State officials say they need more high-security facilities for kids who commit crimes. Experts say this approach flies in the face of crime data and research that shows youth prisons are not rehabilitative.
Tennessee lawmakers demand answers on safety in state youth prisons
Tennessee lawmakers cited a recent WPLN and ProPublica investigation that found that juvenile justice facilities run by businessman Jason Crews repeatedly failed to report abuse and other serious incidents to the state as required.
‘They’re putting kids’ lives at risk’: How abuse in a Tennessee businessman’s juvenile prisons remained under wraps
Tennessee’s highest-security youth prisons are operated by a single private company. Former staff say they felt pressure to hide abuse and other serious incidents from the state and to handle medical emergencies without calling 911.
Tennessee lawmakers pass fix to school threats law after kids were arrested for jokes and misunderstandings
Tennessee lawmakers passed legislation this week to fix the state’s controversial threats of mass violence law, which had resulted in children being charged with felonies over jokes and misunderstandings.
Middle School Cheerleaders Made a TikTok Video Portraying a School Shooting. They Were Charged With a Crime.
Social videos, memes and retweets are becoming fodder for criminal charges in an era of heightened responses to student threats.
Chattanooga school agrees to pay $100,000 after an 11-year-old was arrested under threats of mass violence law
Junior was handcuffed and arrested for allegedly making a threat. His family agreed to a settlement in their lawsuit against his school.
A Tennessee School Expelled a 12-Year-Old for a Social Post. Experts Say It Didn’t Properly Assess If He Made a Threat.
The way school officials handled his case also exposes glaring contradictions in two recent state laws that aim to criminalize school threats and require schools to expel students who make them — with minimal transparency or accountability.
First came the warning signs. Then a teen opened fire on a Nashville school.
Tennessee authorities were alerted to Solomon Henderson’s threatening and violent behavior long before he brought a gun to Antioch High School. It’s unclear how many red flags were heeded.
How many students have been expelled under Tennessee’s school threats law? There’s no clear answer.
When a mother in Tennessee reached out to ProPublica last year to share that her 10-year-old had been kicked out of school for making a finger gun, she wondered how many other kids had experienced the same thing.
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