Provide a brief synopsis of the story or stories, including any significant findings.

Carol Smith's stories focused on different aspects of a system that led to a random killing by a severely mentally ill man with a history of violence.

Judges' comments:  Carol Smith of the Seattle Post-Intelligencer offers a beautifully painful series exposing the fault lines in the nation's treatment services for the mentally ill. This a tough and chronic issue to take on, but Smith masterfully captivates readers with the real-life stories of people affected by mental illness. The writing is superb.

Read "Dangerous and Mentally Ill."

See the contest questionnaire about how this story was reported.