IndyStar exposes prison failures, shows us why investigative journalism matters

On July 20, IndyStar published an investigation into the prison, which they had been working on since late 2025.

Deadly Detention documents how the hasty expansion of the prison to accommodate up to 1,000 federal immigration detainees resulted in a chaotic environment for the company that provides medical care for the people confined there. Investigative journalism like this provides all of us in Indiana with a vital window into how our government is working.  

I interviewed IndyStar’s investigations team to hear how they brought the story of the medical crisis at the ICE detention center to light and learn about their process for uncovering the truth behind systemic issues, corruption and wrongdoing.

Managing sources dictates investigation timelines

One challenge of telling these important stories is working with whistleblowers. It’s often hard to reach people who have inside access and might be willing to talk. It takes time and energy to develop sources, gain their trust and learn the impact of the information they have to offer.

Kristine Phillips, investigative reporter for IndyStar, says she started hearing about problems with medical care and understaffing at the Miami prison in late 2025 from a nurse who ultimately decided to go on the record and be named in the story.

The idea for an investigation happened after Sim died in February. The focus on discovering what was happening there crystallized after Van Bui died in April. The investigation took six months of reporting, writing and editing. Phillips and another IndyStar reporter, Alexandria Burris, were interviewing detainees up until revisions on the final story.

“I think the really challenging thing about these detainee deaths is that there’s very little information available and trying to pry more information out really took months,” Phillips said. “After Lorth Sim died, I was reaching out to his family the same day we published a short story about him dying. I reached out to his children; nobody was picking up the phone.”

It was a month before Phillips heard back from Sim’s oldest son and then another month before she heard from the attorney the family hired. She spent the interim time scouring Facebook for relatives and sending messages to see who would speak with her. Neither man was local to Indy. Federal immigration agents shipped them both to the facility after detaining them. 

What’s happening at the Miami Correctional Facility presents a prospect ripe for an investigation because it points to a systemic problem, involves millions of taxpayer dollars, and raises an accountability question for the state officials who run the prison.

During her reporting, Phillips narrowed down her focus to specific questions for which the public deserves answers. “Why does a for-profit medical provider that has received millions of dollars in a contract – why are they not able to provide adequate care to the detainees who really are supposed to just be there temporarily?” she asked. “I think this type of story is a really good way to show how we can hold government accountable when something does not work.”

The IndyStar prioritizes the many investigation ideas and tips from readers by evaluating the scope and severity of the problem. Is it a systemic issue? How high are the stakes and is it relevant to Central Indiana readers? What kind of impact can the newspaper make in calling attention to the issue? These are all of the factors IndyStar investigative editor Tony Cook weighs.

“We recognize a lot of problems in the community that need to be addressed and it’s always challenging to decide what to cover,” he said.

Investigations are expensive but necessary

Putting together an investigative story is expensive because of the time investment. It takes weeks for reporters to develop and interview sources, request documents and review them, fact check information, and take all of the reporting through a rigorous editing process, IndyStar executive editor Ryan Martin said. Coordinating with photojournalists and digital staff further complicates the storytelling process.

“There’s a legacy that we’re trying to uphold on this investigative team, it’s also clear that it’s what our subscribers and what the community expects from us,” he said. “We have a four-person investigative unit that’s the same size the unit was a decade ago. Even as you may be seeing other newsrooms shrink in that space. Our investigative team is as large as some entire newsrooms, both legacy and startup.”

For example, the reporting and writing of IndyStar’s 2025 series on Christian nationalism, by Alexandria Burris and Kayla Dwyer, took all summer. The project, which was part of a fellowship with the Poynter Institute, looked at political polarization and the influence of people’s ideologies on the laws they can become.

Investigative reporter Hayleigh Colombo co-wrote the third part of the Mr. Clean series, with Mirror Indy reporters Emily Hopkins and Peter Blanchard, as part of a partnership between the two publications. The series looks into promises Mayor Joe Hogsett made during his election campaign and ethics issues in his administration.

Holding government officials responsible for the standards they set for themselves is one of Colombo’s favorite parts of accountability reporting.

“There’s only so much the average person can do to remember what were the campaign promises that my mayor made 10 years ago,” Colombo said. “And in the hustle and bustle of life, you might kind of forget those promises and whether they’ve followed through on them. I think that it’s our job as journalists to take a step back and to report on that so that readers and voters have the information they need when it’s time for another reelection campaign, or when it’s time for them to think about who the next mayor should be.”

IndyStar’s past investigative work has also been recognized by the Pulitzer Prizes, American journalism’s top honor.

Without investigative journalism like this, it’s hard for the average person to participate in democracy in an informed way. We need the press to keep track of campaign promises, to monitor institutions and the services they provide, and to check on how taxpayer money is spent. We need journalists to spend hours poring over information we can’t because we lack the time and access.

IndyStar’s investigative piece on the medical services of Centurion Health at the prison are relevant to the entire news market. Other news organizations should acknowledge that, and they should tell their audiences about it.

The Indiana Capital Chronicle and IBJ followed IndyStar’s investigation by summarizing the findings with their audience and sharing ICE’s initial response. Axios Indianapolis and FPI News mentioned IndyStar’s investigation in their recent newsletters. Acknowledging the work of a competitor and sharing it is a sign of a newsroom that puts the needs of its audience first. When good investigative journalism like this is published, other news outlets shouldn’t be so competitive that they don’t recognize the public good it serves.

Lorth Sim and Tuan Van Bui were entitled to the dignity and respect of adequate medical care, as are the other 2,300 people locked up at the facility. IndyStar’s reporting shows that our state government leapt at the opportunity to take in federal immigration detainees and then shirked its obligation to provide humane conditions. 

IndyStar’s investigation is the beginning of this story. Will our state government take responsibility for ensuring basic medical care at a state-run prison? Politicians respond to public pressure. And the public is interested in this. When the investigation’s lead reporter, Krisitine Phillips, did an “Ask Me Anything” on Reddit, she got 178 comments, showing a clear interest in the series from the public.

I hope every Indy news outlet will share the findings of this investigation with their audiences and tell people how they can get more information. And I hope newsrooms across the state press state officials to describe how they are going to improve care at the prison. Indy news consumers, if you aren’t finding the follow-ups stories in your news feeds, then your chosen news sources are letting you down. 

I want to hear from you! Please write to me with your questions and concerns about local press at indypubliceditor@poynter.org.