Hayden Betts

Selected Investigations

Sheriffs Offered Caribbean Cruises and Florida Retreats as Part of Jail Telecom Contracts (The Appeal, 2022)
- Cited by the FCC in a 2024 rule ending exorbitant phone and video call rates in prisons and jails.
- Included in The Appeal’s “Most Impactful Reporting in 2024”.
Most Texas prisoners don’t have AC access and it’s unclear when they will get it (The Texas Tribune, 2025) — AP pickup
Group funded by Wall Street mogul violates regulations and spends big on South Bronx council candidate (City Limits, 2025)
Bronx reps side with chemical giants over environmentalists on waste bill after industry lobbying (Mott Haven Herald, 2025)
Silicon Valley firm powers predatory prison video calls (The American Prospect, 2021)

Upper West Side church preservation fight pits celebrities against parishioners (Gothamist, 2025)
Bronx's lone Republican on City Council hopes to ride red wave to re-election (Gothamist, 2025)
“Nobody came”: Hill Country flooding survivors recount anguish, neglect during emotional hearing (The Texas Tribune, 2025)
Some Texans fear a looming THC ban could return them to opioids, illegal options (The Texas Tribune, 2025)
Denying quorum has been a Texas political strategy since 1870 (The Texas Tribune, 2025)

Cited by House Democrats, Texas reps, amici briefs before Supreme Court of Texas

Texas capital murder case attempts to severely punish abortion pill use by treating a fetus as a person (The Texas Tribune, 2025)
“Is THC as dangerous as Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick makes it out to be?” (The Texas Tribune, 2025)
Bronx is getting stiffed on opioid settlement funds despite leading city in overdose deaths (Mott Haven Herald, 2024)

All The Texas Tribune stories →
Research shows ‘housing first’ policy works. NYC hasn’t fully embraced it. (Healthbeat, 2025)
580 emergency calls in 12 months prompts Community Board 2 to call for direct NYPD camera link to supportive housing site (Hunts Point Express, 2025)
NYCHA Chair predicts “a federal dollar decrease over time” under Trump, and “hard choices that have to be made” (Mott Haven Herald, 2024)
Lincoln Hospital Street Medicine Unit Brings Unhoused People Into the Medical System (Mott Haven Herald, 2024)
This is How the South Bronx is Living the 2024 Presidential Election (Contributions) (Mott Haven Herald, 2024)
Bronxites React to Trump Comedian's “Island of Garbage,” Anti‑Puerto Rico Slur (Contributions) (Mott Haven Herald, 2024)
Indignation and Hope at Town Hall on Climate Change (Mott Haven Herald, 2024)
St. Mary’s Park Tennis Courts Often Locked for ‘Public Safety.’ Locals Question Rationale. (Mott Haven Herald, 2024)
Silicon Valley Firm Powers Predatory Prison Video Calls (The American Prospect, 2021)