New Mexico provides no oversight of sexual assault between students in schools. A recent case in Hobbs shows what that can mean.
Series
Posted inFeatured
Hobbs police struggle with sex crimes
Police in Hobbs said an alleged rape was consensual. The department has a long, troubled record with sex crimes.
Posted inSexual assault in schools
How we reported on sexual assault in schools
Sexual violence is a particularly difficult topic for investigative reporters to cover. The questions are manifold: How can you verify a story that often has few witnesses, no clear paper trail and contradictory accounts of what happened? What records could establish that an incident was handled improperly by law enforcement or other officials? For any […]
Posted inSexual assault in schools
A middle schooler said she was raped. Then she was suspended from classes.
After a 13-year-old reported sexual assault, she was left to navigate a system where limited state and federal oversight leave school districts to decide how allegations are handled.
Posted inSexual assault in schools
Reporta violación y la suspenden de clases
Read in English. Advertencia de contenido: Esta historia contiene descripciones de acusaciones de agresión sexual que involucran a niños. Si usted o alguien que conoce ha sufrido una agresión sexual, visite la Línea Nacional de Ayuda para Víctimas de Agresión Sexual de RAINN para obtener asistencia. Llame al 800.656.HOPE (4673), chatee en RAINN.org/hotline o envíe un […]
Posted inChaos and Cannabis
Fined and stripped of his marijuana license, Dineh Benally keeps on growing
Navajo cannabis farmer claims he’s providing ‘sacrament’ for a Native church
Posted inChaos and Cannabis
A green light for Dineh Benally
A sensational raid three years ago put an end to his illegal marijuana empire on the Navajo Nation, manned by trafficking victims. But when Benally wanted to grow weed again, New Mexico said yes.
Posted inChild & Family Welfare
Child Welfare Experts Say New Mexico Can’t Put Kids in Homeless Shelters Just Because It Lacks Other Beds
An expert report found that New Mexico’s child welfare system has housed foster kids in homeless shelters and other inappropriate settings.
Posted inChild & Family Welfare
These Foster Kids Need Mental Health Care. New Mexico Is Putting Them in Homeless Shelters.
Youth crisis shelters aren’t set up to deal with foster youth who need intensive mental health treatment. When teens try to harm themselves or others, staff resort to calling 911.
