Investigations

The cargo ship Dali sits in the water, surrounded by four concrete dolphins, after running into and collapsing the Francis Scott Key Bridge on March 26, 2024, in Baltimore. Tasos Katopodis/Getty Images hide caption

Police recovery crews work near the collapsed Francis Scott Key Bridge after it was struck by the container ship Dali in Baltimore. Eight members of a construction crew repairing potholes were on the bridge when the structure fell into the Patapsco River at around 1:30 a.m. on Tuesday. Jim Watson/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

Alexis Ratcliff attends her 18th birthday party at the hospital in Winston-Salem, N.C. She is a quadriplegic who uses a ventilator and has lived at Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist since she was 13. Susan Ratcliff hide caption

Left: A photo provided by Alabama Department of Corrections shows inmate Kenneth Eugene Smith, who was convicted in a 1988 murder-for-hire slaying of a preacher's wife. Right: Alabama's lethal injection chamber at Holman Correctional Facility in Atmore, Ala., seen in 2002. Alabama Department of Corrections via AP and AP hide caption

This undated photo provided by Alabama Department of Corrections shows inmate Kenneth Eugene Smith, who was convicted in a 1988 murder-for-hire slaying of a preacher's wife. Alabama plans to put him to death by nitrogen hypoxia, an execution method that is authorized in three states but has never been used, later this week. Alabama Department of Corrections via AP /AP hide caption

The Alabama Department of Corrections plans to execute Kenneth Smith on Jan. 25 using nitrogen gas. It will be the first time the gas has been used as an execution method in the U.S. AP/Mark Harris for NPR hide caption

Donald Trump launched his latest presidential campaign with a rally in Waco, Texas. At the beginning of the rally, Trump played a song featuring the J6 Prison Choir, made up of defendants in jail on charges related to the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol. Nathan Howard/AP hide caption

Autopsies are not required for federal prison deaths that are classified as natural. NPR found cases where medical neglect, poor prison conditions and a lack of resources contributed to these deaths. But families were given little information. Dion MBD for NPR hide caption

The Virginia Department of Corrections recorded the execution of Travis Spencer's brother. Spencer wants his tape published to hold the state accountable. Catie Dull/NPR hide caption

This undated photo provided by Alabama Department of Corrections shows inmate Kenneth Eugene Smith, who was convicted in a 1988 murder-for-hire slaying of a preacher's wife. Alabama plans to put him to death by nitrogen hypoxia, an execution method that is authorized in three states but has never been used. Alabama Department of Corrections via AP hide caption

Ernie Haynes stands next to a memorial for his daughter, Jennifer, at his home in Risingsun, Ohio. Following her drug overdose death in 2017, he was charged with abduction after trying to gain custody of his grandchildren. The action sparked a five-year legal battle to clear his name. Dustin Franz for NPR hide caption

Sen. Dick Durbin, chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, called on the federal prison system to address its staffing crisis. Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images hide caption

Marine Corps veteran Ed O'Connor is seen outside his home in Fredericksburg, Va. He is among tens of thousands of veterans who took a COVID forbearance on a VA home loan. But the VA's program ended abruptly in October of 2022 and many veterans were asked to either pay all the missed payments or face foreclosure. Catie Dull/NPR hide caption