D.C. reporter fights 10 months to get jail suicide records; exposes problems

Brendan Smith fought for 10 months to get records regarding suicides in the Washington, D.C., jails, and when he finally got them he found widespread problems. His story is published in the Washington (DC) City Paper. What was interesting was once he got the internal investigation reports, with help from the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, he found that the Department of Corrections had issued press releases that contained false information about the suicides, and other papers went along and reported the falsehoods, not knowing otherwise. It turns out that doctors, nurses and jail guards all lied. When a city councilmember requested to see the internal-affairs reports he was denied access, even though he chaired the committee that oversees the Department of Corrections. The lesson? Don't trust the system, including press releases and oversight committees, to reveal the real hidden workings of government. And when reports are kept hidden to supposedly protect the privacy of individuals, don't buy it. Chances are they are trying to protect their own rear ends. Get the documents, and get the story.