The lawsuits, filed in federal court this month, argue East Tennessee school officials violated students’ rights by calling the police on them under Tennessee’s threats of mass violence law.
Pepper spray, beatings and neglect: DCS sued over treatment of kids in Tennessee’s juvenile justice facilities
A class action lawsuit filed Wednesday alleges that Tennessee’s Department of Children’s Services failed to protect children in the juvenile justice system.
Despite outcry over seclusion at juvenile detention centers, Tennessee lawmakers fail to pass oversight bill
A bill that would strengthen oversight of Tennessee’s juvenile detention centers has failed, despite a concerted push for reform after multiple county-run facilities were found to be locking children alone in cells.
Disability advocates raise concerns over Jillian’s Law that would change involuntary commitment in TN
A bill headed to Gov. Bill Lee’s desk would make it so anyone deemed unfit to stand trial would be automatically committed.
New report is a call to action to improve Tennessee’s juvenile justice system
Disability Rights Tennessee and the Youth Law Center have published a new report on the state’s juvenile criminal justice system, offering suggestions on how to prevent abuse inside detention facilities, and set kids up for success after they leave.
What bipartisan interest in involuntary commitment means for the system’s most vulnerable
In a rare show of bipartisanship, Tennessee’s statehouse and Nashville’s city hall are pushing for a change to state law that would make it easier to detain people who are deemed a threat to themselves or others. But experts say that could leave the criminal justice system’s most vulnerable at greater risk.
DCS gets approval to add more beds for kids in state custody, but not without being told to think bigger in the future
The Tennessee Department of Children’s Services got approval to add 72 more beds for housing juvenile inmates. And they plan to ask for 500 more next session. But some lawmakers think they will need even more.
Problems at Tennessee DCS prompt advocates to call for reforms, with less emphasis on facilities
As Tennessee legislators eye reforms at the Department of Children’s Services, advocates are asking them to focus on family and community-based support, instead of expanding facilities.
At A Tennessee Psychiatric Treatment Center, Inexperienced And Overworked Staff Left Kids Without Care
Caring for some of Tennessee’s most vulnerable kids is challenging work, yet many who do so in residential psychiatric centers earn low wages, have no prior experience and get just a couple weeks training. Which is why places like Kingston Academy near Knoxville, which closed last year, see such high staff turnover, burnout and violence.
On Air - 90.3 WPLN-FM