262 episodes

Criminal is the first of its kind. A show about people who’ve done wrong, been wronged, or gotten caught somewhere in the middle. Hosted by Phoebe Judge. Named a Best Podcast of 2023 by the New York Times. Part of the Vox Media Podcast Network.

Criminal Vox Media Podcast Network

    • Society & Culture
    • 4.7 • 34.4K Ratings

Criminal is the first of its kind. A show about people who’ve done wrong, been wronged, or gotten caught somewhere in the middle. Hosted by Phoebe Judge. Named a Best Podcast of 2023 by the New York Times. Part of the Vox Media Podcast Network.

    Episode 249: The Gargoyle Cat, the Taylor Swift Goat, and the Runaway Cow

    Episode 249: The Gargoyle Cat, the Taylor Swift Goat, and the Runaway Cow

    Stories of animals really going for it.
    Criminal is going back on tour in February! We’ll be telling brand new stories, live on stage. You can even get meet and greet tickets to come and say hi before the show. Tickets are on sale now at thisiscriminal.com/live. We can’t wait to see you there!
    Say hello on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Sign up for our occasional newsletter, The Accomplice. Follow the show and review us on Apple Podcasts: iTunes.com/CriminalShow.
    Sign up for Criminal Plus to get behind-the-scenes bonus episodes of Criminal, ad-free listening of all of our shows, members-only merch, and more. Learn more and sign up here.
    Listen back through our archives at youtube.com/criminalpodcast.
    We also make This is Love and Phoebe Reads a Mystery.
    Artwork by Julienne Alexander. Check out our online shop.
    Episode transcripts are posted on our website.
    Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    • 48 min
    Episode 248: The Questions I’m Asking

    Episode 248: The Questions I’m Asking

    Today we meet “Genius Grant” winner Andrea Armstrong. In 2019, she started the Incarceration Transparency Project to identify and make public how many people were dying behind bars in Louisiana. The project also documents conditions inside the state’s prisons and jails – what Andrea Armstrong calls “secretive spaces of confinement.” She’s said: “Too often, the how and why a person in prison dies is kept secret from everyone, including the person’s family."
    Criminal is going back on tour in February! We’ll be telling brand new stories, live on stage. You can even get meet and greet tickets to come and say hi before the show. Tickets are on sale now at thisiscriminal.com/live. We can’t wait to see you there!
    Say hello on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Sign up for our occasional newsletter, The Accomplice. Follow the show and review us on Apple Podcasts: iTunes.com/CriminalShow.
    Sign up for Criminal Plus to get behind-the-scenes bonus episodes of Criminal, ad-free listening of all of our shows, members-only merch, and more. Learn more and sign up here.
    Listen back through our archives at youtube.com/criminalpodcast.
    We also make This is Love and Phoebe Reads a Mystery.
    Artwork by Julienne Alexander. Check out our online shop.
    Episode transcripts are posted on our website.

    Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    • 39 min
    Episode 247: Send Her to the Island

    Episode 247: Send Her to the Island

    When a young woman showed up at a boarding house in Manhattan, she said her name was Nellie Brown – but that was all she seemed to remember about herself. Soon, people became scared of her. Someone went to the police: "I want you to take her quietly."
    Stacy Horn's book is Damnation Island: Poor, Sick, Mad, and Criminal in 19th-Century New York.
    Travis Russ' upcoming play is The Gorgeous Nothings. To hear our special bonus episode about the other end of the island—and get ad-free listening, members-only merch and more—sign up for Criminal Plus.
    Criminal is going back on tour in February! We’ll be telling brand new stories, live on stage. You can even get meet and greet tickets to come and say hi before the show. Tickets are on sale now at thisiscriminal.com/live. We can’t wait to see you there!
    Say hello on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Sign up for our occasional newsletter, The Accomplice. Follow the show and review us on Apple Podcasts: iTunes.com/CriminalShow.
    Listen back through our archives at youtube.com/criminalpodcast.
    We also make This is Love and Phoebe Reads a Mystery.
    Artwork by Julienne Alexander. Check out our online shop.
    Episode transcripts are posted on our website.
    Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    • 32 min
    Episode 246: The Kit

    Episode 246: The Kit

    In the early 1970s, Marty Goddard was worried about the high rates of sexual assault in Chicago. She learned from police that evidence from sexual assault cases often wasn’t collected properly — or at all. “They said, ‘We don’t get evidence.’ And this really kicked everything off.”
    Criminal is going back on tour in February! We’ll be telling brand new stories, live on stage. You can even get meet and greet tickets to come and say hi before the show. Tickets are on sale now at thisiscriminal.com/live. We can’t wait to see you there!
    Say hello on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Sign up for our occasional newsletter, The Accomplice. Follow the show and review us on Apple Podcasts: iTunes.com/CriminalShow.
    Sign up for Criminal Plus to get behind-the-scenes bonus episodes of Criminal, ad-free listening of all of our shows, members-only merch, and more. Learn more and sign up here.
    Listen back through our archives at youtube.com/criminalpodcast.
    We also make This is Love and Phoebe Reads a Mystery.
    Artwork by Julienne Alexander. Check out our online shop.
    Episode transcripts are posted on our website.
    Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    • 50 min
    Episode 245: Masterpiece

    Episode 245: Masterpiece

    In the 1950s poodles were all the rage — one tabloid even reported that when a girl “makes the big time she traditionally acquires 3 things — minks, gems, and a poodle.” But one poodle in particular put the breed on the map. His name was Masterpiece… and police in 13 states knew exactly what he looked like.
    This episode originally aired in 2018.
    To listen to more family-friendly episodes of Criminal and This is Love, check out our playlist here.
    Criminal is going back on tour in February! We’ll be telling brand new stories, live on stage. You can even get meet and greet tickets to come and say hi before the show. Tickets are on sale now at thisiscriminal.com/live. We can’t wait to see you there!
    Say hello on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Sign up for our occasional newsletter, The Accomplice. Follow the show and review us on Apple Podcasts: iTunes.com/CriminalShow.
    Sign up for Criminal Plus to get behind-the-scenes bonus episodes of Criminal, ad-free listening of all of our shows, members-only merch, and more. Learn more and sign up here.
    Listen back through our archives at youtube.com/criminalpodcast.
    We also make This is Love and Phoebe Reads a Mystery.
    Artwork by Julienne Alexander. Check out our online shop.
    Episode transcripts are posted on our website.
    Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    • 32 min
    Episode 244: Fine Art and Meat Cleavers

    Episode 244: Fine Art and Meat Cleavers

    In 1913, museums and art galleries in London received a memo from the police. It told them to be careful when they let in visitors – women might try to attack the art.
    Criminal is going back on tour in February! We’ll be telling brand new stories, live on stage. You can even get meet and greet tickets to come and say hi before the show. Tickets are on sale now at thisiscriminal.com/live. We can’t wait to see you there!
    Say hello on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Sign up for our occasional newsletter, The Accomplice. Follow the show and review us on Apple Podcasts: iTunes.com/CriminalShow.
    Sign up for Criminal Plus to get behind-the-scenes bonus episodes of Criminal, ad-free listening of all of our shows, members-only merch, and more. Learn more and sign up here.
    Listen back through our archives at youtube.com/criminalpodcast.
    We also make This is Love and Phoebe Reads a Mystery.
    Artwork by Julienne Alexander. Check out our online shop.
    Episode transcripts are posted on our website.
    Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

    • 55 min

Customer Reviews

4.7 out of 5
34.4K Ratings

34.4K Ratings

merleismydog ,

A must-follow podcast

Criminal is equally interesting, thought-provoking & entertaining. Have been listening since the beginning and look forward to new episodes each week. Thank you Phoebe, Loren, and team! Keep up the great work!

Ricki Jean T ,

Best voice in podcasting

Excellent storytelling and Phoebe Judge has the most beautiful, smooth, soothing voice of any podcaster I've heard. Even the gruesome tales are spun like silk for the ears.
Highly recommend!

EwanL06 ,

Excellent show

I recommend this show to everyone, even people who aren’t normally fans of true crime! This show is incredible in so many different ways. The stories are original, unique, and well-written, and cover subjects that aren’t usually talked about in true crime podcasts. The editing of the podcast is also air-tight, with the music, interviews, and Phoebe’s delightfully soothing voice all combine to make a wonderful listening experience.

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