The graffiti told a chilling story: “This is a bad place.” More than 40 states have sent children to facilities run by Sequel Youth & Family Services, despite dozens of cases of abuse.
Episodes
Why police reform fails
Six years after Ferguson, St. Louis hasn’t seen a single substantive police reform. A group of young Black leaders have instead set their sights higher: taking control of city politics.
Banking on inequity
Billions of dollars were supposed to help small businesses through the Paycheck Protection Program. But the money was marred by racial inequity.
Don't miss a story. Get our investigations and reporters’ insights delivered to your inbox.
The rise and fall of Madoff’s Ponzi scheme
Bernie Madoff masterminded one of the biggest Ponzi schemes in history, duping thousands of investors out of tens of billions of dollars. After his recent death, we dig into how he pulled it off.
The jail tapes in the dumpster
A murder conviction sent Myon Burrell to prison for life when he was a teenager. An investigative reporter dug into what seemed a hopeless case. What she found helped free him.
The Robert Mueller of Latin America
Guatemala sends more migrants to the U.S. than anywhere in Central America. What is driving so many people to leave?
Sick on the inside
For decades, the U.S. has run private “shadow prisons” for immigrants convicted of federal crimes. Biden has ordered the government to wind down those contracts.
Minor league pay
The baseball industry created an entire workforce exempt from being paid minimum wage and overtime – and players aren’t the only ones crying foul.
Juvenile (in)justice
Wyoming locks up kids at the highest rate in the nation. A mother tells the story of how her daughter’s fight snowballed into incarceration and tragedy.
Protecting kids from abuse
An Army officer speaks up about a disturbing pattern on bases: kids sexually assaulting other kids. For years, he says, the Army neglected these cases.