APM Reports - Investigations and Documentaries from American Public Media

Recent Stories

March 2, 2021

Mississippi to pay Curtis Flowers $500,000 for his decades behind bars

by Parker Yesko

Judge orders state to give Flowers the maximum compensation for his wrongful conviction.

February 10, 2021

Embattled Sequel closes three more facilities

by Will Craft

Following abuse reports, the company has now shuttered a dozen youth treatment centers in the past two years, including its flagship academy.

January 13, 2021

Thousands of public housing residents live near the most polluted places in the nation — and the government has done little to protect them

by Angela Caputo and Sharon Lerner

An investigation reveals that more than 9,000 federally subsidized housing properties sit within a mile of a Superfund site, and the government has failed to inform many residents of the potential threats they face. As a result, low-income renters are paying for government inaction with their health.

December 14, 2020

California hands Sequel a major setback

by Curtis Gilbert

The state’s decision to no longer send children to out-of-state youth treatment facilities capped two difficult weeks for the embattled company.

December 9, 2020

Washington becomes latest state to ditch Sequel

by Curtis Gilbert

State officials decided to no longer place foster children with the company following an APM Reports investigation and reports of abuse.

December 7, 2020

How private money helped save the election

by Geoff Hing, Sabby Robinson, Tom Scheck, and Gracie Stockton

After Congress failed to aid local election offices, a nonprofit provided critical funds — including $350 million from Mark Zuckerberg — that paid for staff, ballot-scanning machines, protective gear, and rental space that helped the presidential election run surprisingly smoothly.

October 30, 2020

The last days of Wisconsin's pandemic election

by Geoff Hing, Sabby Robinson, Tom Scheck, and Gracie Stockton

The critical swing state that had a disastrous April primary endures a divisive election with long lines at the polls and battles in the courts — all amid a raging coronavirus outbreak. Yet voter turnout has been surging.

October 19, 2020

Postal data shows hundreds of complaints about election mail problems

by Geoff Hing, Sabby Robinson, Tom Scheck, Gracie Stockton, and Dee J. Hall

Election officials in cities across the country had ballots delayed or go missing in the mail.

October 16, 2020

Influential literacy expert Lucy Calkins is changing her views

by Emily Hanford

In a major shift, the controversial figure in the fight over how to teach reading now says that beginning readers should focus on sounding out words, according to a document obtained by APM Reports.

October 14, 2020

S2 E20: Curtis Flowers

During three years investigating the Curtis Flowers case, we’d talked to nearly everyone involved: lawyers, witnesses, jurors, family members, investigators, politicians, and many, many people around town. But there was one person we hadn’t yet interviewed — Curtis Flowers. That is, until one day in early October, a few weeks after he’d been cleared of all charges. For the final episode of Season 2, we at long last talk to the man at the center of it all.

October 14, 2020

Will Doug Evans face accountability?

by Parker Yesko

Prosecutors across the country rarely face consequences for misconduct.

September 28, 2020

More than 40 states have sent their most vulnerable kids to facilities run by a for-profit company named Sequel. Many of those kids were abused there.

by Curtis Gilbert and Lauren Dake

A yearlong investigation led by APM Reports finds the company took in some of the most difficult-to-treat children while keeping costs low in pursuit of profit and expansion. The result was dozens of cases of physical violence, sexual assault and improper restraints. Despite repeated scandals, many states and counties continue to send kids to Sequel for one central reason: They have little choice.

Thousands of public housing residents live near the most polluted places in the nation — and the government has done little to protect them

Mississippi to pay Curtis Flowers $500,000 for his decades behind bars

Embattled Sequel closes three more facilities

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Recent Stories

Mississippi to pay Curtis Flowers $500,000 for his decades behind bars

Embattled Sequel closes three more facilities

Thousands of public housing residents live near the most polluted places in the nation — and the government has done little to protect them

California hands Sequel a major setback

Washington becomes latest state to ditch Sequel

How private money helped save the election

The last days of Wisconsin's pandemic election

Postal data shows hundreds of complaints about election mail problems

Influential literacy expert Lucy Calkins is changing her views

S2 E20: Curtis Flowers

Will Doug Evans face accountability?

More than 40 states have sent their most vulnerable kids to facilities run by a for-profit company named Sequel. Many of those kids were abused there.