Adopted children promised “forever homes” were instead sent into a network of for-profit residential treatment centers — a hidden system uncovered in an exclusive AP investigation by Claire Galofaro and Sally Ho.
The reporting grew out of a tip Galofaro received while reporting AP’s award-winning Korean Adoption series. She teamed up with Ho, whose experience covering child welfare and business practices helped drive a deeper examination of how and why vulnerable adoptees are funneled into these institutions.
Together, they pursued an ambitious investigation, filing more than 100 public records requests, tracking lawsuits to identify systemic patterns, and obtaining previously unreported company documents that revealed sophisticated marketing tactics. Their reporting exposed a business model built on a controversial diagnosis, prolonged confinement and cost-cutting measures that maximize profits.
Galofaro developed sources with care, persuading more than a dozen families to share deeply personal stories, some on the record and on camera. Ho connected those experiences to broader policy failures and financial incentives, revealing how investors profit from children in crisis. Edited by Jerry Schwartz, who returned from retirement to join the project, the narrative became a distinctive, authoritative all-formats package.
The team collaborated across departments to bring the story to life. Health and science video journalist Mary Conlon produced a companion piece, while visuals and page design by Allen Breed illustrated the inner workings of the companies involved. The reporting detailed allegations of chaos, abuse and child deaths within the “troubled teen industry.”
The story surfaced a new angle — the overrepresentation of adoptees in this controversial system — and resonated widely with audiences, sparking engagement and prompting readers to share their own experiences.
Judges were impressed by the depth of the investigative work, the ability to secure sensitive on-the-record and on-camera interviews, and the thoughtful handling of the subject across all formats.
For a deeply reported investigation that exposed a hidden system and drove meaningful impact, Claire Galofaro and Sally Ho win this week’s Best of AP – Second Winner.
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