Danielle Ohl of Spotlight PA
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Pa. Doesn’t Fund Public Defense. Shapiro’s Budget Would Change That
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The $10 million proposal would be the most funding the state has ever dedicated to supporting the constitutional right to counsel.
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How Some Police, Attorneys and Jails Are Trying to Help Pa.’s Ailing System for Mentally Ill People
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Without a statewide solution, some local officials are finding ways to prevent people unfit to stand trial from getting trapped in the criminal justice system.
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Determining if Someone Is Mentally Fit for Trial in Pa. Often Traps Them in the Place Making Them Worse — Jail
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A Spotlight PA/PINJ investigation found few state hospital beds for those with severe mental illness, ill-equipped jails and a system so broken some defense attorneys avoid it entirely.
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Judges in Pa. Can Now Dismiss Charges Against People ‘Incompetent’ to Stand Trial, but Flaws Remain
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The state Supreme Court closed a decades-old legal loophole that kept people who would never be competent to stand trial on criminal charges in jail or prison indefinitely.
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Missing Traffic Stop Data from Pa. State Police Undercut 2021 Analysis for Racial Disparities
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Researchers said the incomplete data were due to confusion over traffic stops that resulted in only a verbal warning, and that troopers have received updated instructions.
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Jail Officials Across Pa. Sound Alarm as Mental Health Crisis Puts People at Risk, Survey Finds
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A statewide survey of county jails by Spotlight PA and the Pittsburgh Institute for Nonprofit Journalism revealed many facilities admit they are not equipped for the growing mental health crisis.
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Pa. Election 2022: Where Governor Candidates Mastriano, Shapiro Stand on Crime, Justice Issues
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The top candidates for Pennsylvania governor have different stances on increasing opportunities for parole, the use of cash bail and more.
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New Report on Racial Bias in Pa. State Police Traffic Stops Delayed by Data Problems, Officials Say
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Spotlight PA is an independent, nonpartisan newsroom powered by The Philadelphia Inquirer in partnership with PennLive/The Patriot-News, TribLIVE/Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, and WITF Public Media. Sign up for our free newsletters. Pennsylvania […]
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5 Takeaways from Spotlight PA’s Event on Pennsylvania’s Flawed Police Hiring Database
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Panelists said legislative action and other accountability measures are needed to close loopholes left in the 2020 law that created Pennsylvania’s law enforcement hiring database.
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Statewide Pennsylvania Police Hiring Database Hindered by Loopholes, Lack of Enforcement
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The database was hailed as a model to stop bad officers from hopping from one job to another. But now State Police say legislative changes are needed to make it more effective.