Beenish Ahmed
Criminal Justice ReporterBeenish Ahmed is Michigan Public's Criminal Justice reporter. Since 2016, she has been a reporter for WNYC Public Radio in New York and also a freelance journalist. Her stories have appeared on NPR, as well as in The New Yorker, Harper’s, The Atlantic, VICE and The Daily Beast. Additionally, Beenish spent two years in Islamabad, Pakistan, working with the Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting, covering the country’s first democratic transition of power as well as Pakistan's education system.
Much of her reporting has focused on covering under-reported stories and adding nuance to major headlines. That included covering stories related to DACA and the #MeToo movement as well as reporting on the personal challenges Muslims in metro Detroit faced in taking a public stand against President Trump’s so-called “Muslim ban.”
She is a graduate of the University of Michigan and has a master’s degree from the University of Cambridge. She was also a Spencer Fellow at the Columbia School of Journalism in New York, and an NPR Kroc Fellow.
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An agreement between the ACLU and Detroit’s 36th District Court will require judges to limit the use of cash bail, and make transparent decisions about affordability when it is used. -
The gun detection program has been controversial, with claims that the technology is disproportionately placed in communities of color, and that it hasn’t resulted in significant leads or arrests. -
A 15-minute phone call from the Wayne County Jail, at $4.20, is among the highest rates in the state. The county's contract for jail telecommunications brings in at least $1.75 million a year for the county. -
Voters in the primary election yesterday opted to stay the course with regard to the Wayne County Sheriff's Office. -
Interviews paint a picture of disarray and indifference during much of the pandemic – problems that appear to have improved in late 2021, once the county switched medical providers. Especially in the early days of the pandemic, fear moved from cell to cell. -
A Michigan Radio analysis found that as of January 2022, at least 120 people were being held in pre-trial detention at a Wayne County jail for more than 18 months. We’ve created this guide to help you understand due process rights, and ways you can support a loved one in pre-trial detention. -
An analysis by Michigan Radio found that the person who has spent the longest time in pre-trial detention in a Wayne County jail has been there just short of four years. -
“People are buying more guns, so there’s more opportunity for guns to be stolen, more opportunities for guns to fall in the wrong hands, more opportunities for people to use guns to resolve some disputes,” Detroit Police Chief James White said, attributing increased enforcement of gun violations to a series of issues. -
Detroit police have made many more arrests for carrying a concealed weapon during the pandemic. But defense attorneys say the arrests have been heavy-handed, burdening an already backlogged court system, and eroding public trust in police. -
State Rep. Abdullah Hammoud (D-Dearborn) is set to be the first Arab-American and Muslim mayor-elect of Dearborn.
