Local Reporting Network Archive
How to Navigate California County Jails: A Guide for Inmates and Their Loved Ones
ProPublica and The Sacramento Bee have been reporting on conditions in California county jails. We’ve heard from more than 100 people about their experiences inside and want to share what they know.
California Governor’s Budget Makes Stronger Jail Oversight a Priority
After an investigation by McClatchy and ProPublica, Gov. Gavin Newsom submitted a budget that would give more authority to the board that oversees jails.
What You Need to Know About How Section 8 Really Works
Based on our reporting, we created a guide to the Section 8 program. You’ll learn how to apply, how to qualify for a voucher and what it’s like to live in Section 8 housing.
Lo que necesita saber acerca de cómo funciona realmente la Sección 8
Elaboramos una guía para la Sección 8 en base a nuestros reportajes. Con esta aprenderá cómo presentar una solicitud, calificar para un vale de elección de vivienda y cómo se vive en Sección 8.
How Wealthy Towns Keep People With Housing Vouchers Out
Section 8 vouchers should give low-income people the opportunity to live outside poor communities. But discriminatory landlords, exclusionary zoning and the federal government’s hands-off approach leave recipients with few places to call home.
Lawmakers Refused to Increase an Infamous Prison’s Funding. Then, Chaos Erupted.
Understaffed and underfunded, Mississippi’s Parchman prison recently received media attention for its grisly violence, gang control and subhuman living conditions. However, lawmakers have known about these issues for years and have done nothing to fix them.
Applications Are Open for More Spots in ProPublica’s Local Reporting Network
Three additional reporters working on accountability projects will be selected to join the network on April 1, bringing the total number of newsrooms and projects this year to 23.
California’s Jails Are in a Deadly Crisis. Here’s How Experts Suggest Fixing Them.
An investigation by McClatchy and ProPublica found unchecked violence and inhumane conditions in county jails, but the state’s oversight agency has no power to stop it. Experts say that needs to change.
What Happens When Sheriffs Release Violent Offenders to Avoid Paying Their Medical Bills
Sheriffs regularly release sick and injured inmates to avoid paying their hospital bills. But in Alabama, some defendants charged with violent offenses like murder have been let out. And some have gone on to commit new crimes.
Our Journalists Stopped Calling People Hard-to-Reach and Listened to Them. Here’s What Worked.
We researched why people were reluctant to talk about medical debt, and designed an outreach strategy based on what we learned.
California Gave Billions in Taxpayer Dollars to Improve Jails. But That’s Not How These Sheriffs Are Spending It.
California has given counties more than $8 billion to handle thousands of new inmates. But lax spending rules and limited scrutiny have allowed some sheriffs to use that money for other things, which may violate state law.
How Oil Companies Avoided Environmental Accountability After 10.8 Million Gallons Spilled
Louisiana still hasn’t finished investigating 540 oil spills after Hurricane Katrina. The state is likely leaving millions of dollars in remediation fines on the table — money that environmental groups say they need as storms get stronger.
How Some Sheriffs Force Their Inmates Into Medical Debt
Sheriffs in multiple Alabama counties refuse to pay for some of their jail inmates’ health care needs. The inmates are personally billed, and their bills can end up with collection agencies while they are still behind bars, wrecking their credit.
How a Police Officer in Iowa Helped Protect an Alaskan Police Force — From Thousands of Miles Away
He read our story about Alaska’s policing problems and began raising money to send supplies to the small Police Department in Savoonga. His efforts may save his fellow officers’ lives.
What It Looks Like When a Hospital We Investigated Erases $11.9 Million in Medical Debt
After our investigation, Methodist Le Bonheur hospital system erased thousands of patients’ medical debt. Many will no longer have to choose between those bills and their children or themselves. We want you to meet four of them.
This Former Firefighter Has a Criminal Past. Now, He’s on the Board That Advises the State on Its EMS System.
Albert F. Peterson III has been disciplined by state health regulators, and he has a number of criminal charges. “I’m not that person anymore,” he said of his past.
In Search of Solutions to Alaska’s Law Enforcement Crisis
We spent a year investigating how Alaska’s sexual violence crisis is compounded by a lack of law enforcement. Now, we’re looking at the system and how it can be fixed.
We Found Villages That Hired Criminals as Cops. Now Officials Want It To Change.
The Anchorage Daily News and ProPublica found small Alaska cities have employed police whose criminal records should have prevented them from being hired. Now, the state board is working to ensure they meet basic hiring standards.
Alaska’s Law Enforcement Crisis Is a Public Emergency. Here’s How Experts Want to Fix It.
More than a third of Alaska communities have no local police of any kind. Criminals have been hired as cops in some remote villages. A federal emergency has been declared and millions of dollars are promised, but here’s what else experts recommend.
My Home Is a Place That Feels Safe. For Too Many Families, That’s Not the Case.
Where we live becomes part of who we are. It affects our quality of life. That’s why I report on low-income housing.
