Whitney Bryen
wbryen.bsky.social
Whitney Bryen
@wbryen.bsky.social
Journalist covering criminal justice and vulnerable populations at InvestigateWest. Holding power to account and lifting marginalized voices. Idaho-based. Open to stories anywhere in the PNW. Send tips to whitney@invw.org.
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In the state that incarcerates women at the nation's highest rate, @wilsonc.bsky.social and I uncovered rampant sexual abuse by Idaho women's prison guards. After a year of reporting, we published 6 stories examining the system that failed to protect them. 🧵 1/
There were witnesses. And victim accounts. One man was stripped of his certification for "criminal conduct" and "inappropriate sexual conduct while on duty." But it wasn't enough to charge 2 Idaho prison guards accused of sexually abusing multiple women. www.investigatewest.org/two-idaho-pr...
Two Idaho guards avoid charges for alleged inmate sex abuse
Investigative files reveal allegations from several women that weren’t enough for criminal consequences
www.investigatewest.org
January 28, 2026 at 10:53 PM
Reposted by Whitney Bryen
A recent @investigatewest.bsky.social investigation found years of sexual abuse in Idaho prisons & systemic failures that let this abuse go unchecked.

All Idahoans — including those who are incarcerated — deserve fair treatment under the law and transparency from prison officials & state leaders.
December 15, 2025 at 6:27 PM
In a letter to Gov. Little, @now4idaho.bsky.social condemned the state’s “shameful” failure to protect women from sexual abuse by prison staff & called for an independent investigation & "immediate" action - prompted by @investigatewest.bsky.social reporting. www.investigatewest.org/idaho-leader...
November 7, 2025 at 12:12 AM
In the state that incarcerates women at the nation's highest rate, @wilsonc.bsky.social and I uncovered rampant sexual abuse by Idaho women's prison guards. After a year of reporting, we published 6 stories examining the system that failed to protect them. 🧵 1/
November 5, 2025 at 10:30 PM
Reposted by Whitney Bryen
Grantees @wbryen.bsky.social & @wilsonc.bsky.social investigated sexual assault reports made by 25 women against more than 40 prison guards and revealed how the Idaho Department of Corrections systematically tolerates the sexual abuse of inmates. @investigatewest.bsky.social

👉 bit.ly/47W9JAz
November 4, 2025 at 8:50 PM
Reposted by Whitney Bryen
"In Idaho prisons, more than two dozen women say guards prey on them with little fear of consequences — and those who speak up are often punished."

The U.S. is a leader in women's incarceration, and behind bars, women are anything but safe. 🧵
Staff sex abuse in Idaho women’s prisons largely unchecked
InvestigateWest reporting exposes sexual abuse by guards, retaliation against victims and a system that fails to track the scope of the problem
www.investigatewest.org
November 4, 2025 at 8:20 PM
🧵 Idaho prison guard Ricardo Quiroz was transporting a woman under his supervision from the hospital where she had a medical procedure back to prison when, she says, he raped her in the back of the van. For 2 years, she was too scared to report what happened. In 2020, she finally did...
October 28, 2025 at 10:10 PM