No one has forced him to stop.
The Big Story
Thu. Nov 16, 2023
This Youth Detention Center Superintendent Illegally Locks Kids Alone in Cells. No One Has Forced Him to Stop.
The Richard L. Bean Juvenile Service Center has been punishing kids with seclusion more than any other facility in Tennessee. And as the laws and rules on how to treat kids changed, the facility failed to keep up.
by Paige Pfleger, WPLN/Nashville Public Radio
VIEW STORY
Juvenile Injustice, Tennessee
Secrecy Shields Powerful Adults in Our Juvenile Justice Systems. Kids Showed Me What’s Really Happening.
The three years I spent working on “The Kids of Rutherford County” podcast taught me one thing: Tennessee’s punitive policies aren’t leaving children in the legal system better off.
by Meribah Knight, WPLN/Nashville Public Radio
Black Children Were Jailed for a Crime That Doesn’t Exist. Almost Nothing Happened to the Adults in Charge.
Judge Donna Scott Davenport oversees a juvenile justice system in Rutherford County, Tennessee, with a staggering history of jailing children. She said kids must face consequences, which rarely seem to apply to her or the other adults in charge.
by Meribah Knight, WPLN/Nashville Public Radio, and Ken Armstrong, ProPublica

Listen to "The Kids of Rutherford County"

For over a decade, one Tennessee county arrested and illegally jailed hundreds, maybe thousands, of children. From Serial Productions and The New York Times in partnership with ProPublica and Nashville Public Radio, a four-part series reveals how this came to be — and what it would take to stop it.
Listen on Apple Podcasts
Listen on Spotify
More From Our Newsroom
Health Insurers Have Been Breaking State Laws for Years
States have passed hundreds of laws to protect people from wrongful insurance denials. Yet from emergency services to fertility preservation, insurers still say no.
by Maya Miller and Robin Fields
Insurance Executives Refused to Pay for the Cancer Treatment That Could Have Saved Him. This Is How They Did It.
A Michigan law requires coverage of cancer drugs. One insurer came up with a “defensible” way to avoid paying for treatments that offered Forrest VanPatten his last chance for survival. “We crossed the line,” says a former executive.
by Maya Miller and Robin Fields
This Louisiana Town Runs Largely on Traffic Fines. If You Fight Your Ticket, the Mayor Is Your Judge.
by Samantha Sunne, Dannah Sauer and Lee Zurik, WVUE-TV
“Do Your Job.” How the Railroad Industry Intimidates Employees Into Putting Speed Before Safety
Railroad companies have penalized workers for taking the time to make needed repairs and created a culture in which supervisors threaten and fire the very people hired to keep trains running safely. Regulators say they can’t stop this intimidation.
by Topher Sanders, Jessica Lussenhop, Dan Schwartz, Danelle Morton and Gabriel Sandoval
Child Welfare Officials Have Searched Her Home and Her Son Dozens of Times. She’s Suing Them to Stop.
Despite no evidence a mother mistreated her child, New York City’s Administration for Children’s Services continues to enter her home without a warrant. She has filed a lawsuit, citing ProPublica’s reporting, arguing her rights are being violated.
by Eli Hager
Appeals Court Sides With Author Sued Over ProPublica Article
A New York state appeals court issued a quick and decisive ruling in a case stemming from an article that chronicled the downfall of a Fortune 500 CEO.
by ProPublica
Residential Hotels Got Contracts Under the Los Angeles Mayor’s Homelessness Program Despite Violations
A city law sought to prevent low-cost housing from turning into hotels, but some landlords rented to tourists anyway. That didn’t stop them from receiving city funds for a new temporary shelter program.
by Robin Urevich, Capital & Main, and Gabriel Sandoval, ProPublica
Columbia University to Set Up $100 Million Fund for Patients of Predator OB-GYN
After ProPublica and New York Magazine revealed how the school ignored warnings about Robert Hadden, Columbia announced a number of major initiatives, including a settlement fund for survivors and an independent investigation.
by Bianca Fortis
The Supreme Court Has Adopted a Conduct Code, but Who Will Enforce It?
Experts say it is unclear if the new rules, which come after reporting by ProPublica and others revealed that justices had repeatedly failed to disclose gifts and travel from wealthy donors, would address the issues raised by the recent revelations.
by Joshua Kaplan, Justin Elliott, Brett Murphy and Alex Mierjeski
Was this email forwarded to you from a friend? Subscribe.
Want less email? Click here if you only want to receive one ProPublica newsletter each week.
This email was sent to [email protected]. Update your email preferences or unsubscribe to stop receiving this newsletter. Email not displaying correctly? View it in your browser.
ProPublica • 155 Ave of the Americas, 13th Floor • New York, NY 10013