More than a thousand people have come forward to say they were abused by adults in charge at New Hampshire’s juvenile jail, known as YDC or the Youth Development Center, and other youth facilities run or contracted by the state. And people are still coming forward. How did this happen – and how did it finally come to light?
To find out, NHPR's Pulitzer Prize-finalist Document team partnered with The Pudding to analyze each of the nearly 1,300 lawsuits filed by people alleging abuse in state custody.
Collectively, the documents represent the most complete history yet of alleged abuse at New Hampshire’s youth facilities – and they reveal the largest government scandal in the state, and one of the largest youth detention abuse cases in American history. Here's what they show:
In addition to the multimedia piece, the team also produced a three-part podcast series called "The Youth Development Center," hosted by NHPR's Jason Moon. All three episodes are available now wherever you get your podcasts.
The project is a rare look inside the black box of the juvenile justice system, where privacy laws meant to protect kids also hid abuse. Jason uncovers confidential documents and previously untold stories of misconduct and retaliation, as well as surprising moments of courage, compassion, and triumph.
Jason sat down with NHPR Morning Edition Host Rick Ganley to discuss “The Youth Development Center." Click the play button above to hear the conversation or read the Q&A below.
Note: This conversation has been edited for length and clarity.
Rick Ganley: I’m curious what drove your reporting here? What questions have you been trying to answer?
Jason Moon: Well, it really started with that big number [of people who have come forward with allegations]. It raises an obvious question: How could this have happened? How did nobody notice? I started my reporting by reading every civil lawsuit that’s been filed in court – more than a thousand of them. Then, I talked to people who say they were abused at YDC and people who used to work there. And, what we found – and what you’ll hear in the podcast – is just shocking. I don’t know how else to say it. People did notice the abuse. But their complaints to management weren’t enough. There was a toxic culture that existed at YDC and it thrived for decades … in part, because of juvenile privacy laws and state bureaucracy. As just one small example, there’s a YDC staffer now accused of abuse by 114 different people over a period of 27 years.
R.G: As we’ve covered here on NHPR, the state is responding to this scandal in a few different ways: There are plans to rebuild the old YDC. There’s a settlement fund offering payouts to alleged victims and criminal trials of some former YDC staff starting this fall. Do the people who say they were abused at YDC feel like they’re finally getting justice?
J.M: It’s a hard question to answer. First, it really depends on who you ask. Each alleged victim I talked to has their own opinion about what justice looks like for them… Some are speaking out now because they hope the settlement fund or a lawsuit can give them some money to leave their own kids – or to pay for medical treatment of the injuries they still have from the abuse… But many have told me they just want somebody to finally listen, for the state and the public at large to acknowledge what happened at YDC. And ultimately, that’s part of what I hope this new series can help accomplish.
