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 "prison abuse" ...
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California Prisons: Behavior Modification and Suppression of Due Process
The author uncovers evidence of cruelty and near torture in California's prisons. The abuse and suppression of inmate rights that pervaded these prisons was initially reported by researchers, but was covered up by officials.
Tags: prisons; torture; prison system
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The Texas
Mentally disabled residents of a school in Texas were forced to be a part of a “fight club” run at night. The brutality of this was highly disturbing and it terrified these residents. Many of them tried to leave, but the staff members continuously forced them back and continued the abuse. Since all this information was revealed, these former staff members have been found guilty of felony charges of injury to the mentally ill and face time in prison.
Tags: mental health care; system; Texas State School; Corpus Christi; brawl; battle; struggle; state government; state facilities; civil rights
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Trapped in Tamms
The Tamms Correctional Center is touted as housing some of the worst criminals in the state. Yet state research revealed that many of the inmates were mentally ill and were left untreated. Lengthy consecutive sentences were frequently handed to prisoners who spit or threw body wastes at guards. Food and water was also withheld from inmates and punishments were often excessive.
Tags: Tamms; prisoners; correctional center; abuse; mental illness; crime; punishment; inmate; wastes; Anthony Gay;
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Believing the Children
This story takes a look at an investigation, which took place in 1991. In 1991, satanic daycare abuse was becoming a national panic and many parents were in frenzy over this. So when Fran and Danny Keller were charged with sexually assaulting a child, everyone just believed it did happen. But many years later, the Kellers maintain their innocence while serving their time in prison. This story reinvestigates the case by retracing the original prosecution and the original police investigation report. As well as utilizing some fresh interviews from the central participants of the case, these include the Kellers themselves.
Tags: daycare; child abuse; sexual assault; prison; crime; innocent; physical; satanic; parents; children; kids
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Nevada DUI
This investigation found a number of frightening facts, which could change many lives. One of the first findings is “judges have not been following a 1997 law that requires them to order the installation of interlock devices for all offenders convicted of DUIs causing death or substantial bodily harm.” Also, many previous offenders were convicted of a second DUI and had blood alcohol levels (BACs) considered of those with an alcohol abuse problem. Further, found that DUI offenders released from prison didn’t have their licenses restricted for three years after the conviction.
Tags: drunk drivers; laws; Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV); interlock devices; prosecutors; parole officials; probation officials; death; harm; courts; convictions
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Sheriff Joe Arpaio's Jails series
The series examined individuals who have died suspiciously while in the custody of Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio, who proclaims himself to be "America's Toughest Sheriff." Specifically, the stories examined the death of an inmate, Juan Mendoza Farias, who entered the county jail in good health and arrived at the county morgue two days later--covered with bruises and lacerations. The series also covered ongoing federal class-action lawsuit brought by the ACLU against Arpaio. During the process of that lawsuit, Arpaio lost his federal jail accreditation, which is require by Arizona law. Dickerson has been covering the lawsuit since 2007 and broke the story that the county's top lawman was himself breaking a state law by losing the accreditation of his jails. The series also investigated the care of pregnant inmates and their babies in the jail, finding that many women are malnourished and miscarry as a result of the jail conditions and food.
Tags: police misconduct; sheriff's office; pregnant inmates; prisoner abuse; Arizona
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Prison Cover-UP
Hurrican Rita was on her way. But prisoners in the federal penitentiary in Beaumont were not evacuated and lived in some horrendous conditions. Prison officials lied to prisoners' relatives and the news media, first by saying prisoners had been moved to safer quarters and then by saying conditions inside the prison were fine. The prisoners' accounts were later verified by prison guards.
Tags: prison; inmate abuse; hurricane rita; inmates in jeopardy; poor treatment; negligence
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Undue Force in Seaside Park
"A band of night-shift cops known as the "Justice League" would kick, beat, abuse and sometimes cripple handcuffed prisoners for little or no reason. Internal reports of abuse were ignored by the mayor and chief of police, even when they came from a dispatcher who witnessed the abuses. The officer that headed the Justice League is from a highly regarded family of judges, lawyers and real estate moguls, who became untouchable in the small town."
Tags: police brutality; Justice League; night-shift cops; prisoner abuse
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Child Abusers Dodging Prison
"The story analyzed 15 years of data on child abuse cases in the local courts to find out how often abusers go to prison. About two out of every three defendants eluded prison, and in the most egregious cases, when children suffered serious injuries, about one out of five abusers dodged time behind bars."
Tags: child abuse; elude prison; local courts; didn't serve time
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TYC Abuse Scandal
"This rolling investigation documents the sexual and physical abuse of teenaged inmates at het prisons operated by the Texas Youth Commissions, the state's juvenile justice agency. It reveals abuse, filthy living conditions, lax medical care, inept and uncaring administrators, troubled contractors, questionable business dealings and a brutal climate of fear and retaliation."
Tags: juvenile prisons; juvenile justice; abuse; sexual abuse; inmates; Texas Youth Commission