In 2016, WPLN’s senior reporter and special projects producer Meribah Knight heard a disturbing story from Rutherford County, a suburban Tennessee community southeast of Nashville. A group of elementary schoolers were arrested for something that didn’t seem like a crime: watching a fight between other kids and not intervening. Meribah dug in further and discovered […]
Judge Sheila Calloway says this is why Nashville needs a new juvenile justice center
Sheila Calloway is at the center of local conversations about justice. As the presiding judge of Nashville’s juvenile court, she has found new ways to hold young people accountable without sending them to jail. She’s now leading the effort to build a larger and less prison-like juvenile detention facility, and she’s also on the front […]
A new bill would funnel more kids into adult court. Advocates say it would cause damage that ‘can’t be undone.’
House Speaker Cameron Sexton introduced a bill that would funnel more kids into the adult criminal court system. Juvenile justice advocates are concerned it could have disastrous results.
The Tennessee Supreme Court rules against mandatory life sentences for minors
Tennessee has an automatic life sentence of 51 to 60 years for homicides by juveniles, making it one of the strictest in the nation. No other state has a mandatory that high for a single offense.
First-time gun possession charges for young people in Davidson County are back up to pre-pandemic levels
The number of teens charged with first-time gun possession is on track to be the highest it’s been since 2019. Charges fell during the pandemic, but now show a return to pre-pandemic levels.
Nashville has worked to reduce arrests in schools. Will increased police presence reverse that?
The leader of the Juvenile Court is hoping that the higher police presence in Metro Schools doesn’t mean more kids will be arrested.
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