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 "selection" ...
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Grim Reapers
Maricopa County, Arizona, has faced economic hurdles in paying for representation of indigent defendants charged with capital crimes. In recent years, the county supplanted other jurisdictions as the unofficial “death penalty capital” of the United States. “Grim Reaper” describes how a prominent capital criminal-defense attorney committed serious ethical and potentially criminal violations over a period of five years, during which time he collected more than $2.4 million from the county, including payment for work that he never had performed. in the wake of publication, law enforcement initiated a still-ongoing criminal investigation (as did the State Bar of Arizona), and the county's presiding judge announced sweeping and immediate changes in how criminal-defense attorneys representing indigent clients would be vetted, selected and paid.
Tags: Crimes; charges; criminal justice system; capital crimes
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Grand Jury System Questioned
The story explores grand-jury selection under the "key-man" system, a method used throughout much of Texas whereby a judge-picked commission -- not random selection -- decides who sits on juries.
Tags: grand jury; legal system; juries; judge
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Missing the mark
The Reporter analyzed 1,376 cases where juveniles faced gun charges in adult felony courts between 2006 and 2010. The Reporter randomly selected hard copies of court files for 90 cases -- which represents 57 percent of convictions in 2009 -- and found: -One in four teens was never clearly identified as having had a gun -A gun was recovered in only 46 percent of the cases
Tags: gun; juvenile; conviction; arms; crime;
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Ethics Revealed
After finding that 12 local politicians owed money to the state, The Times examined the state ethics board's fining system. It showed that "the ethics board may have selectively enforced fines, had allowed delinquent candidates to run for office despite a state law forbidding them from doing so, and conducted the majority of its business in secret."
Tags: politicians; money; fines; elections; ethics board; unpaid
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Race to Execution
"Race to Execution reveals how, beyond DNA and the issue of innocence, the shameful open secret of America's capital punishment system is a matter of race." The race of the victim's and the accused "influence the legal process" from crime scene investigation, media portrayal, to jury selection and sentencing.
Tags: race; death penalty; execution; investigation; jury; suspects; criminal justice; capital punishment
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Politics' Role in Selecting Judges Condemned, Defended
"Virginia remains the only state in the nation in which the legislature - specifically the majority party - wields all the power in the judicial selection process." Because of this, patronage is a problem, as judges have been appointed to positions after making "hefty campaign contributions to the legislators who picked them."
Tags: Patronage; campaign contributions; judicial appointments; judicial selection
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Welcom to Boondoggle Unified
" At L.A. Unified, the nation's second largest school district, Joe Santos worked at a construction company that had won a $10 million dollar seismic bracing project, despite no experience in seismic safety work. When Santos witnessed false claims, left his company and became a federal whistle blower, he was troubled to find that not only were the school district and FEMA reluctant to root out the fraud and waste he exposed; the District Attorney was willing to prosecute him on computer theft charges, even though key evidence had been tainted. The story exposed a vacuum of accountability between FEMA, its inspector general, the general, the school district and its facilities management division. Selective prosecution raised questions about priorities and methods within the L.A. District Attorney's Office."
Tags: earthquake; seismic protection; fraud; construction; school district; FEMA
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Gone Forever: A True Story of Marriage, Betrayal, and Murder
Susan McFarland was reported missing in November, 2002. Her charred, decomposed body was found 53 days after her disappearance, and investigators suspected her husband Richard McFarland. He maintained his innocence as circumstantial evidence mounted, but finally admitted his guilt on the first day of jury selection. Author Diane Fanning examines the months leading up to the crime, and delves into information about Richard and the details of the police investigation.
Tags: Murder; domestic violence; missing persons; jury trials; plea bargains; murder confessions; non-fiction book
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Peoria Selected Storm Ready
Okeson looked at how adequately Peoria County, Ill., was covered by tornado sirens. She found that the sirens covered census blocks for all but about 5,400 people in the country, or about three percent of Peoria County residents.
Tags: tornadoes; natural disasters; Peoria County; ArcGIS
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Unnatural Selection
The author investigated controversial Kansas Board of Education member Connie Morris. As a conservative board member she made it her mission to 'reclaim sex education'. The investigation shows that she herself lived a promiscuous life. Detailed in an autobiography, she embraced the free sex revolution, having affairs with married men and politicians, using drugs and basically living a life incompatible with her vocal viewpoint. When questioned about this she refused to comment. The reporter also revealed how she had told lies about opponents during her campaigns and abused some of her privileges as an elected official.
Tags: sex education; Kansas Board of Education; KSBE; evolution; anti-evolution; Connie Morris; From the Darkness: One Woman's Rise to Nobility