investigatewest.org
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Search InvestigateWest's database of jail inspections for details on the conditions inside
Whitney Bryen
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Injustice and vulnerable populations in the Pacific Northwest, including criminal justice, addiction, homelessness, children's mental health and poverty.
Injustice and Vulnerable Populations reporter for @investigatewest. Holding power to account and lifting marginalized voices. Send tips to whitney@invw.org.
Whitney Bryen’s Journalist Portfolio
View as a gridMore than one-third of Idaho jails failed their inspections. Find out if your local jail is one o...
Without state protections, Idaho jail detainees face dangerous conditions
investigatewest.org
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States in the Northwest lack laws ensuring the health and safety of people locked in county jails
Idaho jails withheld details about dozens of detainee deaths
investigatewest.org
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Idaho doesn't investigate jail deaths or require counties to report them - leaving jail officials to decide what to tell the public
Idaho ramped up investments in round-the-clock youth psychiatric care. But concerns over safety, ...
investigatewest.org
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Parents of children who were turned away from Idaho Youth Ranch criticize its 'unrealistic' admissions standards
Following InvestigateWest report, Idaho approves funding for teen's long-awaited care - but now t...
investigatewest.org
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Idaho lacks options for teens requiring highest level of psychiatric treatment
Experts say a teen needs psychiatric residential care. Idaho still won't pay for it.
investigatewest.org
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Idaho funded less than one-third of requests for youths to receive the highest level psychiatric care since 2019, data reveals
As ‘empowered’ cities ban them from public spaces, homeless people in WA scatter in search of refuge
investigatewest.org
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Attorneys say bans could become more common following U.S. Supreme Court decision in June
These Oklahomans Needed Mental Health Care. Instead, They Died in Jail. - Oklahoma Watch
Oklahoma Watch
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Untreated mental health and substance abuse conditions killed 28 people detained in Oklahoma jails last year with no consequences to those responsible for their care, an Oklahoma Watch investigation revealed.
Lawton Inmate Dies After Private Prison Staff Refused Care, Lawsuit Claims - Oklahoma Watch
Oklahoma Watch
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A Department of Corrections investigation recommended manslaughter charges after Lawton prison staff left an injured inmate to die. Now, his mother is suing staff and the operator of Oklahoma's lone private prison.
Her pregnancy was non-viable and her life was at risk but Oklahoma Law Prevented an Abortion - Ok...
Oklahoma Watch
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Fourteen weeks into her pregnancy, Magon Hoffman found out she had a life-threatening blood clot. Six weeks later she learned that her fetus, developing without a skull, had no chance of survival. She had to travel to New Mexico for care.
Cover-up Alleged in Pottawatomie County Jail Deaths - Oklahoma Watch
Oklahoma Watch
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Pottawatomie County jail officials apparently defied state laws and a judge's order when they concealed information on the unexplained deaths of seven vulnerable detainees. All seven people arrived at the jail with medical and mental health or substance use complications that required care. None of them made it home alive.
Nonprofit Dissolves After Federal Investigators Froze Funding - Oklahoma Watch
Oklahoma Watch
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The Oklahoma nonprofit that certifies advocates who support victims of domestic violence and sexual abuse, lobbies for legislation to protect them and brings in millions in federal funding to support them is ceasing operations next month
Man in Mental Health Crisis Killed by Passing Truck After OKC Police Abandoned Him - Oklahoma Wat...
Oklahoma Watch
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Instead of taking him to a hospital for evaluation or taking him to jail, an Oklahoma City police officer took Ernest Antwine to no man's land. And that's where he died.
Tulsa Police Response, Policies Questioned After Arrest of Woman in Bipolar Episode
Oklahoma Watch
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LaDonna Paris was in the throes of a manic bipolar episode when Tulsa police kicked in the door of the bathroom where Paris had locked herself, knocked her to the ground and handcuffed her. The 70-year-old great-grandmother, who kept repeating to herself that police wanted to kill her, was bleeding from an injury to her face resulting from the altercation that occurred on Oct.
A Day In Oklahoma County Drug Court, Where a Judge Hopes All Rise
Oklahoma Watch
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On the fifth floor of the Oklahoma County courthouse, defendants announced the number of days they've been sober as they approached the bench. Whether it was 848 days or 1, every announcement drew applause. Volume and enthusiasm waned as defendants were dismissed over the next two hours.
At Least 537 COVID-19 Deaths Missing From State Nursing Home Data
Oklahoma Watch
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At least 512 nursing home residents who died from COVID-19 are missing from state reports. Also unaccounted for in state reports are 25 nursing home staff who died from COVID-19. On March 1, the state health department reported 1,863 long-term care residents in Oklahoma had died from the coronavirus since the pandemic began.
Oklahoma Nonprofit Used Federal Funds For Vacations Instead of Victim Services
Oklahoma Watch
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She was in San Diego to learn how to protect abuse victims. Instead, Candida Manion went wine tasting. Federal funds paid Manion's salary as executive director of the Oklahoma Coalition Against Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault. In September 2019, they covered her flights, lodging and meals for the Summit on Violence, Abuse and Trauma Across the Lifespan.
Nursing Homes Hit By Latest COVID Surge
Oklahoma Watch
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At least one long-term care worker and 16 residents are casualties of Oklahoma's largest COVID-19 spike since the pandemic began, Oklahoma Watch found in a review of the state health department's weekly reports. Like schools and workplaces across the state, facilities that care for Oklahoma's elderly and disabled residents are facing new challenges as they battle the latest wave of COVID-19.
What's it Like to Struggle with Mental Health in Oklahoma? Help Us Tell The Story.
Oklahoma Watch
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OKC's New Plan For Mental Health Emergencies Still Includes Police
Oklahoma Watch
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Next month, teams of counselors and emergency medical technicians will join Oklahoma City police in responding to some of the city's mental health emergencies. Officers will continue to be on scene to respond to criminal activity and safety concerns. But in cases of non-violent mental health emergencies, they will call on a mobile crisis team for support.
Nursing Home COVID Data Renewed Following Public Pressure
Oklahoma Watch
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Eleven. That's how many more Oklahomans have died from COVID-19 in a nursing home or long-term care facility since the last count two weeks ago. They are grandparents, great grandparents, mothers and fathers. They are overworked nurses, cooks and janitors who cared for Oklahoma's elderly.
Ida's Law: The Promise, Limitations of Oklahoma's Pursuit of Justice for Indigenous People
Oklahoma Watch
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( Editor's Note: This story has been updated to include the first name of LaRenda Morgan, who is Ida Beard's cousin.) The day she realized her daughter was missing, Ida Beard's mother went to the police. It isn't a crime for someone to leave town if they want to, officers said.
Crusading to 'Keep Communities Free From Violence and Harm'
Oklahoma Watch
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The day Tiffany Crutcher watched her brother's killer walk free, Crutcher dedicated her life to fighting for justice for Black victims of police brutality. Terence Crutcher was unarmed when he was fatally shot in 2016 by Tulsa Police officer Betty Shelby, who was acquitted by a jury.
Oklahoma Domestic Violence Reports Reach Highest Level in 20 Years
Oklahoma Watch
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A bloodied 15-year-old with a dislocated jaw told police at his Watonga home that his dad punched him in the mouth because he had done something he shouldn't have, court records show. An 18-year-old named David Aguilar chased his sister and mother through their Muskogee home with a saw blade, cutting through a bedroom door where they were hiding and threatening to kill them.