The IRE Resource Center is a major research library containing more than 23,250 investigative stories — both print and broadcast. These stories are searchable online or by contacting the Resource Center directly (573-882-3364 or rescntr@ire.org) where a researcher can help you pinpoint what you need. Browse or search the tipsheet section of our library below. Stories are not available for download but can be easily ordered by contacting the Resource Center:
Search results for "county jail" ...
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Grandma can’t accept your call: Inmates disconnected by phone costs
This series of stories started with a simple question. Why does it cost so much for inmates to make calls from the Cook County Jail? In the course of my reporting on criminal and legal affairs for WBEZ, the public radio station in Chicago, I had heard numerous people complain about the high cost of phone calls. Some digging confirmed that the price could be as high as $15.00 for 15 minute calls. Three or four calls a week at that price gets expensive even for financially stable middle class folks, but the people paying these fees were mostly the poorest residents in Chicago. That’s because most of the people in the Cook County Jail are there because they and their families couldn’t afford to post bond of a couple thousand, or sometimes even just hundreds of dollars to secure their freedom while awaiting trial. They are the people who are least able to afford such expensive phone calls. A few FOIA requests revealed the scheme (and scheme is the right word… I just looked it up: a crafty or secret plan of action). Cook County gave an exclusive phone contract to a company called Securus Technologies. Securus charged inflated phone rates and their exclusive deal in the jail meant inmates wanting to talk to their families or arrange their defense had no choice but to pay the rates. Securus then paid back to the county 57½ percent of the revenue from the calls. It netted the county about $4 million a year. Securus wouldn’t tell us their take but I imagine they did alright too. All of the money was coming out of the pockets of the poorest residents in Cook County, people who couldn’t even afford to post bond for their freedom. (As an aside, this isn’t just an issue in Cook County. According to its website Securus provides the phone systems for 850,000 inmates in 2,200 jails and prisons across the country.) Our reporting shed public light on a hugely profitable contract that no one was paying attention to. We documented the lives of the impoverished people getting hammered by the policy and then turned the hammer on the local elected officials to ask them to explain how this was a good policy. The public officials responded in a way that once again proved the genius of democracy. Our efforts and the results are detailed in subsequent answers below.
Tags: prison inmates; phone calls; fees
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Arrested Development
For thousands of youths accused of crimes, punishment preceeds any conviction. The may be held for months or even years in county jails for -- and sometimes with -- adult suspects. Scripps Howard News Service reports on the 7,500 junveiles in adult jails at any time, their conditions of confinement and how a loophole in federal law allows jails in 29 states to house juveniles with adults.
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What Happened to Edie?
Edwina King's death was ruled a suicide by the very law enforcement agents she was investigating, regarding allegations that women in the Delaware County Jail were being raped and sexually abused. Edwina went missing the very day she was supposed to meet a Tulsa attorney to discuss a possible civil rights lawsuit on behalf of female inmates. Two weeks later, her body was found hanged in a horse tack barn on her own property, not more than 200 miles from her trailer home.
Tags: Suicide; Edwina King; Tulsa World; Trailer Home; Rape; Sexual Abuse
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Arrested Development
"For thousands of youths accused of crimes, punishment precedes any conviction in court. They may be held for months or even years in county jails for--and sometimes with--adult suspects."
Tags: juveniles in adult jails
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Jailhouse Shock
A rural Illinois jail faces allegations of Taser use from detainees who say they were tortured with them. The investigation found that at this jail, Taser use goes extremely unreported. Those that did report their Taser use admitted to using the Tasers when detainees were restrained by handcuffs or strapped into a chair.
Tags: Taser; handcuffs; jails; prisons; Cook County Jail; Taser gun
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"Under the Influence"
Dallas County has the "third-highest rate" of alcohol-related driving deaths. Reporters for the Dallas Morning News revealed that about "40 percent" of those who are sentenced for "intoxication manslaughter" are given probation instead of serving jail time to ensure treatment. The people of Dallas do not always agree.
Tags: DWI; manslaughter; drunk driving; probation; Dallas; Texas Department of Public Safety; Lexis Nexis
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Juvenile Justice
“A massive conspiracy had corrupted the juvenile system of one Pennsylvania County”. Two judges, who are to use their power for good were using it to make money. They were working together to send teen offenders to prisons, even for their first minor offenses. These judges were making money from a private jail owners for every teen sent to prison.
Tags: Mark Ciavarella; courtroom; court; legal system; Michael Conahan; detention center; law enforcement
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Freed Without the Possibility of Life
A man, who was wrongly imprisoned, was freed from prison after a DNA test revealed he wasn’t the murderer. Though, he was freed the murder conviction has never been cleared from his record. This makes him unable to get a job and live a normal life. The prosecutor and the court can legally choose to never clear his name because it is not a legal requirement.
Tags: David Scott; sentence; jail; law enforcement; arrest; Vigo County; Indiana State Police; case; evidence
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Dr. Deception
The story reveals the bad behavior of a well paid psychiatrist. Among his bad behaviors there are duplicating reports to county judges, inappropriate behavior with a female jail inmate, and falsifying reports of competent defendants. Not only was he a problem, but the systems, including the courts, allowed him to get away with all his wrongdoings.
Tags: mental health; courts; defendants; trials; judges; money; unethical behavior
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For Their Own Good
This story exposes juveniles, who are to serve trial as adults, are being held in isolation for over 20 hours a day. This process can last months or years while these juveniles wait for trial. The jail provides "less than the required minimum amount of education and physical activity". This story also revealed that judges and county officials weren't aware of the treatment of these juveniles. Though, state juvenile justice advocates were aware of the process, they did nothing to stop it.
Tags: Harris county; juveniles; solitary confinement; adults; judges; Texas; youth; prisons; jail; justice department; kids