THE WEEKLY REVEAL

Hello! In this issue:

• We trace the footsteps of a correctional officer-turned-whistleblower in one of the most dangerous prisons in California.
• Psychedelic drugs show promise in treating PTSD and other mental health challenges.
• Lawmakers in Alaska are finally taking action to protect children in foster care.

THIS WEEK’S PODCAST

A Whistleblower in New Folsom Prison

When correctional officer Valentino Rodriguez first stepped behind prison walls, it was so much more than a new job. He was now bound by an unwritten code: Never tell on each other.

But the job wore on him. The violence he witnessed plagued him. And it tested his loyalty to a system where no one wants to hear the truth. It took five years for him to turn whistleblower, but when he did, he told the warden everything. Six days later, his wife found him dead.

This week on Reveal, we partner with KQED and the On Our Watch podcast’s Sukey Lewis and Julie Small to follow Rodriguez’s footsteps and uncover the secrets hidden inside the most dangerous prison in California.

Impact Update

Last year, we partnered with Mother Jones to investigate the Alaska foster system’s warehousing of children for months or even years in psychiatric treatment centers.

In this session of the Alaska State Legislature, two bills have been introduced that aim to reform psychiatric treatment for vulnerable youth. One bill would require a court to review a foster child’s placement at a psychiatric hospital within 72 hours to determine whether that child meets medical criteria for hospitalization.

A second bill would require health department employees to conduct unannounced visits to residential psychiatric facilities at least twice a year and to interview at least half of the patients during such visits.

One Number to Know

988

Call or text 988 to reach the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline.

Since Sept. 11, 2001, four times more vets have died by suicide than in combat. After decades of trying to treat post-traumatic stress disorder with various medications, the Department of Veterans Affairs is leaning into the promise of psychedelics to improve the mental health of veterans.

More from our Newsroom

As you’ve already heard, we joined forces this year with Mother Jones, and our new colleagues are covering everything from “greenhushing” to the Big Lie and the American labor movement. Get fresh insights, insider-y scoops and smart analysis with the Mother Jones Daily newsletter.

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