3,576 articles
Umesh Reddy
Umesh Reddy (B.V. Umesh, also B.A. Umesh), born 1973 in Chitradurga, Karnataka, is a former police constable and convicted serial rapist-killer, the 'Beast of Bangalore', convicted in nine cases; his 2006 death sentence was commuted to life in 2022.
Unborn Victims of Violence Act
Unborn Victims of Violence Act of 2004, or Laci and Conner's Law (Pub. L. 108-212): US federal law, codified at 18 U.S.C. § 1841, making death or injury to a child in utero during listed federal violent crimes a separate offense, with abortion and medical-treatment exemptions.
Under the Banner of Heaven (miniseries)
Under the Banner of Heaven is FX's 2022 seven-episode Hulu limited series by Dustin Lance Black, adapted from Jon Krakauer's 2003 book, dramatizing the 1984 Lafferty murders with Andrew Garfield as fictional detective Jeb Pyre.
Underboss
The Underboss, or Sottocapo, is the second-in-command of a traditional organized crime family. This role involves relaying messages and is a primary target of federal law.
Uniform Code of Military Justice
Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ), 10 U.S.C. ch. 47, the U.S. military criminal code enacted May 5, 1950, effective 1951, covering courts-martial, Article 15 punishment, and special trial counsel.
Uniform Crime Reports
Uniform Crime Reports: FBI-administered US national crime statistics since 1930, begun by the IACP in 1929; Part I offense counts under SRS with the Hierarchy Rule, transitioned to incident-based NIBRS collection in 2021, complemented by the NCVS.
United Blood Nation
United Blood Nation (UBN): East Coast Bloods offshoot founded 1993 on Rikers Island by Omar Portee and Leonard McKenzie; prison-born gang with sets, 'The 31' rules, dues, and major 2017–2019 North Carolina RICO prosecutions.
United Nations Interregional Crime and Justice Research Institute
The United Nations Interregional Crime and Justice Research Institute (UNICRI) is a United Nations research and training institute, established in 1968 and headquartered in Turin, Italy, that works on crime prevention.
United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime
The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), created in 1997, is a UN office in Vienna helping states fight drugs, crime, corruption, and terrorism.
United States and the International Criminal Court
United States and the International Criminal Court: Washington signed but never ratified the Rome Statute, opposed via ASPA and Article 98 bilateral immunity agreements, engaged as observer under Obama, and imposed sanctions on ICC officials in 2020 and 2025-2026.
United States cities by crime rate (100,000–250,000)
Crime-rate comparisons for US cities of 100,000–250,000 residents, based on FBI UCR/NIBRS per-capita data (about 363.8 violent crimes per 100,000 nationally in 2024), with methodology and ranking caveats; distinct from large-city crime rankings.
United States Department of Justice
United States Department of Justice (DOJ), federal executive department headed by the Attorney General; established June 22, 1870, successor to the 1789 Office of the Attorney General; over 115,000 employees, 94 U.S. Attorney offices, FY 2027 budget request $40.8 billion.
United States Disciplinary Barracks
United States Disciplinary Barracks (USDB), at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, is the Department of Defense's only maximum-security military prison, housing male court-martialed service members; operating since 1875 and renamed from the United States Military Prison in 1915.
United States federal probation and supervised release
Federal probation and supervised release are U.S. post-conviction community supervision sentences under 18 U.S.C. §§ 3563 and 3583: probation as an alternative to prison, supervised release after imprisonment, with conditions, revocation caps, and one-year early termination eligibility.
United States Federal Sentencing Guidelines
United States Federal Sentencing Guidelines, issued by the U.S. Sentencing Commission under the 1984 Sentencing Reform Act, prescribe federal sentence ranges; mandatory from 1987, advisory since Booker (2005).
United States Federal Witness Protection Program
The U.S. federal Witness Security Program (WitSec, WSP), run by the U.S. Marshals Service since 1971, gives new identities and relocation to threatened witnesses against organized crime; about 19,250 participants protected.
United States incarceration rate
The United States Incarceration Rate, defined by the Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS), counts residents held in local, state, or federal facilities per 100,000 U.S. residents.
United States Penitentiary, Coleman
United States Penitentiary, Coleman (USP Coleman I and II) are high-security federal prisons in Sumterville, Florida, part of FCC Coleman, which also includes FCI Coleman Low and Medium; about 5,810 inmates across four institutions.
United States Penitentiary, Florence High
The United States Penitentiary, Florence High (USP Florence High) is a high-security federal prison for men in Florence, Colorado, activated in November 1994 beside the ADX supermax.
United States Penitentiary, Hazelton
USP Hazelton (United States Penitentiary Hazelton) is a high-security federal prison for men in Bruceton Mills, West Virginia, part of FCC Hazelton; known for the Challenge Program, repeated CIC inspections, the 2018 stabbing homicides and Bulger transfer.
United States Penitentiary, Lee
The United States Penitentiary, Lee is a high-security federal prison for men in Pennington Gap, Virginia, opened around 2001 and operated by the Federal Bureau of Prisons.
United States Penitentiary, Marion
USP Marion, a Federal Bureau of Prisons penitentiary in Williamson County, Illinois, opened 1963; the only level-six federal prison from 1978 and the first federal supermax after 1983, now medium security with SOMP and a CMU.
United States Penitentiary, Terre Haute
USP Terre Haute is a high-security federal prison in Terre Haute, Indiana, opened in 1940 as the first wall-less federal penitentiary; it houses federal death row in its Special Confinement Unit and is the site of all federal executions since 2001.
United States Penitentiary, Tucson
USP Tucson is a high-security federal penitentiary for male inmates in Tucson, Arizona, activated in 2006, part of FCC Tucson with FCI Tucson and a satellite camp; overseen via DOJ OIG, CIC, and PREA audits.
United States v Burns
United States v Burns, [2001] 1 S.C.R. 283 (2001 SCC 7): Supreme Court of Canada case holding that extraditing Canadian citizens Burns and Rafay to Washington without death penalty assurances violates Charter section 7, reversing Kindler.
United States v. Handley
United States v. Handley names several federal cases, most notably an Eighth Circuit decision (No. 24-2976, 2026) holding a drug dog's window intrusion was a Fourth Amendment search but affirming denial of suppression under good-faith reliance on United States v. Lyons.
Unjust vexation
Unjust vexation, under Article 287(2) of the Philippine Revised Penal Code, is a light, undefined catch-all offense penalizing acts that unjustifiably annoy or vex; punished by arresto menor or a P1,000 to P40,000 fine.
Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act
The Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967 (UAPA) is India's anti-terror and unlawful-association statute, amended in 2004, 2008, 2012, and 2019; the 2019 amendment allows designating individuals as terrorists, with NCRB data and Section 43D(5) bail jurisprudence shaping its use.
Unlawful assembly
Unlawful assembly is a public order offence: a group gathered for a common purpose becomes criminal through its conduct or object, typically where observers reasonably fear a breach of the peace. Known in English common law, Canadian, Indian (BNS s.189), and US statutes; abolished in England and Wales by the Public Order Act 1986.
Upskirt
Upskirting: covert photography or filming under a person's clothing without consent. Criminal in England and Wales under the Voyeurism (Offences) Act 2019 after Gina Martin's campaign; Scotland criminalized it earlier.