On Our Watch

Today we’re sharing the first episode of 'Hush,' an investigative podcast from Oregon Public Broadcasting focused on uncovering the buried truth about critical stories in the Pacific Northwest. This series looks at the case of Jesse Lee Johnson, a Black man who lived for 17 years on Oregon’s death row for a crime he says he didn’t commit, and tries to understand why the state tried for so long to kill him.

Follow and listen to more episodes of “Hush” here: https://www.opb.org/show/hush/

If you’re in a mental health crisis, call the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 9-8-8.

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Today we’re sharing the first episode of “The Youth Development Center,” a series from New Hampshire Public Radio. This podcast from the creators of "Bear Brook" and “The 13th Step” dives deep into how New Hampshire became the center of one of the largest youth detention abuse scandals in the country. This episode follows the story of Andy Perkins, a man who remained silent about his experiences at the Youth Development Center for decades. Then, he saw something on the news that made him realize he wasn't alone. 

Follow and listen to more episodes of “The Youth Development Center” here: https://link.chtbl.com/ch14Qgb_?sid=KQED

Click here to read the companion digital story made in collaboration with The Pudding.

If you have suffered abuse and need someone to talk to, you can call the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-4673. If you’re in a mental health crisis, call the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 9-8-8.

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Get a behind-the-scenes peek at the reporting for On Our Watch: New Folsom as Ayesha Rascoe, host of NPR’s The Sunday Story from Up First, speaks with Sukey about the season and the wider context of this kind of journalism.

Resources

If you are currently in crisis, you can dial 988 [U.S.] to reach the National Suicide and Crisis Lifeline.

SAMHSA National Help Line

988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline

NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness) Helpline

US Health and Human Services

Warmline Directory

Whistleblower resources

The Lamplighter Project

The Signals Network

EMPOWR

Whistleblowers of America

Government Accountability Project

National Whistleblower Center

Whistleblower Aid

Listen to the original broadcast on NPR's The Sunday Story.

Episode Transcript

Find more information at our website.

If you have tips or feedback about this series please reach out to us at [email protected].  

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On Our Watch was made possible by the passage of a groundbreaking law enforcement sunshine bill in 2018. Today we talk to California State Senator Nancy Skinner, who co-authored the state’s “Right to Know Act," about the legacy of her landmark bill, ongoing obstacles to transparency, and the need for accountability in California prisons.

Learn more about Sen. Skinner's work on law enforcement transparency, including The Right to Know Act (SB 1421) and SB 16, by visiting her webpage. The California Reporting Project, a coalition of newsrooms, provides insights into how these open-records acts are being implemented.

Mental health resources

If you are currently in crisis, you can dial 988 [U.S.] to reach the National Suicide and Crisis Lifeline.

SAMHSA National Help Line

988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline

NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness) Helpline

US Health and Human Services

Warmline Directory

Episode Transcript

Find more information at our website.

If you have tips or feedback about this series please reach out to us at [email protected].  

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Reporting on prisons from the outside is often difficult; it’s a closed and secretive world. But there is also important reporting being done by people who are inside prison, which comes with dangers of its own. Sukey and Julie sit down with two formerly incarcerated journalists, Rahsaan Thomas and Jesse Vasquez, to talk about the challenges and opportunities of prison reporting.

Rahsaan Thomas is the Executive Director of Empowerment Avenue and a producer at Ear Hustle.

Jesse Vasquez is the Executive Director of the Pollen Initiative and former Editor-in-Chief of the San Quentin News.

Mental health resources

If you are currently in crisis, you can dial 988 [U.S.] to reach the National Suicide and Crisis Lifeline.

SAMHSA National Help Line

988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline

NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness) Helpline

US Health and Human Services

Warmline Directory

Episode Transcript

Find more information at our website.

If you have tips or feedback about this series please reach out to us at [email protected].  

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sukey sits down with Mary Inman and Poppy Alexander, two whistleblower attorneys who talk about the cost of speaking up, and unpack the playbook that employers use to keep people quiet. They also discuss a shift in thinking that can protect both whistleblowers and their organizations.

Mental health resources

If you are currently in crisis, you can dial 988 [U.S.] to reach the National Suicide and Crisis Lifeline.

SAMHSA National Help Line

988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline

NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness) Helpline

US Health and Human Services

Warmline Directory

Whistleblower resources

Whistleblower Partners, LLP (where Mary and Poppy are partners)

The Lamplighter Project

The Signals Network

EMPOWR

Whistleblowers of America

Government Accountability Project

National Whistleblower Center

Whistleblower Aid

Mary Inman was profiled in the New Yorker piece, "The Personal Toll of Whistleblowing."

Episode Transcript

Find more information at our website.

If you have tips or feedback about this series please reach out to us at [email protected].  

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

After his son’s death, Valentino Rodriguez Sr. waited for the warden of New Folsom prison to call him. That call never came. In our season finale, we walk through the gates of New Folsom to ask the warden for answers. We also get a rare glimpse inside the world of correctional officer discipline and hear from Sgt. Kevin Steele in his own words. 

Mental health resources

If you are currently in crisis, you can dial 988 [U.S.] to reach the National Suicide and Crisis Lifeline.

SAMHSA National Help Line

988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline

NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness) Helpline

US Health and Human Services

Warmline Directory

Whistleblower resources

The Lamplighter Project

The Signals Network

EMPOWR

Whistleblowers of America

Government Accountability Project

National Whistleblower Center

Whistleblower Aid

Episode Transcript

Find more information at our website.

If you have tips or feedback about this series please reach out to us at [email protected].  

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We get to listen in on confidential interviews conducted by Sgt. Kevin Steele before his death. Plus, we finally get to see surveillance footage from inside the B8 unit that sheds new light on the murder of Luis Giovanny Aguilar.

Editor’s note: After this episode first aired on April 2, 2024, CDCR finally located Valentino Rodriguez’s supplemental report about the murder of Luis Giovanny Aguilar that we reference in this episode. Their public records team was initially unable to find it. However, the agency said the report was exempt from disclosure.

Resources

If you are currently in crisis, you can dial 988 [U.S.] to reach the National Suicide and Crisis Lifeline.

SAMHSA National Help Line

988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline

NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness) Helpline

US Health and Human Services

Warmline Directory

Episode Transcript

Find more information at our website.

If you have tips or feedback about this series please reach out to us at [email protected].  

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The team digs deep into the homicide of Luis Giovanny Aguilar—the murder in the day room that Officer Valentino Rodriguez was tasked to write a report about, and that had consumed Sgt. Kevin Steele up until the last day of his life. We track down each of the men who took part in the stabbing to find out: did officers also play a role?

Resources

If you are currently in crisis, you can dial 988 [U.S.] to reach the National Suicide and Crisis Lifeline.

SAMHSA National Help Line

988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline

NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness) Helpline

US Health and Human Services

Warmline Directory

Episode Transcript

Find more information at our website.

If you have tips or feedback about this series please reach out to us at [email protected].  

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Valentino Rodriguez Sr. is on the treadmill one morning when he gets a call—Sgt. Kevin Steele is dead. Val Sr. has lost not only his friend, but his partner in their shared quest to find the truth. A meeting with the FBI provides few answers, even as new questions arise about why a second whistleblower from New Folsom has lost his life.

Resources

If you are currently in crisis, you can dial 988 [U.S.] to reach the National Suicide and Crisis Lifeline.

SAMHSA National Help Line

988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline

NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness) Helpline

US Health and Human Services

Warmline Directory

Episode Transcript

Find more information at our website.

If you have tips or feedback about this series please reach out to us at [email protected].  

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices