Investigating Responses Archives

Jobs. Block Clubs. Investment: How Chicagoans are Interrupting Violence at its Roots

by Jim Daley May 27, 2025May 27, 2025

The causes and solutions to gun violence are difficult to quantify—or control. One thing is clear: gun violence is highest in Chicago’s poorest neighborhoods.
Organizers in the hardest-hit communities like Garfield Park say tackling poverty is the only way to create lasting change.

Investigating Responses

Cook County Tried to Rid People of Medical Debt, but, for Many, Help Comes Too Late

by Binghui Huang May 27, 2025November 4, 2025

Since 2022, Cook County has spent more than $4 million to forgive nearly $500 million worth of medical debt for some 278,000 residents, becoming a pioneer among local governments and garnering waves of positive publicity for their efforts.

But an analysis of Cook County’s debt relief accounts show that many people like Ciaccio saddled with debt should have qualified for free care, a sign that local hospitals are failing to screen for some of the region’s poorest patients even as some use aggressive tactics to collect debt.

A woman stands with her arms crossed in front of a fountain in a courthouse courtyard.

Investigating Responses

How three states are addressing the use and abuse of restraint chairs

by Grace Hauck May 15, 2025May 26, 2025

The “Strapped Down” series investigated the use of restraint chairs in county jails. For the final stories in the series, we’re examining how three other states have addressed the use and misuse of restraint chairs.

Three people stand at a microphone during a press conference.

Investigating Responses

A Mentally Ill Man Died After Being Restrained. His Family’s Advocacy Led to Statewide Changes in California.

by Grace Hauck May 15, 2025May 15, 2025

The knock came around midnight.

The officers told Carty Holland that his son, Andrew, had died at the county jail.

“They didn’t tell me how he passed,” Holland said. “The ugliness of it came later on.”

An image capture from Google Earth shows a county jail building along a street.

Criminal Justice & Public Safety

Iowa Jails Abused Restraint Chairs. A Watchdog Agency Intervened, Spurring Reform.

by Grace Hauck May 15, 2025May 15, 2025

Two Iowa jails have made reforms after an ombudsman report found the facilities were restraining people with mental illnesses in chairs for long periods of time.

A man sits on a park bench with his hands clasped.

Investigating Responses

This Pennsylvania County Banned Restraint Chairs at its Jail. Public Data Was Key.

by Grace Hauck May 15, 2025May 15, 2025

Jason Porter takes comfort in knowing restraint chairs have been banned from Allegheny County Jail.

He was strapped down in the controversial device for six hours without food or water in 2020. His testimony bolstered by public data helped bring about a ban on restraint chairs at Allegheny County Jail.

In March, lawmakers gathered for a hearing at the Illinois State Capitol to discuss a measure to restrict crime-free housing ordinances. (Credit: Jamie Kelter Davis/For The New York Times)

Investigating Responses

Six Ways Cities Are Trying to Keep Rental Properties and Tenants Safe

by Ben Austen May 13, 2025

In some places with crime-free housing laws, landlords must kick out tenants who have had too much contact with the police.

Janice Oda-Gray, chief administrative officer of the City Council Office of Financial Analysis (COFA) is hiring three staffers to help beef up the office. (Credit: Talia Sprague/For Illinois Answers Project)

Investigating Responses

Amid Budget Tensions, City Council Members Push to Bring Some Sunshine to City Spending

by Alex Nitkin May 6, 2025

Other big city governments have robust watchdogs, paid for by taxpayers, to analyze city budgets and financial deals. The City Council’s anemic office could use some brawn, some alderpeople argue.