Parents and juvenile justice advocates want Tennessee to improve the conditions in youth detention facilities after a report claims that teens held at the Wilder Youth Development Center were physically and sexually abused.
Disability Rights Tennessee and the Youth Law Center released the report on April 27. It details how the teens held at the state-run facility in Fayette County in West Tennessee were denied medical care and therapy services, and how parents were retaliated against when they tried to raise the alarm, among other allegations.
The report focuses on Wilder, but the authors believe conditions there point to larger systemic problems.
In today’s show, we talk to people who worked on the report, as well as a parent and juvenile justice advocate about what can be done to improve conditions for youth in detention. We invited representatives from the Tennessee Department of Children’s Services, but they were unavailable.
To start the show, WPLN political reporter Blaise Gainey breaks down everything you need to know from the Tennessee General Assembly this session.
Guests:
- Blaise Gainey, WPLN political reporter
- Sherry, a mother whose teenage son was held at Wilder
- Brian Blalock, attorney at Youth Law Center
- Javais Hammonds, a formerly incarcerated teen who now works with the Youth Justice Action Council
- Marcel Hernandez, program director at Youth Advocate Programs, Inc. and founder, Be About Change
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