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 "probation" ...
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"Greed v. Guardianship"
This investigation reveals serious flaws in the Maricopa County Probate Court. Families have complained of being "violated" by their court appointed guardian, which was most often the Sun Valley Group. Families accused SVG of taking control of their finances, selling anything of value and keeping the money. Some were even kept from visiting sick loved ones who had been placed in care facilities.
Tags: Sun Valley Group; probate court; Maricopa County; Arizona Supreme Court; public records; court documents; guardianship
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The Price of Living
The Post and Courier discovered one South Caroline probate court had been financially exploiting the very people it was designed to protect.
Tags: elderly; probate court; estate; exploitation; guardian
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"An Agency where Patronage is Job One - A Boston Globe Spotlight Team"
The Spotlight Team looked into rumors that the Massachusetts Probation Department was a "political patronage machine." The team revealed that at least 250 employees had political or personal connections to "state legislators or judges," including the commissioner.
Tags: John J. O'Brien; Massachusetts Probation Department; probation; Thomas M. Petrolati; West Roxbury; Thomas M. Finneran
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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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Probate Court: A Troubled System
The investigation exposed a corrupt system within Arizona's probate courts that permitted lawyers and for-profit fiduciary businesses to take advantage of the welfare of vulnerable adults. The Arizona Republic found that in many cases, lawyers appointed to protect the welfare of incapacitated adults were actually paying themselves enormous fees out of their assets of these individuals. Judges, state regulators, and social service agencies violated court orders, disregarded procedure, and failed to keep this from happening.
Tags: probate courts; legal system; court corruption; elderly; welfare
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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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Adolfo's Story
Adolfo Davis has been in jail since the age of fourteen, sentence to life in prison without parole for murder. In Illinois, it's legal to question a fourteen-year-old without the presence of a defense attorney so long as a youth officer is present, and the child is made aware of his rights.
Tags: accountability; murder; drug territory; parole; probation officer; testimony; sentencing
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Locking up criminals locks in rising costs
The paper examined the state's philosophy on being tough on crime but in a time of economic downturn, it may be better to increase the use of less costly probation for nonviolent offenders.
Tags: incarceration; drug problem; sentencing; imprisonment rate; computer-assisted analysis; treatment;
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Law and Disorder
This series revealed how criminals free on probation or parole in South Carolina kill, rob and rape all too often in a state where repeat offenders routinely are released into a system that is too under-manned and ill-equipped to maintain control.
Tags: probation agents; parole agents; criminals; repeat offenders; overcrowded prisons; probation violators; rehabilitation; prison inmates; jail; justice system; suspects; offenses; supervised release
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Losing Track: NC's Troubled Probation System
North Carolina's probation system has been in disarray for years. Probation officers are overworked and understaffed, and offenders often receive little or no supervision. Top managers ignored problems for years and killed promising projects to monitor offenders.
Tags: probation; crime; North Carolina; prison; murder; public safety; criminal; murder