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Juvenile Injustice, Tennessee

Where Kids Meet the Rule of Law

Children in Rutherford County have been arrested and jailed at rates unparalleled in the state. We’re investigating how that happened — and other ways the justice system there singles out children.

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Juvenile Injustice, Tennessee

The Head of a Tennessee Youth Detention Center Will Step Down After “Loss of Confidence” in His Leadership

A 2023 investigation by WPLN News and ProPublica found that Richard L. Bean was illegally locking kids up alone in cells. A new scandal has forced his resignation.

Local Reporting Network

Juvenile Injustice, Tennessee

Tennessee Lawmakers Demand an Audit of Juvenile Detention Facilities, Citing “Culture Of Lawlessness”

Following reporting from WPLN and ProPublica, the state lawmakers said there is a “culture of lawlessness” inside Knoxville’s Richard L. Bean Center and called for an audit throughout the system.

Local Reporting Network

Juvenile Injustice, Tennessee

Juvenile Detention Center That Illegally Jailed Kids Now Will Answer to an Oversight Board

The board is being put in place after a Nashville Public Radio/ProPublica investigation detailed how Tennessee's Rutherford County was jailing children at rates unmatched in the state.

Local Reporting Network

Juvenile Injustice, Tennessee

Tennessee Judge Who Illegally Jailed Children Plans to Retire, Will Not Seek Reelection

Since 2000, Judge Donna Scott Davenport has overseen juvenile justice in Rutherford County. Following reporting from Nashville Public Radio and ProPublica, public outcry and a bill seeking to oust the judge, Davenport announced her retirement.

Local Reporting Network

Juvenile Injustice, Tennessee

Members of Congress Are Asking For an Investigation Into Rutherford County’s Juvenile Court

Government officials called Rutherford County’s juvenile justice system a “nightmare” that “boggles the mind.” They are demanding answers about why children were “unjustly searched, detained, charged, and imprisoned.”

Local Reporting Network

Juvenile Injustice, Tennessee

Outrage Grows Over Jailing of Children as Tennessee University Cuts Ties With Judge Involved

In the days following a ProPublica and Nashville Public Radio report on juvenile justice in Rutherford County, the president of Middle Tennessee State University told staff Judge Donna Scott Davenport “is no longer affiliated with the University.”

Local Reporting Network

12 stories published since 2021

How the Head of an Embattled Tennessee Youth Detention Center Held on to Power for Decades

Despite Outcry Over Seclusion at Juvenile Detention Centers, Tennessee Lawmakers Fail to Pass Oversight Bill

Tennessee Lawmakers Want More Oversight of Juvenile Detention. The Department of Children’s Services Is Pushing Back.

Knoxville’s Juvenile Detention Center Says Hundreds of Seclusions Were “Voluntary.” Some Kids Don’t See It That Way.

How “The Kids of Rutherford County” Sets Investigative Reporting to Music

This Youth Detention Center Superintendent Illegally Locks Kids Alone in Cells. No One Has Forced Him to Stop.

Secrecy Shields Powerful Adults in Our Juvenile Justice Systems. Kids Showed Me What’s Really Happening.

ProPublica and WPLN Win MOLLY National Journalism Prize for Investigative Journalism

The Judge Who Illegally Jailed Children Is Retiring. The Candidates to Replace Her Have Different Approaches.

ProPublica and WPLN News Win Dori J. Maynard Justice Award

New Documents Prove Tennessee County Disproportionately Jails Black Children, and It’s Getting Worse

Black Children Were Jailed for a Crime That Doesn’t Exist. Almost Nothing Happened to the Adults in Charge.

What We’re Watching

During Donald Trump’s second presidency, ProPublica will focus on the areas most in need of scrutiny. Here are some of the issues our reporters will be watching — and how to get in touch with them securely.

Learn more about our reporting team. We will continue to share our areas of interest as the news develops.

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Sharon Lerner

I cover health and the environment and the agencies that govern them, including the Environmental Protection Agency.

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Andy Kroll

I cover justice and the rule of law, including the Justice Department, U.S. attorneys and the courts.

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Melissa Sanchez

I report on immigration and labor, and I am based in Chicago.

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Jesse Coburn

I cover housing and transportation, including the companies working in those fields and the regulators overseeing them.

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