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.
Congressman Slams Military Brain-Testing Program
Rep. Bill Pascrell, D-N.J., sought support to fix the military’s cognitive testing program following a ProPublica and NPR report on the issue earlier this week.
Testing Program Fails Soldiers, Leaving Brain Injuries Undetected
Faced with a congressional mandate to use computerized testing to detect brain injuries, the military chose an unproven test and then botched its implementation.
Gov't Watchdog Criticizes Pentagon Center for PTSD, Brain Injuries
The Pentagon’s Defense Centers of Excellence are plagued by management weakness and obscure finances, according to recent Government Accountability Office reports.
Stricter Regulation of Formaldehyde Remains Uncertain Despite Carcinogen Ruling
The Department of Health and Human Services has classified formaldehyde as "a known carcinogen," but it remains to be seen if the new designation will lead to tighter U.S. formaldehyde regulations.
More Than Half of Recent War Vets Treated by VA Are Struggling With Mental Health Problems
Pressure increases on the military to improve mental health care as new data shows that 51 percent of Iraq and Afghanistan veterans are treated by the VA for psychological problems, up from 20 percent in 2004.
CID Concludes Infant Death Investigation at Fort Bragg
The Army Criminal Investigation Command has completed its investigation into the deaths of 10 infants who died of undetermined causes at Fort Bragg, N.C., but questions still linger.
CPSC Report on U.S.-Made Drywall Raises More Questions Than Answers
The CPSC's new report on American-made drywall says 'agency resource constraints' limited the investigation into whether American-made drywall is causing problems like those associated with Chinese-made drywall.
One Drywall Lawsuit Against National Gypsum Dismissed; Other Claims Pending
A lawsuit filed by an Arizona homeowner against one of the nation’s largest drywall manufacturers has been voluntarily dismissed.