Danielle Ohl of Spotlight PA
-
A Mother’s Fight to Save Her Son Shows the Tragic Consequences of Pa.’s Failure to Build a Better Mental Health System
—
by
A Spotlight PA investigation found Pennsylvania politicians and local officials broke promises to replace institutionalized care with community options — despite knowing the devastating consequences.
-
Why the Law That Forces People to Get Mental Health Help Didn’t Stop the Shapiro Arson Attack
—
by
Involuntary commitment is intended to be a last resort with a high bar. At the same time, many PA counties lack other mental health services.
-
Spotlight PA Makes 25 Years of Board of Pardons Votes Available to the Public
—
by
The Board of Pardons meets in public but does not publish records of its commutation votes. Spotlight PA is making that data available for the first time.
-
Rare 2nd Chance at Freedom for Pa. Woman Serving Life Sentence Reversed in Unprecedented Revote
—
by
The Board of Pardons reopened the case after opposition from the victim’s family arrived two months after its first vote.
-
Under Shapiro, Half of Clemency Recommendations Remain Unsigned
—
by
Gov. Josh Shapiro has approved about half of the clemency applications recommended to him by the Pennsylvania Board of Pardons in his first two years.
-
Report: Pa. State Police Pull Over Drivers at Similar Rates Regardless of a Driver’s Race
—
by
Disparities in searches, seizures remain, but have narrowed
-
Trump Assassination Attempt Shows Long-Standing Flaws in Secret Service Protections
—
by
A Spotlight PA, ProPublica and Butler Eagle investigation found the process for securing campaign events was susceptible to attack for years.
-
New Video Shows Pa. Officer’s Tense Encounter with Trump Shooter Before Assassination Attempt
—
by
The footage, obtained by Spotlight PA, includes local officers complaining that the Secret Service didn’t heed their warnings.
-
Thousands of Pa. Prisoners Endure Summer Heat Without Air Conditioning
—
by
Multiple state prisons in Pennsylvania lack air conditioning, leaving thousands of incarcerated people at risk during increasingly common high temperatures.
-
Pennsylvania Public Defense System Is Unconstitutional, Underfunded by at Least $100M, New ACLU Suit Says
—
by
The lawsuit argues the current system leaves too many cases for too few attorneys. As a result, incarcerated people say their defense teams rarely communicate with them, don’t properly investigate their cases and more.