Richard L. Bean remained in his perch as the superintendent of the juvenile detention center that bears his name despite scandals, investigations, and the use of seclusion to punish children.
Paige Pfleger, Criminal Justice Reporter
Paige Pfleger covers criminal justice for WPLN News. She has investigated guns and juvenile justice as a fellow with ProPublica's Local Reporting Network, and her investigation into domestic violence and firearms dispossession won a regional Edward R. Murrow award and was a finalist for an Investigative Reporters and Editors Award and a Livingston Award. She previously covered criminal justice and addiction in Ohio and was named the state's reporter of the year by the Associated Press. Her work has appeared nationally on NPR, The Washington Post, Marketplace, and PRI's The World, and she has worked in the newsrooms of The Tennessean, Michigan Radio, WHYY, Vox and NPR headquarters in DC.
The Governor’s family business and major lobbying companies received thousands from new franchise tax refunds
Tennessee’s Department of Revenue has officially released the names of businesses that received tax refunds due to the franchise tax reform bill passed last year.
The head of Knoxville’s Richard L. Bean detention center will retire after ‘loss of confidence’ in his leadership
A 2023 WPLN News and ProPublica investigation found that Bean was illegally locking kids up alone in cells. A new scandal has forced his resignation.
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.
Tennessee executes Oscar Smith, ending pause on lethal injections
The state of Tennessee executed Oscar Franklin Smith Thursday morning. It was the first lethal injection since 2019, and comes on the heels of a third-party investigation into the state’s protocol that found failures in testing the drugs used during executions.
Timeline: Tennessee is planning its first lethal injection in years. How did the state get here?
On Thursday, Tennessee plans to carry out its first execution since 2019 by means of lethal injection. It’s the fourth scheduled execution date since 2020 for Oscar Smith, who was convicted of killing his estranged wife Judith Smith and her two sons Jason Burnett and Chad Burnett in 1989.
Nashville’s Metro Council unanimously supports hiring an investigator to disarm prohibited people
Nashville’s Metro Council unanimously supported a resolution that would have the city hire a dedicated firearms dispossession investigator. That position would ensure that people who are barred from having guns because of criminal convictions wouldn’t have access to them.
Tennessee will create a public registry of domestic violence offenders. How could it be used?
The registry could have a use other than the one lawmakers discussed – to ensure dangerous people don’t get guns.
A bill to change how dangerous people are disarmed in TN is pushed to 2026 after NRA opposition
A Republican-backed bill to alter Tennessee’s firearms dispossession form was pushed to 2026 after opposition from the National Rifle Association.
Tennessee lawmakers are not changing the current school threats law. They’re adding a new one.
A bill moving through the Tennessee state capitol would create a new felony offense for people who make threats at school.
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