New report details abuses at Wilder Youth Development Center: What to know

On Wednesday, a watchdog group released a scathing report about conditions at state-run Wilder Youth Development Center.

Two outside groups conducted a 20-month investigation and found numerous violations of state and federal law. The contents of the new report raise questions about the ability of the Department of Children’s Services to carry out its mission to care for the state’s most vulnerable children.

Here's what you need to know. 

What is Wilder Youth Development Center?

Wilder Youth Development Center is a juvenile justice facility for boys and young men in Fayette County, Tennessee. Wilder is a "hardware secure" facility, which essentially means residents are locked inside. Located in Somerville, about a 50-minute drive east of Memphis, Wilder is run by the Department of Children’s services. It opened in 1971 and is named after Fayette County native John S. Wilder, the longtime state Senator and Tennessee lieutenant governor.

Under state law, Youth Development Centers are required to provide therapeutic and rehabilitative services for juvenile offenders. There used to be many state-run Youth Development Centers in Tennessee, but many have been closed or privatized, leaving only Wilder.

Last year, there were a series of escapes and escape attempts at Wilder.

Special report:'Noodles on heads': From bounties to beatings, new report details abuses at state-run youth center

What happened to the other state-run Youth Development Centers?

In 2017, the state closed Woodland Hills Youth Development Center in Nashville and privatized Mountain View Youth Development Center in Dandridge. In 2012, the state closed Taft Youth Development Center in Pikeville.

Despite the closure of other facilities, Wilder's population has been dwindling. It was regularly over 100 just a few years ago, but now there are fewer than 40 youth there, according to the Department of Children's services.

This is due in part to a long decline in youth crime rates, escapes and escape attempts at several facilities, and also the juvenile justice field's growing commitment to using community-based resources to rehabilitate youth, instead of sending them to facilities like Wilder.

Related:Woodland Hills saw violence long before escapes, riots

Who is held at Wilder?

Adolescent and young adult male offenders are held at Wilder. The population is more than 90 percent Black and more than 80 percent of residents have disabilities, according to the new report from Disability Rights Tennessee and the Youth Law Center.

As of Tuesday, there were 15 detainees age 18 and 21 detainees between the ages of 14 and 17, according to DCS spokesperson Sandra Brandon. Those youth were found guilty of offenses that included murder, rape, rape of a child, attempted rape of child, aggravated assault, aggravated robbery, carjacking, burglary and domestic assault, Brandon said.

But the most violent youth criminals in Tennessee are typically transferred to adult prisons, especially those who are nearing their 18th birthday. 

Under state law, Youth Development Centers are mandated to be places where youth are given the skills and treatment needed to succeed in society upon their release.

“We operate under a statute that does not have the word ‘punishment’ in it,” said Shelby County Juvenile Court Judge Dan Michael. “And our focus is truly rehabilitation.”

But the report released Wednesday by Disability Rights Tennessee and Youth Law Center argues Wilder is failing to live up to its mandate.

What did the report say?

The report presents a litany of violations of state and federal law. It alleges that staff physically assaulted youth and incentivized youth to assault each other by providing “bounties” of Ramen noodles and other snacks.

It also said residents were subjected to sexual abuse, as well as arbitrary use of isolation. The report also alleges that residents didn't receive adequate medical or mental health care and instead are prescribed psychotropic medication without appropriate monitoring.

The report also says Wilder does not provide adequate schooling, including special education, and fails to provide evidence-based therapies and programs. It also says Wilder denies youth in their care programming, like sports or arts, as well as contact with family and religious services and grievance processes.

What did the Department of Children’s Services say in response?

Many of the problems listed in the report had already been addressed, said Department of Children's Services spokesperson Sandra Brandon. She also said the department disputes some of the report’s findings, but she didn’t specify which ones. The department only received the report on Tuesday, and Brandon said it would undertake a full review of its contents. 

Why did Disability Rights Tennessee and the Youth Law Center look at Wilder?

The federal government supports a system of watchdogs across the states called Protection and Advocacy Systems that have authority to monitor and investigate state agencies to ensure they are not infringing on the rights of people with disabilities. The Tennessee protection and advocacy agency is Disability Rights Tennessee, a nonprofit.

The group started looking at Wilder after hearing reports of abuses there and partnered with the Youth Law Center to help produce the report.

Although the report is limited to Wilder, investigators said the youth they interviewed at the facility indicated Wilder was not substantially different than other private facilities in Tennessee.