A change in how to support my work

Hello,

I want to let you know about an upcoming change in how this work is supported.

Over the coming week, I’ll be discontinuing paid Substack subscriptions and moving to a patronage model on Patreon. The work itself—independent, slow journalism about crime and criminal justice—will continue as it has. What’s changing is the structure around how readers choose to support it.

I’ve come to realize that subscriptions don’t really reflect how I work. My reporting is becoming irregular by design: it’s research-heavy, sometimes slow, and guided more by questions than by a publishing schedule. A patronage model fits that reality better. It allows readers to support the existence of the work rather than a guaranteed stream of output.

Importantly, this is not a move toward exclusivity. Far from it. The journalism will become even more publicly available. Patreon is simply a way for readers who value this work to help sustain it, at whatever level makes sense for them.

If you’re currently a paid subscriber, you have a few options:

• You’re very welcome to continue supporting the work on Patreon, at a level that feels right to you.

• You can also choose to step back from paid support entirely and continue reading for free.

• If you’d prefer to cancel and not migrate, that’s completely fine as well.

If you’re not currently a paid subscriber, you can continue to follow here on Substack without change.

There’s no expectation that anyone “follow” me to Patreon. I’m deeply grateful for the support you’ve already given, and this change is about alignment and sustainability, not growth at all costs.

I’ll share a follow-up message with a Patreon link and practical details before Substack subscriptions are turned off.

Thank you for reading, for thinking seriously about these issues, and for helping make careful journalism possible in whatever ways you already have.

All the best,
Aaron