Journalist Joshua Vaughn on Deaths, Conditions, and Coverups at Dauphin County Prison

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 Mark Pynes / PennLive

This photo was taken during a May 2015 tour of the Dauphin County Prison.

Aired; May 15th, 2025.

In his in-depth investigative podcast Death County, PA, PennLive journalist Joshua Vaughn dives deep into a troubling pattern of deaths and alleged abuse at Dauphin County Prison (DCP) — a facility many incarcerated individuals describe as so inhumane, they’d rather die than remain inside.

Vaughn, who has spent years reporting on the criminal justice system, said the podcast originated from a disturbing case that struck him as emblematic of larger, systemic failures.

“Tyreek Riley was a pivotal moment,” Vaughn told us. “He was a young man experiencing a mental health crisis. His mom called 911 for help, and within 10 days of being taken to Dauphin County Prison, he was dead.”

What happened in that short period is still contested. The county’s coroner ruled Riley died of encephalitis. But an independent pathologist hired by Riley’s family determined there was no encephalitis — and that his death was the result of homicide, caused by force used during a cell extraction and the use of a restraint chair.

“It’s just this very emblematic case of what bad happens,” Vaughn said. “There are so many different ways that we should, as a society, be doing this better.”

While Vaughn arrived at PennLive after Riley’s death, he quickly uncovered more troubling stories — including that of Ishmael Thompson, another man who died at DCP under suspicious circumstances. His reporting soon revealed that Riley and Thompson were not isolated cases.

“Once you start looking at all the other deaths, you start to see kind of similar patterns emerge,” Vaughn explained. “There are systemic and fundamental problems that needed to be addressed at Dauphin County Prison.”

Vaughn says that conditions inside the prison are unsanitary, overcrowded, and psychologically damaging.

“The recurring themes we hear from people are that it’s very dirty,” he said. “Cockroaches that fly, piles of them found in the dishwasher. Mold in the showers. Mice everywhere — people try to block them out with towels, but that’s technically not allowed.”

Listen to the podcast for more information, and bonus content.