TBA Law Blog


Posted by: Stacey Shrader Joslin on Mar 15, 2023

After three teens escaped Saturday from the Wilder Youth Development Center in Fayette County, lawmakers and juvenile justice reform advocates are calling for changes. This latest escape comes after more than a dozen residents have broken free in recent years. "There's a lot of work that needs to be done," said Tennessee Rep. Torrey Harris, D-Memphis, who toured the facility last year. Harris said the building felt more like a prison rather than a place to rehabilitate young people. Johnnie Hatten, an investigator with Disability Rights Tennessee — which published a critical report about the facility last year — said the facility needs additional and more attentive staff. They did not even know the kids were gone until the police called, she tells Local Memphis.