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72 hours: Inside San Diego County’s mental health crisis

THE SAN DIEGO UNION-TRIBUNE

For three days, reporters followed patients, police, clinicians, dispatchers and those struggling for help to create a minute-by-minute account of an overwhelmed system. (8,777 words)

This N.J. cop used more force than anyone else. Is he violent or just good at his job?

NJ.COM / PDF

A 16-month-long investigation flagged hundreds of New Jersey officers using force at alarming rates, including one South Jersey cop with an utterly unique record. (2,092 words)

The state attorney general’s office opened an investigation after our stories published, and this officer later pleaded guilty to aggravated assault, lost his job and was sentenced to probation.

New Jersey women’s prison investigation

NJ.COM

Several stories written with two colleagues exposed a series of beatings at the state’s only women’s facility and the troubled history of the man in charge. In response, lawmakers held hearings and advanced new reforms while the governor ordered an independent investigation — which ultimately cited, confirmed and expanded on the reporting, prompting the head of the entire prison system to resign and the governor to announce plans to shutter the facility.

Other articles gave an in-depth look at the incident, highlighted the prison’s backed-up complaint system, raised concerns about the transfer of a transgender woman who said she was attacked, detailed the millions of dollars taxpayers are paying as a result of abuse investigations, explored the track record of a consultant hired to fix the problems and broke the news about a prison watchdog’s resignation.

Guatemalans are sending a record amount of money home during Trump’s presidency. Will their investment pay off?

PUBLIC RADIO INTERNATIONAL / PDF

Feeling vulnerable in the U.S., Guatemalan immigrants are sending billions of dollars south. One family's story shows their hope — and the hurdles they face. (2,177 words)

Injury on Missouri waterslide highlights lax regulation

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS / THE WASHINGTON POST / THE NEW YORK TIMES / PDF

A woman said she was injured on a new waterslide at Six Flags St. Louis. Yet no government official conducted a safety inspection of the slide before it opened, because Missouri doesn't consider waterslides to be "amusement rides." (734 words)

Inside the Class That Teaches Missouri Lawmakers When It’s OK to Pull the Trigger

VICE NEWS / THE TRACE / VOX MAGAZINE / PDF

Once a year, state legislators gather for private firearms instruction. Some also leave with new ideas for relaxing gun laws. (1,728 words)

The Gospel according to the Boone County Commission

COLUMBIA MISSOURIAN / PDF

Current and future members of the Boone County Commission explore how their faith informs how they govern, or hope to govern. Their answers reveal subtle differences in theology, differences that point both to areas of conflict and surprising unity. (1,404 words)

Ready to practice comics journalism? Ask these questions before you commit

POYNTER / PDF

Seven questions every editor and artist who wants to make non-fiction comics should ask, based on a dozen interviews with some of the best graphic journalists in the world. (1,305 words)