Community Safety

When Jessica Porten sought help for postpartum depression, she wasn't expecting the nurse to call the police to escort her to the ER. She now believes moms need far better help for their mental health needs.

We recently spoke with Brenda Woods-Placky, director of the Climate Matters program at Climate Central, to discuss how journalists can best report on the science and health impact of climate change.

Times-Picayune reporter Jonathan Bullington offers a behind-the-scenes look at his reporting with colleague Richard Webster on the trauma experienced by kids growing up in New Orleans' "Triangle of Death."

This story was produced as part of a project for the Dennis A. Hunt Fund for Health Journalism, a program of the USC Annenberg Center for Health Journalism.

Read related stories in this series here.

Disturbed by stories about the rape and beatings of teens by supervisory staff and fellow detainees, Miami-Dade’s state attorney is asking a grand jury to investigate the Florida juvenile justice system.

On a Monday in early October, the top administrator at the the Manatee Regional Juvenile Detention Center in Bradenton, Florida issued a terse order to subordinates: “Do not flush.”

The effort is bringing together civic leaders, police, educators, community groups and religious leaders. The goals are to curb gang-related crime, help children stay out of gangs, and deal with emotional aftermath of violence.

While many students seem unaffected by the violence, medical experts say the mere knowledge of killings can cause them to experience their own trauma and lose their sense of safety.

Florida's Dept. of Juvenile Justice Secretary came out swinging against the Miami Herald Monday, saying the Fight Club investigation that uncovered the use of excessive force and other misconduct by agency staff depicted “isolated events."

When juvenile detention worker Uriah T. Harris heard the boys in his charge using profane language, he calmly offered a choice: they could be struck with a broom handle or receive demerits that could lengthen their stay. Many boys were hit with the broom.