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Joseph Shapiro Joseph Shapiro is a NPR News Investigations correspondent.
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Joseph Shapiro
National Data Confirm Cases Of Restraint And Seclusion In Public Schools

Carson Luke, 13, was injured when he was restrained at a school in Virginia when he was 10 years old. Sarah Tilotta/NPR hide caption

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Sarah Tilotta/NPR

Investigations

National Data Confirm Cases Of Restraint And Seclusion In Public Schools

A controversial practice to tie, hold down or seclude agitated students mostly impacts kids with disabilities. Schools say it's for safety, but opponents say it's dangerous and a civil rights issue.

National Data Confirm Cases Of Restraint And Seclusion In Public Schools

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Guilty And Charged

Facing Doubts About Court Fines, Lawmakers Take Questions To Heart

U.S. lawmakers are feeling some urgency to solve the same problem: how to stop sending people to jail simply for failing to pay court fines and fees, often because they're too poor to afford them.

Facing Doubts About Court Fines, Lawmakers Take Questions To Heart

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Measures Aimed At Keeping People Out Of Jail Punish The Poor

Tom Barrett returned to the convenience store where he stole a can of beer. He spent time in jail, not for the crime, but because he couldn't afford the fines and fees that went along with wearing an electronic monitoring device. Joseph Shapiro/NPR hide caption

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Guilty And Charged

Measures Aimed At Keeping People Out Of Jail Punish The Poor

An exclusive state-by-state survey by NPR found that 49 states now allow or require criminal defendants to pay for their court-ordered electronic monitoring bracelets.

Measures Aimed At Keeping People Out Of Jail Punish The Poor

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Investigations

Court Fees Drive Many Poor Defendants Underground

The use of fines and fees charged to criminal defendants has exploded. People who can't afford those charges can go to jail for not paying. Hundreds of thousands are hiding from police and the courts.

Court Fees Drive Many Poor Defendants Underground

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Supreme Court Ruling Not Enough To Prevent Debtors Prisons

Kyle Dewitt was sentenced to three days in jail after he was unable to pay fees associated with catching a fish out of season. Joseph Shapiro/NPR hide caption

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Guilty And Charged

Supreme Court Ruling Not Enough To Prevent Debtors Prisons

In 1983, the high court ruled judges can't jail people because they're too poor to pay their fines and fees. But an NPR investigation found judges still use jail time as punishment for nonpayment.

Supreme Court Ruling Not Enough To Prevent Debtors Prisons

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Investigations

Big Fees For The Big Easy's Poorest Defendants

In the next installment of an NPR investigation, Joseph Shapiro goes to New Orleans to look at the ways poor people are charged for their public defender in court.

Big Fees For The Big Easy's Poorest Defendants

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Law

Unpaid Court Fees Land The Poor In 21st Century Debtors' Prisons

Debtors' prisons were outlawed in the United States back before the Civil War. But an NPR state-by-state survey found that people still get sent to jail for unpaid court fines and fees.

Unpaid Court Fees Land The Poor In 21st Century Debtors' Prisons

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As Court Fees Rise, The Poor Are Paying The Price

The proliferation of court fees has prompted some states, like New Jersey, to use amnesty programs to encourage the thousands of people who owe fines to surrender in exchange for fee reductions. At the Fugitive Safe Surrender program, makeshift courtrooms allow judges to individually handle each case. Nicole Beemsterboer/NPR hide caption

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Nicole Beemsterboer/NPR

Investigations

As Court Fees Rise, The Poor Are Paying The Price

An NPR investigation has found an explosion in the use of fees charged to criminal defendants across the country, which has created a system of justice that targets the poor.

As Court Fees Rise, The Poor Are Paying The Price

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Education

Feds List Schools Under Investigation For Abuse Claims

The White House told colleges and universities to take tougher actions to stop sexual assault. The Education Department released a list of schools under investigation for their handling of assaults.

Feds List Schools Under Investigation For Abuse Claims

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Campus Rape Reports Are Up, And Assaults Aren't The Only Reason

After the University of Michigan increased its efforts to prevent sexual assaults on campus, reports increased by 113 percent. Erin/Flickr hide caption

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Erin/Flickr

Investigations

Campus Rape Reports Are Up, And Assaults Aren't The Only Reason

Data from the Department of Education show an increase in sexual assault reports, but college officials say new federal guidelines are helping more students come forward.

Campus Rape Reports Are Up, And Assaults Aren't The Only Reason

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Education

Small Gains, But Much Left To Fix, In Campus Sexual Assault Cases

In 2010, NPR's Joe Shapiro led an investigation into sexual assault on college campuses. As the White House releases its own report, Shapiro explains what's changed since 2010 — and what hasn't.

Small Gains, But Much Left To Fix, In Campus Sexual Assault Cases

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Shooting Unfairly Links Violence With Mental Illness — Again

Lt. Gen. Mark Milley speaks to reporters April 2 regarding the second shooting in five years on the Fort Hood Army post in Texas. Drew Anthony Smith/Getty Images hide caption

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Shots - Health News

Shooting Unfairly Links Violence With Mental Illness — Again

The vast majority of people, including soldiers, with PTSD, depression or other mental illness are not violent. Psychiatrists doubt the latest shooting at Fort Hood could have been predicted.

National

Navy Yard Shooter Struggled With Growing Mental Issues

Investigators are gathering clues that indicate Aaron Alexis' life seemed to be unraveling. He's been identified as the man who opened fire at a U.S. naval base in Washington, D.C. on Monday, killing 12 workers. Alexis was killed in a gun battle with police.

Navy Yard Shooter Struggled With Growing Mental Issues

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Mastermind Of 'Body Stealing' Scheme Dies

In 2008, Michael Mastromarino was sentenced in a New York City courtroom for enterprise corruption, body stealing and reckless endangerment. Jesse Ward/AP hide caption

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Shots - Health News

Mastermind Of 'Body Stealing' Scheme Dies

The former dental surgeon went to prison for a long-running scheme to obtain human bodies and then harvest their tissue for sale. He admitted guilt in 2008 and was sentenced to up to 58 years in prison. He died Sunday of cancer.