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Detention and prison is a last chance to help Ohio kids turn their lives around. But our investigation found the system is plagued with problems.
When 17-year-old Robert Wright died alone in his cell at the Circleville Juvenile Detention Facility last August, the staff member who was supposed to be checking on him twice an hour might have been asleep. The Department of Youth Services released a report Friday outlining its findings in the wake of Robert's death. Rounds were not conducting properly, staff was complaining about reduced access to medical care and the CPR certifications of many staff members had lapsed. DYS Director Ryan Gies told a pair of reporters Friday a slew of changes – including the removal of the department's me...
"No child should ever die of a drug overdose in state custody," the statement said. "We are obligated to do better by these kids."
Robert Wright was supposed to go home in November. The 17-year-old told his mom about the meals he wanted to eat, the people he wanted to see, the songs he wanted to record. But he never got to do any of that. Instead, he died in his cell at the Circleville Juvenile Correctional Facility in August. Until last month, no one knew why. Robert's mother, Consandra Wright, made calls almost every week looking for answers. She still has more questions than answers, even with the autopsy report she received in January – nearly five months after her son's death. Why was there a drug in Robert's syst...