AL.com was one of just two newspaper organizations in the nation to earn recognition in the 2025 Silver Gavel Awards.

The American Bar Association today recognized the series Denied: Alabama’s broken parole system, with the only honorable mention in the newspaper reporting category. USA Today’s work on untested rape kits won the newspaper category.

The Denied series was reported and written by AL.com investigative reporter Ivana Hrynkiw in 2024. The year-long work prompted immediate and lasting changes to Alabama’s parole system.

“It’s an honor to be recognized by the ABA for the work that went into Denied,” said Challen Stephens, acting vice president of news at AL.com.

“We set out to let the public decide who should be allowed a second chance. Alabama readers took an immediate interest, prompting changes at the parole board. That’s thanks to Ivana’s compelling reporting.”

USA Today won the Silver Gavel for newspaper reporting for the series “Untested, which documented how thousands of rape kits went untested and ignored.”

The Associated Press, Business Insider, and The Dallas Morning News were finalists in the newspaper reporting category.

Hrynkiw’s reporting for AL.com found that Alabama in 2017 paroled most prisoners who were eligible. But under new leadership, paroles fell to just 8% by 2023. That’s despite the parole board’s own guidelines suggesting more than 80% of prisoners should qualify for a second chance.

“The Silver Gavel Award was set up to honor a piece of media that helps people across the country understand the law and the way the justice system works,” said Hrynkiw. “That has been my goal throughout my career: To help Alabamians know what the court system is doing in their name.

“The Denied series was a unique opportunity to show people part of the legal system that is often forgotten — what happens after someone does time for a crime. I think many readers were interested to learn how this part of the system works, and more surprisingly how it doesn’t work.”

AL.com reporters Hannah Denham and Ramsey Archibald were also named for their contributions of data visualization, and Tamika Moore was named for her photography for the series. Stephens edited the reporting.

The 2025 Silver Gavel Awards named winners across eight categories and included just five honorable mentions today. Categories include books, commentaries, documentaries, drama and literature, magazines, multimedia, newspapers, radio and TV.

The awards recognize work that is “exemplary in helping to foster the American public’s understanding of law and the legal system,” according to the American Bar Association.

The Denied series has led to significant impact. The parole rate rose to 20% the month after the first article, and finished 2024 at 20%, according to state data. That comes out to roughly 250 more people getting out of prison last year than in 2023.

Lawmakers also held hearings and demanded answers, as prisoners featured on AL.com found lawyers or got new hearings that resulted in their release.

Hrynkiw’s work on the Denied series has also been recognized by the Livingston Awards, Investigative Reporters and Editors, and the National Headliner Awards. In March she was recognized as one of Tomorrow’s News Trailblazers by Editor & Publisher Magazine for her reporting on Alabama prisons.