime: Insidious Injuries This is one of the main issues that should be considered since it is important for understanding the dangers of these injuries and reducing their risks. These are some of the main challenges that can […]
• Crime Factors & Levels in South Africa vs. Canada Developed and developing countries have different level of crime and crime control from the developing countries. This crime is concentrated in the urban of Ontario, British Columbia and other areas like Quebec.
• Relationship Between Unemployment and Crimes Agnew, argue that crime is caused by strain that a person face throughout life, and this can be contributed to the degree of educational inequality in society.
• Middle Class and Crime: Historical Analysis of Crime The middle class norms place a high evaluation on the cultivation and possession of skills and on the tangible achievements which are presumed to witness the possession of skills and the application of effort.
• Psychological Theories Explaining Violent Crime Genetic influences refer to the blueprints for behavior that are contained in a person’s chromosomes. It is theoretically possible for a person to carry genes that influence behavior; the behavior they express would be the […]
• Situational Crime Prevention SCP focuses on deterring crime by increasing the risk and effort in committing a crime. However, they add that the effect of such measures varies based on the location and type of crime targeted.
• Gender Factors of Crime in Campus Occurrence of violence in campus usually puts the media in a dilemma because of the perceived impact that the information would have on students, their perception and fear while in school.
• Problem‐Oriented Policing in Violent Crime Places In this study funded by the National Institute of Justice, the researchers investigate the impact of problem-oriented policing in Jersey City.
• Victimless Crimes: Definition and Types Again, the taxpayers are the victims in such a case as they have to contribute to the rehabilitation of the drug users. As such, some of the so-called victimless crimes have identifiable victims.
• Crime Prevention at the Workplace: Employee Theft Considering that any form of employee theft induces substantial harm to the financial performance of companies, the integration of adequate crime prevention procedures in the corporate security system is of great importance.
• Shoe Impression at a Crime Scene It is the transfer of material from the shoe to the surface. The print results from the static charges between the sole of the shoe and the surface.
• Victims of Crime Act: History and Development The necessary part of the paper is the information about changes to the original policy. The discussion of this act and how necessary it is for the criminal justice system in The United States is […]
• Controlling Organized Crime In some instances, law enforcement officers have to get court orders first before they are allowed to search the premises of criminal suspects and this makes it difficult for them to stop different criminal incidents […]
• Luka Magnotta and His Crime From the attention that the media has shown and the public outcry it is possible to conclude that the case is one of a kind.
• Social Criticism Work in the Scandinavian Crime Fiction Novels The issue of revenge being a better option in the Swedish society is evident when, at the end of the novel, Blomkvists makes efforts to bring down the executive who worn the lawsuit mentioned at […]
• Crime Theories: Psychodynamics and Rational Choice The rational choice theory explained the causes of crime to be the ability of an individual to commit the crime, their need for valuable possessions and money, their physical health and ability to commit the […]
• Forensic Psychology Role in the Investigation of Crime The use of the methods majorly depends upon the complexity of the crime, nature of evidence available and level of forensic technology available.
• Canada Crime Victims Foundation The foundation was officially started in 2002 to address the plight of such victims and it aims at providing basic education particularly to those dealing with victims of violence, in addition to undertaking comprehensive research […]
• Race, Ethnicity and Crime There are a number of opposing issues concerning racism and disparity that has led to complication in the discussion of the issue of racism in the Criminal Justice System. The larger the differences between the […]
• General Trends of Crime Over the Past Twenty Years The variations arise from how the two institutions define crimes, their bases of calculating the crime rates, and methodology used in data collection and analysis.
• Religion Role in Crime Definition Thus, Abortion is the destruction of life that is created by God and is equivalent to murder that is a great sin
• Economic Crime & Global Impact: Money Laundering 2 To understand the aspect of money laundering, it is important to know what necessitates it, the people behind that act and what their motives are, and the strategies put in place by the authorities […]
• Criminal Concepts Differentiation On the other hand, the states refer to statutory rape that refers to the illegal sexual contact between an adult and a minor.
• Extortion in Organized Crime Groups Blackmailing is a standard tool in organized crime, as it relies on one’s ability to threaten with severe consequences for non-compliance.
• The Crimes of Charles Manson, Serial Killer Even though his people did it himself, he was not involved in this, and the organization of a particular group of people is not in itself an immoral act but is prohibited in some places.
• Guidelines for Responsible Reporting on Hate Crimes The media is responsible for maintaining a balance between their interests and the needs and rights of crime victims, the public, and defendants.
• Water Pollution as a Crime Against the Environment In particular, water pollution is a widespread crime against the environment, even though it is a severe felony that can result in harm to many people and vast territories.
• The Crime of Attempt: Adequate Punishment In this situation, it is necessary to cooperate with a lawyer to prove the absence of intent to harm or to verify the impossibility of committing a crime.
• Hate Crimes from a Biblical Perspective
• Categories of Crime in Current Justice System
• Impact of Cyber Crime on Internet Banking
• Crime Scene Investigation Techniques
• The Most Effective Crime Reduction Approaches
• Mental Health of Crime Offenders
• A Theoretical Perspective on Crimes
• Cryptocurrency Crimes in Financial Markets
• Discussion on the Role of Crime
• Crime Prevention With Rational Choice Theory
• Research in Criminal Justice: Crime Solvability Factors
• Terrorism and Transnational Organized Crime as Threats to Homeland Security
• Gender Factor of Crime Motivation
• Sexual Crimes and Behavioral Problems Treatment
• State Crimes: Strategies to Resisting Tortures in Prisons
• Police Administration Issue: Crime Victim Rights
• Hate Crimes and Biblical Worldview
• Sociology Can Be Applied to Offenders and Crimes
• Crime Problems and Criminal Justice
• Suitability of Electronic Monitoring: Crime Control Perspective
• Low Crime Clearance Rates in the United States
• Crime Control and Prevention Methods
• Crimes and Victimization: Gender Issues
• Transnational Organized Crime in the United States
• Police Corruption: A Crime With Severe Consequences
• Analysis of Crime and Punishment Bill
• Investigating and Reporting White Collar Crimes: The Case of Bernie Madoff
• Curtis Sliwa’s “The Guardian Angels”: Fighting Crime in New York City
• “Time and Crime: Which Cold-Case Investigations Should Be Reheated?”: Key Ideas
• “Hot Spots of Crime…” Article by Weisburd & White
• Crime of Ricin Using or an Easy Way Out
• Substance Use During Pregnancy as a Crime
• The Crime and Justice Impact on New Media
• Legal Issues Related to Cyber Crime Investigations
• Crime Rates in the United States
• Processing a Physical and Electronic Crime Scene
• Criminalistics: Forensic Science, Crime, and Terrorism
• Crime Trends in the Jurisdiction
• Websites Against Cyber Crimes: Investigating High-Tech Crime
• Crimes, Future Challenges and Issues
• Juvenile Crime and Human Institutions’ Solutions
• Crime of Extortion and Potential Defense
• Alternative Punishment for Minor Drug-Related Crimes
• The United States Uniform Crime Report’s Aims
• Department of Justice Project on Organized Crime
• Illegal Immigration Policies and Violent Crime
• Major Crimes Committed by Women
• Finding a Crime Series: Murders Committed by John Wayne Gacy
• Review of High Tech Crime Investigation
• Analysis of Crime and Violence Trauma
• Crime Maps of Detroit and Michigan
• Criminologists’ Views on Crime and Justice Issues
• Napoleon Beazley: Analysis of Crime
• Case Study on Tax Crimes: Distributional Implications of Joint Tax
• Aspects of Sexual Crime Myth
• Analysis of the Social Context of Crime
• Overrepresentation of African Americans in Crime Statistics
• Business-Related Crime and Preventive Measures
• Factors Affecting Losses From Property Crime
• Reasons Why Women Are Often the Victims of Violent Crimes
• Hate Crimes and Implications
• Juvenile Violent Crime and Children Below Poverty
• Mens Rea and Actus Reus of Crime: A Case Study
• Increasing Level of Fear of Crime and Its Cause
• Criminological Theories Explaining Overrepresentation of African Americans in Crime Statistics
• The Crime Scene Investigation Effect Theory
• Profiled in Life & Death: Crime Victims’ Compensation and Young People of Color
• Prison Sentence Alternatives for Drug-Related Crimes
• Juvenile Crime of Lionel Tate: Causes and Effects
• View of the Financial Crimes
• Crime Commitment and Punishment
• The Federal Bureau Investigation Crime Statistics
• Crimes Against Humanity – Genocide
• Ordinary vs. Hate Crime Activities: Key Differences
• Public Perceptions of Racial Crimes
• Rediscovery of Crime Victims
• Public Perceptions of Crime Analysis
• Crime and Violence: Modern Social Classification
• The New Perspective in the Management of Crime and Offenders
• Measuring Crime Within Lynfield Estate
• Restoring the Requirement of Mens Rea for All Crimes
• GIS Comparing to Areas in Baltimore in Comparison to Crime
• Comparing the Rate of Crime between the US, Japan, and Mexico
• Who Are the Two Partners in All Crimes?
• State Report: Crime Rates in Wisconsin
• Victimless Crimes in the United States of America
• Youth Crime Statistics in the US
• Hate Crimes – Bullying
• The Crimes of Sexual Assault in Canada
• Transnational Organized Crime in Port Security Operations
• Social and Cultural Inequalities Impact On Crime Experience: London
• Prison Reforms for Handling Crime Effectively
• The ‘Street Games’ Athletic Intervention to Reduce Youth Crime
• Conspiracies in Society: Power Elite and State Crimes Against Society Theories
• Asian Hate Crimes in the United States
• Disability Hate Crimes in England and Wales
• Close-Circuit Television: Crime Control vs. Privacy
• Victims and Crime Evaluation
• Hate Crime Problem Overview
• “Adventures in Crime” Book by Amanda Archer
• Managing the Hate Crimes and Preparing Officers
• Adaptations to Anomie. Theories of Crime
• Rape Theories and Policies to Minimize Crimes
• “Legend” Crime Drama Directed by Brian Helgeland
• Federal Statutes: White-Collar Crime
• Juvenile Use of Drug and Committing of Crime
• Data-Based Analysis Approach in Preventing Crime at Dallas Police Department
• Researching Hate Crimes in America
• Crimes Against Unborn Children
• Crime in 2020 During COVID-19
• Federal, State, and Local Hate Crime Laws
• The Costs and Benefits of Dealing With Juvenile Crimes in Boot Camps
• Property Crime in Boston and Detroit
• Main Aspects of Organized Crime Models
• Crime Control Perspective & the Due Process Perspective
• History of Crime Measurement vs. Contemporary Situation
• Profiling and Analytical Skills in Crime Detection
• The Difference Between Media Depiction and the Reality of Crime
• The Use of Social Crime Prevention Techniques in the UK
• Lipstick Analysis in Crime Detection
• Effects of Community Policing Upon Fear of Crime
• Homeland Security: Digital Crime and Terrorism Activities
• Problem-Oriented Crime Intervention and Policy Analysis
• Affect of the Organized Crime in Australia
• Crime Challenges in the 21st Century
• Deviance and Deviant Crimes
• Human Consciousness Leading to Hate Crimes
• The Government Solutions of Violent Crimes
• Crime Statistics in United States
• Causes of Committing Crimes
• Sexual Crimes: Criminal Liability
• Crime in Virginia: Nature and Trends
• Noble Cause Corruption – A Crime-Fighting Sub-Culture
• Insider Trading Crime and Sentencing
• Criminal Street Gangs as Organized Crime Groups
• Developmental Theories and Crime Prevention Programs
• Race and Culture Factors in Crime
• Analysis of Mental Health in Crime
• Isla Vista Mass Murder as a Hate Crime
• The Genetics of Crime: ‘Criminal Gene’
• The Links Between Gender and Crime
• Crime Prevention Strategies at Walden University
• Louisiana’s Crime Law: Victim Rights
• Crime Prevention, Law Enforcement and Correction Theories
• Applied Crime Prevention in Hollywood 20 Cinema Location
• White-Collar Crime: Importance of Awareness
• Factors Related to Crime and Their Influence
• The Effects of Campus Shootings on Fear of Crime on Campus
• Global Crimes Impact Assessment
• Improving Crime Policy in Canada by Using Criminological Evidence
• Computer Crime in the United Arab Emirates
• Hate Crime Statistics in Los Angeles and New York Metropolitan Areas
• Theories on Crime
• Criminology in Brief: Understanding Crime
• White-Collar Crime: The Notorious Case of Ford Pinto
• White Collar Crime Characteristics
• The Wire: A Crime-Drama Television Series
• The Crime of Robbing the Big City Bank
• Social Developmental Crime Prevention Programs
• The Crime Phenomenon: Victimization and Its Theories
• White-Collar Crime: An Overview
• “Thinking About Crime: Sense and Sensibility in American Penal Culture” by Michael Tonry
• Gender Crime Rates: The Role of Division of Labor
• Official Crime Statistics: ‘Criminal Activity’ Measure
• Organized Crimes: Review
• Types of Crime in Cyberspace
• A Research of the Crime in State Nevada
• Marriage and Crime Reduction: Is There a Relationship?
• Medical Crimes in the Health Industry
• Application of CompStat Crime Model in Los Angeles
• Problems Related to Defining and Regulating Crimes in the Home
• The Crimes of Charles Manson
• Copyright Implications: Crime Punishable by Law
• Crime in America: What We May Learn From Its Causes?
• Reducing Crime Rates by Analyzing Its Causes
• Crime and Family Background Correlation
• White-Collar Crime Conceptual Study
• Impact of Economic Characteristics on Sex Crimes
• Juvenile Crime Statistics
• Factors Contributing to Gender Disparity in White Collar Crimes
• Comparison Between Organized Crime And Terrorism
• Mental Illness Relationship to Crime
• Models of Organized Crime Executive Summary
• White Collar Crime-Enron Corporation
• Actus Reus and Mens Rea Aspects of Crime
• Houston City Demographics and Crime Profile
• Hate Crime Against the Jewish Community
• Anomie, Crime, and Weakened Social Ties in Social Institutions
• State of Crime in California
• The Highest Crime Rate: Metropolitan County of Jefferson
• Identifying Crime Patterns
• Increasing the Rates of Crimes in Modern World
• Crime Analysis Data Sources
• Corporate Regulation and Crime
• Understanding the Causes of Juvenile Crime
• White-Collar Crime Offenders and Legislation
• Strategic, Tactical, and Administrative Crime Analysis
• Methamphetamine Drug Crime Registration
• Crime Analysis Conceptual Study
• Classical and Biological Theories of Crime
• Property and Computer Crimes
• Increasing the Severity of Punishments Imposed for Crime
• Crime in the Suites Effects of Power and Privilege
• Causes of Organized Crime Analysis
• Mr. Charles Dempsey Court Case: Cause and Consequences of the Crime
• The Fears of Reporting a Crime: Why Witnesses Do Not Report Crimes
• Investigation Methods: Terrorism and Cyber Crime
• Impact of Globalization and Neoliberalism on Crime and Criminal Justice
• Routine Activities Theory of Crime by Lawrence Cohen and Marcus Felson
• Electronic Crime Scene Investigation & Good Practice Guide
• Economy and Crime: The Relationship
• White-Collar Crimes: Prevention and Fight
• What Is a Crime? Is It Possible to Prevent Crime?
• Transnational Crime and International Policing
• Asian Crime: Different Cultures, Different Attitudes
• International White-Collar Crime
• Community Cohesiveness and Incidence of Crime
• Crime Theories: Intimate Partner Violence in the US
• Processing the Crime Scene: Tools and Techniques
• Forensic Serology and Its Key Aspects in Investigating Crimes
• The Relationship of Drugs and Crime
• Detrimental Effects of Gender Influenced Crime and Interventions
• The Prevention of Crime and Community Justice
• Use of the Information Technology to Solve Crimes: DNA Tests and Biometrics
• Using the Internet to Solve a Crime
• Nature of Crime in the State of Virginia
• Crime and Social Learning Theory Concept
• The Future of Global Crime: Globalization and Integration
• The Parallel Between Crime and Conflicts in Africa, Asia and Latin America
• Globalization and the Internet: Change of Organized Crime
• War on Crime Influence on Power Shift Among Various Groups
• Trends in Police Recorded Crime in Northern Ireland
• Human Factor in Enabling and Facilitating E-Crimes
• Financial Crime and Employment
• Power Elite: Deviance and Crime Discussion
• The Crime of Sexual Violence Committed by Men
• Screening in Aviation: Prevention of Crime
• Seligman & Perspective on the Drop in Crime Rates
• Human Trafficking as a Global Crime Industry: Labor, Slavery, Sexual Slavery, Prostitution, and Organ Harvesting
• Salem Witchcraft Hysteria: Crime Against Women
• Depiction of White-Collar Crime: Toxic Chemicals and Effects of the Pollutions
• History of Crime in America Since the Early 1800s
• US Attorney’s Office Press Release on Birmingham Crimes
• Cyber Technology: Organized Crimes and Law Enforcement
• Crime Myths and Domestic Terrorism
• State or Federal Crime: Texas Kidnapping Study
• Recidivism Rates for Sex Crimes
• Prevention of Sex Offenders From Committing Crimes
• Impacts of the Society’s Response to Crime
• Policing Operations: Application of New Technologies to Combat Crime
• Drugs, Crime, and Violence: Effects of Drug Use on Behavior
• The Three Strikes Law in Countering Crime
• Hate Crimes in the United States: Bias Toward the Victim’s Identity
• The Nature of Crime: Underlying Drivers Making People Criminals
• Theoretical Impact on Sex Crimes Investigations
• Searching and Recording the Crime Scene
• Social Pressure and Black Clothing Impact on Crime Judgments
• Personal vs. Collective Responsibility in War Crimes and Crimes Against Humanity
• Without a Trace: Crime Scene Field Notes
• Economic Recession and Crime Rates
• The Self Control Theory of Crime
• Criminal Justice System: Crime Scene Investigation
• Philosophical Theory of Law and Justice and Problem of Crime and Justice
• Urban Relationship Between Poverty and Crime
• Community Policing as a Tool Against Crime
• Ornament and Crime: Economic Aspects
• Does Crime Make Economic Sense?
• Women’s Crime: Gendered Criminology Theory
• Crimes Against the State: Terrorist Attacks and Death Penalty
• Crime Rates in UK: Quantitative Methods
• Gang-Related Crimes in Irish Cities
• Minor Disorders and Serious Crimes
• Social Program for Management of Crimes Against Women
• Do Drug Enforcement Laws Help to Reduce Other Crimes?
• Organized Crime Investigation in Different Countries
• Crime, Criminality, and Prisons in the USA
• Cutting-Off Hand Keeps Off Crimes in the Country
• Organized Crime in the United States
• Crime Mysteries of Jack the Ripper
• China’s Legal System: Crime and Punishment
• Criminal Investigations: Nature of Crime Investigators
• NGOs and the Fight Against Crime
• Sociology and Representation of Crime in the Media
• Crime Punishment: Humane Treatment of Prisoners Today
• Probing Crime Based on Conduct Report
• Criminal Justice for Physically Injured Crime Victims
• Major Theories of Crime Causation
• Elements of Crime and Intentional Tort
• Future of Crime Corrections
• Hate Crime as a Core Subject of Criminology
• Youth Crime and Punishment
• Policy Recommendations for Controlling Crime
• City Violence, Crimes and Disruption
• Responsibility for the Most Horrific Crimes Issue
• Crime Prevention Programs in America
• Rape: The Misunderstood Crime
• Sex Crimes and Burglary: Patterns, Benefits, and Risk
• Alcohol and Crime in the U.K., the United States, and Australia
• Prostitution as a “Victimless” Crime
• Enron Scandal and Business Crime
• Crime Policy and Practices: Trying Juveniles as Adults
• White-Collar and Political Crimes
• Three Perspective of One Crime
• Financial Cost of Crime to Society
• The History of Cyber Crimes and the Most Popular Forms of Cyber Crimes
• Violence and Society: Multiple Perceptions of Crime
• Law Enforcement: White-Collar and Corporate Crimes
• Crime in High Schools
• White Collar Crime: When Looks Can Be Deceiving
• Nazi’s Crimes Against Jews During World War II
• Crime Victimization in America: Data Statistics
• Prevention & Control Of Crime
• Crime and Subcultures in the Urban Area
• Crime in Inner City Neighborhoods
• Date Rape Is Not a Crime: Discussion
• Criminology: Drugs, Crime and Control
• Youth Crime. Prejudice: Is It Justified?
• New York City Community Policing and Crime Reduction
• Crime, Justice and the Media Relations
• State Corporate Crime and Criminological Inquiry
• Strain Theory: Sociological Explanation of Crime
• Granite City Building Inspectors: Service Crime
• Torts and Crimes. Liability for Traffic Accidents
• The General Theory of Crime
• Crime Laboratories: Accreditation and Certification
• Situational Crime Prevention Strategy
• Policing Crime and Disorder Hot Spots
• Crime of Genocide: Justice and Ethical Issues
• White-Collar Crimes and Deferred Prosecution
• The Uniform Crime Statistics Over 5 Years
• Cyber Crime in the U.S. and Nigeria
• Forensic Biology in Crime Scene Investigations
• The Concept of Uniform Crime Reporting Program
• Property Crime and Typologies
• Greater Surveillance Is Not a Desirable Answer to the Problem of Crime
• The Key Types of Crimes
• Crime Prevention in the United States
• Crimes That Teenagers Do Not Commit
• Crime Investigation With Global Positioning System
• National Crime Victimization Survey and Analysis
• Surveillance as the Answer to the Crime Issue
• The Crime of Innocence
• Computer Crimes: Viewing the Future
• Important Crime Scene Responsibilities
• Computer Forensics and Cyber Crime
• Crimes Against Small Businesses and Prevention Strategies
• Computer Forensics: Identity Theft
• Computer Crime Investigation Processes and Analyses
• Crime Prevention and Juvenile Delinquency
• Longford: British Biographical Crime Drama Film
• Immigration and Crime Rates in the United States
• Organized Crime in New York and Chicago
• Gender and Crime in Campus: Correlation Analysis
• Conflict & Crime Control vs. Consensus & Due Process Model
• Capturing Crime, Criminals and the Public’s Imagination
• National Missing and Unidentified Persons System
• “Broken Windows” and Situational Crime Prevention Theories
• NGO Analysis of Canadian Crime Victim Foundation
• Crime and Criminal Justice News
• Deterrence: Discouraging Offenders from Re-Committing Crimes
• Transnational Organized Crime: Counterstrategy
• Serial Killers, Their Crimes, and Stereotypes
• Crime Analysis Writing and Alert Website Content
• Economics of Organized Crime and Drug Trafficking
• Achieving Total Security in the Community
• Organized Crime Series Analysis
• International Law: War Crimes and Crimes Against Humanity
• Fear from Media Reporting of Crimes
• Crime Theories Differentiating Criminal Behavior
• Tactical Crime Analysis and Statistical Cases
• Comparing Different Indexes of Crimes
• Anomie and Strain Crime Theories
• Crime Theories: Shooting in Northwest Washington
• White-Collar Crime Theories and Their Development
• Robert Courtney’s Crime as Input to Business Regulation
• Three-Strikes Law Ineffective in Crime Reduction
• Violence, Security and Crime Prevention at School
• Electronic Crimes and Federal Guidance in Regulation
• Phoenix Park: Community-Based Crime Prevention
• Forensic Science: Examining Crime Evidence
• Human and Drug Trafficking as Transnational Organised Crimes
• Alleged Crimes: Aggravated Assault and Drug Dealing
• Offenders’ Age and Anti-Black Hate Crimes
• The Role of Location in Crime Fiction
• Crimes Against Persons: Theory and Doctrine
• Prohibition as a Cause of Increased Crimes Illegal Activity
• Crime Prevention Approaches
• Crime Scene Investigation: Types of Analysis
• White-Collar Crimes Causes
• Differences of Crime Perception in North Jersey
• Children as Victims of Crime
• Crime and Victimization Trends
• Crime Data: Collection and Analysis Tools
• Crime Rates of Sex Crimes and Firearm Violence
• Hate Crimes in Modern Society
• Organized Crime in the Balkans
• Compliance Impact on Financial Crimes
• Fascination With Crime Through the Art of Photography
• Closed-Circuit Television Cameras in Crime Reduction
• Marijuana Crime in California State and Federal Courts
• Internet Crimes and Digital Terrorism Prevention
• Deterrence Theory and Adolescent Sex Crimes
• Immigration Services Against Crime and Terrorism
• Digital Crime Causes and Theories
• Pink-Collar Criminal: Gender in White-Collar Crime
• Nanjing Massacre as Japan’s Denied War Crime
• Gender and Crime Correlation in Strain Theory
• Police Patrol Presence in Crime “Hot Spots”
• National Impact on Organized Crime
• Organized Crime and Current Laws
• Civic Virtue in Crime Commitment and Revelation
• ”Crime and Justice in the United States” by Bohm & Haley
• Computer Crimes and Internet Security
• Crime Television Series: “Al Fin Cayó!”
• War Crimes in “Zambak/Muslims” by S. Mehmedinovic
• Internet Crime Prevention by Law and E-Business
• Hate Crimes and Anti-Discrimination Laws
• Crime Prevention and Control Effectiveness
• Crime Scene Investigation Stages and Protocols
• Race, Ethnicity and Crime in America
• White Collar Crimes Focus
• Terrorism, Hate Crimes and Racial Profiling
• Can Genetics Cause Crime?
• Are the Laws Propagating Crime?
• When Was the First True Crime?
• Does Capital Punishment Deter Crime?
• Does Crime and Violence Affect the Tourism Industry?
• Does Drug Use Cause Crime or Does Crime Cause Drug Use?
• Does Marriage Reduce Crime?
• What’s the Origin of Crime?
• Does Social Deprivation Relate to Crime?
• Why People Commit Crime?
• Why Crime Rates Will Drop?
• What Are the Social Causes of Youth Crime?
• What Causes High Crime Rate?
• What Are the Proper Steps in a Crime Investigation?
• What Are the Psychological Causes of Crime?
• What Are the Causes of Youth Crime in the UK?
• What Are the Major Problems with Regard to the Collection of Crime Statistics?
• How Accurate Are Official Crime Statistics?
• What Is the First: Crime or Law?
• How Did American White Collar Crime Transform?
• What Are the Seven Elements of a Crime?
• How Does Globalization Impact on Crime and Victimisation?
• How Can Crime Best Be Measured?
• Why Does Crime Change over Time?
• How Crime and Deviance Can Be Seen as Functional for Society?
• Chicago (A-D)
• Chicago (N-B)

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The Best True Crime to Stream: Scams, Schemes and Costly Lies

Four picks across television, film and podcast that depict the art of the con.

By Maya Salam

The amount of true crime that Maya Salam has watched and listened to in her life might itself be a crime.

There are so many true crime offerings dedicated to scams , frauds and con artists that it can be overwhelming. Many of these stories are astonishing and worthy of attention, whether the deceptions are financial, medical, romantic or otherwise. Often most surprising is how relatively painless it seems to lay such traps, and how many people, regardless of personal circumstances, take the bait.

Here are four picks across television, film and podcast that stand out, all of which underscore what can unfold when a hunger for money, power or prestige is put above all else.

Documentary Film

“Operation Varsity Blues: The College Admissions Scandal”

With college acceptance season upon us, it seems appropriate to revisit one of the most outrageous education scandals in recent years: a $25 million bribery scheme that prompted a federal investigation called Operation Varsity Blues . The mastermind behind it was William Singer, a basketball coach turned college admissions counselor who ran a criminal enterprise that opened a fraudulent path for wealthy people to have their children accepted by elite universities under the guise that they had earned entry based on academic and extracurricular excellence. Test scores were doctored, for example, and athletic credentials were fabricated in ludicrous ways.

Dozens of powerful people were accused and arrested, most famously the actresses Felicity Huffman and Lori Loughlin, who both served time in prison.

In this 2021 film, the director Chris Smith puts a fresh spin on re-enactments , long the life blood of true crime television and films, by recreating full scenes and pulling dialogue directly from wiretaps. Matthew Modine (“Stranger Things,” “Oppenheimer”), who plays Singer, and other actors bring it all to life.

Documentary Series

This four-part 2021 series on Amazon Video unpacks the glitzy, extravagant rise and staggering fall of the billion-dollar clothing giant LuLaRoe. The company — a multilevel-marketing business known for its bright, patterned leggings (think neon kitties and kaleidoscopes of pizzas) — was built on the backs of an army of mostly saleswomen (often stay-at-home mothers and wives) trying to make their own income. They were lured by promises of independence, flexibility and jaw-dropping bonuses, all wrapped up in a culture of social media influencing and hollow #bossbabe feminism.

The company has been embroiled in numerous legal battles, including class-action lawsuits. A lawsuit filed by the Washington State attorney general in 2019, and settled in 2021, accused LuLaRoe of being a pyramid scheme that had swindled thousands of associates out of millions of dollars.

The creators of this docuseries interviewed salespeople, former and present (the company is still in business), and, most interestingly, its founders, Mark and DeAnne Stidham, whose lengthy interview revealed that, despite everything, they hadn’t stopped selling the dream.

“Search Engine”: “Who’s Behind These Scammy Text Messages We’ve All Been Getting?”

Few true crime revelations have thrown me for a loop like this investigation shared in great detail over 70 minutes in the new podcast “Search Engine,” from Jigsaw Productions, hosted by PJ Vogt.

For this episode, we hear from Zeke Faux, an investigative journalist who dived deep into a technological rabbit hole that led him halfway around the world. He uncovered what is behind those oddly worded text messages or direct messages so many of us receive from random numbers, scams most commonly known as “ pig butchering ” — messages like “Are we still meeting at golf course?” or “Hi! I just wanted to thank you for last night’s lessons.”

What may seem like silly fodder to laugh about with friends is actually underpinned by a grim reality that involves human trafficking, forced labor and blackmail. It’s crucial, sober information that should change how we see and talk about such messages and beyond.

“Sour Grapes”

As an antidote to some the heavier fare above, try this 2016 documentary from the directors Reuben Atlas and Jerry Rothwell that is both a palate cleanser and a boggling ride through the inner sanctums of the ultrawealthy.

It tells the story of Rudy Kurniawan , an unassuming young man who in the documentary is called both a “skinny, geeky young guy that likes wine” and “the Gen X Great Gatsby.” Kurniawan engineered what was possibly the world’s biggest wine fraud, duping some of America’s richest business leaders. Over its 85-minute run time, the film ( free to stream with ads on Amazon Prime Video’s Freevee service, or available to rent) transports viewers back to the boom times leading up to the 2008 financial disaster, particularly the rare wine auction market scene. In 2006 alone, Kurniawan sold $35 million worth of the stuff.

If you think that most wine tastes pretty much the same, the revelation at the end will be as satisfyingly sweet as it gets.

Maya Salam is an editor and reporter, focusing primarily on pop culture across genres. More about Maya Salam

The State of Podcasting

“Women Talkin’ ’Bout Murder,” a loving parody of the true-crime genre, is the latest satirical podcast from Amy Poehler and her improv friends .

As consumers spend more time on video platforms like YouTube, many podcast creators are reimagining their work to be seen as well as heard .

The cast of the Nickelodeon series “Ned’s Declassified School Survival Guide” are among the stars of 2000s teen sitcoms who are using podcasts to connect with their Gen Z and millennial fan bases .

Christian Duguay’s podcast, “Valley Heat,” purports to be about the neighbors in the Rancho Equestrian District of Burbank, Calif. One thing is for sure: It’s masterfully absurd .

The success of Alex Cooper’s podcast, “Call Her Daddy,” has birthed a new media company. Can this millennial solve the riddle of what Gen Z wants ?

The 23 Best True Crime Shows on Netflix Right Now

These stranger-than-fiction docuseries are well worth your time.

If you’re looking for the next great true-crime show to binge-watch on Netflix , you've come to the right place. A truly great crime docuseries ropes you in with a fascinating hook, then delves deeper and deeper into the case with each subsequent episode. And while murder is certainly a theme on our list here, there are a few true-crime shows focused on non-violent crimes listed below as well. Peruse our list of the best true-crime shows on Netflix below.

Don't see what you're looking for? Check out our list of best shows , international true-crime docuseries , or documentaries on the platform.

Disclaimer: These titles are available on US Netflix.

'Worst Roommate Ever' (2022)

Rotten tomatoes: 52% | imdb: 7.0/10, worst roommate ever.

This terrifying documentary tells Alex Miller ’s story - one of deception and mistrust that will shake you to your core. In an attempt to rent out her spare room on Craigslist, Alex accepted the offer of Jed Creek , who, unbeknownst to her, was a serial squatter who was planning to meticulously remove her from her very own home. With a tale that many of us will likely relate to, Worst Roommate Ever mixes the horror of true crime with the suspense of a Hitchcock movie to create a viewing experience you won’t be forgetting anytime soon. - Jake Hodges

Watch on Netflix

'Get Gotti' (2023)

Rotten tomatoes: 67% | imdb: 7.0/10.

Who doesn’t love a true crime binge-watch? Netflix certainly does, with Get Gotti one of their best offerings in the genre. Following the life and crimes of the infamous John Gotti , this tale looks at both sides of the argument, documenting the FBI’s case that eventually led to his guilty sentencing in 1992. Chilling and oh-so-gripping, Get Gotti feels like a Scorsese movie wrapped up in true crime colors, with the insight into the sheer depth of the investigative work put into a case like this nothing short of staggering. Also a nostalgic time capsule for those who lived in 1980s New York, Get Gotti is a riveting and memorable miniseries. - Jake Hodges

'Murdaugh Murders: A Southern Scandal' (2023)

Rotten tomatoes: 82% | imdb: 6.6/10, murdaugh murders: a southern scandal.

Created by Jenner Furst and Julia Willoughby Nason , Murdaugh Murders: A Southern Scandal follows the tragic true story of a boat crash that killed the beloved young Mallory Beach — and how the wealth and influence of a family corrupted the case to make sure the drunk driver Paul Murdaugh got away scot-free. It is easy to remark on just how entertaining this series is, but the truth is that the sheer injustice at its core is likely to ignite fury in all who watch it, with the show’s best asset being its ability to evoke a visceral and emotional reaction. Gripping from start to finish, Murdaugh Murders: A Southern Scandal is well worth your time. - Jake Hodges

'How to Become a Cult Leader' (2023)

Rotten tomatoes: 57% | imdb: 6.7/10, how to become a cult leader.

As far as true crime titles go, this is perhaps Netflix’s most enticing. How to Become a Cult Leader follows on from the success of How to Become a Tyrant , with a six-episode examination of some of history’s most evil cults, like the Manson Family and Heaven’s Gate. Better yet, the sociological and cultural elements at play are detailed by the soothing voice of Peter Dinklage . Featuring an eye-opening plethora of archival footage and interviews, as well as the odd animated section for good measure, How to Become a Cult Leader lures you into its enticing episodical entertainment and keeps you hooked with promises of greater knowledge — a clever structure that may feel all too familiar to those who have watched the series. - Jake Hodges

'Catching Killers' (2021 - Present)

Rotten tomatoes: 77% | imdb: 7.2/10, catching killers (2021).

Sometimes just one true crime case isn’t enough. Netflix’s Catching Killers provides a unique twist on one of the streamer’s most reliable genres, with the series providing a detailed look at the investigator's journey to solving some of the world’s most infamous cases. By championing those who stopped the evil rather than characterizing the perpetrator, Catching Killers offers a viewing experience that rouses a will to succeed inside its audience without ever failing to pack a powerful punch. Perhaps the series’ most unique take on the true crime genre is to offer the realities of police work and how the funding and time that goes into cases sadly cannot be endless. - Jake Hodges

'American Manhunt: The Boston Marathon Bombing' (2023)

Rotten tomatoes: 89% | imdb: 7.5/10, american manhunt: the boston marathon bombing.

To take on one of the most infamous crimes in recent history is no mean feat, with the team behind American Manhunt: The Boston Marathon Bombing pulling out all the stops to offer a nuanced and respectful view of the tragedy. From exclusive interviews with the likes of reporter Phillip Martin and FBI Special Agent in Charge Rick Deslauriers to powerful archival footage, the documentary series challenges the viewer to not simply passively watch but to instead actively engage in an event that shook the lives of so many. Chilling and moving in equal measure, American Manhunt feels like an important milestone for true crime television. - Jake Hodges

'I Just Killed My Dad' (2022)

Rotten tomatoes: 100% | imdb: 6.7/10, i just killed my dad.

Documenting the true story of Anthony Templet , I Just Killed My Dad tells the story that its title suggests, with the aforementioned murderer’s horrific crime and the events that led up to it showcased in detail. Directed by Skye Borgman , the visionary behind the true crime classic Abducted in Plain Sight , I Just Killed My Dad is unapologetic in its approach to tackling a truly terrifying tale, giving the audience a chance to fully immerse themselves in the chilling sequence of events that led to the tragedy. By using interviews with those closest to Templet, including his mother and step-brother, it is no surprise that this docu-series has received such great praise, including a remarkable 100% score on Rotten Tomatoes. - Jake Hodges

'Killer Sally' (2022)

Rotten tomatoes: 67% | imdb: 6.7/10, killer sally.

In just three hard-hitting episodes, Killer Sally tells the story of former amateur wrestler Sally McNeil and the infamous criminal case involving her abusing and killing her boyfriend, the iconic bodybuilder Ray McNeil . With such a striking and emotionally sensitive topic at its heart, Killer Sally manages to respectfully portray the difficult subject at its core without ever failing to offer a wide range of viewpoints on the situation. By creating a spine-chilling atmosphere throughout its short series run, Killer Sally buries itself into the mind of its audience, becoming a thought-provoking study of domestic violence as well as a genuinely entertaining experience. - Jake Hodges

'The Real Bling Ring: Hollywood Heist' (2023)

Rotten tomatoes: 50% | imdb: 5.8/10, the real bling ring: hollywood heist.

So many true crime documentaries focus on stories long ago or not publicized enough for many of us to remember. The Real Bling Ring: Hollywood Heist , however, dives deep into a tale much more recent and high profile than many of its peers — notably, the infamous robberies of the Hollywood homes of the likes of Paris Hilton and Lindsay Lohan by a gang in the early noughties. By using interviews with both the perpetrators and some of the victims, The Real Bling Ring offers a dual perspective on the crimes, with discussions of truth and celebrity status, among other themes, making the miniseries impossible to turn off. - Jake Hodges

'Most Hated Man on the Internet' (2023)

Rotten tomatoes: 87% | imdb: 6.8/10, the most hated man on the internet.

Much more than just an eye-catching title, The Most Hated Man on the Internet tells the story of the frankly disgusting Hunter Moore and his creation — the website IsAnyoneUp.com. With the intent of ruining people’s lives and collecting as many victims as possible, Moore’s fronting of the horrifying revenge porn epidemic is simply frightening, with this documentary offering not just Moore’s story but also the story of his victims. Gripping and terrifyingly real, The Most Hated Man on the Internet is a reminder of the horrors that live in the modern virtual world, with Moore sadly just one of many awful villains that lurk inside cyberspace. - Jake Hodges

'Bad Vegan: Fame. Fraud. Fugitives.' (2022)

Rotten tomatoes: 88% | imdb: 5.9/10, bad vegan: fame. fraud. fugitives..

After being promised the chance to make her dog live forever, famous New York City restauranteur Sarma Meingailis marries a man who, unbeknownst to her, is about to ruin her life. Fast forward four years, and her husband, Anthony Strangis , through coercive control, has managed to get them both arrested for fraud, with Sarma’s reputation seemingly ruined forever. Nominated for Best Streaming Docuseries at the Hollywood Critics Association Television Awards, Bad Vegan is a truly unique story that stands out as one of the most unforgettable true crime series period, not just Netflix, thanks to its tackling of the sickening realities of many modern relationships. - Jake Hodges

'Night Stalker: The Hunt For a Serial Killer' (2021)

Rotten tomatoes: 71% | imdb: 7.5/10, night stalker: the hunt for a serial killer (2021).

A true crime series as visceral and gritty as they come, Night Stalker: The Hunt For a Serial Killer tells the story of Richard Ramirez , the California Killer who brutally took the lives of at least 13 people in the mid-1980s. By leaving no stone unturned, Night Stalker details every aspect of the chase for Ramirez, from the man himself to the detectives charged with finding him, Gil Carrillo and Frank Salerno . With a discussion of a monster at the heart of this documentary, Night Stalker manages to walk the line between an accurate portrayal of real horrors and a fascinating insight into the mind of a killer. - Jake Hodges

'Unsolved Mysteries' (2020 - Present)

Rotten tomatoes: 78% | imdb: 7.3/10, unsolved mysteries.

Originally a classic series created by John Cosgrove and Terry Dunn Meurer , Unsolved Mysteries is the Netflix reboot that true crime fans had long called for. With a series of different episodical subjects available across three seasons to date, Unsolved Mysteries features a plethora of different themes and tales ranging from the brutally real to the paranormal. Always gripping and enticingly varied, Unsolved Mysteries has certainly earned its MTV Movie, Critics’ Choice, and Hollywood Critics Association Television Awards nominations. - Jake Hodges

'Crime Scene: The Vanishing at the Cecil Hotel' (2021)

Rotten tomatoes: 52% | imdb: 6.0/10, crime scene: the vanishing at the cecil hotel (2021).

One of the most infamous mysteries of all time, Crime Scene: The Vanishing at the Cecil Hotel documents the improbable tragedy of Elisa Lam back in 2013 when her disappearance eventually resulted in the finding of her body in a cistern atop the hotel. Having puzzled thousands of wannabe internet sleuths for years, Crime Scene , unlike many other documentaries on this topic, actually offers a definite answer to the events that happened just over a decade ago. For those who may be used to this story and unsure as to whether this is worth a watch, its unique spin on the case certainly makes it a refreshing but still gutwrenching experience, whether you’re familiar with the Cecil Hotel or not. - Jake Hodges

'The Ripper' (2020)

Rotten tomatoes: 83% | imdb: 7.1/10.

Across the pond in the UK, the case of the Yorkshire Ripper (named after his Victorian namesake counterpart by the British media) is infamously chilling and still haunts the nightmares of many who have been affected by it. This Netflix documentary tells the tale to a worldwide audience, documenting the evil exploits of Peter Sutcliffe and the furious investigation behind his eventual capture and imprisonment. Certainly not a true crime series for the faint-hearted, The Ripper is unapologetic in its delivery of this heinous story, as well as diving deep into the misogynistic way the case was dealt with by the media back in the late 1970s, a topic still so relevant today. - Jake Hodges

'Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem, and Madness' (2020 - 2021)

Rotten tomatoes: 84% | imdb: 7.5/10.

The crowning glory in Netflix’s true crime catalog, Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem, and Madness was a worldwide phenomenon upon its original release in 2020, likely helped by the fact that most of us were at home. Documenting the life of big cat zoo owner Joe Exotic , each episode unravels like a winding mystery, brimming with unexpected twists and ludicrous turns as Joe Exotic’s tale is examined in detail. From a plot to commit murder to an attempt to run for US presidency, there is a sense that absolutely nothing is off the table in Tiger King , making for an unforgettable viewing experience unlike any other. - Jake Hodges

'The Trials of Gabriel Fernandez' (2020)

Rotten tomatoes: 83% | imdb: 8.1/10, the trials of gabriel fernandez.

A heart-wrenching examination of a young boy's brutal murder uncovers the layers of negligence and malfeasance within the family services system tasked with his safety. The documentary weaves together the perspectives of family members, officials, and activists, prompting a crucial discussion on the reforms needed to prevent future tragedies.

This Netflix original series tells the harrowing story of the titular Gabriel Fernandez , an 8-year-old boy who was brutally tortured by his evil parents over an 8-month period. Examining not just the family but also the social system that failed the child, The Trials of Gabriel Fernandez is, understandably, a terribly tough watch, with the subject matter at its core making for some of the most uncomfortable true crime viewing available today. However, that doesn’t take away from its poignancy, with the sad reality that this is just one of many similar cases making this docu-series a beacon of hope that might just widen the eyes of those in power and encourage them to do more to stop this from happening again. - Jake Hodges

'The Keepers' (2017)

Rotten tomatoes: 97% | imdb: 8.0/10, the keepers.

Telling the story of the disappearance of Sister Cathy Cesnik in 1969, The Keepers quickly becomes a mystery packed full of deceit and gutwrenching reality, with the missing nun’s attempts to uncover a system of awful sexual abuse at an all-girls high school setting into motion the potential for there to have been a conspiracy that could have cost her her life. What begins as a typical true crime series soon twists into a stomach-churning investigation into some of the most evil crimes imaginable, with the weaponized ignorance of those in power likely to light a fire of anger in the belly of everyone in the audience. The Keepers really is one of the best true crime docs on Netflix. - Jake Hodges

'Making a Murderer' (2015 - 2018)

Rotten tomatoes: 84% | imdb: 8.5/10, making a murderer.

A true crime series that took the world by storm, Making a Murderer follows the story of Steven Avery , a man who was wrongfully convicted of murder and imprisoned for 18 years. Upon his release, Avery’s attempts to move back to his quiet life became unstuck when he was once again charged with murder, this time of Teresa Halbach , with both he and his nephew Brendan Dassey imprisoned. However, this time, despite the documentary suggesting they are both innocent, the two are still behind bars to this day, with Making a Murderer examining where the justice system might have gone wrong. Wholly addictive and massively entertaining, Making a Murderer is so well crafted and one-sided it can be easy to forget it's not a work of fiction, with the sheer indulgence of the story making for a true crime series that needs to be seen to be believed. - Jake Hodges

'Wild Wild Country' (2018)

Rotten tomatoes: 98% | imdb: 8.1/10, wild wild country.

An official selection at the 2018 Sundance Festival, Wild Wild Country is a true crime series like no other. The series follows guru Osho (more formally known as Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh ) as he and his legions of devout followers head to the dead of the Oregon desert to begin their own utopia. However, the cracks between the church and the state begin to show, as a conflict with the locals soon spirals into the country’s first bioterror attack. Gripping, enigmatic, and hugely important, Wild Wild Country captured the imagination of both critics and the public alike upon its release, leading to the docu-series winning the Primetime Emmy for Outstanding Documentary. - Jake Hodges

The 31 Best True Crime Shows on Netflix Right Now

Posted: March 21, 2024 | Last updated: March 21, 2024

Sometimes, true crime series leave you with more questions than answers. Other times, they give you a sense of closure. But all the time, they have you wide-eyed and awake in bed, wondering how the story will end. Lucky for you, Netflix has plenty of fascinating true crime shows available to stream right now from the comfort of your own home. From the wildest true crime docuseries out there to impeccably acted dramas based on true crime events, these shows will wake up your inner detective.

RELATED:  25 Movies Like Knives Out That Will Bring Out Your Inner Detective .

1. The Ripper

In the late '70s in Great Britain, Yorkshire and Manchester were terrorized by a serial killer who came to be known as the Yorkshire Ripper. This four-episode docuseries brings viewers in on the hunt for the violent criminal, who was named as such because of his similarities to that other legendary English murderer.

2. Wild Wild Country

Chances are that you'll devour  Wild Wild Country —the docuseries about the religious Rajneeshpuram community and their standoff with their Oregon neighbors—in a single sitting. Such is the magnetic and menacing presence of Ma Anand Sheela , the vengeful personal assistant of the late guru Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh , who is far and away the star of the show.

3. The Staircase

The Staircase

In 2018, Netflix acquired the older episodes of a show that is considered by many to be the blueprint for the true crime docuseries as we know it, and also debuted three brand new ones. The Staircase follows the case against Michael Peterson , a North Carolina man who is accused of murdering his wife but claims she died as a result of a freak accident in their home. Originally debuting in 2004 on French television, the series documents the strange twists and turns of the mystery across almost two decades. But you can digest all of it in just one weekend.

4. The Keepers

The Keepers The Keepers  is an appropriately named documentary series, as its ultimate focus is on the women—former high school students of murdered nun Sister Cathy Cesnik —who seek justice for her and keep the teacher's memory alive. They suspect that Cesnik was killed to silence her, and the depth of the crimes she may have uncovered are as heartbreaking as they are shocking. Still, their devotion to learning the truth and exposing those responsible will leave you more hopeful than bereft.

5. The Devil Next Door

RELATED:  6 Movies About True Hollywood Crimes That Will Shock You .

6. Evil Genius: The True Story of America's Most Diabolical Bank Heist

Could the man who robbed an Erie, Pennsylvania bank in 2003 with a bomb strapped to himself have been forced by someone else to commit the crime? That's what Evil Genius aims to discover. And it dips into some dark places in the process.

"It's a saga that involves death and obsession and illness and rejection: all the puzzle pieces you'd expect to go into a story befitting this one's title," the IndieWire review of the docuseries reads.

7. Killer Inside: The Mind of Aaron Hernandez

Aaron Hernandez  had been playing for the New England Patriots for three years when he was arrested for the 2013 murder of a man named  Odin Lloyd .  Killer Inside  examines the turn that the late former NFL player's life took, and how chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) caused by injuries sustained while playing football may have contributed to his violent tendencies.

8. Making a Murderer

RELATED:  The 6 Most Binge-Worthy True Crime Podcasts You Need to Listen To .

9. Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem and Madness

If you missed the  Tiger King  phenomenon when it premiered on Netflix in 2020 and everyone in lockdown seemed to be watching it, don't worry—it's never too late to check it out.

The frequently jaw-dropping docuseries centers around a man who calls himself Joe Exotic , and the controversial/not-always-legal world of big cat collecting. But trust us when we say that that synopsis barely scratches the surface of what you'll see.

10. When They See Us

Ava DuVernay's dramatization of the ordeal endured by the falsely accused and wrongfully convicted Central Park Five was nominated for 11 Emmy Awards and ranked on many best-of-the-year lists in 2019. After you finish all four episodes of the series, you can check out the special Oprah Winfrey Presents When They See Us Now , which is also on Netflix, to hear from the real exonerated subjects in their own words.

11. Unbelievable

Another fictionalized version of a real crime,  Unbelievable  stars  Merritt Wever and Toni Collette as two detectives who get on the trail of a serial rapist. As they investigate, they come across a young woman ( Kaitlyn Dever ) whose report of her own assault fits the profile of their perpetrator—even though she was pressured into recanting by male cops who found her story too hard to believe.

12. Mindhunter

While  Mindhunter  blends fact and fiction, the two-season crime drama has enough of the former to please true crime aficionados. It tracks a project embarked on by the FBI's Behavioral Science Unit in the late '70s and early '80s to study serial killers—a concept that was just gaining prominence amid rising media coverage of repeat murderers. Jonathan Groff ,  Holt McCallany , and  Anna Torv's  characters come into contact with dramatized real-life killers  Ed Kemper , David Berkowitz ,  Charles Manson , and more, in an attempt to understand how these notorious murderers think, feel, and operate, in order to stop their successors. Zodiac  filmmaker  David Fincher  is one of the creators behind the acclaimed series.

13. American Nightmare

Across just three episodes, Netflix's American Nightmare documents the way law enforcement failed Denise Huskins and her boyfriend, Aaron Quinn , after he reported that she had been kidnapped right in front of him in the middle of the night.

RELATED:  The 15 Best Psychological Thrillers to Keep You on the Edge of Your Seat .

14. Keep Sweet: Pray and Obey

Titled after  Rulon Jeff's favorite command for the women of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints,  Keep Sweet: Pray and Obey  reveals what life is like for women and girls in the polygamous offshoot of Mormonism. It particularly focuses on the abusive leadership of Rulon and then his son, Warren Jeffs , who is currently serving a life sentence for two counts of child sexual assault.

15. Bad Vegan: Fame. Fraud. Fugitives.

In the mid '00s, the New York vegan spot Pure Food and Wine was one of the hottest restaurants in the city. But that didn't last for long, as  Bad Vegan: Fame. Fraud. Fugitive.  recounts.

Co-owner Sarma Melngailis  claims in the documentary that her former husband Anthony Strangis  conned her out of so much money that she began stealing money from her own restaurant in order to satisfy him. What's most unbelievable is the story Strangis initially told Melngailis about why he needed the money—and that she bought it.

16. Worst Roommate Ever

RELATED:  11 Beloved TV Characters Who Are Actually the Worst .

17. Night Stalker: The Hunt for a Serial Killer

The docuseries Night Stalker: The Hunt for a Serial Killer  takes viewers right back to Los Angeles and San Francisco in 1984 and 1985—the period during which serial killer and serial rapist  Richard Ramirez hunted his victims in and around their homes. It even includes in-depth interviews with survivors who were able to evade his grip, and their accounts are chilling.

18. Escaping Twin Flames

What would you give up if you knew you were guaranteed to meet your soulmate? How much money would you pay the people who promised that to you? Escaping Twin Flames  centers the Twin Flames Universe, an online and in-person community many have called a cult, and its leaders, Shaleia and Jeff Divine . They promise their followers that they can help them achieve eternal happiness with their "twin flame," but former members and families of people still in the group claim that Shaleia and Jeff rule through coercion, intimidation, and homophobia—and that Jeff believes he is  Jesus Christ  reborn. It's a wild watch.

19. Killer Sally

In 1995, bodybuilder  Sally McNeil  was arrested for killing her husband, fellow bodybuilder  Ray McNeil . But that's just the logline when it comes to the docuseries  Killer Sally . The project documents the couple's lives up to that tragic point, which included a "seedy" video business, jealousy, and alleged abuse. Sally herself contributes to the series in a lengthy prison interview.

20. Murdaugh Murders: A Southern Scandal

There's enough scandal and untimely death in the orbit of South Carolina's Murdaugh family to necessitate both seasons of this docuseries.

RELATED:  The 12 Most Popular Horror Series of All Time, New Data Shows .

Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story —or simply  Dahmer —dramatizes the bloody reign of one of the most notorious serial killers of all time.

While the series was criticized for glamorizing Jeffrey Dahmer and even re-traumatizing his victims' families, it was Netflix's No. 1 show when it was released. Additionally, Evan Peters  won a Golden Globe for disappearing into the titular role, while  Niecy Nash  won an Emmy for playing one of Dahmer's neighbors.

22. Griselda

Sofía Vergara's  first big TV role post- Modern Family  was a huge departure. In this Netflix limited series, she plays Colombian crime boss Griselda Blanco . The show chronicles her rise and fall in the world of drug running, as well as how she sacrifices the safety of her own family in order to gain more power.

23. Vatican Girl: The Disappearance of Emanuela Orlandi

In 1983, a teenager girl named Emanuela Orlandi disappeared on her way back home to her family in Vatican City. She has never been found, and this documentary aims to discover why the powers-that-be in the cradle of the Catholic church have not been forthcoming with information about her.

The case gained international attention when a terrorist organization took responsibility for Orlandi's kidnapping, but it was later proven to be a hoax. Now, multiple theories of what happened to the "Vatican girl" still swirl, as her family continues to press for answers.

24. How to Become a Cult Leader

Jim Jones , Marshall Applewhite , and  Charles Manson  are among the notorious personalities profiled in Netflix's six-part  How to Become a Cult Leader  series. Narrator  Peter Dinklage  of  Game of Thrones  fame recounts how these leaders were able to build up insular communities willing to follow them anywhere—and do anything that they asked.

If you're fascinated by the psychology behind the Peoples Temple, Heaven's Gate, the Manson Family, and more infamous cults, this series should be on top of your watch list.

25. The Innocent Man

In 2006, novelist  John Grisham  published his first nonfiction book, The Innocent Man: Murder and Injustice in a Small Town . In 2018, Netflix released a docuseries adapted from the book, which chronicles the investigations into two murders that happened in Ada, Oklahoma in the early '80s, both resulting in men being blamed for the crimes whose convictions were later overturned.

RELATED:  The 30 Scariest Horror Movies of All Time, According to Science .

26. Unsolved Mysteries

After it had been off the air for 10 years, Netflix resurrected Unsolved Mysteries , the docuseries that premiered all the way back in 1987 and haunted the dreams of many millennials who grew up watching its spooky dramatic reenactments and listening to the unforgettable voice of former host Robert Stack .

So far, three volumes of Unsolved Mysteries  have dropped on Netflix, and a fourth is reportedly on the way.

27. Murder Among the Mormons

In the '80s, forger Mark Hofmann  managed to swindle the Latter Day Saint church out of buckets of money by creating priceless and newly recovered church documents and artifacts—all, of course, completely fake. But his forgeries aren't the only reason why he's still in prison today. Murder Among the Mormons  reveals the deadly lengths Hofmann went to in order to protect his scheme from those who finally became suspicious that the treasures he was miraculously producing were nothing but professional fabrications.

28. The Indrani Mukerjea Story: Buried Truth

This documentary about the disappearance of 25-year-old Indian woman Sheena Bora and the subsequent murder investigation has all the elements a true crime aficionado could ask for: a wealthy family at the center of the drama; deep family secrets that finally come to light; and an illuminating interview with the charismatic and controlling No. 1 suspect.

Former media CEO Indrani Mukerjea  is suspected of killing her firstborn daughter, whom she had passed off as her sister, though she says she doesn't even believe that Bora is dead. This miniseries will tell you everything you need to know about the still ongoing case.

29. Bad Surgeon: Love Under the Knife

If you watched the second season of the Peacock anthology series  Dr. Death , then you already know the story about the thoracic surgeon who is accused of falsifying research that allowed him to perform experimental trachea transplants that killed some patients and left others maimed.

But in the Netflix docuseries Bad Surgeon: Love Under the Knife , you can hear from disgraced doctor Paolo Macchiarini , the TV journalist he conned into a relationship with him, and the colleagues who endeavored to bring him down, all in their own words.

30. Sophie: A Murder in West Cork

A small rural town in Ireland was rocked when the body of a French TV producer who owned a cottage in the area was found outside her home in 1996. It would take 23 years to convict someone for her murder. Sophie: A Murder in West Cork  follows the messy investigation and asks tough questions about whose testimony was prioritized by authorities and why. Above all, however, it serves as a memorial to Sophie Toscan du Plantier herself, as well as her affinity for the countryside where she ultimately lost her life.

31. The Program: Cons, Cults, and Kidnapping

If firsthand accounts are what compel you, check out The Program: Cons, Cults, and Kidnapping . Docuseries director Katherine Kubler  spent part of her youth in one of the "troubled teen" institutions she and her fellow alumni are now out to expose.

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