Joshua Vaughn
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Investigative reporter @pennlive. Formerly @theappeal “High-impact prison reporting” - Rolling Stone. jvaughn@pennlive.com
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Articles by Joshua Vaughn
ICE is going mobile. Here’s how vans could become detention centers in Pa.
News Published: Sep. 04, 2026, 5:00 a.m. Protesters called on the Clearfield County Commissioners to end their contract with ICE outside the Clearfield County Courthouse on February 21, 2026.Joshua Vaughn/PennLive A legion of roving, mobile jails could be on their way to Pennsylvania under a proposal by federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Pa. prisons serve 1M+ meals a week, but get less oversight than hot dog carts
When Pennsylvania Department of Corrections inspectors toured Dauphin County Prison in 2023, they found the kitchen to be “unclean, unsanitary” with some areas showing signs they hadn’t been cleaned in several days. Jail officials knew the inspectors were coming. The visit was announced months in advance.
‘I might not make it out': Alarming accounts of 2 murders in a Pa. prison
At the beginning of August 2024, Pennsylvania Sen. Tracy Pennycuick sent a letter to the administration at the state Department of Corrections. She was angry. A corrections officer at SCI Phoenix , a state prison in Montgomery County, had recently been assaulted and stabbed multiple times by someone incarcerated at the prison. That attack came on the heels of several other assaults on corrections officers by incarcerated people at the facility.
‘I might not make it out:’ prisoners describe two murders in state prison
At the beginning of August 2024, Pennsylvania Senator Tracy Pennycuick sent a letter to the administration at the state Department of Corrections. She was angry. A corrections officer at SCI Phoenix, a state prison in Montgomery County, had recently been assaulted and stabbed multiple times by someone incarcerated at the prison. That attack came on the heels of several other assaults on corrections officers by incarcerated people at the facility.
Pa. lawmakers propose money-saving overhaul after PennLive exposes $34 million in tech bills
News Updated: Jul. 16, 2026, 2:16 p.m. |Published: Jul. 16, 2026, 2:11 p.m. Visitors enter the office of Sen. Vince Hughes (D-Philadelphia) in the North Wing-Senate section of the Pennsylvania State Capitol Building. June 9, 2026. Joe Hermitt | jhermitt@pennlive.comJoe Hermitt | jhermitt@pennlive.com PennLive’s reporting on questionable spending of taxpayer money by the state legislature has led to immediate calls for reform.
Man who died by suicide in Dauphin County jail had been there 2 weeks
Crime Published: Jun. 26, 2026, 5:00 a.m. The man who died by suicide at Dauphin County Prison Tuesday had been in the jail less than two weeks. PennLive identified the man as 53-year-old Leonard Bakker of Newburgh, New York. Bakker’s name was leaked to PennLive by a person associated with the jail and Dauphin County Chief Clerk Eric Haggarty confirmed his identity Thursday. Bakker was arrested on June 11 and held without bail.
Dauphin County agrees to multi-million-dollar settlement over man’s death in jail
Ty’rique Riley was arrested during what appeared to be a mental health crisis the morning of June 18, 2019, according to a lawsuit filed by his family. Less than a week later, he left Dauphin County Prison in cardiac arrest covered in bruises and other signs of physical trauma. He died July 1 from “natural causes,” according to the coroner, involving rare disease that provoked inflammation in his brain. But his family never believed that.
Incarcerated person dies at Dauphin County prison, first death reported there in 2 years
News Published: Jun. 24, 2026, 3:39 p.m. Protestors line the sidewalk in front of the Dauphin County Prison for a Juneteenth protest. June 19, 2025. Joe Hermitt | jhermitt@pennlive.comJoe Hermitt | jhermitt@pennlive.com Dauphin County made it two years without someone dying inside the walls of the county jail. That streak ended Tuesday when an incarcerated person died by suicide.
Gov. Shapiro calls for inspection of ICE facility after county official blocked from entering
News Published: Jun. 22, 2026, 6:49 a.m. Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro is seen after a B'nai B'rith Youth Organization International Convention on Thursday, Feb. 12, 2026, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Joe Lamberti)AP Pennsylvania’s governor is calling for an independent inspection of the largest ICE facility in the northeast after state employees were denied entry last week.
Husband of Pa. ICE facility detainee struggles with separation, visiting rules: ‘We just have to wait’
Editor’s note: this is the seventh article of an eight-part series about Moshannon Valley Processing Center produced as part of a partnership with Penn State University. Justin Jones is a soft-spoken man; gentle, thoughtful and mild mannered. He wears glasses and has a short reddish-brown beard. Twice a week, Jones walks into the visitation room at Moshannon Valley Processing Centersit, the largest ICE detention facility in the northeast that is located about 30 minutes west of State College.
Severe thunderstorm watch in effect for much of Central Pa.
News Published: Jun. 06, 2026, 4:55 p.m. Hood River photographer Blaine Franger captured a spectacular spring thunderstorm in the Columbia River Gorge on Tuesday, May 12, 2026, from the Hood River area.Blaine Franger/BlaineBethanyGallery.com Severe thunderstorms will begin rolling through Dauphin County and the surrounding counties around 5 p.m., according to the National Weather Service.
Women in Pa. ICE detention facility call out for help from lawmakers, who were ushered away
News Updated: May. 28, 2026, 5:03 p.m. |Published: May. 28, 2026, 4:58 p.m. U.S. Rep. Summer Lee speaks to reporters outside Moshannon Valley Processing Center following the first congressional oversight visit there on May 28, 2026Joshua Vaughn/PennLive Female detainees at a Pennsylvania ICE facility shared stories about being mistreated, denied proper medical care and sexually assaulted, according to two Democratic Congress members who toured the facility during an unannounced visit Thursday.
‘Pilgrimage of Dignity’: Man walks 130 miles to highlight conditions at Pa. ICE facility
Editor’s note: this is the sixth article of an eight-part series about Moshannon Valley Processing Center produced as part of a partnership with Penn State University. The distance between the Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agency office in Pittsburgh and the largest ICE facility in the northeast is 130 miles. Or, nearly 300,000 footsteps to get to the Moshannon Valley Processing Center in Clearfield County.
How many people held by ICE in Pa. have criminal records? Fewer than you might think. Original
News Published: May. 04, 2026, 5:00 a.m. Protesters listen as Patty Torres, co-executive director of Make the Road Pennsylvania, speaks at Strawberry Square in Harrisburg. Protesters gather outside the office of U.S. Senator John Fetterman in Harrisburg. January 27, 2026. Dan Gleiter | dgleiter@pennlive.comDan Gleiter | dgleiter@pennlive.com The number of people held by federal immigration officials in Pennsylvania who have never been charged or convicted of a crime has skyrocketed since September.
ICE detains Dauphin County asylum-seeker even after criminal charges are dropped
On October 27, Omar Vidaurre Luis showed up to Dauphin County Prison for a court hearing on a pending non-violent misdemeanor charge and was met by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents. The father and husband was taken into ICE custody and shipped off to Moshannon Valley Processing Center in Clearfield County.
ICE detains Dauphin County asylum-seeker even after criminal charges are dropped
News Updated: Apr. 07, 2026, 11:51 a.m. |Published: Apr. 07, 2026, 11:50 a.m. Faith leaders gather to bring attention to the plight of Harrisburg resident Omar Viadurre Luis, who has been in ICE detention for over five months. April 7, 2026. Dan Gleiter | dgleiter@pennlive.comDan Gleiter | dgleiter@pennlive.com On October 27, Omar Vidaurre Luis showed up to Dauphin County Prison for a court hearing on a pending non-violent misdemeanor charge and was met by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents.
‘Absolutely preventable:’ 2 men died by suicide at Camp Hill prison as cameras watched
News Published: Mar. 30, 2026, 5:00 a.m. The State Correctional Institution at Camp Hill. January 30, 2024. Dan Gleiter | dgleiter@pennlive.comDan Gleiter | dgleiter@pennlive.com Omar Marlow and James Campbell were supposed to be under close observation while incarcerated. Both men were put in cells at SCI Camp Hill with cameras inside. Both men died by suicide while those cameras rolled. The state Department of Corrections declined to answer questions from PennLive about how these deaths happened.
‘This is what democracy looks like:’ 3rd No Kings protest held in Harrisburg
News Updated: Mar. 28, 2026, 3:18 p.m. |Published: Mar. 28, 2026, 3:18 p.m. People have started gathering on the steps of the state Capitol in Harrisburg, Pa., for a No Kings rally, Saturday, March 28, 2026. (Sean Simmers, PennLive.com)Sean Simmers, PennLive.com While the crowd size waned a bit from the first No Kings Protest in 2025, the enthusiasm of the participants did not.
ICE considered 3 sites in Dauphin County for detention centers
While much of the state and national attention has focused on warehouses purchased by the federal government, Immigration and Customs Enforcement has quietly been reviewing several buildings in Dauphin County to turn into migrant detention facilities. Records obtained and published by the ACLU show the federal government solicited dozens of formal requests for information beginning in May 2025 from private contractors to build new ICE detention facilities across the country.
ICE considered 3 sites in Dauphin County for detention centers
While much of the state and national attention has focused on warehouses purchased by the federal government, Immigration and Customs Enforcement has quietly been reviewing several buildings in Dauphin County to turn into migrant detention facilities. Records obtained and published by the ACLU show the federal government solicited dozens of formal requests for information beginning in May 2025 from private contractors to build new ICE detention facilities across the country.
Aging Dauphin County Prison needs major renovations or new building: warden
Big changes could happen to the Dauphin County Prison building, including potentially constructing a new jail, after Prison Board members approved a feasibility study for the outdated structure. The study would look at the current jail and its operations and provide a look at what needs to be changed or if it is time for the county to start fresh with a new facility. The board voted five to one to approve the $216,000 cost to hire a private company, CGL Management Group, to conduct the analysis.
‘Not a valued partnership’ Dauphin County chair wants to limit ICE cooperation after death
Spurred by PennLive’s reporting, Commissioner Justin Douglas announced Wednesday he would introduce a policy to further restrict Dauphin County’s association with federal immigration enforcement. Douglas said at Wednesday’s Dauphin County Prison Board meeting he was working with the solicitor’s office to draft a policy that would only allow the jail to turn over people to ICE if presented with a signed judicial warrant.
ICE didn’t relay potentially lifesaving medical form for man who died in Pa. detention: Dauphin County officials
Dauphin County Prison employees turned over Chaofeng Ge to ICE agents at the end of July with medical paperwork that contained potentially lifesaving information. What happened to those records in the roughly 100-mile drive to Moshannon Valley Processing Center in Clearfield County, Pennsylvania remains a mystery but they never made it to the medical staff and Ge died by suicide in federal custody five days later.
Harrisburg officials clarify ICE agreement, roles: ‘People are feeling a lot of unease’
The killing of Renee Good in Minneapolis by an ICE agent sparked outrage and protests nationally and has prompted local officials to consider their involvement with federal immigration agents. Harrisburg City Council member Robert Lawson called for a moment of silence at the opening of it meeting this week.
Safety crisis’ at Franklin County jail: Understaffing leads to violence, higher costs, union says
Understaffing at Franklin County Jail is leading to a safety and fiscal crisis inside the facility, according to the correctional officers’ union. “You come into a facility like this, and you might get assaulted,” said Thomas Howell, corrections officer at Franklin County Jail and chapter president for the correctional officers’ union. “Today may be the day I get spit on, kicked, punched, I don’t know.” Howell said three officers have been assaulted in the last few weeks.
Isolation in Dauphin County jail can lead to lifelong medical problems: ‘If I don’t get out of here soon, I’m going to die’
It’s been a year since Imhotep Muhammad returned home from Dauphin County Prison after a jury acquitted him of the most serious charges that had him locked up for 26 months. The scars from that time, both physical and mental, remain. Thirty-six year old Muhammad was allowed outside one time during his time in DCP and he spent nearly 24 hours a day inside his cell as he awaited trial, unable to post bond, he said.
Dauphin County imposes hiring freeze during state and federal budget deadlocks
News Updated: Oct. 27, 2025, 5:21 p.m. |Published: Oct. 27, 2025, 5:20 p.m. The Dauphin County commissioners, from left, George Hartwick, Justin Douglas and Mike Pries, listen to public comment before voting on a resolution that would prevent county employees and federal immigration enforcement from working together. September 10, 2025.
New medical provider takes over at Dauphin County jail: ‘Penalize me if we don’t deliver’
News Updated: Oct. 10, 2025, 8:15 a.m. |Published: Oct. 10, 2025, 8:15 a.m. “Love In Action Juneteenth Rally” at the Dauphin County Prison. June 19, 2023. Sean Simmers | ssimmers@pennlive.com The new contract for medical services at Dauphin County’s troubled jail comes with a higher price tag but with elements that should also create a higher level of care.
Dauphin County jail’s new medical provider deals with ‘obstruction’ by former provider
News Updated: Oct. 06, 2025, 1:42 p.m. |Published: Oct. 06, 2025, 1:41 p.m. Exterior shots of the Dauphin County Prison. Jimmie Brown | jbrown@pennlive.com| July 31, 2023. The transfer of medical services at the Dauphin County jail from PrimeCare to Mediko happened last week but not without an “unprecedented” level of obstruction by the former provider, according to Dauphin County Commissioner Justin Douglas.
New medical provider at Dauphin County jail to meet with public
News Published: Sep. 08, 2025, 3:37 p.m. Love in Action Juneteenth Rally at the Dauphin County Prison on June 19, 2024. Joe Hermitt | jhermitt@pennlive.comJoe Hermitt | jhermitt@pennlive.com Residents will have a chance to meet Dauphin County Prison’s new medical provider Tuesday.
Voices raised as music comes to Dauphin County Prison
News Published: Sep. 03, 2025, 3:15 p.m. Tour of the Dauphin County Prison on May 1, 2015.Mark Pynes | mpynes@pennlive.com A joyful noise was heard inside Dauphin County Prison this week as incarcerated people and community members came together for the first time for music and worship. Residents living on E and F block at the jail were joined by members of the New Covenant Church for live music and a religious sermon Monday.
One killed in weekend crash in Lancaster County
News Published: Sep. 01, 2025, 2:32 p.m. A state police patrol vehicle. June 4, 2025. Dan Gleiter | dgleiter@pennlive.comDan Gleiter | dgleiter@pennlive.com A 32-year-old man died in a two-vehicle crash Saturday in Lancaster County. Austin Wade Owens was driving in the 2400 block of Robert Fulton Highway in Fulton Township shortly after 11 p.m. when he drove his vehicle across the yellow line, according to Pennsylvania State Police.
‘Tax the rich’: Protestors take to the Capitol steps
News Published: Sep. 01, 2025, 1:28 p.m. Workers over Billionaires protest at the Capitol in Harrisburg Several hundred people took to the steps of the Capitol in Harrisburg Monday to protest against the influence a few extremely wealthy people have on politics in the United States and the direction of the country.
Dauphin County Prison Board hikes phone rates, making it the costliest in the region
A win for incarcerated people and their families was taken away Wednesday by five members of the Dauphin County Prison Board, after federal rules were paused under the Trump administration. The board voted to increase phone call rates from the jail to 19 cents per minute, nearly triple the amount the board voted to lower rates to in April. The change likely will cost people trying to communicate with those inside the jail about $750,000 annually.
Dauphin County fired worker charged with computer crimes, but keeps hiring his IT company anyway
Dauphin County fired an information technology employee after he was convicted of computer crimes —yet since then, the county has paid his company nearly $700,000 to serve as an information technology contractor. His company continues to receive county contracts. David Randall Maurer was terminated from his role as a county network technician in March 2017, just weeks after he was convicted of spying on his estranged wife.
Prison board chair steps down as jail begins move to new healthcare provider
News Published: Aug. 20, 2025, 6:00 a.m. Controller Mary Bateman during a Dauphin County Prison Board meeting. Dec. 21, 2022. Sean Simmers ssimmers@pennlive.com Controller Mary Bateman has stepped down from her position as chair of the Dauphin County Prison Board, adding potential turbulence as the county moves on from its longtime, and fraught, jail medical provider. Bateman confirmed she resigned as chair earlier this month but declined to say why she gave up the title.
Dauphin County set to vote on jail healthcare provider
Updated: Jul. 29, 2025, 10:43 a.m. |Published: Jul. 29, 2025, 10:42 a.m. Protestors line the sidewalk in front of the Dauphin County Prison for a Juneteenth protest. June 19, 2025. Joe Hermitt | jhermitt@pennlive.comJoe Hermitt | jhermitt@pennlive.com In what could mark the largest change at Dauphin County Prison in decades, county commissioners are set to vote for a medical provider during their Wednesday meeting.
Men in Dauphin County jail get tablets back after ruling by solicitor
Updated: Jul. 01, 2025, 3:12 p.m. |Published: Jul. 01, 2025, 3:11 p.m. Behind metal bars, a Dauphin County Prison inmate shows off his electronic tablet, which he can use to watch movies, listen to music and browse educational materials. If you purchase a product or register for an account through a link on our site, we may receive compensation.
‘I feel like I let him down:’ inmates tried to stop suicide in Dauphin County jail
Updated: Jun. 18, 2025, 5:00 a.m. |Published: Jun. 18, 2025, 5:00 a.m. Family members, friends and advocates protest the death of Justin Cofield, 33, at Dauphin County Prison. Cofield’s death is the 21st death at the jail since the beginning of 2019. February 26, 2024. Dan Gleiter | dgleiter@pennlive.comDan Gleiter | dgleiter@pennlive.com Christopher Phy approached two men locked up with him inside Dauphin County Prison and offered them $40K each to help him kill himself.
Future of health care at troubled Dauphin County jail to be decided this week
Updated: Jun. 17, 2025, 11:05 a.m. |Published: Jun. 17, 2025, 11:04 a.m. A rally by Love in Action on Juneteenth 2024 protests the treatment of people incarcerated in Dauphin County Prison. (Joe Hermitt | jhermitt@pennlive.com, file)Joe Hermitt | jhermitt@pennlive.com The fate of Dauphin County’s longtime, and fraught, jail medical provider will be decided this week. The Dauphin County Prison Board will publicly deliberate and vote to select a healthcare provider during Wednesday’s meeting.
“This a culture:” Juneteenth parade comes to Harrisburg
Updated: Jun. 14, 2025, 5:18 p.m. |Published: Jun. 14, 2025, 5:17 p.m. Harrisburg Juneteenth Parade Hundreds of people gathered outside the Capitol Saturday to celebrate Black culture in Harrisburg during the first ever Juneteenth Parade. “To our ancestors, you guide and nurture us through the words and stories you gifted us,” Kimeka Campbell said to the crowd at the onset of the parade. “To our community, thank you.
Anti-Trump ‘No Kings’ rallies are being held throughout central Pa: live updates
PA Politics Published: Jun. 14, 2025, 10:00 a.m. Groups protest Trump and ICE along Interstate 83 from Harrisburg to Maryland border Roughly 2,000 protest rallies are taking place Saturday, coinciding with the military parade in Washington, D.C. to mark the Army’s 250th birthday and celebration of President Donald Trump’s 79th birthday. The No Kings movement is taking place nearly everywhere but D.C. One of the flagship rallies is being held in Philadelphia. Gov.
Dauphin County announces graduation behind bars
Updated: Jun. 09, 2025, 11:50 a.m. |Published: Jun. 09, 2025, 11:49 a.m. Nine of the 15 people who received their GED or high school diploma while incarcerated at Dauphin County Prison attended a graduation ceremony at the jail on June 6.Dauphin County More than a dozen incarcerated people at Dauphin County Prison completed their high school education earlier this month.
Ex-official discloses long-ago payments from Dauphin County jail medical provider
Updated: May. 28, 2025, 5:03 a.m. |Published: May. 28, 2025, 5:00 a.m. Dauphin County Commissioner Jeff Haste and his wife Maria during the Big 33 pregame at Landis Field on May 31, 2021. Pa defeated Maryland. Joe Hermitt | jhermitt@pennlive.comTHE PATRIOT-NEWS It took nearly a decade, but former Dauphin County Commissioner Jeff Haste has admitted to being indebted to the founder of the county’s largest private vendor while he was in office.
Dauphin County to pay $80K extra for medical services after provider cuts contract early
Dauphin County averted a potential catastrophe this month as the company that provides medical services at the jail was prepared to pull out before the county had a chance to select a new provider. PrimeCare has provided medical services at Dauphin County Prison since 1988. Their current contract was set to expire at the end of the year but in November, the company invoked an early-termination clause, which ended the contract at the end of this month.
Coroner IDs Cumberland County man killed in forklift incident
Quick Look - Current -Mostly Sunny TonightLow -Mostly Sunny TomorrowHigh -Mostly Sunny News Updated: May. 20, 2025, 1:55 p.m. |Published: May. 20, 2025, 1:51 p.m. The Adams County coroner’s office released the name of the Cumberland County man who died Monday at an RV dealership. Daniel G. Dunlevy, 65, of Mount Holly Springs, died Monday morning at Beckley’s RV dealership in the 4000 block of York Road in Mount Pleasant Township, according to the coroner’s office on Tuesday.
Bar fight led to central Pa. shooting that injured 1: police
News Published: May. 20, 2025, 10:00 a.m. An argument inside a Franklin County bar spilled out into the street, leading to one man being shot in the leg, according to police. Chambersburg police were called to the 100 block of Central Avenue in the borough shortly before 2:30 a.m. April 19 to find a man shot in the leg and in need of immediate assistance, police said.
Illinois man charged with raping Dauphin County teen he met online: police
News Updated: May. 20, 2025, 9:39 a.m. |Published: May. 20, 2025, 9:35 a.m. An Illinois man is facing numerous felony charges after police say he raped a 15-year-old girl he met online. Rohan Rai, 21, of Montgomery, Illinois, is charged with felony rape, unlawful contact with minors, as well as multiple counts of sexual assault, producing child pornography and related offenses. He is being held in Dauphin County Prison with bail denied.
A Sober Ride Home with free Uber vouchers offered this holiday weekend
Quick Look - Current -Mostly Sunny TonightLow -Mostly Sunny TomorrowHigh -Mostly Sunny News Updated: May. 20, 2025, 9:24 a.m. |Published: May. 20, 2025, 9:17 a.m. An Uber sign outside MGM Springfield casino in Springfield, Mass. on May 8, 2025.Nicole Simmons/MassLive Memorial Day weekend is nearly upon us and with that comes barbeques and potentially drinking. Three organizations are again helping make sure people who do drink are able to make it home safely.
Damning national story on Sen. John Fetterman gets mixed reaction in Pa.
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The reaction Monday to an explosive article about serious concerns over Sen. John Fetterman’s mental health ranged from hoping that he gets help to calling for him to resign. New York Magazine’s story last week detailing Fetterman’s struggles, and the fears expressed by some of his current and former staff members, including his ex chief-of-staff, has rocked the state’s political landscape and fueled speculation about the first-term Democratic senator’s ability to continue serving.
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