New Hampshire has sent its most troubled kids to the same juvenile detention center for more than a century. The goal has been to shelter, educate, and nurture kids who break the law instead of sending them to adult jails and prisons.
But now, about 1,300 of those kids have come forward to say they were severely abused by adults in charge. It’s become one of the biggest youth detention scandals in American history – and people are still coming forward.
How did this happen – and how did it finally come to light?
“The Youth Development Center” – a three-part investigative podcast series hosted by Jason Moon of NHPR’s award-winning Document team – brings you answers straight from the people who lived it. Listen now wherever you get your podcasts.
Click the image below to read the companion digital story “Failures to Act,” made in collaboration with The Pudding. Learn more about the history of YDC, see archival photos and internal documents, and explore an interactive timeline of the alleged abuse:
To get in touch with “The Youth Development Center” reporting team, email YDC@nhpr.org.
To read more of NHPR’s coverage of the YDC abuse scandal, explore the links below.
-
Two former staff at NH’s Youth Development Center (YDC) testified management at the facility ignored complaints of abuse and enabled a culture of violence and retaliation. -
During opening arguments in the first civil trial of the YDC child abuse scandal, attorneys for plaintiff David Meehan argued the state’s negligence reduced him to “a punching bag.” -
Hoy es el primer juicio en la corte de las demanda vinculadas el YDC. Grupo de estudiantes de Plymouth State explorará proyectos con el eclipse. Nuevo reporte sobre el futuro de la educación superior en NH. -
Here's an explainer on the case and how this civil trial could impact New Hampshire's larger YDC child abuse scandal. -
NH faces about 1,200 lawsuits alleging physical, sexual or emotional abuse stretching back six decades at the Sununu Youth Services Center, formerly called the Youth Development Center. -
The scandal at the YDC in Manchester came to light after two former workers were arrested in 2019 and charged with abusing David Meehan, a former resident who had gone to police two years earlier. -
They also took up changes to the Youth Development Center abuse fund and Medicaid coverage for gender-affirming surgeries for youth. -
Una conferencia virtual quiere brindar ayuda a personas con Alzheimer y a sus familias. Ubican letreros de emergencia del 911 en frontera norte por primera vez. Otro accidente en motos de nieve resulta en heridos y una muerte, la tercera en 2024. -
Attorneys say the search warrant, filed in 2020, exposes “in great detail” a culture of abuse and corruption by state employees and agencies.
-
Un proyecto legislativo propone aumentar los pagos para víctimas del YDC. Estudiantes de Dartmouth en huelga de hambre por respuesta de la universidad ante la guerra Israel-Hamas. NH recibirá fondos altos para actualizar la infraestructura del agua.
