In recent weeks, California Watch’s long-running focus on abuse of the developmentally disabled at state-run institutions has coalesced into a broad indictment of the flawed oversight and enforcement programs at those facilities.
Ryan Gabrielson’s centerpiece is a classic deep investigation which relies on a mix of data and anecdotes to show that, even though the centers are equipped with a state-run police force, in 36 incidences of alleged abuse over the past four years, “documents obtained by California Watch reveal that patients suffered molestation, forced oral sex and vaginal lacerations. But for years, the state-run police force has moved so slowly and ineffectively that predators have stayed a step ahead of law enforcement or abused new victims, records show.”
Beyond that, California Watch has gone above and beyond to make their investigation as accessible and shareable as possible with a share-friendly chart, an 11.75-minute YouTube video, or even an “explainer” companion piece.