Fault Lines

Forgotten Youth: Inside America’s Prisons

We examine the lives of young inmates in adult prisons and investigate their claims of physical and sexual abuse.

'Forgotten Youth: Inside America's Prisons' won a bronze medal in the investigative report category
‘Forgotten Youth: Inside America’s Prisons’ won a bronze medal in the investigative report category

An estimated 200,000 children under the age of 18 are tried, sentenced or incarcerated as adults in the US each year, despite many of these cases involving non-violent crimes.

Fault Lines investigates the impact of these policies in Michigan, where lawyers have filed a class action lawsuit against the Department of Corrections and Governor Rick Snyder on behalf of hundreds of teenage prisoners who allege harassment and abuse by older inmates and prison staff.