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Two young people with long brown hair, wearing orange uniforms, walk toward an open door as an adult wearing a black sweatshirt holds the door open.

Juvenile Justice

Nikki Kahn/The Washington Post via Getty Images
Cleveland
It Was Supposed to Be a Haven for Troubled Teens. They Risked Everything to Escape.
At Fox Run, one of Ohio’s largest youth residential treatment centers, kids and former staff detail a litany of trauma.
By and
Clockwise from top left: A photo shows a White woman with long blue hair, wearing a blue T-shirt, standing in front of a white building; a black-and-white photo shows a one-story building with a dark roof and the shadows of trees visible on its side; a photo shows a Mexican American woman in a blue top and black pants standing on the grass in front of some leafy trees; a photo framed through a car window shows a green sign saying “Fox Run.”
The Fox Run Center for Children and Adolescents in Ohio’s Belmont County.
Get Involved July 30
Were You Abused or Neglected in Youth Residential Treatment? We Want to Hear From You.
Help our team continue reporting on dangerous conditions in these facilities. We may also connect you with a journalist in your community.
By
An illustration shows a White man with a beard sitting on a picnic blanket with two people sitting near him. He is having a flashback to his time as a teen in youth detention, which is visualized as a series of transparent versions of his younger self, next to his adult self. In the background are small figures of children playing.
Life Inside July 24
I Spent 78 Days in a Violent Youth Jail. I Have PTSD for Life.
Vivid flashbacks, extreme anxiety and feelings of isolation continue to plague me 22 years later.
By Joey Heilman
A photo shows a crowd of people outside walking in a street at night.
Closing Argument July 18
Curfews, Drones, and Criminal Charges: Cities Differ on Approaches to ‘Teen Takeovers’
Experts say race and class factor heavily in perceptions of these gatherings, which are fueled by social media and can involve thousands.
By
A photo of a man in an orange safety vest greeting another man in a black shirt. Both men have a medium skin tone and beards.
Life Inside April 3
Mario Monteiro Was Incarcerated at 17. Gardening Helped Him Survive 23 Years.
“Each sprout was a quiet victory,” writes the tree steward. “Each harvest was a reminder that even in unexpected places, growth was possible.”
By Mario Monteiro
A photo shows a brick wall with barbed wire and a sign that reads, "Barry J. Nidorf Facility, 16350 Filbert Street."
Closing Argument February 21
‘Alarmed’: What Happens When Juvenile Detention Centers Don’t Have Enough Staff
From California to New York, juvenile detention systems struggle to protect the youth they house.
By
A photo shows the exterior of a residential treatment facility with a light-green roof at dawn.
Cleveland December 5, 2025
‘Substantial Risk’: Mohican Young Star Academy Admissions Suspended as State Investigates
Weeks after The Marshall Project - Cleveland found escalating violence, Ohio’s embattled youth treatment center is once again facing scrutiny.
By
A Black man in a tracksuit stands as he speaks to teenagers, dressed in orange uniforms, sitting inside a room. Officers monitor the teenagers while standing on the side.
Closing Argument November 8, 2025
The Competing Visions to Fix the Country’s Juvenile Justice Crisis
Some states keep adding beds in already troubled facilities, while others are trying alternative approaches to detention or keeping some children out of the system altogether.
By
A photo shows a group of Black men and women holding hands, closing their eyes, and bowing their heads in prayer in a forest.
Life Inside October 24, 2025
Finding the Racist Roots of Maryland’s Juvenile Justice System
As Maryland’s secretary of juvenile services, Vincent Schiraldi exposed a history of torture, neglect and Black boys buried in unmarked graves.
By Vincent Schiraldi
A photo of a small red building situated on a grassy landscape dotted with trees is overlaid on a monochrome photo of a campus dotted with buildings and trees.
Feature July 14, 2025
Dozens of Teens Who Spent Time at Abusive Florida Reform School Ended Up on Death Row
At least 34 boys from the Dozier School were later sentenced to death. Did abuse make them more violent?
By Leonora Lapeter Anton
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