Reveal

Investigative journalist Beth Shelburne covers the case of Toforest Johnson, a man convicted for a murder he may not have committed. The lack of evidence and a strong alibi raise doubts about his guilt. Questions about the credibility of the earwitness who testified against him have emerged, leading to calls for a new trial. Alabama's prison system restricts Johnson from speaking to journalists, so Shelburne visits his children for insights. The podcast explores the efforts to secure a new trial and advocates' fight for justice.

Bruce Praet, co-founder of Lexipol, advised police officers to gather information about the person killed before notifying the family. This controversial tactic affected lawsuits and is scrutinized by reporter Brian Howey. Families impacted share their experiences and a City Council member aims to end Lexipol's contract. Howey attempts to interview Praet about the consequences of his advice.

This podcast explores the welfare-to-work system in the US and the for-profit companies that run it. It discusses the history and impact of work requirements for welfare recipients, follows the story of a struggling mother seeking assistance, and questions the effectiveness of the work programs. It also examines the lack of evidence for financial stability in welfare-to-work programs and the growth of for-profit welfare companies. The podcast concludes by addressing the impact of these companies on low-wage jobs and the upcoming debates surrounding work requirements in the Farm Bill.

Psychedelic drugs have been illegal for 50 years, but they’re trickling back into the mainstream because they show promise in helping treat post-traumatic stress disorder and other mental health challenges. We begin the hour with reporter Jonathan A. Davis visiting Psychedelic Science 2023, the largest-ever conference on psychedelic drugs. It’s put on by the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies, an organization dedicated to legalizing MDMA (also known as ecstasy or molly) and other psychedelic drugs. Research shows that MDMA-assisted therapy can help treat depression and PTSD, and it’s moving toward approval by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Psychedelics were studied in the 1950s and ’60s as mental health treatments, but the war on drugs put a stop to research. Now, these drugs are gaining bipartisan support from politicians looking for solutions to the mental health crisis among veterans.  Then Reveal’s Michael I Schiller visits a group of veterans who are not waiting for psychedelic-assisted therapy to be approved by the federal government. They’ve joined a church founded by an Iraq War veteran who uses psychedelics as religious sacraments. Schiller accompanies them on a retreat in rural Texas, where they share the depths of their post-traumatic stress and the relief they’ve felt after psychedelic treatments. He also explores the risks involved in taking these drugs.  We close with an intimate audio diary from a woman in Oakland, California, who’s going through therapy with the one psychedelic drug that can be legally prescribed currently in the U.S.: ketamine. Ketamine started out as an anesthetic, but researchers found it can help with treatment-resistant depression when used in tandem with talk therapy. Ketamine can be dangerous if abused, but it also has helped people find relief from mental health issues. This story was produced by Davis. Support Reveal’s journalism at Revealnews.org/donatenow Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to get the scoop on new episodes at Revealnews.org/newsletter Connect with us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram Check out independent producer Jonathan A. Davis’s work here Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

The first time Trina Edwards was locked in a psychiatric hospital for children, she was 12 years old. She was sure a foster parent would pick her up the next day. But instead, Trina would end up spending years cycling in and out of North Star Behavioral Health in Anchorage, Alaska.  At times, she was ready to be discharged, but Alaska’s Office of Children’s Services couldn’t find anywhere else to put her – so Trina would stay locked in at North Star, where she would experience violent restraints and periods of seclusion. Then, shortly before her 15th birthday, Trina was sent to another facility 3,000 miles away: Copper Hills Youth Center in Utah.  Both North Star and Copper Hills are owned by Universal Health Services, a publicly traded, Fortune 500 company that is the nation’s largest psychiatric hospital chain. Trina’s experience is emblematic of a larger problem: a symbiotic relationship between failing child welfare agencies, which don’t have enough foster homes for all the kids in custody, and large for-profit companies like Universal Health Services, which have beds to fill.  This hour, Mother Jones reporter Julia Lurie exposes how  Universal Health Services is profiting off foster kids who get admitted to its facilities, despite government and media investigations raising alarming allegations about patient care that the company denies. This hour deals with child abuse, sexual assault and suicide – and may not be appropriate for all listeners. Support Reveal’s journalism at Revealnews.org/donatenow Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to get the scoop on new episodes at Revealnews.org/newsletter Connect with us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Nicole Chase was a young mom with a daughter to support when she took a job at a local restaurant in Canton, Connecticut. She liked the work and was good at her job. But the place turned out to be more like a frat house than a quaint roadside sandwich spot. And the crude behavior kept escalating – until one day she says her boss went too far and she turned to the local police for help. What happened next would lead to a legal battle that dragged on for years. The U.S. Supreme Court would even get involved. Reveal reporter Rachel de Leon spent years taking a close look at cases across the country in which people reported sexual assaults to police, only to find themselves investigated. In this hour, we explore one case and hear how police interrogated an alleged perpetrator, an alleged victim and each other.  De Leon’s investigation is also the subject of a documentary, “Victim/Suspect,” now streaming on Netflix.   Support Reveal’s journalism at Revealnews.org/donatenow Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to get the scoop on new episodes at Revealnews.org/weekly Connect with us on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices

Kids who can't read by first grade struggle later on. 83% of Black fourth graders can't read proficiently. The theory of whole language approach has flawed reading instruction for decades. Lucy Calkins and her curriculum have a significant impact on reading instruction. Changes and realizations are happening in the field of teaching kids to read.

A white man named Mickey infiltrates the racial justice movement in Denver as an FBI informant, attempting to recruit activists for a plot to assassinate the state's attorney general. The podcast explores Mickey's background, the controversial use of informants, and the tactics used to incite violence within the protests. It also discusses the limited results of the FBI's infiltration and the rise of far-right extremism.

Journalists, human rights activists, and others are targeted by Pegasus, a military-grade spyware. El Faro newspaper in El Salvador was one of the biggest Pegasus hacks. The breach forced the newspaper to change the way they work and take extreme measures to protect sources. Researchers suspect the government was behind the spying. Efforts to hold the NSO Group accountable are growing.

The final episode of Mississippi Goddam shares new revelations that cast doubt on the official story that Billey Joe Johnson Jr. accidentally killed himself.  Our reporting brought up questions that the original investigation never looked into. Host Al Letson and reporter Jonathan Jones go back to Mississippi to interview the key people in the investigation, including Johnson’s ex-girlfriend – the first recorded interview she’s ever done with a media outlet. The team also shares its findings with lead investigator Joel Wallace and the medical examiner who looked into the case.  Finally, after three years of reporting, we share what we’ve learned with Johnson’s family and talk to them about the inadequacy of the investigation and reasons to reopen the case.  This episode was originally broadcast in December 2021. Learn about your ad choices: dovetail.prx.org/ad-choices