Death County, PA

When Ty’Rique Riley died after a brief stay in the Dauphin County Prison, his family blamed guards who beat and pepper sprayed him with a bag over his head. But the county coroner, best known for his embellished true crime TV show, declared the 29-year-old's death a routine medical incident. It was just the latest in a string of inmate deaths at the jail for which neither guards nor medical staff had been held accountable. As investigative journalists turned up the heat on county officials, outsiders ran for elective office with promises of reform. Both met stiff resistance from a system built on protecting a brutal status-quo. From Wondery and Penn Live comes the podcast “Death County, PA.” Host Josh Vaughn recounts his multi-year investigation into the prison and those who ran it with an iron hand. It also profiles the unlikely citizens who campaigned to change conditions inside the state’s most notorious corrections facility. OUR SPOILER-FREE REVIEWS OF "DEATH COUNTY, PA" BEGIN IN THE FINAL 12 MINUTES OF THE EPISODE. For exclusive podcasts and more, sign up at Patreon. Sign up for our newsletter at crimewriterson.com.