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.
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.
A closely watched vote leaves domestic violence reform in the hands of Tennessee judges
A years-long fight over a reform to protect domestic violence victims in Tennessee has come to an inconclusive end.
More beds, more oversight: Report identifies needs in Tennessee’s juvenile justice system
Does Tennessee have enough bed space for justice-involved youth? That’s the question lawmakers ordered TACIR to study.
Tennessee could lock up foster youth in jail-like facilities under new bill
Research shows it’s best practice to house foster kids with families, but a bill would allow foster kids to be placed in the most secure juvenile facilities.
Tennessee’s new domestic violence registry is live. Here’s how it works.
The state’s new domestic violence registry is live on the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation website. But so far, it does not include much information.
A County’s Move to Protect Domestic Violence Victims Is Spreading Across Tennessee After Legislative Delay
Judges across Tennessee are demanding more accountability from domestic abusers who have been ordered to give up their guns. It’s an effort to strengthen protections for survivors.
On the cusp of reform, advocates for Tennessee’s domestic violence victims are left waiting again
For years, advocates for victims of domestic violence have been pushing for a relatively small change that would close a big loophole.
How a gap in Tennessee’s probation system leaves domestic violence victims in danger
Probation officers pause in-person visits and home searches for offenders facing an arrest warrant. That reduced supervision can last for months. Six mothers died during this gap, WPLN and ProPublica found.
UPDATE: Blast at Tennessee explosives plant leaves multiple people dead and missing
An explosion at a Tennessee military munitions plant left multiple people dead and missing on Friday, a county sheriff said, as first responders said secondary blasts forced rescuers to keep their distance from the burning site.
Report finds Tennessee cities failing to address the root causes of gun violence, compounded by federal cuts
Memphis, Nashville, Knoxville and Chattanooga have some of the highest rates of gun violence in the nation.
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