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.

Listen to All Episodes of “The Kids of Rutherford County”

ProPublica presents the complete podcast series “The Kids of Rutherford County” in partnership with Serial and WPLN Nashville Public Radio.

by ProPublica

Nov. 22, 2023, 5:00 am EST

Impact of Our Reporting

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

by Paige Pfleger, WPLN/Nashville Public Radio

June 2, 2025, 3:00 pm EDT

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

by Paige Pfleger, WPLN/Nashville Public Radio

November 17, 2023, 5:15 pm EST

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

by Meribah Knight, WPLN/Nashville Public Radio, and Ken Armstrong, ProPublica

June 8, 2022, 5:30 pm EDT

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

by Alexis Marshall and Meribah Knight, WPLN/Nashville Public Radio, and Ken Armstrong, ProPublica

January 18, 2022, 3:25 pm EST

Tennessee Children Were Illegally Jailed. Now Members of Congress Are Asking For an Investigation.

by Meribah Knight, Nashville Public Radio, and Ken Armstrong, ProPublica

October 20, 2021, 5:30 pm EDT

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

by Meribah Knight, WPLN/Nashville Public Radio, and Ken Armstrong, ProPublica

October 13, 2021, 4:50 pm EDT

19 stories published since 2021

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

by Paige Pfleger, WPLN/Nashville Public Radio, and Mariam Elba, ProPublica

June 7, 2025, 5:00 am EDT
Despite Outcry Over Seclusion at Juvenile Detention Centers, Tennessee Lawmakers Fail to Pass Oversight Bill

by Paige Pfleger, WPLN/Nashville Public Radio

April 25, 2024, 5:00 am EDT
Tennessee Lawmakers Want More Oversight of Juvenile Detention. The Department of Children’s Services Is Pushing Back.

by Paige Pfleger, WPLN/Nashville Public Radio

March 19, 2024, 6:00 am EDT
Knoxville’s Juvenile Detention Center Says Hundreds of Seclusions Were “Voluntary.” Some Kids Don’t See It That Way.

by Paige Pfleger, WPLN/Nashville Public Radio

December 14, 2023, 6:00 am EST
How “The Kids of Rutherford County” Sets Investigative Reporting to Music

by Ken Armstrong

November 22, 2023, 5:05 am EST
This Youth Detention Center Superintendent Illegally Locks Kids Alone in Cells. No One Has Forced Him to Stop.

by Paige Pfleger, WPLN/Nashville Public Radio

November 16, 2023, 5:00 am EST
Secrecy Shields Powerful Adults in Our Juvenile Justice Systems. Kids Showed Me What’s Really Happening.

by Meribah Knight, WPLN/Nashville Public Radio

October 26, 2023, 6:00 am EDT
ProPublica and WPLN Win MOLLY National Journalism Prize for Investigative Journalism

ProPublica

October 10, 2022, 12:55 pm EDT
The Judge Who Illegally Jailed Children Is Retiring. The Candidates to Replace Her Have Different Approaches.

by Paige Pfleger, WPLN/Nashville Public Radio

July 15, 2022, 3:10 pm EDT
ProPublica and WPLN News Win Dori J. Maynard Justice Award

by ProPublica

April 13, 2022, 2:32 pm EDT
New Documents Prove Tennessee County Disproportionately Jails Black Children, and It’s Getting Worse

by Meribah Knight, Nashville Public Radio, and Ken Armstrong and Hannah Fresques, ProPublica

December 30, 2021, 6:00 am EST
Black Children Were Jailed for a Crime That Doesn’t Exist. Almost Nothing Happened to the Adults in Charge.

by Meribah Knight, WPLN/Nashville Public Radio, and Ken Armstrong, ProPublica

October 8, 2021, 5:00 am EDT