
Joaquin Sapien
Joaquin Sapien is a reporter at ProPublica covering criminal justice and social services.
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Joaquin Sapien was one of the first reporters hired at ProPublica in its first year of publishing in 2008. Since then, his journalism has explored a broad range of topics, including criminal justice, social services, and the environment. In 2019, he was a co-producer and correspondent for “Right to Fail,” a film for the PBS documentary series Frontline. The film was based on his 2018 examination of a flawed housing program for New Yorkers with mental illness, which appeared in the New York Times. The story immediately prompted a federal judge to order an independent investigation into the program. It won a Deadline Club Award and a Katherine Schneider Journalism Award for Excellence in Reporting on Disability.
In 2015, Sapien wrote about care for troubled children, beginning with a story in the California Sunday Magazine on a group home that descended into chaos. His work helped an abused boy receive a $12 million jury award and led to the closure of another embattled home in Long Beach.
Past areas of focus include New York City Family Court, prosecutorial misconduct, traumatic brain injury, natural gas drilling, and contaminated drywall used to rebuild after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.
Sapien’s work has earned awards from the Society of Professional Journalists, the Society of Environmental Journalists, and Investigative Reporters and Editors. He was a four-time finalist for the Livingston Award for Young Journalists. Before joining ProPublica, Sapien was a reporter at the Center for Public Integrity.
How the NRA Undermined Congress' Last Push for Gun Control
We reconstruct how the NRA advanced two measures long on its agenda in the wake of the 2007 Virginia Tech shooting.
by Joaquin Sapien,
Home Builders Lobby Weakens Drywall Legislation
A bill heralded by lawmakers as a victory for thousands of homeowners harmed by contaminated drywall was weakened after input from the homebuilding industry.
by Joaquin Sapien,
Mass Shootings Do Little to Change State Gun Laws
We take a look at what's happened legislatively in states where some of the worst shootings in recent U.S. history have occurred to see what effect, if any, those events had on gun laws.
by Joaquin Sapien,
Army Study Finds Troops Suffer Concussions in Training
Brain specialists say Army's training may make soldiers more vulnerable to head injuries on the battlefield.
by Joaquin Sapien,
One Soldier's Progress Against Traumatic Brain Injury
With the help of virtual-reality machines and a bevy of specialists, Sgt. Victor Medina's thinking and speaking rapidly improved. But he's among only a tiny fraction of brain-injured soldiers who get access to the most advanced treatment at military's new state-of-the-art center in Maryland.
by Joaquin Sapien,
EPA Sees Risks to Water, Workers In New York Fracking Rules
In 47 pages of comments, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency weighs in on New York’s potentially precedent-setting regulations for natural gas drilling in the Marcellus Shale.
by Joaquin Sapien,
Military Still Struggling to Treat Troops With Brain Injuries
Defense Department leaders and lawmakers have taken steps to improve the diagnosis and treatment of traumatic brain injuries since ProPublica and NPR began a two-year investigation, but progress remains incremental.
by Joaquin Sapien,
Drywall Manufacturer Agrees to Settlement
Knauf Plasterboard Tianjin is the first manufacturer to agree to settle defective drywall cases lodged in federal court. The settlement could pay to repair more than 5,000 homes, plaintiffs’ attorneys say.
by Joaquin Sapien,
Senator Wants Answers on Program to Test Soldiers for Brain Injuries
Sen. Claire McCaskill has requested a briefing from the military on its troubled neurological testing program.
by Joaquin Sapien,
Senate Subcommittee Grills CPSC on Drywall
Lawmakers questioned CPSC and CDC officials about the progress of a years-long federal investigation into contaminated drywall at a Senate hearing.
by Joaquin Sapien,