Death County, PA is a new investigative documentary looking into the mysterious deaths of dozens of inmates in the Dauphin County Prison in Pennsylvania.
The series from Wondery uncovers a web of corruption, abuse and systemic failures.
Hosted by PennLive investigative reporter Joshua Vaughn, the podcast follows Lamont Jones, an ex-Dauphin County Prison inmate turned concerned citizen and elected official, as he looks for the truth after his young cousin died under suspicious circumstances in the same prison.
Jones walks out of Dauphin County Prison a free man, ready to rebuild his life. But when his young cousin, who entered the prison as a healthy 22-year-old, dies in the same facility just two weeks after getting there, Jones discovers that his cousin’s death is not an isolated incident.
In fact, dozens of men have died under mysterious circumstances in Dauphin County Prison, and the truth has been covered up for years.
As Vaughn and Jones dig deeper, they find themselves at odds with the authorities in the prison and local government who work in lockstep to conceal suspicious prisoner deaths.
This includes the county coroner Graham Hetrick, a larger-than-life figure who found fame with a reality TV show and boasts the questionable tagline, “I speak for the dead”.
Jones’ emotional journey from a prisoner to crusader is completely different to Hetrick’s self-aggrandising approach to his role and provides an electric conflict within the series.
The podcast sheds light on the systemic issues at the Dauphin County Prison and prisons across America, from medical neglect and abuse to outright corruption.
It also demonstrates through Jones and his allies the power of community action in challenging and potentially reforming institutional failures.
Death County, PA launches on 14 April on Wondery+ and on 28 April wherever you get your podcasts.
