Robert Wright Jr. was months away from going home when he was found dead in his cell at the Circleville Juvenile Correction Facility.
He was 17 when he died in August 2020.
His story was one of many included in an eight-month investigation by USA Today's network of Ohio newspapers that found children and teens in Ohio's juvenile justice system often end up surrounded by more dangers than the places they've left behind.
In the days following the investigation's publication, Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine appointed a Juvenile Justice Working Group to review juvenile justice and corrections in the state.
On Cincinnati Edition, we talk about that group's goals and hear about the problems in the state's system.
And later in the program, we'll discuss what's changed — and what hasn't — since reporting in Kentucky revealed broken bones, abuse and isolation in that state's juvenile lockups.
Guests:
- Tom Stickrath, chair, Ohio Juvenile Justice Working Group
- Laura Bischoff, reporter, USA Today Network Ohio Bureau
- Consandra Wright, the mother of Robert Wright Jr.
- Terry Brooks, executive director, Kentucky Youth Advocates
- John Cheves, government accountability reporter, Lexington Herald-Leader
Ways to listen to this show:
- Tune in live at noon ET M-F. Call 513-419-7100 or email talk@wvxu.org to have your voice heard on today’s topic.
- Catch the replay on 91.7 WVXU and 88.5 WMUB at 8 p.m. ET M-F.
- Listen on-demand. Audio for this segment will be uploaded to this page by 4 p.m. ET., or subscribe to our podcast.